An island in the middle of the Firth of Forth situated 2 miles
(3 km) south of the Fife coastal town of Kinghorn and 4 miles (6
km) north of Leith. Capped by a lighthouse erected in 1803, it
is a mile (1.5 km) long and rises steeply to a height of 60m
(190 feet). The island is named after Robert de Keith to whom it
was granted in 1010 by Malcolm II in return for his efforts in
fighting off marauding Danes. Later, between 1549 and 1560, it
was known to French soldiers garrisoned there as L'Isle des
Chevaux ('The island of Horses'). King James IV trained his
hawks on Inchkeith and in 1497 the island was used as a refuge
for victims of the plague transported from Edinburgh. In 1547,
at the time of the 'Rough Wooing', Inchkeith was occupied by
English troops who began building a fort as a base for attacks
against Scotland. In 1549, Mary of Guise with French support
occupied the island and went on to complete the fort.
Thereafter, until the end of World War II, it was used as a
military base. Further defensive pos