There are several references to William Thrift in 1642, Kirkcaldie, Fife, Scotland, in this pdf file:
http://www.scotsfind.org/kirkcaldy_access/kirkcaldie.pdf
"The Presbytrie Booke of Kirkcaldie"
By William Stevenson, Minister of Auchtertool, published by James Burt, MDCCCC

It won't allow me to copy text, but you can search for "Thrift" within the document.

William Thrift craves to be admitted scholemaster at Auchtertule, is appoyntit to bring ane testimonial of his good behavior from the parts where he remained. Others were appoyntit to try Mr. Thrift in his gramer, and fownd him qualified. In 1647 he witnessed in regards to alledged drunkeness of another.

More Thrifts from the area:

http://www.fifefhs.org/Records/Court/fife.htm
SHERIFF COURT OF FIFE DEEDS, 1715-1809

[From the Deed Registers, SC20/33 series. There are gaps in the Registers from 1729-1746 and 1751-1797, and the Deed Warrants (SC20/36 series) have been used to fill these gaps...

DONALDSON, ROBERT: merchant in St Andrews; 72-yr Tack of Backforld of Radernie from James Henderson of Earlshall, dated 7 Sep 1732 & rec 3 July 1772; also Assig to David Thrift, tenant in Kirktoun of Auchtertool, dated 13 Nov 1734 & rec 3 July 1772 [SC20/36/12]

FERNIE, WILLIAM: tenant in Babiemonth, m to Janet Thrift; Disp in favour of sons, Andrew & David Fernie, + legacies to daus: Euphan, Mgt, Thrift, & Elizabeth; 5 July 1791 [SC20/36/15]

HEDDERWICK, JOHN: of Denhead, tenant in Blebo-hole, m to Agnes Fernie (dec); Bond of Provision for daus, Janet, Mgt, & Thrift, 15 Sep 1796 [SC20/36/16]; Disp in favour of eldest son, William Hedderwick, 15 Sep 1796, + Assig to 2nd son, John Hedderwick, 15 Sep 1796, also Nomination of Tutors & Curators for child-ren, 15 Sep 1796 [SC20/36/17]

MELDRUM, ROBERT: writer in St Andrews, son of dec Andrew Meldrum, portioner of Dron; Disp in favour of David Meldrum, only son of the marriage of sd Andrew Meldrum & Mgt Thrift [his brother, Andrew Meldrum, had died intestate]; 4 Oct 1808 [SC20/33/18 Pp 259-72]

A few more from the same site
(Note - Hammermen originally comprised craftsmen associated with metalworking - traditionally, "men who wielded the hammer"; blacksmiths, goldsmiths, lorimers, cutlers, armourers, sword-makers, clockmakers, locksmiths, pewterers, tinsmiths etc.)


http://www.fifefhs.org/Records/Deeds/kirkcaldydeeds.htm
KIRKCALDY DEEDS, 1673-1871
[From the Burgh Deed Registers...

THRIFT, NINEAN: in Lambet's-mylne; 19-yr Tack of Lambet's-mylne from David Boswall yr of Balmuto; 3 June 1682 [B41/7/1 fol 149]

GILMUR, PATRICK: cordiner Burgess in Kirkcaldy; Disp in favour of spouse, Elspeth Thrift, son, Robert Gilmur, and grand-dau, Elizabeth Gilmur (dau of sd Robert); 20 Oct 1736 [B41/7/6 Pp 139-42]

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http://www.fifefhs.org/Records/trades/burnthamm.htm
BURNTISLAND HAMMERMEN, 1648-1835
[From the Records of the Burntisland Hammerman Craft Minute Book, 1648-1741 (Ref: B9/13/2, one of the Burgh Records of Burntisland at SRO), and the Incorporated Trades of Burntisland Minute Book, 1685-1835, now in St Andrews University Library, with copy in Kirkcaldy Central Library...

REID, ROBERT: smith; adm Freeman, 28 Aug 1719, but with restrictions: he was not to employ a journeyman for 4 yrs, and forbidden to take on any apprentices for 2 yrs, and he had to pay the Trade the sum of #24 Scots; fined #3 Scots in Nov 1726 for abusing Simon Williamson "in a most rude and insolent manner"; appears to have died by July 1729, when David Leasels was bound journyeman to his spouse, Mgt Thrift, whom he had m at Aberdour, 17 April 1718; other journeymen to Mgt Thrift included: David Braiser (1730); George Gonslong (1736); Alexander Stedman (1736); Alexander Swinton (1736)

LESSELS (LEASELS), DAVID: cooper; entered journeyman to Mgt Thrift, relict of Robert Reid, smith, 19 July 1729

BRAISER, DAVID: cooper; entered journeyman to Mgt Thrift, relict of Robert Reid, smith, April 17 1730

(GONSLONG), GEORGE: cooper; entered journeyman to Mgt Thrift, relict of Robert Reid, smith, Sep 17 1736

STEDMAN, Alexander: cooper; entered journeyman to Mgt Thrift, relict of Robert Reid, smith, Sep 17 1736

SWINTON, ALEXANDER: cooper; entered journeyman to Mgt Thrift, relict of Robert Reid, smith, Sep 17 1736

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http://www.fifefhs.org/Records/Deeds/standrews.htm
ST ANDREWS DEEDS, 1692-1891

THRIFT, DAVID: tenant in Radernie, son of William Thrift; Testament in favour of son, William Thrift, + legacies to daus: Catharine (eldest), Jannet (2nd) and Mgt (yst); 14 July 1752 [B65/5/4 Pp 170-73; B65/22/35]

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http://www.fifefhs.org/Records/Court/standrews.htm
COMMISSARY COURT OF ST Andrews DEEDS, 1700-1809

MAIR, KATHARINE: relict of James Burns of Gateside of Dollar; Submission & Decreet Arbitral with William Thrift of Bonnytoun; 31 Aug 1774 [CC20/13/11]

THRIFT, WILLIAM: of Bonnytown; Bond to William Duncan, eldest son of Andrew Duncan, shipmaster and late Bailie in St Andrews, 21 Feb 1776; also to Mr Thomas Tullidelph, Principal of United Colleges of St Salvator & St Leonard, 29 Nov 1775; and to Agnes Simson, relict of David Craigie, Minister of Gospel at St Andrews, 1 Dec 1775 [B65/22/37]

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http://www.fifefhs.org/Records/trades/standhamm.htm
ST ANDREWS HAMMERMEN, 1539-1792
[Extracted from the Minute Book of the Hammermen Incorporation of St Andrews, 1539-1792, presented to the University of St Andrews in 1878 by John Bowes, builder, Paisley, through the good offices of David Semple, FSA, Paisley. In foolscap folio and encased in plain substantial brown leather binding, the book is in 2 parts, the first portion extending from 1539 to 1731 and the second from 1731 to 1792. For a history of the Incorporation, see "Ye Doingis of ane Ancient Craft: being An Account of the Hammermen of St Andrews" (Cupar, 1884), by D H Fleming. See also "Stationers and Bookbinders in the Records of the Hammermen of St Andrews" by R H Carnie, in The Bibliotheck, Vol 3 No 2. A more substantial index has been compiled by Margaret Gripper-Gray, and is to be found in the Muniments of St Andrews University. Entries can also be found in "Scottish Arms Makers. A Biographical Dictionary of Makers of firearms, edged weapons and armour working in Scotland from the 15th century to 1870" (1977), by Charles E Whitelaw

WATSON, JOHN (5) (d 1813): glover; 2nd lawful son of John Watson (4); adm Freeman, 4 Sep 1787; active 1787-1813; d 2 July 1813; m 11 Feb 1792 Helen Thrift, who d 21 Oct 1813

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http://www.fifefhs.org/Records/Directory/forgan.htm
EXCERPT FROM THE 1861 PAROCHIAL DIRECTORY FOR FIFE AND KINROSS
PARISH OF FORGAN.
This PARISH, which contains the villages of Newport and Woodhaven, is on the northern border of the County. It lies on the Firth of Tay, opposite Dundee, and is bounded by the parishes of Ferry-Port-on-Craig and Leuchars on the east, by Leuchars and Logie on the south, by Kilmany and Balmerino on the west, and by the Firth of Tay on the north...

FARMERS:
Williamson, Thrift, Burnside, by Ferry-Port-on-Craig

http://www.burntisland.net/leven.htm
Some reminiscences by Mrs Janet Leven, born in 1800 and the daughter of the Rev James Wemyss of Burntisland - told by her in 1891 to her daughter...

My father, the Rev James Wemyss, was the first who wore a gown in Burntisland Church. It was presented to him in 1779 by the Magistrates, but some people objected to it strongly and said "it was just a rag of popery". One old woman, Alice Thrift, who always came to church with a plaid over her head, got a bonnet, a large poke one, that the front of it might prevent her seeing minister with his gown on in the pulpit.

________________________________________

In the map linked here
http://www.fifefhs.org/Maps/parishmap.htm
Burntisland Parish is #12, Auchtertool is #9

This map and most of the citations in previous posts were from the Fife Family History Society
http://www.fifefhs.org/

Richard Thrift

these are from a book published in 1902 by
The Scottish Record Society

The Commissariot of St. Andrews REGISTER OF TESTAMENTS 1549- 1800.
EDITED BY FRANCIS J. GRANT, W.S.
The District comprised within the Commissariot of St. Andrews includes the County of Fife, with possibly the exception of the Parishes of Carnock, Saline, Culross, and Tulliallan ; the County of ...


Croockshank, Agnes, spouse to Ninian Thrift, in Scone 28 June 1614

Saggie, Margaret, spouse to Ninian Thrift, tenant in Lambet's mylne, par. of Kinghorn 28 Aug. 1688

Google Books has a pdf of this book freely downloadable:
http://books.google.com/books?id=O2ZmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PT97&am...

NOTE TO ANCESTRY ROOTSWEB MESSAGE BOARD STAFF: the books.google site above is not selling ANYthing, so please don't decide it's a commercial site & delete this post.

thanks
Richard Thrift, message board administrator

"Others were appoyntit to try Mr. Thrift in his gramer, and fownd him qualified."

Words for an appropriate response fail me.

But then again, it's Scotland, so they were basically writing in a foreign language. :-)