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| Pitlessie |
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| Please read the main Fife pages if you have not already done so. | |
Cults Churchyard, Kirkton of Cults, near Pitlessie (grid ref. NO 346099):
The original 1841 census returns were lost in transit to Edinburgh.
Parish / district reference number for 1851 - 1901 censuses: 419
The 1851 census has been indexed by the Tay Valley Family History Society.
Further information on the main Fife page.
In addition to the parish church, there was also a United Secession church in Pitlessie and a Free Church at Balmalcolm
(in Kettle parish).
The Old Statistical Account (1793) mentions
no church other than the parish church.
The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church, the United Presbyterian Church (at Pitlessie) and the
Free Church (Kettle and Cults).
Details of church history here.
The original Old Parish Records (of baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages, and burials) of the Church of Scotland, which cover the years up to 1854, are held in the General Register Office for Scotland in Edinburgh, and copies on microfilm may be consulted in local libraries and at LDS Family History Centres around the world. The baptisms / births and proclamations / marriages (but not deaths) can also be searched at Scotland's People - the online database of Scottish Birth, Marriage, Death & Census records at the General Register Office. The index can also be searched on the LDS FamilySearch website.
Deaths are listed on Fife Family History Society's Pre-1855 Fife Deaths CD.
The old parish records span the following dates (although there may be gaps within these ranges):
| Cults OPR | Births / baptisms | Proclamations / marriages | Deaths / burials / mortcloths |
| 419/1 | 1693-1819 | 1693-1819 | 1704-1819 |
| 419/2 | 1820-1854 | 1820-1854 | 1820-1854 |
| Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland |
Kirk Session and similar records for the Cults parish church (CH2/1160) and the Cults & Kettle Free Church at Balmalcolm (CH3/1066) are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library and at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (419/1). Details of church records here.
Heritors' Records (HR182) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.
Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths began in Scotland on 1st January 1855. Full information on the main Fife page.
| Registration district | number | start date | end date |
| Cults | 419 | 1855 | 1967 |
| Cupar | 420 | 1968 | 1971 |
| Cupar | 417 | 1972 | 2002 |
| Fife | 417 | 2003 |
Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. In the 20th century especially, there were frequent changes in registration districts.
| Cults church | Ordnance Survey Grid Reference | GPS | Post code | Lat. 56°16'36"N |
| NO 347098 | 56.276160 -3.056130 |
KY15 5RD | Lon. 3°3'23"W |
On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is a transcription of Westwood's 1861 Parochial Directory of Fife.
On 15th May 1891, the following subjects were transferred from the parish of Cults to the parish of Collessie: Annesmuir (part); Sunnybraes; Edensmuir Commonty; Sweethome.
A Vision of Britain provides historical descriptions, population & housing statistics, historic boundaries and maps.
The Ordnance Survey [Place] Name Books 1850-1854 are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre. There is an index to the entries for this parish on the Fife Council website (select A in the A-Z list, then Archives).
Fife Deaths Abroad 1855-1900 - a compilation of overseas deaths recorded in Fife newspapers - has been produced by Andrew Campbell of Fife Family History Society. The Society have recently re-published it in their Publications Series, 26.
The relief of paupers after 1845 was carried out by the Parochial Board and later by the Parish Council. Their records are at the Fife Council Archive Centre. Details of records here.
| Year | Population | |
| 1755 | 449 | |
| 1801 | 699 | |
| 1851 | 915 | |
| 1901 | 628 | * boundary changed |
| 1951 | 536 |
See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.
Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Cults may be found in either the St Andrews Commissariot (CC20) or the Edinburgh Commissariot (CC8) records. From 1824, commissary business has been conducted by the Sheriff Court of Fife at Cupar (SC20).
Indexes and finding aids are given on the main Fife page.
Local sources worth searching for deeds include St Andrews Commissary Court and Cupar Sheriff Court.
School Board records and school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre. Details of records here.
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