British and Irish Political Geography

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Fife

The Oxford Companion to British History | 2002 | | Copyright

Fife lies on a peninsula between the Forth and Tay estuaries. Its name derives from a Pictish lordship, extending rather further west than the present boundary; the present region is still occasionally called the kingdom of Fife, particularly by those resisting attempts to divide its administration. In the 1973 local government reorganization of Scotland, Fife fought a successful campaign to be a region, and not to be divided between the neighbouring areas (Tayside and Lothian) to which it looks for significant employment, and in the 1996 changes it was Fife, rather than its erstwhile districts (Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, North East Fife), which became the all-purpose authority. Though in recent times it has had an in-built Labour majority, Fife continues to display diversity in both political and economic life. It has good agricultural land, partly underlain by coal seams, which formerly provided much employment, and, particularly round its coastline, there is a remarkable concentration of small towns, formerly royal burghs, now mainly inhabited by commuters or retired people. The main population centres are Kirkcaldy (once a major site for linoleum manufacture) and Glenrothes new town (in which the microcomputer industry is an important employer).

Charlotte M. Lythe

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JOHN CANNON. "Fife." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Fife." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Fife.html

JOHN CANNON. "Fife." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Fife.html

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Fife

A Dictionary of British History | 2004 | | Copyright

Fife lies on a peninsula between the Forth and Tay estuaries. Its name derives from a Pictish lordship, extending rather further west than the present boundary; the present region is still occasionally called the kingdom of Fife. In the 1973 local government reorganization of Scotland, Fife fought a successful campaign to be a region, and not to be divided between the neighbouring areas (Tayside and Lothian). It has good agricultural land, partly underlain by coal seams, which formerly provided much employment, and, particularly round its coastline, there is a remarkable concentration of small towns.

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JOHN CANNON. "Fife." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Fife." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Fife.html

JOHN CANNON. "Fife." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Fife.html

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Fife

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Fife Region in e central Scotland between the firths of Tay and Forth; the capital is Glenrothes. The central part is mostly low-lying farmland. Coalfields are situated in the w and e. Along the North Sea coast there are many fishing villages. St Andrews is the seat of Scotland's oldest university (1410), and the home of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Area: 1305sq km (504sq mi). Pop. (2000) 350,400.

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"Fife." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Fife." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Fife.html

"Fife." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Fife.html

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fife

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

fife small transverse flute with six to eight finger holes adopted for military music by Swiss regiments serving in France in the late 15th cent. The fife was used in the British army until the end of the 19th cent. The piccolo has largely replaced the fife in modern use.

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"fife." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"fife." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-fife.html

"fife." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-fife.html

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Fife

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2007 | Copyright

Fife council area (1993 est. pop. 351,200), 510 sq mi (1,322 sq km), and former county, E Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay. The land rises to 1,500 ft (457 m) in the Lomond Hills. Fishing villages of great antiquity dot the eastern coast. One of Scotland's most prosperous areas, Fife has pastures and productive farmland in the central valleys of the Leven and Eden and rich coal fields in the west and east. One of the new towns , Glenrothes was opened there in 1959 and has since become industrially diversified. Kirkcaldy was a center of linoleum manufacture. Other industries are linen weaving and brewing.

Fife was once a Pictish kingdom. Saint Andrews , seat of Scotland's oldest university, was the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland until the Reformation, and Dunfermline was once a royal burgh. Under the Local Government Act of 1973, the county of Fife became a region in 1975, and in the local government reorganization of 1996, the region became a council area.

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Fife

A Dictionary of British Place-Names | 2003 | | Copyright

Fife (the unitary authority). Fib c.1150, Fif 1165. ‘(Territory of) Fib’. Fib was one of the seven sons of Cruithe, legendary father of the Picts. But the pers. name dates later than the territory associated with it, so some earlier name must be involved.

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A. D. MILLS. "Fife." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

A. D. MILLS. "Fife." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Fife.html

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Fife

A Dictionary of First Names | 2006 | | Copyright

Fife ♂ (Scottish) Transferred use of the surname, originally a local name for someone from the Kingdom (now region) of Fife, which is said to get its name from the legendary Pictish hero Fib, one of the seven sons of Cruithne.

Also: Fyfe.

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Fife." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Fife." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Fife.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Fife." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Fife.html

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fife

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music | 1996 | | Copyright

fife. Ancient side-blown instr. like a high-pitched fl., frequently used in military bands. Modern drum and fife bands incl. low-pitched fls.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "fife." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "fife." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-fife.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "fife." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-fife.html

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fife

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

fife / fīf/ • n. a kind of small shrill flute used esp. in military bands. DERIVATIVES: fif·er n.

fife

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"fife." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"fife." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fife.html

"fife." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fife.html

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fife

fife flute-like instrument. XVI. — G. pfeife PIPE1 or F. fifre — Swiss G. pfifre (G. pfeifer) piper.

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T. F. HOAD. "fife." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "fife." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-fife.html

T. F. HOAD. "fife." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-fife.html

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fife

fife •fife, Fyfe, knife, life, pro-life, rife, still-life, strife, wife •shelf-life • midlife • wildlife •nightlife • lowlife • afterlife •jackknife • penknife • paperknife •spaewife • alewife • midwife •fishwife • housewife • goodwife

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"fife." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"fife." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-fife.html

"fife." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-fife.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Fife gets a taste of life as starting UO quarterback.(Sports)(Ducks: With... Newspaper article from: The Register Guard (Eugene, OR); 12/9/2001
	Fife's poetry in motion.(Column) Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 9/4/2003
	FIFE ELECTRIC GETS FORD CONTRACT: MINORITY FIRM HOPES FOR EXPANSION. Magazine article from: Crain's Detroit Business; 12/7/1998