River Leven, Fife

The River Leven (Scottish Gaelic: Lìobhann / Abhainn Lìobhann) is a river in Fife in Scotland. It flows from Loch Leven into the Firth of Forth at the town of Leven. The river is home to brown trout and hosts a run of sea trout and atlantic salmon. The estuary has bass and mullet.

In previous centuries its water was used to power linen mills on its banks, particularly near Markinch, as well as three paper mills: Smith Anderson in Leslie, and Tullis Russell and John Dixon of Markinch.

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Coordinates: 56°11′41″N 3°06′28″W / 56.19476°N 3.10776°W / 56.19476; -3.10776

River Leven

River Leven could refer to one of the following:

River Leven, Dunbartonshire

Coordinates: 56°03′14″N 4°37′12″W / 56.054°N 4.620°W / 56.054; -4.620

The River Leven (Uisge Leamhna in Gaelic) is a stretch of water in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, flowing from Loch Lomond in the North to the River Clyde in the South. The total length of the river is approximately six miles and is very popular with salmon and sea trout anglers, trying to catch one of these migratory fish going up to Loch Lomond.

The Vale of Leven is a collection of communities in the northern part of the river, whilst the town of Dumbarton sits at the southern end. Dumbarton Castle sits at the confluence of the river with the Clyde. The Leven is a relatively short river but is widely claimed to be the second fastest flowing river in Scotland, after the River Spey.

The river is crossed by nine bridges and two weirs. There is a path for pedestrians and cyclists near the river, which connects with a cycle path to Glasgow. It follows the river very closely from Balloch to Renton, less closely from Renton to Dumbarton.

River Leven, Cumbria

The River Leven (pron. levven) is a short river in the county of Cumbria, falling within the historic boundaries of Lancashire. It drains Windermere from its southernmost point and flows for approximately eight miles (13 km) into the northern reaches of Morecambe Bay. The river and its estuary are the boundary between the Cartmel Peninsula and Furness Peninsula in the area once known referred to as Lancashire north of the sands. The upriver limit of tidal flow is close to the village of Haverthwaite. Also at this point is to be found Low Wood Bridge which, until the coming of the railways, was the first bridging point across the river. The Leven is navigable upstream as far as Low Wood, and downstream from Windermere to Newby Bridge.

Apart from Newby Bridge and Haverthwaite, the only other settlements on the Leven are the villages of Backbarrow and Greenodd. The river's steep fall around Backbarrow allowed industrial use of the river for the ultramarine mill and also a small hydroelectric generator at Backbarrow ironworks.

Leven, Fife

Coordinates: 56°11′42″N 2°59′39″W / 56.195°N 2.994167°W / 56.195; -2.994167

Leven (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Lìobhann) is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, 8.1 miles (13.0 km) north-east of the town of Kirkcaldy and 6.4 miles (10.3 km) east of Glenrothes.

According to an estimate taken in 2008, Leven has a population of 8,850. The town forms part of the Levenmouth conurbation which has a total population of 31,450.

History

The origin of the name "Leven" comes from the Pictish word for "flood". The nearby Loch Leven, being the flood lake, was the name given to both the river and town. A settlement is believed to have formed at the mouth of the River Leven very close to the area around Scoonie Brae with the discovery of the parish church of "scoyne". During the mid-11th century, Bishop Tuadal of St Andrews gifted the church of "scoyne" to the Culdees of Loch Leven. By the end of the 11th century, the village along with the church were acquired by Bishop Robert of St Andrews following the decline of culdeen faith.

Fife

Fife ([ˈfəif]; Scottish Gaelic: Fìobha) is a council area and historic county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland.

It is a lieutenancy area, and was a county of Scotland until 1975. It was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire in old documents and maps compiled by English cartographers and authors. A person from Fife is known as a Fifer.

Fife was a local government region divided into three districts: Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and North-East Fife. Since 1996 the functions of the district councils have been exercised by the unitary Fife Council.

Fife is Scotland's third largest local authority area by population. It has a resident population of just under 367,000, almost a third of whom live in the three principal towns of Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes.

Fife (instrument)

A fife /ˈfaɪf/ is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute, that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer. The word fife comes from the German Pfeife, or pipe, which comes from the Latin word pipare.

The fife is a simple instrument usually consisting of a tube with 6 finger holes, and diatonically tuned. Some have 10 or 11 holes for added chromatics. The fife also has an embouchure hole, across which the player blows, and a cork or plug inside the tube just above the embouchure hole. Some nineteenth-century fifes had a key pressed by the little finger of the right hand in place of a seventh finger hole.

Fifes are made mostly of wood: grenadilla, rosewood, mopane, pink ivory, cocobolo, boxwood and other dense woods are superior; maple and persimmon are inferior but often used. Some Caribbean music makes use of bamboo fifes.