Situated on the central east coast of Scotland, the relaxing rural
scenery of North East Fife provides variety from the historic splendour of
St.Andrews and the picturesque harbours of the East Neuk of Fife.
A Royal
Palace in Falkland, a Folk Museum in Ceres, a National Trust Mansion House near
Cupar and much more.
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Cupar
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Cupar & Ceres Area
CUPAR flourished
as the County Town of Fife up to 1975, when local government reorganisation
took place and today it has local offices as part of Fife County.
The town of Cupar is one of the
oldest burghs in Scotland and although the earliest known charter dates back to
1382, it was certainly a prominent burgh long before then. Cupar has always
benefited from its central location in the Howe of Fife as the converging roads
from Falkland, St.Andrews, Dundee and Edinburgh made Cupar the natural place
for the Thanes of Fife to build their castles over one thousand years ago.
Records date back to 1239 confirming Cupar as the Seat of Justice and the early
Sheriff Courts were held on the Moat Hill.This connection with the law give
rise to the old proverb 'He that will to Cupar maun to Cupar'.
The old Parish Church in the
Kirkgate was originally built in 1415 and only the tower and spire retained
when it was rebuilt in 1785. In the Parish grave yard lie the heads of two
Covenenters and a hand of the infamous Hackston of Rathillet. In 1679 when the
Archbishop James Sharp was dragged from his coach on Magus Muir and murdered by
the Covenanters, Hackston of Rathillet sat impassively on his horse watching
the gory proceedings. For his involvement in this murder he was cruelly
executed in Edinburgh in 1680. In Cupar any hangings would normally take place
at the Fluthers, and the last public hanging was held on the 5th July
1852.
Religious strife has often played a major role in Scottish history and
at the time of the Reformation two opposing armies faced each other on Cupar
Muir. The army of the Lords of the Congregation who supported John Knox and the
Reformers gathered to challenge the Queen Regent's army who were intending to
march on to St.Andrews. The challenge proved effective and a treaty was signed
on the nearby Hill of Tarvit.
The Mercat Cross once stood on this hill but
it was returned to its proper place outside the Town Hall to mark Queen
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in 1897.
To the north of Cupar a
95ft high column known as the Mount, commemorates Sir John Hope of Rankeilour,
the 4th Earl of Hopetoun. The Mount was also the birthplace of the famous David
Lyndsay who served at the courts of James IV and James V. He is best known for
his satirical play 'The Three Estates' which was first acted in Cupar in June
1535. In the build up to the Reformation the play was well received as it poked
ridicule at the role of the Church.
Cupar was naturally the centre for many
industries which benfited in the late 1880s from the rail link between Dundee
and Edinburgh. In 1926 Scotland's only sugar beet factory was built outside
Cupar. It closed down in the 1970s and the agricultural market near the station
closed in early 1994 thus ending Cupar's role as the main market town in Fife
stretching back at least seven hundred years. Even though the importance of
Cupar has diminished in recent years the town still offers many excellent
leisure facilities including, golf, rugby, cricket, football, swimming,
tennis,and bowls for locals and visitors.
Scotstarvit Tower stands high high
above the Howe of Fife commanding an excellent view to the Lomond Hills. This
16th century keep was bought in 1611 by Sir John Scott of Scotstarvit who was
acknowledged as a great expert in cartography. In 1654 he published the first
maps of all the counties and islands of Scotland. The tower was abandoned in
1696 and was eventually owned by the Wemyss family who owned Wemyss Hall- now
named the Hill of Tarvit Mansion House. The original 17th century Wemyss Hall
was designed by architect Sir William Bruc. In 1906 the wealthy Dundee jute
owner Frederick Bower Sharp commissioned archiect Sir Robert Lorimer to
redesign the house for his private collection of European paintings, Flemish
tapestries, Chinese porcelains and French and Regency furniture. Lorimer also
designed the layout of the gardens, with a walled garden to the north and
terraces falling away to the south. In 1949 the Hill of Tarvit Mansion House
was bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland who continue to welcome the
public to view this impressive art and antique collection.
North East Fife
is mainly an agricultural area and the Fife Folk Museum at CERES has an
excellent collection of old farming implements, tools and costumes which are a
record of the way of life, in days gone by. The Museum is located in the 17th
century Weigh House and adjacent cottages which stand beside the humped back
stone bridge that Archbishop James Sharp crossed on his last journey to Magus
Muir in 1679. The village green is an attractive setting for the annual
Highland Games which are the oldest free games in Scotland. The memorial by the
bridge commemorates the men of Ceres who marched to Bannockburn to support
Robert the Bruce in his battle with King Edward's army in 1314.
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