Pitlessie | |
---|---|
Pitlessie, seen from Cults Hill | |
Location within Fife | |
Population | 325 (2010 estimate) [1] |
OS grid reference | NO33400972 |
• Edinburgh | 23 mi (37 km) |
Civil parish | |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CUPAR |
Postcode district | KY15 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Pitlessie is a small village in Cults, Fife, Scotland. It is roughly 4+1⁄2 miles (7 km) southwest of the nearest large town, Cupar, and 23 miles (37 kilometres) north of Edinburgh. It had an estimated population of 325 in 2010. [1]
Situated in the heart of the Howe of Fife, the village was mainly concerned with the linen industry and agriculture - the primary employers in many villages in the along the River Eden. Pitlessie's roots can be traced back at least as far as the 13th century, with it being created twice a free burgh of barony. Other industries such as mining and malting also employed many in the village, though these, along with the post office and village shop, have since ceased.
Now, based along the A914, the village primarily serves commuters employed in the surrounding towns and cities, with a village inn the sole notable amenity of Pitlessie, attracting tourists and locals alike.
There are references to Pitlessie dating back to the 13th century, though the clarity of these are poor until the land comes into the ownership of Ramornie of that ilk, proprietors of Pitlessie and surrounding lands until 1439 when it was sold by Alexander Ramornie to John, 1st Lord Lindsay. [2] The legacy of the Ramornie estate is still present and can be found to the west of the village, in the form of Ramornie Mains and Ramornie Mill. [3]
On 2 January 1541, Pitlessie was created a free burgh of barony in favour of John, 4th Lord Lindsay by James V. The land was then passed through down his descendants until it was later sold to Crawford of Montquhanie. [2] On 17 September 1681, Pitlessie was once again erected as the free burgh of barony of Forret in favour of Sir David Balfour of Forret by Charles II. [4]
In 1736, George Heggie was given sasine to Pitlessie. [5] His influences on the village include the nearby Heggie's Muir wood, which is likely to have taken his family name, [6] and a now category B listed Georgian manor at the entrance of the village built by Heggie in 1737, known as Pitlessie House. [7]
From its beginnings, the linen industry of the River Eden, along with the surrounding arable farmland, served as primary employers for the village's small populous. Additionally, limestone quarries on Cults hill, and sandstone quarries closer to the Eden proved successful and provided additional employment for others. [8] [2]
Further population growth occurred in 1890 with the arrival of the new Priestfield Maltings. Founded by James Martin of Priestfield, the maltings were acquired by the Bonthrone family in 1937 who operated similar facilities in Newton of Falkland, Ladybank, Stratheden, and Auchtermuchty. [9] It once produced over 2,000 tonnes of malt and employed 14 men. Production remained in action until 1968 when the owners at that time, Scottish Malt Distillers, changed strategies. The category B listed building was converted into housing in 1996. [10] [11] There were previously much smaller maltings behind Pitlessie house, operated at an unknown time. [12]
Pitlessie is thought to mean either 'place of the farm,' 'pett of the burn,' or 'place of the green pett' - with the former being the most likely. The aforementioned burn would point to the Pitlessie Burn, which runs through the village into the River Eden. The latter name would suggest that there was good grazing land in the area. [6]
Pitlessie is in the North East Fife UK Parliament and North East Fife Scottish Parliament constituencies, as well as the Cupar ward of Fife Council. Local issues in the village and wider parish are managed by the Cults Community Council, which meets on the first Monday of every second month in the Wilkie Memorial Hall. [13]
The Pitlessie Flower Show is a yearly event which takes place in the late summer. Originally an evening show ran by the Highland Games Committee, the show hosts many competitions for locals and those from afar of all ages, and is funded through the support of those in the local community. [14]
The Sir David Wilkie Memorial Hall was constructed in 1897 in the style of a Georgian Chapel. [15] Outside it is a war memorial to the men in the parish who were killed in the world wars. [16] The Pitlessie Public Park was opened in 1900, on land gifted to the Parish Council by the Laird of Priestfield. [17]
Pitlessie Primary School, founded in 1860, serves Pitlessie, the parish of Cults and a portion of the Howe of Fife. The school, along with Craigrothie Primary, is led by Tamsin Frost and is attended by a single class of under 20 pupils. Secondary school aged pupils attend the nearby Bell Baxter High School in Cupar. [18]
The village was the birthplace of artist Sir David Wilkie who also attended school in the village, son to the parish minister. After returning from the Trustees' Academy in 1804, in one of his earliest works, he depicted the scenes of Pitlessie Fair which included many of his family members and neighbours. A large reproduction of this painting now hangs above the stage in the Sir David Wilkie Memorial Hall, which was built in his memory.
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south; it borders the counties of Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus to the east, Fife, Kinross-shire, Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire to the south and Argyllshire to the west.
Fife is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland. A person from Fife is known as a Fifer. In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire.
Sir David Wilkie was a Scottish painter, especially known for his genre scenes. He painted successfully in a wide variety of genres, including historical scenes, portraits, including formal royal ones, and scenes from his travels to Europe and the Middle East. His main base was in London, but he died and was buried at sea, off Gibraltar, returning from his first trip to the Middle East. He was sometimes known as the "people's painter".
St Andrews is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, 10 miles southeast of Dundee and 30 miles northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 as of 2011, making it Fife's fourth-largest settlement and 45th most populous settlement in Scotland.
Cupar is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the civil parish a population of 11,183. It is the historic county town of Fife, although the council now sits at Glenrothes.
Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was first recorded as "Methkil" in 1207, and belonged to the Bishop of St Andrews. Two Bronze Age cemeteries have been discovered which date the settlement as over 8,000 years old. Famous for its High Street that used to have the most pubs per mile in Scotland, it was part of its own barony in 1614 and also part of the former burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. This burgh existed between 1891 and 1975. It is situated within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.
Fettercairn is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from Edzell. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from Deeside.
Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747.
Abernethy is a village and former burgh in the Perth and Kinross council area and historic county of Perthshire, in the east central Lowlands of Scotland. The village is situated in rural Strathearn, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of the city of Perth, near the River Earn's confluence with the River Tay and on the northern edge of the Ochil Hills.
Falkland, previously in the Lands of Kilgour, is a village, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, at the foot of the Lomond Hills. According to the 2022 census it has a population of 1,041.
Ladybank is a village and former burgh of Fife, Scotland. It is about 62 kilometres (39 mi) north of Edinburgh, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of Cupar, close to the River Eden. Its 2006 population was estimated at 1,582.
Springfield railway station serves the village of Springfield in Fife, Scotland. The station has two platforms and is unstaffed. Services are operated by ScotRail.
A mercat cross is the Scots name for the market cross found frequently in Scottish cities, towns and villages where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. It therefore served a secular purpose as a symbol of authority, and was an indication of a burgh's relative prosperity. Historically, the term dates from the period before 1707, when the Kingdom of Scotland was an independent state, but it has been applied loosely to later structures built in the traditional architectural style of crosses or structures fulfilling the function of marking a settlement's focal point. Historical documents often refer simply to "the cross" of whichever town or village is mentioned. Today, there are around 126 known examples of extant crosses in Scotland, though the number rises if later imitations are added.
Strathmiglo is a village and parish in the north east of Fife, Scotland on the River Eden. It lies on the old A91 road from Milnathort to Cupar and St. Andrews but was bypassed by a new road to the north in the 1970s. Nearby settlements include Auchtermuchty and Falkland.
Leslie is a large village and parish on the northern tip of the River Leven Valley, to the west of Glenrothes in Fife. According to the population estimates (2006), the village has a population of 3,092. The village was granted burgh of barony status by James II in 1458 for George Leslie who became the first Earl of Rothes. Later, this was upgraded to a police burgh in 1865.
Kingskettle or often simply Kettle is a village and parish in Fife, Scotland. Encompassed by the Howe of Fife, the village is approximately 5.5 miles (9 km) southwest of the nearest town, Cupar, and 22 miles (35 km) north of Edinburgh. According to the 2011 Census for Scotland, the Kettle parish had a population of 1,645, of which 1,002 lived in the village.
Cults is a small parish and hamlet close to the centre of the Kingdom of Fife, Scotland. It lies mainly in the Howe of Fife, and about 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) south-west of the nearest town - Cupar. The parish is about 2+1⁄3 miles (3.8 km) long and 1+1⁄3 miles (2.1 km) wide.
Baron of Glengarnock is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland in the county of Ayrshire.
County Buildings is a municipal structure in St Catherine Street in Cupar, Fife, Scotland. The building, which was the meeting place of Fife County Council, is a Category B listed building.