Ceres is a village in Fife, Scotland, located in a small glen approximately 2 miles (3 km) over the Ceres Moor from Cupar and 7 mi (11 km) from St Andrews. The former parish of that name included the settlements of Baldinnie, Chance Inn, Craigrothie, Pitscottie and Tarvit Mill.
Ceres is one of a few Scottish villages to have a village green.[citation needed] It is known as the "Bow Butts" since its use as an archery practice ground in medieval times. The Ceres Burn runs through the village and alongside the green. An old packhorse bridge, known as the "Bishop's Bridge" has spanned the burn since the 17th century and still stands close to a more modern road bridge.
A feature of the village is its 18th-century statue of "The Provost". It is thought to depict the Rev. Thomas Buchanan (related to the 17th-century theologian George Buchanan), who became the last church provost of Ceres in 1578. The figure portrays him as a toby jug and is possibly satirical. The sculptor, a local stonemason named James Howie, also carved a panel below the figure depicting the Battle of Bannockburn.
Entering Ceres from the north
The village is dominated by the Parish Church. It has what is possibly the shortest High Street in Scotland - just a few houses on each side. In a prominent position by the Bow Butts is a monument commemorating the men of Ceres who fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It was erected on the six hundredth anniversary of the battle, in 1914.
The Italian balloonist Vincenzo Lunardi landed in the parish after his first flight in Scotland in 1785. Fetched from a field near Pitscottie, he was greeted in the village where his flag was carried in procession and the church bell rung in his honour.
While agriculture remains important to the local economy, many local residents now commute to work in nearby towns and cities such as Perth, Cupar, Dundee, St. Andrews and Glenrothes. A pottery in the village has revived the manufacture of traditional FifeWemyss Ware.
Folk MuseumEdit
The Fife Folk Museum is located in the village in a range of buildings including the old weigh-house[2] where grain was weighed at a tron on market days. The building also served as a tolbooth for locking up minor offenders and the village jougs are still attached. The museum commemorates rural life of a bygone era. The museum began in 1968 in the renovation and conversion[3] of the former weigh-house and adjoining cottages through an initiative by Cupar & North Fife Preservation Society. A fundraising campaign in 2003-4 enabled a £395,000 project to renovate the Museum.[4]
Origin of the nameEdit
The village name signifies "place to the west" from the Scottish GaelicSiar meaning "west", probably in relation to St Andrews Locational endings in -es are common in East Fife. Suggestions that the name originated from an early dedication of the local kirk, such as to "Saint Siris", Saint Cyrus or Saint Cyricus are now discounted.[5]
Ceres was the name of the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain. The name has led to contact with Ceres, Italy (visited by the local pipe band in the 1970s) and Ceres, Western Cape, South Africa (with which gifts were exchanged in the 1990s).
The Bow Butts shortly before the start of the Ceres Highland Games in 2013
The parish of Ceres has some biblical place names: Babylon near Muirhead, south of Craigrothie, and Sodom and Gomorrah (locally pronounced Gemorrie) and Purgatory on the road to Pitscottie.[6] There are now no dwellings at these locations. On the other hand, there is a place called Paradise, which now habited, just over the boundary in Cults parish.
Ceres GamesEdit
The Ceres Games are said to have been held every year since 1314 after Robert the Bruce granted the village permission to hold them in commemoration of its men's participation in the Battle of Bannockburn. Now staged in the form of Highland games, they are the oldest free games in Scotland.[7]
CraighallEdit
Craighall lies about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) south-east of the village; it was the historic seat of the Clan Hope.
Parish churchEdit
Ceres Church and Lindsay Mausoleum
The current parish church was built in 1806 to a design by Alexander Leslie, replacing a medieval building. A tower and octagonal spire were added in the 1850s. Apart from the addition of electric lighting and two early 20th-century stained glass windows (either side of the central pulpit), the interior is substantially unaltered from when first built and retains the gallery and original wooden box pews.[8]
Within the vestibule of the church a late medieval effigy of a knight which was originally in the ancient church is preserved on a modern stand. It is extremely well preserved and shows interesting details of 15th-century armour.
There is a mausoleum in the cemetery which was established by the widow of Robert 9th Lord Lindsay and is called "Lady Boyd's House" as she subsequently married the 6th Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock. However, the vault contains the grave of John Lindsay, 20th Earl of Crawford (1702-1749).
The Provost
Ceres Church [9] is within the Church of Scotland Presbytery of St Andrews. In 1983, the parish of Ceres was linked (and later united) with the neighbouring parish of Springfield. This united parish was further united with Kemback in 2005, although the three church buildings are retained. There is a service in Ceres every Sunday at 11.15 am except on Remembrance Sunday (10:45am) and the fifth Sunday of any month, when a united service is held in rotation at Ceres, Kemback or Springfield at 11am.
One serving past minister of Ceres has been Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (1588): Thomas Buchanan, said to be the subject of "The Provost" sculpture, in the village centre. However, the sculpture is an amalgam of parts: the upper section is clearly a Toby Jug and therefore cannot pre-date 1760; the word PROVOST has been added by a different hand and appears to be a joke aimed an intemperate provost; the overall frame is indeed 16th or early 17th century and contains a worn but highly interesting hunting scene.
^"Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
^"Ceres, High Street, Fife Folk Museum". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
^"DSA Building/Design Report: Fife Folk Museum". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
^"Preserving our history for 50 years". Fife Today. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
^Taylor: The Place Names of Fife Volume Two (Shaun Tyas, 2008). In The Place Names of Fife and Kinross, by WM Liddall (Wm Green & Sons, 1896) it was suggested that Ceres was derived from the Norse syr + reit = enclosure for swine.
^The Courier and Advertiser 17 April 2012, page 32, referring back to an unspecified article in the Scots Magazine in the 1960s
^Churches to Visit in Scotland, 2000-01 edition, published for the Scottish Churches Scheme by the St Andrew Press, Edinburgh, ISBN0-86153-291-0
^. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ceres, Fife.
History of Ceres, Fife
October 23, 2023
ceres, fife, ceres, village, fife, scotland, located, small, glen, approximately, miles, over, ceres, moor, from, cupar, from, andrews, former, parish, that, name, included, settlements, baldinnie, chance, craigrothie, pitscottie, tarvit, mill, cerescereslocat. Ceres is a village in Fife Scotland located in a small glen approximately 2 miles 3 km over the Ceres Moor from Cupar and 7 mi 11 km from St Andrews The former parish of that name included the settlements of Baldinnie Chance Inn Craigrothie Pitscottie and Tarvit Mill CeresCeresLocation within FifePopulation930 mid 2020 est 1 OS grid referenceNO400115Council areaFifeLieutenancy areaFifeCountryScotlandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townCUPARPostcode districtKY15Dialling code01334PoliceScotlandFireScottishAmbulanceScottishUK ParliamentNorth East FifeScottish ParliamentNorth East FifeList of places UK Scotland 56 17 32 N 2 58 13 W 56 292131 N 2 970141 W 56 292131 2 970141 Contents 1 Village 1 1 Folk Museum 2 Origin of the name 3 Ceres Games 4 Craighall 5 Parish church 6 Notable persons 7 References 8 External linksVillage EditCeres is one of a few Scottish villages to have a village green citation needed It is known as the Bow Butts since its use as an archery practice ground in medieval times The Ceres Burn runs through the village and alongside the green An old packhorse bridge known as the Bishop s Bridge has spanned the burn since the 17th century and still stands close to a more modern road bridge A feature of the village is its 18th century statue of The Provost It is thought to depict the Rev Thomas Buchanan related to the 17th century theologian George Buchanan who became the last church provost of Ceres in 1578 The figure portrays him as a toby jug and is possibly satirical The sculptor a local stonemason named James Howie also carved a panel below the figure depicting the Battle of Bannockburn nbsp Entering Ceres from the northThe village is dominated by the Parish Church It has what is possibly the shortest High Street in Scotland just a few houses on each side In a prominent position by the Bow Butts is a monument commemorating the men of Ceres who fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 It was erected on the six hundredth anniversary of the battle in 1914 The Italian balloonist Vincenzo Lunardi landed in the parish after his first flight in Scotland in 1785 Fetched from a field near Pitscottie he was greeted in the village where his flag was carried in procession and the church bell rung in his honour While agriculture remains important to the local economy many local residents now commute to work in nearby towns and cities such as Perth Cupar Dundee St Andrews and Glenrothes A pottery in the village has revived the manufacture of traditional Fife Wemyss Ware Folk Museum Edit The Fife Folk Museum is located in the village in a range of buildings including the old weigh house 2 where grain was weighed at a tron on market days The building also served as a tolbooth for locking up minor offenders and the village jougs are still attached The museum commemorates rural life of a bygone era The museum began in 1968 in the renovation and conversion 3 of the former weigh house and adjoining cottages through an initiative by Cupar amp North Fife Preservation Society A fundraising campaign in 2003 4 enabled a 395 000 project to renovate the Museum 4 Origin of the name EditThe village name signifies place to the west from the Scottish Gaelic Siar meaning west probably in relation to St Andrews Locational endings in es are common in East Fife Suggestions that the name originated from an early dedication of the local kirk such as to Saint Siris Saint Cyrus or Saint Cyricus are now discounted 5 Ceres was the name of the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain The name has led to contact with Ceres Italy visited by the local pipe band in the 1970s and Ceres Western Cape South Africa with which gifts were exchanged in the 1990s nbsp The Bow Butts shortly before the start of the Ceres Highland Games in 2013The parish of Ceres has some biblical place names Babylon near Muirhead south of Craigrothie and Sodom and Gomorrah locally pronounced Gemorrie and Purgatory on the road to Pitscottie 6 There are now no dwellings at these locations On the other hand there is a place called Paradise which now habited just over the boundary in Cults parish Ceres Games EditThe Ceres Games are said to have been held every year since 1314 after Robert the Bruce granted the village permission to hold them in commemoration of its men s participation in the Battle of Bannockburn Now staged in the form of Highland games they are the oldest free games in Scotland 7 Craighall EditCraighall lies about 3 4 mile 1 2 km south east of the village it was the historic seat of the Clan Hope Parish church Edit nbsp Ceres Church and Lindsay MausoleumThe current parish church was built in 1806 to a design by Alexander Leslie replacing a medieval building A tower and octagonal spire were added in the 1850s Apart from the addition of electric lighting and two early 20th century stained glass windows either side of the central pulpit the interior is substantially unaltered from when first built and retains the gallery and original wooden box pews 8 Within the vestibule of the church a late medieval effigy of a knight which was originally in the ancient church is preserved on a modern stand It is extremely well preserved and shows interesting details of 15th century armour There is a mausoleum in the cemetery which was established by the widow of Robert 9th Lord Lindsay and is called Lady Boyd s House as she subsequently married the 6th Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock However the vault contains the grave of John Lindsay 20th Earl of Crawford 1702 1749 nbsp The ProvostCeres Church 9 is within the Church of Scotland Presbytery of St Andrews In 1983 the parish of Ceres was linked and later united with the neighbouring parish of Springfield This united parish was further united with Kemback in 2005 although the three church buildings are retained There is a service in Ceres every Sunday at 11 15 am except on Remembrance Sunday 10 45am and the fifth Sunday of any month when a united service is held in rotation at Ceres Kemback or Springfield at 11am One serving past minister of Ceres has been Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1588 Thomas Buchanan said to be the subject of The Provost sculpture in the village centre However the sculpture is an amalgam of parts the upper section is clearly a Toby Jug and therefore cannot pre date 1760 the word PROVOST has been added by a different hand and appears to be a joke aimed an intemperate provost the overall frame is indeed 16th or early 17th century and contains a worn but highly interesting hunting scene The present Minister is the Rev Jane Barron Notable persons EditPatrick Adamson 1537 1592 Archbishop of St Andrews Rev Robert Arnot 1744 1808 Professor of Divinity and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Rev Thomas Buchanan d 1599 minister of Ceres 1578 to 1599 Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1588 Sir William Dalgleish 1832 1913 businessman and benefactor Jenny Gilruth MSP MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes from 2016 Robert Fleming Gourlay 1788 1863 polemicist and author of the Statistical Account of Upper Canada 1822 Rev Thomas Halyburton 1674 1712 divine Sir Thomas Hope 1st Baronet 1573 1646 Lord Advocate Andrew Lemoncello born 1982 long distance runner Sir Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie c 1532 1580 chronicler Jimmy Methven 1868 1953 Derby County FC player and manager Rev Matthew Ross born 1967 parish minister Sir John Scott of Scotstarvet 1585 1670 lawyer statesman and author of The Staggering State of Scots Statesmen William Montgomery Watt 1909 2006 Islamicist James Wilson 1742 1798 signatory to the United States Declaration of IndependenceReferences Edit Mid 2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland National Records of Scotland 31 March 2022 Retrieved 31 March 2022 Ceres High Street Fife Folk Museum Canmore Historic Environment Scotland Retrieved 14 August 2017 DSA Building Design Report Fife Folk Museum Dictionary of Scottish Architects Retrieved 14 August 2017 Preserving our history for 50 years Fife Today 3 March 2012 Retrieved 14 August 2017 Taylor The Place Names of Fife Volume Two Shaun Tyas 2008 In The Place Names of Fife and Kinross by WM Liddall Wm Green amp Sons 1896 it was suggested that Ceres was derived from the Norse syr reit enclosure for swine The Courier and Advertiser 17 April 2012 page 32 referring back to an unspecified article in the Scots Magazine in the 1960s Ceres Highland Games Churches to Visit in Scotland 2000 01 edition published for the Scottish Churches Scheme by the St Andrew Press Edinburgh ISBN 0 86153 291 0 Archived copy Archived from the original on 29 September 2007 Retrieved 27 June 2006 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ceres Fife History of Ceres Fife Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ceres Fife amp oldid 1175656341, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
