Ceres, Fife

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Ceres is a village in Fife, Scotland.

Contents 1 The village 2 Ceres Games 3 Parish Church

[edit] The village

Ceres has a population of approximately 1000. It is located approximately 2 miles from Cupar and 7 miles from St Andrews. It is one of the most historic and picturesque villages in Scotland. It is one of the few Scottish villages to have a village green. The late medieval statue of "The Provost" has an unusual shape, and is probably satirical.

The Fife Folk Museum is located in the village and commemorates rural life of a bygone era. Agriculture remains important to the local economy, but 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 Wemyssware. The place-name is of unknown origin.

[edit] Ceres Games

The Games are said to have been held every year since Bannockburn in 1314.

[edit] Parish Church

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. There is a service every Sunday morning at 11.00 am.

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.

Ceres Church [1] 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. One serving past minister of Ceres has been Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland: the Rev Thomas Buchanan in 1588. The current minister is the Reverend Eric McKimmon.

Source: "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