Dysart, Fife

Dysart
Little Holland
A view of Dysart harbour
[[file:Template:Location map Scotland Fife|240px|Dysart is located in Template:Location map Scotland Fife]]<div style="position: absolute; z-index: 2; top: %; left: %; height: 0; width: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> [[File:Template:Location map Scotland Fife|6x6px|Dysart|link=|alt=]] Dysart  Dysart shown within Fife
OS grid reference	NT305935
Council area	Fife
Lieutenancy area	Fife
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KIRKCALDY
Postcode district	KY1
Dialling code	01592
Police	Fife
Fire	Fife
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
Scottish Parliament	Kirkcaldy Mid Scotland and Fife
List of places UK Scotland

Dysart (Scottish Gaelic: Dìseart) is a town on the south-east coast of Scotland, between Kirkcaldy and West Wemyss in Fife. A former royal burgh, Dysart is now a suburb of Kirkcaldy. Dysart was once part of a large estate owned by the St Clair or Sinclair family. They were given burgh of barony status for the town at the end of the 15th century.

The first written record of the town was in the early 13th century. During the middle of the 15th century, the town traded with the Low Countries, and exported salt and coal. In the 16th and 17th centuries, they began to trade with the Baltic Countries. Dysart got two nicknames: "Salt Burgh" and "Little Holland".

When the coal mine, the Lady Blanche Pit, closed suddenly use of the harbour almost stopped. The town was joined with the royal burgh of Kirkcaldy in 1930. Large parts of the historic town were pulled down in the 1950s and 1960's for new housing. People living in the town were able to protect some areas, most notably the 16th century and the 18th century houses of Pan Ha' opposite the harbour. These have been repaired and preserved for future generations. Today, Dysart retains an individual character within the boundary borders of neighbouring Kirkcaldy.