the Norman tower dates from 1807 and is now lacking its four corner pinnacles. 19th century Brunton Church and Balbirnie Church have both been converted for domestic use and the parishes of Thornton and Markinch have been merged. On the northern outskirts of the town beside the East Lodge of Balbirnie House stands the ancient Stob Cross which may be a Pictish Class II symbol stone defaced during the Reformation. The town is built on the top and sides of a low ridge, which was once high ground surrounded by marshes (innis in Scots Gaelic). The height of this ridge is greater at its northern and southern extremities than at the centre. Markinch Hill has six terraces on the northern side cut into the sand and gravel. These are thought to be either medieval or Neolithic in origin. Recent rhododendron clearance has made them visible once more, and the view from the top of the hill to the south has been restored. The trees on the hill were planted by General Balfour of Balbirnie around 1820. During the industrial revolution in the middle of the 19th century, the village started to adapt to spinning and weaving production. The use of water wheels of the corn and meal mills encouraged new industries to begin along the River Leven on land between Auchmuty (now part of Glenrothes) and Milton of Balgonie in the form of paper mills, bleach mills and ironworks. Papermaking was an important local employer based on the town's close proximity to the River Leven, until one of the two paper mills in the town, Sappi Graphics, closed down in 2001. The Tullis Russell paper mill, however, was still in operation, with a 474 strong workforce, until it went into administration in April 2015.. Markinch's former Haig’s Whisky bottling plant is now used as a business park and is split into small units. This is where Fife radio station Kingdom FM was based until October 2016. Haig’s operated here for over a century until 1983 before moving to modern premises at Banbeath, Leven. It provided employment to a large workforce drawn from the town and from various parts of Fife. A queue of buses would be waiting for them at finishing time. Even in 1983 the workforce comprised some 500 employees. Many local residents still have connections with the firm, now absorbed into Diageo. Markinch war memorial was erected in