Collessie
Collessie is a village in Fife, Scotland.
It is a hamlet set on a small hillock centred on a historic church. Due to rerouting of roads, it now lies off the main road. Though a railway embankment was constructed through the middle of the village in the 19th century, it retains much of its original character, and has a number of traditional 17th-18th century houses. In recent years some of the older houses have been re-roofed in traditional thatch. Collessie in fact probably now has more thatched houses than any other village in the county of Fife.
The Church
The church was consecrated by the Bishop of St. Andrews in July 1243. It is mentioned in charters of both 1252 and 1262, and so was complete by those dates.
Prior to the Reformation, the church was in the ownership of the Abbot of Lindores and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
In 1742 and 1743 Rev Hugh Blair was the minister of Collessie.[1]
The church was remodelled in 1838/1839 by R & R Dickson[2] to a T-plan form with a pinnacled western tower, and has remained virtually unchanged since that date.[3] The pulpit is in a central position at the head of the T, as in several Scottish churches such as Currie on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The pews date from 1911 when they were adjusted to a less upright stance to improve comfort. The font dates from 1928.
The Collessie war memorial is in the east transept. The communion table was brought from Cowlairs Church and was their war memorial.
The Churchyard
The churchyard has been used since at least the 12th century. It was extended both in 1840 and 1871. It was taken over by the local County Council in 1929.
The "Melville Tomb" was erected to the Melvilles of Halhill and contains the remains of Sir James Melville who died on 13 November 1617, aged 82. He had been a courtier to both Mary Queen of Scots and James VI of Scotland. The tomb, which takes the form of a small house, was partly restored in 2004.
A long inscription in the outer wall of the Tomb, which also forms part of the churchyard wall, facing Kirk Brae, is dated 1609 and relates to the use of the burial ground.
The School
The school and schoolmaster's house date from 1846 (prior to the Education Act of 1875) providing free education from an early date. As with the church, it is designed by R & R Dickson.[4]
References
- ↑ http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
- ↑ Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Dickson
- ↑ Guide to Collessie Church
- ↑ Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Dickson
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