At that time the adjacent country is said to have been woody, and infested with wild beasts, particularly boars ; as a prool of which, Hector Bocce, who wrote in 1526, informs us, that in his time thee were still to be seen, chained to the great altar of the cathedral church of St Andrews, the tusks of an immensely large boar which had been killed in the neighbourhood. The tusks, he says, were each 16 inches long, and 4 inches thick. The walls of St Regulus's church are still standing, and the tower, which is a square prism, (without a spire,) of 20 feet inside, and 108 feet high, is as straight as when it was first built. The arches of the doors and windows are all semicircles, which is sufficient to show its great antiquity. St Regulus changed the name of the place, which was at first Muckross, (signifying the promontory of boars,) into Kilrymont, or Cella Regis in Monte, in compliment, it would seem, to his royal benefactor. He also established here the first Christian priests of the country, called Culdees. But the exemplary virtue of Regulus and his company prevailed over the fame of even the king himself, for in a short time the name of the church and place was changed from Kilrymont to Kilrule, (Fanunz vel Cella Reguli,) a name which is still retained among the Scotch Highlanders. In 809, Hurgus, king of the Picts, conferred on the see of Kil rule a tithe out of all the lands within his dominions, and directed that the cross of St Andrew should henceforth be the badge of the country. In 840, Kenneth Macalpin, king of the Scots, having subjugated the Picts, whose capital was Abernethy, transferred the seat of govern ment thence to the town of Kilrulc, and changed its name. to St Andre 1% l le also ordained that the bishop of St Andrews should be the chief in the kingdom, and be styled ..11a•imus Srotorum Episcopus. He at the same time new peopled the city by a colony of Scots, under a chief called Fifus Dallis, who, for his eminent services to the king, was rewarded with the shire which l as been since called Fife.
In 1120 the priory was founded by bishop Robert, and filled with canons regular of St Augustine. Of this the surrounding wall is still pretty entire, but few more ves tiges of it now remain. It was of great extent, and, by an act of parliament in the time of James I, the prior had precedence of all the abbots and priors, and on festi val days wore a mitre and all episcopal ornaments. Dependent on this priory were those of Lochlcven, Portmoak, Monimusk, the Isle of May, and Pittenweem, each originally a scat of the Culdees. The revenues of the house were great ; in money 22371. 2s. 101-d. with 7040 bolls of victual of different sorts, and 480 acres of land. The town was erected into a royal burgh by Da vid 1, in 1140 ; and in 1159 the building of the cathedral church was begun by bishop Arnold, but not finished for 160 years. Its length from east to west was 350 feet, and the breadth of the cross iles from north to south 160. It was demolished in June 1559 by the mob, inflamed by a sermon of John Knox against idolatry ; and nothing now remains but part of the cast and west ends, and of the south side.
The castle was built in 1200 by bishop Roger, and employed in after times by the prelates as the place of their usual residence. It stood on a rock overlooking
the sea. Very little of it now remains. Here it was that cardinal Beaton, after having barbarously witnessed the burning of George Wishart, was himself afterwards assassinated by a party of the covenanters.
Norman Leslie, eldest son of the earl of Rothes, with fifteen more, found means to enter the fortress, early in a morning of May, 1546, while the cardinal was still in bed, and inflicted on him that death he too justly merit ed. The window frombwhich he glutted his eyes with the martyrdom of Wishart is still pointed out. This fortress being possessed by the English in 1337, was besieged by Andrew Murray of Bothwel, and taken in three weeks. It was shortly after demolished; but bi shop Trail repaired it, and died there in 1401. James Ill was born in this castle. It was demolished by an act of council after the murder of cardinal Beaton.
The convent of Dominicans was founded by bishop Wishart in 1274, of which nothing now remains but a part of the chapel, much admired for the elegance of its gothic architecture : and the convent of Obseryan tines was founded by bishop Kennedy, though only fi nished by his successor Patrick Graham, in 1478. A fragment of a garden wall only of this convent now re mains. It was in the time of Graham that the see was erected into an archbishopric. This was done by Sixtus IV at the request of James III. Immediately above the harbour stood the church of Kirkheugh, thought by some to have been originally founded by Regulus; and from its being seated on a rock, was called Ecclesiavel Prepositura Sanctic Illarix de Rupr. Constantine III reti ring from the world became here a Culdec, and the name of the church was changed to Capella Domini Regis Sco toritm.
In the tolbooth is preserved a charter of king Mal colm II, written on a slip of parchment, which does not contain above 10 square inches, but equally valid with what would now require whole skins. There also arc kept the keys of the city, which for form's sake would be delivered to the king if he should visit the place; or to a victorious army, in token of submission. In this place also is to be seen the monstrous axe, which, in 1646, took on' the heads of sir Robert Spotswood, and other distin guished royalists.
In 1606 the priory was suppressed ; and in 1617 the power of electing the archbishop was transferred to eight bishops, the principal of St Leonard's college, the archdeacon, and the vicars of St Andrews, Leuchars and Cupar. This see, during the most flourishing period of its history, included the greatest part of Fife, with a part of Perth, Forfar, and Kincardineshires, besides a great number of parishes, churches, and chapels in other dioceses. The opulence of the city, while the seat of the primate in the times of popery, was great, though we cannot ascertain the number of its inhabitants ; but it had then 70 bakers belonging to it, while nine or ten of these are now sufficient. Its opulence may in some measure be conceived from the number of trading ves sels which were accustomed to resort to it. At an an nual fair, which commenced in the beginning of April, and lasted for several weeks, from two to three hundred of them usually arrived from all parts of the then com mercial world.