Cleish
Cleish is a rural hamlet off the B9097 between Crook of Devon and the M90 motorway, three miles south-west of Kinross in central Scotland. It lies in the historic county of Kinross-shire. At the last census (2011), the population of the civil parish was 685. The village is mentioned in Sir Walter Scott's novel The Abbot. The majority of buildings date from the 18th century and the village retains much charm. The school dates from 1835. It is a designated conservation area. Cleish Castle lies to the west (see separate article). Cleish Church The church can trace its roots to the 13th century and was originally dedicated to St. Cuthbert. The current church was built in 1775 by John Adam who lived nearby at Blair Adam. The church was again rebuilt following a fire in 1832 and the tower was added in 1897, nominally to mark Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. It is a Category B listed building. Thomas James was ordained here in 1691 but left in 1698 to be official chaplain to the ill-fated Darien Expedition to colonise Panama, all in the employ of the Company of Scotland. He died at sea on 23 October 1698 and was buried