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Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a
burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
in
Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...
, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional
county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
of the historic county of
Kinross-shire The County of Kinross or Kinross-shire is a historic county and registration county in eastern Scotland, administered as part of Perth and Kinross since 1930. Surrounding its largest settlement and county town of Kinross, the county borders Per ...
.


History

Kinross's origins are connected with the nearby Loch Leven and its islands whose history goes back to the 5th century AD. Kinross developed as a staging post on the Great North Road from
North Queensferry North Queensferry is a village in Fife, Scotland, situated on the Firth of Forth where the Forth Bridge, the Forth Road Bridge, and the Queensferry Crossing all meet the Fife coast, some from the centre of Edinburgh. It is the southernmost sett ...
to Perth. In time, local industry developed and by the early 18th century the town had grown to a population of around 600 people. By the mid-19th century, a thriving wool weaving industry had emerged.
Kinross Town Hall Kinross Town Hall forms part of a complex of municipal buildings in the High Street, Kinross, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The town hall, which has been converted for residential use, is a Category B listed building. History The oldest part of ...
was completed in 1841.


Location and transport

The site of the original Pre-Reformation parish church and churchyard are located down a small wynd overlooking
Loch Leven Loch Leven may refer to: ;Bodies of water in Scotland * Loch Leven (Kinross), a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross ** Loch Leven Castle, a fortress on the loch ** William Douglas of Lochleven, later the 6th Earl of Morton * Loch Leven (Highlands) ...
, a little away from the town. The church was dedicated to
St. Serf Saint Serf or Serbán (''Servanus'') () is a saint of Scotland. Serf was venerated in western Fife. He is called the apostle of Orkney, with less historical plausibility. Saint Serf is connected with Saint Mungo's Church near Simonburn, Northumbe ...
and was under control of Dunfermline Abbey. Noteworthy ministers included John Colden from 1593 to 1640 and his son George Colden who served until 1665. The notorious
Henry Christie Henry Christie, M.A. (1655–1718) was a college bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church in the early eighteenth century. Early life and family Born in 1655, he was the youngest son of Henry Christie of Craigton., ''Scottish Episcopal Clergy'', p ...
was minister of Kinross 1679–89.Fasti Ecclesiastae Scotina Rev Robert McGill served 1698 until 1726 and recorded supernatural events in the
manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...
in 1718. Rev Robert Stark was initially unpopular but served 1732 to 1783. Kinross was originally linked by railway to
Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
,
Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
and Clackmannanshire until the rail links gradually disappeared. At one time three independent railway companies had their termini at the town. The
Fife and Kinross Railway The Railways of Kinross were a local network of three rural railways which made the town of Kinross in Scotland their objective in the 1850s. They were: * the Fife and Kinross Railway from Ladybank to Kinross; * the Kinross-shire Railway from n ...
came from the east, the
Kinross-shire Railway The Railways of Kinross were a local network of three rural railways which made the town of Kinross in Scotland their objective in the 1850s. They were: * the Fife and Kinross Railway from Ladybank to Kinross; * the Kinross-shire Railway from n ...
came from the south and The
Devon Valley Railway The Devon Valley Railway linked Alloa and Kinross in central Scotland, along a route following the valley of the River Devon. Its construction took 20 years from the first section opening in 1851, to the final section in 1871. Three railway ...
came from the west.
Kinross Junction railway station Kinross Junction railway station served the burgh of Kinross, Perth and Kinross, Scotland from 1860 to 1970 on the Fife and Kinross Railway The Railways of Kinross were a local network of three rural railways which made the town of Kinross i ...
once stood on the line between Perth and Edinburgh, which was closed to make way for construction of the M90 motorway. Since this time, many people working within a commuting radius of Kinross have settled in the town owing to its central location and local amenities. Locals and Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have also asked the Scottish Government to publish a Feasibility Study into re-establishing the Perth–Edinburgh Direct Rail Link. , no such document has been published. Kinross is served by local and long-distance bus services including Megabus services M90, M91 and M92 which call at the Sainsbury's Park & Ride site off Junction 6 of the M90 motorway.


Tourism

The burgh is located on the shores of
Loch Leven Loch Leven may refer to: ;Bodies of water in Scotland * Loch Leven (Kinross), a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross ** Loch Leven Castle, a fortress on the loch ** William Douglas of Lochleven, later the 6th Earl of Morton * Loch Leven (Highlands) ...
. There are boat trips around the
loch ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...
and to Loch Leven Castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner in 1567. Up to 2014 the annual T in the Park music festival. which was officially replaced by
TRNSMT festival TRNSMT (pronounced as "Transmit") is a music festival staged at Glasgow Green in Glasgow, Scotland, organised by DF Concerts. History An early line-up for the first TRNSMT festival was revealed in January 2017, two months after the announcement ...
in Glasgow Green, was held nearby, at the former RAF Balado Bridge airfield. RAF Balado Bridge was also the locale of a now decommissioned NATO
ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...
early warning radar and up until the late 1950s was a training base for the Royal Air Force.


Climate

As with most of the British Isles, Kinross has an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
( Köppen: ''Cfb'').


Sport and recreation

The Loch Leven Trails offers 21 km (13 miles) of walking and cycling heritage trail around the shoreline of Loch Leven. It begins at
RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...
Vane Farm Nature Reserve via Findatie to Kinross Pier/Kirkgate Park. There is a
leisure centre A leisure centre in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (also called aquatic centres), Singapore and Canada is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people ...
located in Kinross, called Loch Leven Leisure. Kinross Trout Fishery situated just on the edge of the village is one of Scotland's premier trout fishery giving fly and bait anglers the opportunity to catch some of Scotland largest trout. Kinross Colts FC is a community football club and registered charity with over 400 boys, girls, men and women playing in 16 teams within the club. They have two grounds locally, The Myre at Smith Street in Kinross and Donaldson Park in Milnathort. Kinross is also home to Kinross Rugby Club, who play their games at King George V ground alongside Kinross Hockey Club. Locally the ground is known as KGV.


Notable people

*
Andrew Barlass Andrew Barlass (September 30, 1822 – July 26, 1895) was a Scottish American farmer and politician. Born in Kinross, Scotland, Barlass emigrated to the United States and settled in the town of Harmony, Rock County, Wisconsin. His post office ...
, American politician and farmer, was born in Kinross.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1876,' Biographical Sketch of Andrew Barlass, pg. 475 * Steven Caulker lived with his aunt and uncle in Kinross when playing for
Dundee F.C. Dundee Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland, founded in 1893. The team are nicknamed "The Dark Blues" or "The Dee". The club plays its home matches at Dens Park. The club was formed after a merg ...
*Rev
Henry Christie Henry Christie, M.A. (1655–1718) was a college bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church in the early eighteenth century. Early life and family Born in 1655, he was the youngest son of Henry Christie of Craigton., ''Scottish Episcopal Clergy'', p ...
minister *Dr
Adam Kelso Fulton Adam Kelso Fulton (10 April 1929 – 27 August 1994) was a Scottish rugby union internationalist. International career Positioned as scrum-half, he was capped twice playing both games against France at Murrayfield in 1952 and 1954. T ...
, Scottish rugby union internationalist * Peter Leitch, recipient of the Victoria Cross *
George Thompson (VC) George Thompson VC (23 October 1920 – 23 January 1945) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces ...
whose posthumous Victoria Cross in 1945 is often cited as the best merited of the entire air war. He was the wireless operator in a Lancaster of No. 9 Squadron on a dawn raid against the Dortmund-Ems Canal when the plane was struck by a salvo of two 88 mm shells. *
William Whyte (banker) Sir William Whyte FRSE (1878–1945) was a 20th-century Scottish banker who served as President of the Institute of Bankers in Scotland from 1940 to 1942. He was one of the instigators of the Royal Bank of Scotland's 20th century expansio ...
(1878-1945)


Twinned Cities

*
Gacé Gacé () is a commune in the Orne department in Lower-Normandy, north-western France. Population Heraldry Administration Twin towns * Kinross, Perth & Kinross, Scotland See also * Communes of the Orne department The following is a ...
, France *
Traunstein Traunstein (Central Bavarian: ''Traunstoa'') is a town in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and is the administrative center of a much larger district of the same name. The town serves as a local government, retail, health services, ...
, Germany


Education

*
Kinross High School Kinross High School is a state school in Kinross, Scotland. The school is located adjacent to the leisure centre, and is part of Loch Leven Community Campus, named after the nearby Loch Leven. In 2007, it was announced that the school would be ...
(Now located in Loch Leven Community Campus as of 2010) * Kinross Primary School


References


External links


Kinross Community CouncilKinross Primary SchoolKinross A.F.C
{{Authority control County towns in Scotland Parishes in Kinross-shire