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 The Howe of Fife is the broad, low-lying valley of the River Eden, lying between the Ochil Hills and the Lomond Hills in Fife, Scotland. ''Howe'', in Scots means a hollow or a plain bounded by hills. The alternative terms ''Laich of Fife'' and ...

, and about south-west of the nearest town -

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) 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 Fi ...

. The parish is about long and wide. The parish contains various villages, farms and hamlets including Cults, Pitlessie, Crossgates and

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingdo ...

. The only archaeological site of any importance seems to be a fort on the western slope of Walton Hill. Its name is derived from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

''cùilt'' meaning a corner or recess.

Notable residents

Cults' most well-known resident was Sir David Wilkie (1785–1841) born in Cults Church manse. His father was parish minister and while Wilkie lived in Cults, characters in the parish served as models for his paintings ''Pitlessie Fair'' (1804) and the ''Village Politicians'' (1806). Cults Kirk contains a handsome monument in marble, by Chantrey, erected by Wilkie in memory of his parents and another to his memory, erected by his sister in 1844.

Notable landmarks

Houses

The parish contains the shell and estate of Crawford Priory, originally the seat of the

Earl of Glasgow Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, Lord Boyle. The first earl was subsequently one of the commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Union uniting the Kingdom of England and the King ...

, and latterly Lord Cochrane of Cults. The now-demolished Priestfield House, once the seat of the Martin Smith family, was nearby at Pitlessie.

Cults Kirk

Cults

Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...

has lain in the centre of the parish at the Kirkton of Cults for at least 800 years and may predate

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. The current building was constructed in 1793 under the oversight of Sir David Wilkie's father, Rev. David Wilkie, and then extended in 1835. It consists of a rectangular

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

structure with a narrow bell tower to the western side surrounded by a

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

predating the church building. The session house lies directly to the west of the kirk and predates the current building. The manse, to the southwest, is now a private residence. The kirk became part of a congregation along with

Kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...

church in 1963, before this combined with the churches of

Ladybank Ladybank () is a village and former burgh of Fife, Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh, southwest of Cupar, close to the River Eden. Its 2006 population was estimated at 1,582. History Before the 18th century, this area was mostly marshl ...

and

Collessie Collessie is a village and parish of Fife, Scotland. The village is set on a small hillock centred on a historic church. Due to rerouting of roads, it now lies north of the A91. Though a railway embankment was constructed through the middle o ...

to form the Howe of Fife Parish Church congregation in 1983.

Gallery

File:Pitlessie, Cults Panorama.jpg, alt=Pitlessie, as seen from Cults Hill., Pitlessie, the largest settlement in Cults, as seen from Cults Hill File:Cults Kirk, Kirkton of Cults, Fife.JPG, alt=Cults Kirk, in the Kirkton of Cults from within the graveyard., Cults Kirk, in the Kirkton of Cults File:David Wilkie - The Manse, Cults, Fife, The Artist's Old Home - B1975.4.1790 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, David Wilkie's interpretation of the Kirkton of Cults File:Rev. David Wilkie Memorial, Cults Kirk.JPG, Memorial to the Rev. David Wilkie and his spouse Isabel Lister

References

External links

'Vision of Britain' website
for a map of the Cults area. Retrieved 2012-02-27. {{authority control Parishes in Fife Villages in Fife