Collessie

Collessie is a village in Fife, Scotland.

It is a hamlet set on a small hillock centre around a historic church. Due to rerouting of roads, it now lies off the main road.

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 Bishop of Lindores and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The church was remodelled in 1839 to a T-plan form and has remained virtually unchanged since that date.^[1] The pulpit is in a central position at the head of the T, common to 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 13th 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 tablet in the outer wall of the churchyard, facing Kirk Brae, is dated 1609 and relates to the use of the burial ground.

References

1. ^ Guide to Collessie Church

Coordinates: 56°18′N 3°09′W / 56.3°N 3.15°W / 56.3; -3.15