STORIES OF a woman smuggled as a swan in a barrel and a man’s ear being nailed to a tree may sound like works of fiction.

But they are just some of the true tales from Elie Bay’s past retold in a new book.

The Harbours of Elie Bay: A History has been penned by Elie resident Archie Rennie for Elie and Earlsferry History Society.

It tells the story of the harbours from prehistoric times until 1975 and includes photographs, maps, plans and other documents.

Mr Rennie told The Courier the story about the woman smuggled on board the yacht of James Duke of York, the High Lord Commissioner of Scotland, in 1680, by its coxswain.

“This coxswain fell in love with the daughter of a local landowner and they were surreptitiously married by the minister at Kilconquhar.

“She was smuggled away from Elie disguised as a swan in a barrel.

“The coxswain and his friend carried the barrel aboard the yacht saying it was a swan from Kilconquhar Loch which was being taken to Edinburgh to improve the breed of swans at St Margaret’s Loch near Holyrood House.”

Another interesting story, he said, concerned the Jacobites in 1755.

“The Jacobites were trying to find where Sir John Anstruther of Elie kept his treasure.

“Sir John’s groom refused to tell them anything and they nailed his ear to a tree for being ‘an obstinate whig’.”

Mr Rennie was born in Guardbridge and brought up in Leuchars before a distinguished career in the civil service took him to Edinburgh.

He and wife Kathleen spent their summer holidays in Elie with their children for many years before they moved there permanently when he retired as secretary of the Scottish Home and Health Department in 1984.

Mr Rennie, who was also Registrar General for Scotland for four years and private secretary to the Scottish Secretary in the 1960s, spent around a year and a half putting the book together.

His interest in the history of Elie Bay was fired when he was given a copy of Walter Wood’s 1887 book The East Neuk of Fife.

A member of Elie and Earlsferry History Society, Mr Rennie’s book is to be launched at its spring exhibition on March 14.