Kettle, parish, aka Lathrisk

Grid reference

NO 272 084 (accurate position)

Six-figure easting & northing

327200 708400

Latitude

56.26258663762472

Longitude

-3.175395208832568

Nearby places

Church of St John and St Athernisc, Kettle (0 miles)

Maryfield, settlement Kettle (0.33 miles)

St John's Well, Falkland (1.37 miles)

Lady Well, well Falkland (1.41 miles)

Ladybank, Collessie (2.17 miles)

Object Classification

Parish (extant in 1975)

Is linear feature?

No

Notes

NGR is of medieval parish kirk of Lathrisk; the modern parish kirk is in the village of Kingskettle NGR NO310084, erected there circa 1636.

Relationships with other parishes

Contains Kirkforthar, former parish, KTT x MAI

partly

Relationships with other places

Contains Church of St John and St Athernisc, Kettle

Contains Maryfield, settlement Kettle

Parish details

Kettle formerly Lathrisk

Parish TLA

KTT

County

Fife

Medieval diocese

St Andrews

Parish notes

Formerly known as Lathrisk, the church so named was granted to the priory of St Andrews before 1178 by Ness son of William, and Orabile, Ness’ daughter, this being confirmed by Bp. Richard 1165x78 (St A. Lib. 59, 136, 224, 254). The patronage alone, of the church and its chapels of Kettle and Fordin, appears to have been involved in these grants, the church being confirmed to the uses of the priory by Bp. William 1202x38. Thereafter, following on a further grant by Roger de Quincy earl of Wintone in 1257, together with a confirmation in 1258 by Bp. Gamelin, which made due provision for a vicarage, the parsonage remained with the priory (ibid. 156, 173, 336-7, 413-4; Ass. 16v, 89). Cowan 1967, 128. Lathrisk was the original name of this parish, while Kettle was the name of a dependent chapel, mentioned first in c.1175. However, the name may have started changing early, as the cemetery for the par. of Katyl is mentioned in 1340 (Dunf. Reg. no.379). It is unclear whether this is referring to the cemetery of Lathrisk, or to the chapel of Kettle, although there is evidence to suggest that it was in fact the latter (see below). Dove 1988, 134, states that the name was changed to Kettle in 1636. The 1340 reference to Kettle as a par. may well have been based on the mistaken assumption that a chapel with a cemetery must have been a par. church. It is certainly called the par. of Kettle in 1629 (RMS viii no.1445). Around 1800 the par. was also sometimes known as Kingskettle. And in 1782 it was referred to as the par. of Kingskettle or Lathrisk (Sasines no.4979). The site of the medieval chapel of Kettle was at the farm now called Chapel, which appears on Pont/EF as Chapel of Ketyll, and on Gordon simply as Chapel. In an estate plan of 1796 the den now known as Chapel Den is called Cuthel Dean, while the field on the opposite (i.e. west) side of this den from Chapel Farm is called Cuthel Park (RHP 4454). I have been unable to trace any other reference to these names, but if they are genuine, and not some kind of copying error for 'Chapel', then they point to the presence here of one of the small open-air local courts, for a full discussion of which see Barrow 1981 b). This might in fact explain why the cemetery of Kettle was chosen for the settling of the dispute between the abbot of Dunfermline and the earl of Fife regarding the superiority over a family of 'nativi' or neyfs in 1340 (Dunf. Reg. no.379). The church of Lathrisk was dedicated to St Atherniscus, as well as to St John the Evangelist, in July 1243 (St A. Lib. 348). According to Watson (1926 324) St Atherniscus was St Itharnaisc, a 6th c. saint associated with the Dublin area of Ireland, but with Scottish connections (ibid. 299-300). Watson (ibid. 337) sees this and similar dedications as proof of the presence of the Columban church in the east in the 6th c.. Up until the late 12th c. the medieval church of Lathrisk had another dependent chapel besides Kettle, which appears as Fordin etc.. For the suggestion that this was in fact Forthar, see Kirkforthar KFX Introductory Notes p.X. And from c.1250 another dependent chapel was erected at Clatto KTT, when Duncan de Ramsay was given permission to have a chapel there (St A. Lib. 336). In 1641 KFX was dissolved and split between MAI and KTT, which explains why some parts of Forthar, such as East and West Forthar and Hilton of Forthar are now in KTT, while other parts, such as Kirkforthar and Hilton of Kirkforthar are now in MAI.