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Andrew Wood of Largo

Scottish sea captain

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 9, 2026
Entity authorityQ4758979 ↗
Source-derived summary

Sir Andrew Wood of Largo (died 1515) was a Scottish sea captain. Beginning as a merchant in Leith, he was involved in national naval actions and rose to become Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was knighted c. 1495. He may have transported James III across the Firth of Forth to escape the rebels in 1488.

Life

Andrew Wood's family lands were at Largo, Fife. The family are traditionally thought to be a branch of the Wood family from Bonnington or Bonnyton in Angus. Probably beginning his career as a merchant in Leith, he was knighted by James III and married Elizabeth Lundie.

According to tradition, Wood was given a grant of the lands of Largo around 1480, in return for the service of maintaining a ship to take the King and Queen on pilgrimages to the shrine and well of Saint Adrian on the Isle of May. It was believed that a visit to the shrine could help a woman become pregnant.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Andrew Wood of Largo” as scottish sea captain. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Andrew, Wood and Largo.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1515, 1495, 1488, 1480—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1450. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Andrew, Wood and Largo providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Andrew Wood of Largo”, the useful work is to connect “scottish sea captain” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4758979. VIAF identifies the subject as 63397522. The Library of Congress control number is n2004034835. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1515, 1495, 1488 and 1480.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Andrew Wood of Largo”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Andrew Wood of Largo primary sources, Andrew Wood of Largo archive and Andrew research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Andrew Wood of Largo”?
  2. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Andrew Wood of Largo” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.