a royal and parliamentary burgh and seaport of Scotland, in the county of Fife, nine miles S.E. of St Andrews. It is said to have been a town of some note as early as the ninth century. David I. had a palace here, of which the only part now extant is a fragment of a wall. It received from Robert Bruce the charter which constituted it a royal burgh. It was anciently the seat of a priory, the ruins of which are still to be seen below the east end of the town. Many of the houses of Crail are of that massive and antique description which indicate past splendour. The church is of great antiquity. The principal street is spacious and regular. With considerable capabilities as a port, the harbour is small and incommodious, and Crail at present possesses little or no trade. Along with St Andrews it sends one member to parliament. Pop. (1851) 1247.