$8 AGRICULTURAL SURVEY OF chap. IT. 



cess, and all public burdens, except such as they 

 are subjected to in common with the inhabitants 

 at large, they cannot rank as heritors, and are 

 excluded from all concern in the management 

 of county business. This class is very nume- 

 rous, and their number has of late greatly en- 

 creased. Within the last ten or twelve years, a 

 considerable quantity of land has been feued to 

 manufacturers, tradesmen, and others, especially 

 in the neighbourhood of villages, in some cases, 

 simply for houses and gardens, and in others, for 

 the convenience of keeping a cow. In the set- 

 tlement of these feus, no original price or gras- 

 sum is, in general, required, but a perpetual 

 yearly rent or feu-duty is fixed, the amount of 

 which is mostly from 3 1. to 6 1. per acre, more 

 or less in proportion to the quality of the land, 

 or the convenience of its situation. 



Burgage- holding is another tenure known in 

 this county, and is that by which royal burghs 

 hold of the Sovereign the lands which are con- 

 tained in their charters of erection. There are 

 thirteen royal burghs in Fife which have a right 

 to parliamentary representation, besides some 

 others, which do not enjoy that privilege. 

 Though I have not had access to any of their 

 charters, yet, from the Statistical Account pf 

 Kirkaldy, it appears that the burgh of Kirkaldy 

 had anciently considerable property annexed ta 

 it, to be held of the Crown: and it is presume- 

 able that the charters of the other royal burghs 

 would contain similar privileges. It is believed 

 that the greater part of these burgh lands have 

 been alienated and feued out to private indivi- 

 duals ; but still the. burgh, considered in its cor- 



