On 2nd January 2001, the Society's New Year trip took us first to the historic Fife burgh of Culross. This small royal burgh is situated on the north shore of the Forth. The name Culross derives from the two Gaelic words 'Cuileann Ros', meaning point where the holly grows. St. Serf founded a monastery in the 5th century. Glasgow's patron saint, St. Mungo was born and educated in Culross. King James VI granted Culross the status of Royal Burgh due to the influence of an important local resident, Sir George Bruce. Culross was then a thriving community in the 16th and 17th centuries with a flourishing trade with other Forth ports and the Low Countries.
We strolled through the narrow cobbled streets of the burgh to see many of the town's attractions. The Palace, built between 1597 and 1611, was the home of Sir George Bruce. The Town House is the former council chambers and was built in 1625. The Study is a interesting example of 17th Century architecture. Bishop Leighton used it as a study centre.
Culross Abbey was founded as a monastery in 1217 by Malcolm Earl of Fife and dedicated to St. Mary and St. Serf.
After this we went to Dunfermline where we saw the Abbey. The Abbey was dedicated to St. Margaret, the mother of David I and one of the most important Saints in Mediaeval Scotland. The income from pilgrimages to the shrine of St. Margaret enabled Dunfermline to become an important town in the Middle Ages
We then had a guided tour of the Abbot House, which in addition to being a historically significant building also holds an exhibition of the history of the town from Celtic times to the present day.
After a late lunch some braver souls went for a paddle on the beach at Aberdour.
