Auchtertool is a small village, four miles west of Kirkcaldy. The name is from the Gaelic 'uachdar', meaning upland or heights above the Tiel burn (from Gaelic tuil meaning torrent).

Auchtertool is a small village, four miles west of Kirkcaldy. The name is from the Gaelic 'uachdar', meaning upland or heights above the Tiel burn (from Gaelic tuil meaning torrent).

The Tiel Burn flows a few hundred yards south of the kirk and village, which was formerly known as Milton of Auchtertool. The parish belonged to the diocese of Dunkeld, having been given to Bishop Gregory by King David I in the twelfth century. Soon after, the church was given to the Priory of Inchcolm.

Alexander Boswell was mortally wounded in a duel in Auchtertool in 1822. He died in nearby Balmuto House. The duel was one of the last in Scotland.

The Buffalo Farm in Auchtertool is home to Scotland's largest herd of water buffalo.