St Andrews () is a coastal university town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a population of 16,460 in 2022, making it Fife's fourth-largest settlement and the 45th most populous settlement in Scotland.
The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle. The settlement grew to the west of St Andrews Cathedral, with the southern side of the Scores to the north and the Kinness Burn to the south. The burgh soon became the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, a position which it held until the Scottish Reformation. The famous cathedral, the largest in Scotland, now lies in ruins. St Andrews is also known globally as the "home of golf". This is in part because of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, founded in 1754, which until 2004 exercised legislative authority over the game worldwide (except in the United States and Mexico). The Old Course of St Andrews Links (acquired by the town in 1894) is the most frequent venue for the Open Championship.
It is home to the University of St Andrews, the third oldest university in the English-speaking world and the oldest in Scotland. It was ranked as the best university in the UK by the 2022 Good University Guide, published by The Times and The Sunday Times.
The Martyrs Memorial, erected to the honour of Patrick Hamilton, George Wishart, and other martyrs of the Reformation epoch, stands at the west end of the Scores on a cliff overlooking the sea. The town also contains numerous museums, a botanic garden and an aquarium.
Name and etymology The earliest reference to the place now known as St Andrews occurs in the Annals of Ulster, which record the death of the abbot of Cinrighmonai under the year AD 747. This represents Old Gaelic Cenn Rígmonaid, meaning "end or head of the king's moor" (likely translating an older Pictish name, *Penrimonid). The "king's moor" was probably the upland stretching between St Andrews and Crail, a section of which is still known as Kingsmuir. The element cenn was later replaced by cill, meaning "church", leading to the modern Gaelic name for St Andrews, Cill Rìmhinn (anglicised as Kilrymont).
The name St Andrews derives from the town's association with Andrew the Apostle, several of whose relics were held by the cathedral.Gifford, J., The Buildings of Scotland: Fife (Yale UP, 1988), p. 357. It was applied to the secular settlement adjoining the cathedral from the 12th century onwards. Early sources refer to the settlement as (Saint) Andrestoun, but the element toun was later left implicit.
History
The first inhabitants who settled on the estuary fringes of the rivers Tay and Eden during the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) came from the plains in Northern Europe between 10,000 and 5,000 BCE.Lamont-Brown St Andrews – City by The Northern Sea pp.1–2. This was followed by the nomadic people who settled around the modern town around 4,500 BCE as farmers clearing the area of woodland and building monuments.
During the Iron Age, a fortified enclosure, potentially a hillfort, was established on East Balrymonth hill, a mile to the south of the town. Today, the outline of the defences are visible on some aerial images. It marks the oldest still extant structure in St Andrews.
In the mid-eighth century a monastery was established here by the Pictish king Oengus I, containing a number of relics associated with Saint Andrew (namely an arm, a kneecap, three fingers and a tooth) and believed to have been brought to the site by Saint Regulus.Gifford Buildings of Scotland – Fife p.357. In AD 877, King Causantín mac Cináeda (Constantine I) built a new church for the Culdees at St Andrews.Raymond Lamont-Brown, St Andrews: City by the Northern Sea (Edinburgh: Berlinn, 2006), 9.
In AD 906, the town became the seat of the bishop of Alba, with the boundaries of the see being extended to include land between the River Forth and River Tweed.Lamont-Brown St Andrews – City by The Northern Sea p.16. In 943 Constantine II abdicated and took the position of abbot of the monastery of St Andrews.Gifford, Buildings of Scotland:Fife p.357
Construction of the present town began around 1140 under Bishop Robert, on an L-shaped hill, possibly on the site of the ruined St Andrews Castle.Lamont-Brown Fife in History and Legend p.71. According to a charter of 1170, the new burgh was built to the west of the cathedral precinct, along Castle Street and possibly as far as what is now known as North Street. The northern boundary of the burgh was the southern side of the Scores (the street between North Street and the sea), the southern boundary was the Kinness Burn and the western was the West Port.Gifford The Buildings of Scotland: Fife p.359. The burgh of St Andrews was first represented at the great council at Scone Palace in 1357.
St Andrews, in particular the large cathedral built in 1160, was the most important centre of pilgrimage in medieval Scotland and one of the most important in Europe. Pilgrims from all over Scotland came in large numbers hoping to be blessed, and in many cases to be cured, at the shrine of Saint Andrew. The presence of the pilgrims brought about increased trade and development.Omand, D. (ed.) The Fife Book, Birlinn Ltd, 2000, p.118 Recognised as the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, the town now had vast economic and political influence within Europe as a cosmopolitan town.Cook Old St Andrews p.3. The Scottish Parliament met in the town in 1304, when King Edward I, in his capacity as overlord of Scotland, came to be received by Bishop William de Lamberton. As many as 130 landowners turned up to witness the event ranging from Sir John of Cambo to Sir William Murray of Fort.Lamont-Brown St Andrews – The City by the Northern Sea p.188.
In 1559, the town fell into decay after the violent Scottish Reformation and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms losing the status of ecclesiastical capital of Scotland.Lamont-Brown Fife in History and Legend p.76. Even the University of St Andrews was considering relocating to Perth around 1697 and 1698. Under the authorisation of the bishop of St Andrews, the town was made a burgh of barony in 1614. Royal Burgh was then granted as a charter by King James VI in 1620.Lamont-Brown St Andrews –City by The Northern Sea p.19.Omand The Fife Book p.109. In the 18th century, the town was still in decline, but despite this the town was becoming known for having links 'well known to golfers'. By the 19th century, the town began to expand beyond the original medieval boundaries with streets of new houses and town villas being built. From 1842 to 1861 Hugh Lyon Playfair ws provost of St. Andrews and was credited with improving the burgh, the University and the Golf Club. Today, St Andrews is served by education, golf and the tourist and conference industry.
In 1951, The Masque of St. Andrews, which dramatised important events in the town's history, was staged in the cathedral grounds as part of the Festival of Britain.Elder, Michael (2003), What do You do During the Day?, Eldon Productions, p. 66,
Fishing Like many of the smaller fishing stations, St Andrews declined in the years before the First World War. At the start of the century, the situation had been more optimistic: "Eight crews prosecuted the summer herring fishing at northern ports. One crew earned £250 at the English herring fishing .
Governance
St Andrews is represented by several tiers of elected government. Prior to 1975 the town was governed by a burgh council, a provost and baillies. From 1975, St Andrews was administered by North East Fife District Council and Fife Regional Council. North East Fife District was abolished in 1996 when Fife Council became the unitary authority. Fife Council, based in Glenrothes, is now the executive, deliberative and legislative body responsible for local governance. The Scottish Parliament is responsible for devolved matters such as education, health and justice while reserved matters are dealt with by the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council, meeting on the first Monday of the month in the Council Chamber of St Andrews Town Hall, forms the lowest tier of governance whose statutory role is to communicate local opinion to local and central government. The current Convenor is Mr Callum MacLeod. The Convenor uses the honorary title of Provost of St Andrews on official and ceremonial occasions, this ancient title having been revived to mark the 400th Anniversary of the granting of Royal Burgh status to St Andrews in 1620 by King James VI & I. The first modern Provost was Mr Callum MacLeod.
In the early days of the United Kingdom, following implementation of the union of 1707, St Andrews elected one Member of Parliament (MP) to the United Kingdom Parliament.Lamont-Brown St Andrews – The City by the Northern Sea p.190. Following the implementation of the Reform Act 1832 St Andrews Burgh merged with Anstruther for the purposes of electing one MP to the United Kingdom Parliament. Following implementation of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, there was one MP sitting for St Andrews Burgh (which would include Anstruther Easter, Anstruther Wester, Crail, Cupar, Kilrenny and Pittenweem).
St Andrews now forms part of the North East Fife constituency, electing one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system. The constituency is represented by Wendy Chamberlain, MP of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. For the purposes of the Scottish Parliament, St Andrews forms part of the North East Fife constituency. The North East Fife Scottish Parliament (or Holyrood) constituency created in 1999 is one of nine within the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region. Each constituency elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post system of election, and the region elects seven additional members to produce a form of proportional representation. The seat was won at the 2016 Scottish Parliament Election by Willie Rennie, for the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Demography +St Andrews compared according to UK Census 2001St AndrewsFifeScotlandTotal population14,209349,4295,062,011Foreign born11.60%1.18%1.10%Over 75 years old10.51%7.46%7.09%Unemployed1.94%3.97%4.0%
According to the 2001 census, St Andrews had a total population of 14,209. The population increased to around 16,680 in 2008, then to 16,800 in 2012, before eventually decreasing to 16,460 at the 2022 Scottish census. The age of the population is much in line with the rest of Scotland. The age group from 16 to 29 forms the largest portion of the population (37%). The median age of males and females living in St Andrews was 29 and 34 years respectively, compared to 37 and 39 years for those in the whole of Scotland.
The place of birth of the town's residents was 87.78% United Kingdom (including 61.80% from Scotland), 0.63% Republic of Ireland, 4.18% from other European Union countries, and 7.42% from elsewhere in the world. The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 23.94% in full-time employment, 8.52% in part-time employment, 4.73% self-employed, 1.94% unemployed, 31.14% students with jobs, 9.08% students without jobs, 13.24% retired, 2.91% looking after home or family, 2.84% permanently sick or disabled, and 1.67% economically inactive for other reasons.
Economy St Andrews, whose economy stands at £660 million, relies heavily on tourism and education. In 2016, one out of every five jobs in St Andrews is related to tourism.
St Andrews is often considered as an expensive destination. In 2016, St Andrews was reported to be home to the "Most Expensive Street in Scotland", with average house prices in The Scores in excess of 2 million pounds.
Weather and climate