Cupar
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Cupar seen from the summit of nearby Tarvit Hill |
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Cupar shown within Fife | |
Population | 9,200 |
OS grid reference | NO374146 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CUPAR |
Postcode district | KY14 - 15 |
Dialling code | 01334 |
Police | Scottish |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
EU Parliament | Scotland |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Cupar (/ˈkuːpər/ listen ; Scottish Gaelic: Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth largest settlement in Fife, and the civil parish a population of 11,183 (in 2011). It is the historic county town of Fife, before the council moved to Glenrothes.
The town is believed to have grown around the site of Cupar Castle, which was the seat of the sheriff and was owned by the earls of Fife. The area became a centre for judiciary as the county of Fife and as a market town catering for both cattle and sheep.
Towards the latter stages of the 13th century, the burgh became the site of an assembly of the three estates - clergy, nobility and burgesses - organised by Alexander III in 1276 as a predecessor of the Parliament of Scotland. Although written information of a charter for the modern town was lost, evidence suggested that this existed as one of the many properties owned by the Earls of Fife by 1294.