Wemyss Caves

Useful Information

Location:	Firth of Forth, Fife, Scotland. (56.160998, -3.059142)
Open:	No restrictions. Wemyss Caves Education Centre: APR to SEP 2nd Sun of the month 14-16:30. Also on Doors Open Day (DOD) and Scottish Archaeological Month (SAM) Sundays, both in September. [2015]
Fee:	free. [2015]
Classification:	sea cave sandstone.
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided, D=1 h.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	not wheelchair accessible
Bibliography:	Euan W. MacKie, Janem. Glaister (1981): The Wemyss Caves, Fife, Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow, Kirkcaldy Museums and Art Galery Frank Rankin (1989): Guide to the Wemyss Caves, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, Save the Wemyss Ancient Caves Society (SWACS).
Address:	Save the Wemyss Ancient Caves Society (SWAC), Mike McFarlane, Chairman. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1610	Sir George Hay established a factory for glass in Glass Cave.
1865	first explored by Professor James Young Simpson.
1867	some of the carvings were illustrated in the second edition of John Stuart's Sculptured Stones of Scotland.
SEP-1986	vandals drove a stolen car into Jonathan's Cave and set it on fire, destroying the swan picture.
OCT-1986	Save the Wemyss Ancient Caves Society (SWAC) founded.
1988	metal bar gate installed to prevent access to Jonathan's Cave.
2004	new path from the caves to the castle.

Description

Wemyss Caves are sea caves in sandstone, formed about 8000 years ago by the sea. Subsequently they were used by man, and archaeologists found remains of the Bronze Age in the caves. Then they were used by Picts and Scots. Even the name of the village East Weymss is derived from the caves, as the Gaelic word Uiam or later uamh means cave, which later changed to Weim and Weem. With the ending -ais, Uiamais means at the cave, and changed over the time to Weymss.

In the long history of the caves, man has done anything with this caves he does typically with caves. He used them as shelter, workshop, factory, cowshed, storage room, ceremonial site, spa, law court, dovecote, hideout, and - not only in youngest history - as garbage dump.

The sea caves are located in the cliff along the Firth of Forth, and are rather small. Several caves have engravings, which tell us something about the time they were used by man.

Jonathan's Cave:
At the end of the 18th century a poor man named Jonathan, and his family lived for many years in the cave. The cave contained once a swan drawing, said to indicate a learned person and part of the family crest of the Wemyss family. This drawing was destroyed by vandals in 1986, who drove a stolen car into the cave and set it on fire.
Glass Cave:
Named so, because it housed one of the oldest glassworks in Scotland. The cave was once 60 m long, 30 m wide and 9 m high, big enough to contain a factory. In 1610, Sir George Hay, Lord Clerk Register, later Lord Kinnoul, established a factory for glass in the cave. The factory was never a success, as the demand for glass was not particularly heavy. But it existed until 1730 when the owner became bankrupt. In the late 19th century the Michael Colliery was sunk east of the cave. This operations affected the cave until it completely collapsed.
Court Cave:
In the Middle Ages the baronial court was held here, summoned by the ringing of a bell which hung from the roof of the cave.
Doo Cave aka The East and West Dovecote Caves:
Named after famous pigeon houses in the caves. The bigger cave, with numerous engraved symbols collapsed during World War I. A gun emplacement was put on top of it, and when the gun went off the cave fell in.
Well Cave aka Castle Cave:
Received its name because of St Margaret's Well, a well of clear water with supposedly great healing powers for all manners of diseases, particularly for jaundice. The well may have existed at the time of the picts and to the middle ages, but today there is no water any more. The other name Castle Cave goes back on a legendary passage connecting it with the castle.

Several caves have been destroyed so far, and the others are still in danger. The story with the burning car in Jonathan's Cave led to the foundation of the Save the Wemyss Ancient Caves Society. They protected some caves with iron bar gates and offer guided tours into the cave during the summer months. They also created an exhibition called Wemyss Caves Education Centre, which is located in the Basement Suite of East Wemyss Primary School as a part of the Wemyss Environmental Education Centre.