Cupar, parish

Grid reference

NO 366 152 (accurate position)

Six-figure easting & northing

336600 715200

Latitude

56.32502487402828

Longitude

-3.0252908195935273

Nearby places

St Mary's Church, (St Christopher's) Cupar (0 miles)

Ladyinch, settlement Cupar (0.45 miles)

Lady Wynd, Cupar (0.62 miles)

St Catherine's Priory & Church, Cupar (0.72 miles)

St Catherine Street, Cupar (0.76 miles)

Object Classification

Parish (extant in 1975)

Is linear feature?

No

Notes

NGR is of the original medieval parish kirk, outwith the burgh, near Kinloss House. The later medieval kirk is at NO373143.

Relationships with other parishes

Contains Tarvit, former parish, Cupar x Ceres

partly

Relationships with other places

Contains Kilmaron, ~eccles. Cupar

Contains Kilmaron, settlement Cupar

Contains Lady Burn, Monimail/Cupar

Contains Lady Wynd, Cupar

Contains Ladyinch, settlement Cupar

Contains St Catherine Street, Cupar

Contains St Catherine Street, Cupar

Contains St Catherine's Cottage, Cupar

Contains St Catherine's Haugh, Cupar

Contains St Catherine's Haugh, Cupar

Contains St Catherine's Priory & Church, Cupar

Contains St Mary's Church, (St Christopher's) Cupar

Contains St Michael's Church, Tarvit, Cupar

Contains St Michael's Hill, Tarvit, Cupar

Parish details

Cupar, now including part of medieval parish of Tarvit.

Parish TLA

CUP

County

Fife

Medieval diocese

St Andrews

Parish notes

In 1618 the medieval parish of Tarvit TVX, which lay east of the Eden, was dissolved and divided up, with most of the north east part going to Cupar parish, and the south west part to Ceres parish. This north east part of Tarvit parish belonged to the bishops of St Andrews, while the south west part belonged to the earls of Fife. Both of these land-holders subinfeudated their lands, for details of which see SHR viii, 222 and Barrow 1974, nos.5, 8, 9 and 11 and notes. Note that Barrow 1974, 30, states that the bishop's north-east half of Tarvit is now merged in Ceres. For 'Ceres' we should of course read 'Cupar'. Until 1618 the River Eden formed the eastern boundary of Cupar parish. Earl Duncan of Fife gave the church of Cupar to St Andrews Priory around 1165 (St A. Lib. 241-2). This church lay to the north-west of the present town, 1.2 km. distant from the castle. Its site is marked on the older O.S. maps, e.g. 2.5" 1st Series (NO 366 153). On an estate map of 1824 in the possession of Mr and Mrs Addison-Scott, Kinloss House, Cupar, the two fields immediately to the south of this site are called East and West Kirkland. This name is still current, since the new housing development on the south part of these fields is called Kirklands. This Kirkland is first specifically mentioned in 1430, when St Andrews Priory feus the 'terra ecclesiastica' of Coupir in Fyff to John de Camera of Glasslie FAL (St A. Cop. no.23). On the same 1824 map the field where the church itself stood is called 'Glebe Park', although no ruins are shown. It appears to have been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, a dedication which has generated several names in the area: the burn which flows nearby is still called the Lady Burn; the field immediately east of East Kirkland on the above-mentioned 1824 map is called Mary Baulk; and there is a farm which lies near the source of the Lady Burn in the neighbouring parish of Monimail called St Mary's. There is also a mention of ‘lie Maryfauld’ in connection with the old cemetery of the burgh of Cupar (RSS ii no. 1510). However, it seems to have become the chapel of St Christopher after its parochial role was taken over by the burgh church in 1415 (see below). And in 1569 mention is made of the piece of land ‘called the cemetery of St Christopher or of the old kirk of Cupar in Fife, lying between the kirk’s orchard (‘pomarium’) ... on west, the communal royal highway on the east, the lands of Kirkfeild alias Clynkmylne to the south and north’ (RMS iv no.1912). Note also the reference to the chaplain of the church or chapel of the blessed Christopher (‘beati Christoferi’) situated in the old cemetery of the burgh of Cupar in 1533 (RSS ii no. 1510). Note also the reference to Clinkmyln with lands including Kirkfeild (1579 RSS v no.2085). This mill is shown on 1590s Pont as Klinkmill, and 1640s Gordon Klings-mil north of Cupar. It seems last to appear on Ainslie/1775, as Clink Mill, and was very near present-day Kinloss, on the burn that runs between Kinloss Farm and Kinloss House (c.NO366157). The new parish church was built in its present position within the town in 1415 (Chron. Bower ii, 448). Although obviously more convenient for the population of the growing burgh, this move was objected to by St Andrews Priory, who made an official public complaint in 1431 (NLS Adv. MS 15.1.18 no.95). The first indication we have of Cupar as a burgh is in 1294 (Stevenson, Documents i, 416)...[see G. Home Charters of the Royal Burgh of Cupar, 1882] The medieval shire of Cupar seems to have included the modern parishes of Cults and Kettle. For a list of the lands contained in Cuparshire and Rathillitshire together, see Stevenson, Documents i, 415-6. In 1538. Carslogie is recorded as being in Monimail (St A. Rent. 7).Hilton of Carslogie remains in Monimail to this day, as does Carslogie (farm), while Carslogie House (now in ruins) is in Cupar parish. This seems also to be the situation obtaining in 1832 (Cupar map). TARVIT TVX, Tarvit now part of Cupar CUP, FIF, St A Fife, Michael, 16c, RMS, iii no.196,xw In 1618 the medieval parish of Tarvit, which lay east of the Eden, was dissolved and divided up, with most of the north east part going to Cupar parish, and the south west part to Ceres parish. This north east part of Tarvit parish belonged to the bishops of St Andrews, while the south-west part belonged to the earls of Fife. Both of these land-holders subinfeudated their lands, for details of which see SHR viii, 222 and Barrow 1974, nos.5, 8, 9 and 11 and notes. Note that Barrow 1974, 30, states that the bishop's north-east half of Tarvit is now merged in Ceres. For 'Ceres' we should of course read 'Cupar'. Lands formerly in Tarvit now in Cupar: BALASS TAILABOUT TARVIT