Ross and Cromarty

Ross and Cromarty:  (1996-date) Ross and Cromarty: lieutenancy area (1996-date)

Ross and Cromarty: district council (1975-1996) Ross and Cromarty: county (1889-1975)

Ross and Cromarty (Ros agus Cromba in ) is a vaguely or variously defined area in the of. There is a and a  in current use. Historically there has been a of the  (1832 to 1983), a   (1890 to 1975), a district of the   (1975 to 1996) and a management area of the  (1996 to 2007). The local government county is now divided between two local government areas: the area and.


 * In style and content much of what follows is derived from the . The meaning of Ross and Cromarty varies with context. Often it seems to be a Britannica-defined 'geographical' area (pre 1911) which happens to correspond with the area of the constituency as it was 1918 to 1983.

Geography
Ross and Cromarty lies south of and the, west of the  and the , north of the  and  and east of. There are also a number of small islands off the area's west coast, amongst which are:


 * Gillean (lighthouse) in the parish of
 * in
 * , and in  parish
 * and, of the group in the parish of.

The area of the mainland comprises 1,572,332 acres (6,363 km²).

On the North Sea (eastern side) of the area the major s are the Beauly Firth and the (Inner), which mark off the from , the , which bounds the districts of Easter Ross and the Black Isle, the Moray Firth, separating Easter Ross from , and the , dividing north-east  from.

On the (western) coastline - which has a length of nearly 311 miles (500 km) - the principal sea lochs and bays, from south to north, include, Loch Alsh, Loch Carron, Loch Kishorn, , Loch Shieldaig, Upper Loch Torridon, , Loch Ewe, Gruinard Bay, Loch Broom and Enard Bay.

The chief capes include Tarbat Ness on the east coast, and Coigach, Greenstone Point, Rubha Reidh, Redpoint and Hamha Point on the west.

Almost all the southern boundary with Inverness-shire consists of a rampart of peaks, many of them s:
 * (3704 ft, 1129 m),
 * (3773 ft., 1150 m),
 * (Càrn Eighe) (3881 ft., 1183 m),
 * (Mam Soul) (3871 ft., 1180 m),
 * (Ben Attow) (3386 ft., 1032 m),
 * (3504 ft., 1068 m),
 * (3317 ft., 1011 m).

To the north of Glen are the masses of  (3455 ft),  (3313 ft),  (3235 ft) and  (2998 ft). On the northeastern shore of Loch Maree rises (3219 ft., 981 m), while the Fannich group contains six Munros, the highest being Sgurr Mor (3645 ft). The immense isolated bulk of (3428 ft., 1045 m), forms the most noteworthy feature in the north-east, and   (3484 ft. 1062 m) in the north-west  appears equally conspicuous, though less solitary. Only a small fraction of the west and south of the area is under 1000 ft. (305 m) in height. Easter Ross and the peninsula of the Black Isle are comparatively level.

The longest stream of the mainland portion of Ross and Cromarty is the River Orrin, which rises from the slopes of An Sidhean (2671 ft., 814 m) and pursues a north-easterly course to its confluence with the River Conon after a run of about 26 miles (42 km), during a small part of which it forms the boundary with Inverness-shire. At Aultgowrie the stream rushes through a narrow gorge where the drop is considerable enough to make the Falls of Orrin. The River Blackwater flows from mountains in southeast for 18 miles (30 km) until it joins the Conon, forming soon after it leaves Loch Garve the small but picturesque Falls of Rogie. Within a short distance of its exit from Loch Luichart the Conon pours over a series of graceful cascades and rapids and then pursues a winding course of 12 miles (19 km), mainly eastward to the head of the Cromarty Firth. Situated above Glen Elchaig in the southwest of the region are the Falls of Glomach. The stream giving rise to them drains a series of small lochs on the northern flanks of Beinn Fhada (Ben Attow) and, in an almost unbroken sheet over a metre in width, effects a sheer drop of 110 m, and soon afterwards ends its course in Glen Elchaig. The falls are usually visited from 11 km to the south-west. 12 miles (19 km) south-east of Ullapool, on the estate of Braemore, are the Falls of Measach, formed by the Droma, a headstream of the River Broom. The cascades, three in number, are close to Corrieshalloch Gorge. The River Oykel, throughout its course, forms the boundary with Sutherland.

There are many freshwater s, the largest being. In the far north-west, 243 ft. (74 m) above the sea, lies Loch Sionascaig, a loch of such irregularity of outline that it has a shore-line of 17 miles (27 km). It contains several wooded islands, and drains into Enard Bay by the River Polly. (the long loch ), 1000 ft. (305 m) above the sea, is 4 miles (6.4 km) in length, and covers an area of 1112 acres (4.5km²), and is 42 fathoms (76 m) deep, with a mean depth of 17 fathoms (31 m). Once drained by the Muice (Allt na Muice), it has been tapped a little farther west by the Abhainn na Fhasaigh, which has lowered the level of the loch. Other lochs are Fionn Loch (the white or clear lake), 8 miles (13 km) long by 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, famous for its s, Loch Luichart towards the centre of the area (8 miles (13 km) long and between 0.5-1 mile (1-1.6 km) wide), fringed with es and having the shape of a crescent, the mountain-girt Loch Fannich (1 mile (1.6 km) wide); and the wild narrow Lochs (4 miles (6.5 km) long) and  (5 miles (8 km) long), on the  boundary.

Of the s or s the more important run from the centre eastwards, such as Strathconon, Strathbran, Strathgarve, Strathpeffer and. Excepting Glen Orrin, in the east central district, the longer glens lie in the south and towards the west. In the extreme south runs between five mountains (The  to its mouth on Loch Duich. The  passes down the glen. Further north lie Glen Elchaig, Glen Carron, and Glen Torridon. The  from Dingwall runs through Glen Carron to.

Geology
The central portion of this county is occupied by the younger highland s or Dalradian series. These consist of s, mica-schists, garnetiferous mica-schists and es, all with a gentle inclination towards the southeast. On the eastern side of the county the Dalradian schists are covered unconformably by the Old Red Sandstone. The boundary runs southward from Edderton on Dornoch Firth, by Strathpeffer, to the neighborhood of Beauly. These rocks comprise red flags and s, grey bituminous flags and s. An fold with a southwest-northeast axis brings up the basal beds of the series about the mouth of Cromarty Firth and exposes once more the schists in The Sutors (The Sutors of Cromarty) guarding the entrance to the firth. The western boundary of the younger schist is formed by the great dislocation line which traverses the county in a fairly direct course from Elphin on the north by  to Glencarron. Most of the area west of the line of disturbance is covered by, mainly dark reddish sandstones, grits and shales, resting unconformably on the ancient Lewisian gneiss with horizontal or slightly inclined bedding. The unconformity is well exposed on the shores of Gairloch, Loch Maree and Loch Torridon. These rocks, which attain a considerable thickness and are divisible into three sub-groups, build up the mountain districts of Applecross, Coigach and elsewhere.

Within the Torridonian tract the older Lewisian gneiss occupies large areas north of Coigach, on the east of Enard Bay, between Gruinard Bay and Loch Maree. Between the last named and Gairloch, on both sides of middle Loch Torridon and at many other spots smaller patches appear. The Lewisian gneiss is everywhere penetrated by basic, generally with a northwest-southeast direction; some of these are of great breadth. The Torridonian rocks are succeeded unconformably by a series of Cambrian strata which is confined to a variable but, on the whole, narrow belt lying west of the line of main thrusting. This belt of Cambrian rocks has itself suffered an enormous amount of subordinate thrusting. It is composed of the following subdivisions in ascending order: falsebedded quartzite, Pipe Rock quartzite, fucoid beds and Olenellus band, serpulite grit, Durness and, Durness dolomite and : but these are not always visible at any one spot. So great has been the disturbance in the region of thrusting that in some places, as in the neighborhood of Loch Kishorn and elsewhere, the rocks have been completely overturned and the ancient gneiss has been piled upon the Torridonian.

On the shore of at Rathie a small patch of Kimeridge shale occurs, and beneath the cliffs of Shandwick there is a little Lower Oolite with a thin seam of. Glacial striae are found upon the mountains up to heights of 3300 ft. (1006 m), and much boulder clay is found in the valleys and spread over large areas in the eastern districts. Raised beaches occur at up to 108 feet (33 m) or so above the present sea-level; they are well seen in Loch Carron.

Climate and agriculture
On the west coast considerable rainfall occurs, averaging for the year 50.42 es at Loch Broom and 62 inches at (autumn and winter being the wettest seasons), but on the east coast the annual comprises only mean 27 inches. The temperature for the year (in ) is 46½°F. Temperatures for January and July are 38 °F and 57 °F respectively.

The most fertile tracts lie on the eastern coast, especially in Easter Ross and the Black Isle, where the varies from a light sandy  to a rich deep. , among grain crops s were most generally cultivated, but and  were also raised. s and es were the chief green. On the higher grounds there is a large extent of good which carried heavy flocks of, blackfaced being the principal breed. Most of the s, principally half-breds between the old s (hardy, serviceable, small animals) and s, were maintained for the purposes of agriculture. The herds of cattle, mainly native or crosses, were large, many of them supplying the London market. s were reared, though in smaller numbers than formerly, most generally by the ers.

Owing partly to the overcrowding of the island of Lewis and partly to the unkindly nature of the bulk of the surface - which offered no opportunity for other than patchwork tillage - the number of smallholdings was enormous - alone amongst Scottish counties showing an even larger proportion of holdings under 5 acres (20,000 m²); while the average size of all the holdings throughout the county did not exceed 20 acres (80,000 m²).

about 800,000 acres (3,200 km²) were devoted to forests, a greater area than in any other county in Scotland, among the largest being Achnashellach with 50,000 acres  (200 km²)), Fannich with 20,000 acres (80 km²), Kinlochluichart with 20,600 acres (83 km²), Braemore with 40,000 acres (160 km²), Inchbae with 21,000 acres (85 km²) and Dundonnell with 23,000 acres (93 km²). At one time the area under wood must have been remarkable, if we accept the common derivation of the word "Ross" as from the Old Irish ros, a wood, and there was until recent times a considerable extent of native, principally , ,  and.

The was noteworthy. and abounded, and es and s were common, while s and s were occasionally trapped. Winged was plentiful, and amongst  the  and  occurred. of all kinds frequented the sea s. Many rivers and lochs were rich in and, and the pearl  was found in the bed of the Conon.

Other industries
is a major industry in the region, with over 20% of the workforce employed in the wholesale, restaurant and hotels sector, second only to the public service sector. A little over 5% of the workforce are employed in, and , traditionally major industries in the region. The oil industry, which spurred a rapid increase in industrial development in the 1970s, is in decline, although still a major employer.

The Glen Ord and distilleries are prominent whisky distilleries.

A railway, the from, enters the county to the north of  and runs northwards to. From there the Far North Line continues north/northeast through to  and  in, and the  runs  west/southwest to the.

History
Excavations of a rock shelter and shell at  on the coast of Wester Ross have shown that the coast was occupied by  hunter-gatherers.

It may be doubted whether the s ever effected even a temporary settlement in the area of the modern county. In Roman times, and for long afterwards, the land was occupied by Gaelic, who, in the and , were  by followers of Saint. Throughout the next three centuries the natives were continually harassed by pirates, of whose presence tokens have survived in several place-names (,, and others). At this time the country formed part of the great province of (Latin: Moravia), which then extended as far north as the  and the Oykel, and practically comprised the whole of Ross and Cromarty, excepting a comparatively narrow strip on the Atlantic seaboard.

William, the 4th, was present with his at the  (1314), and almost a century later (1412) the castle of Dingwall, the chief seat on the mainland of Donald, , was captured after the disastrous fight at  in , which Donald had provoked when his claim to the earldom was rejected. The earldom reverted to the crown in 1424, but soon afterwards restored it to the heiress of the line, the mother of Alexander Macdonald, 3rd, who thus became the 11th Earl. In consequence, however, of the treason of John Macdonald, 4th and last Lord of the Isles and 12th Earl of Ross, the earldom was again vested in the crown (1476). Five years later bestowed it on his second son, James Stewart, whom he also created Duke of Ross in 1488.

By the 16th century the whole area of the county was occupied by different. The Rosses held what is now Easter Ross; the Munros the small tract around Ben Wyvis, including ; the Macleods, and, in the mainland, the district between Loch Maree and Loch Torridon; the Macdonalds of Glengarry, Coigach, and the district between Strome Ferry and Kyle of Lochalsh, and the Mackenzies the remainder.

The county of Ross was constituted in 1661, and Cromarty in 1685 and 1698, both being consolidated into the present county in 1889.

Apart from occasional conflicts between rival clans, the only s in the county were those of Invercarron, at the head of, when was crushed by Colonel Archibald Strachan on  , and the , when the , under the , aided by Spaniards, were defeated by a force under the command of General Joseph Wightman on.

Antiquities
The principal relics of antiquity - mainly s, s and - appear in the eastern district. A vitrified fort crowns the hill of Knockfarrel in the parish of Fodderty, and there is a circular near the village of. Some fine examples of sculptured stones occur, especially those which, according to tradition, mark the burial-place of the three sons of a Danish king who were shipwrecked off the coast of Nigg. The largest and handsomest of these three crosses - the Clach a' Charraidh, or Stone of Lamentation - stands at Shandwick. It is about 10 feet (3 m) high and contains representations of the martyrdom of St Andrew and figures of an elephant and dog. It fell during a storm in 1847 and was broken in three pieces. On the top of the cross in Nigg churchyard are two figures with outstretched arms in the act of supplication; the dove descends between them, and below are two dogs. The cross was knocked down by the fall of the belfry in 1725, but has been riveted together. The third stone formerly stood at Hilton of Cadboll, but was removed for security to the grounds of Invergordon Castle.

Among old castles are those of Lochslin, in the parish of Fearn, said to date from the 13th century, which, though ruinous, possesses two square towers in good preservation; Balone, in the parish of Tarbat, once a stronghold of the Earls of Ross; the remains of Dingwall Castle, their original seat; and in Loch Alsh, which was blown up by English warships during the  in 1719.

Local government areas

 * See also

The local government county was created under the, which also established elected s for all counties in Scotland. The county of Ross and Cromarty was nominally a merger of two older administrative counties, and, but there were some alterations to boundaries. The alterations became fully effective, for all purposes except parliamentary representation, in 1892.

The county included six s:, , , , and. Dingwall was the.

When counties and burghs were abolished as local government areas, in 1975, under the, the area of the county was divided between two new areas, the  and the , and the Ross and Cromarty district of the region was created as one of eight districts of the new region.

Stornoway and the district of were merged into the Western Isles. Also, the new Ross and Cromarty district excluded two other areas, which were merged into other districts of the region. The electoral division of was merged into, and the South West electoral division (an area around and including ) was merged into.

In 1996, under the, the district was abolished and the Highland region was turned into a. The new, the , then adopted the area of the former district as a council management area, and created area committees to reprsent it. The management area consisted then of 13 s, each electing one by the  system of election. The council as a whole had 72 members.

Ward boundaries were altered in 1999, to create 80 new wards, but management area boundaries were unaltered. Therefore area committees ceased to represent exactly the areas for which they were named and made decisions. 18 wards and, therefore, 18 councillors were related to the Ross and Cromarty management area.

Under the, ward boundaries changed again this year, 2007. Also, the eight management areas were abolished in favour of three new corporate management areas. The Ross and Cromarty area was divided between the area and the  area.

Lietenancy area
Lieutenancy areas are subdivisions used for the ceremonial, the 's representatives. The Ross and Cromarty lieutenancy area combines the areas of two former districts of the : Ross and Cromarty and.

Constituency
There was a of the  from 1832 to 1983.

As created in 1832, the constituency mergerd two former : the and the, and it elected a  to represent the counties of  and , minus their , ,  and , which were represented as components of the  and the.

When the local government county of Ross and Cromarty was created under the, it did not have exactly the boundaries of the constituency.

Constituency boundaries were altered in 1918, by the, and the Ross and Cromarty constituency acquired the boundaries of the county, including the former parliamentary burghs, but minus and , which were merged into a new constituency, the.

When the county was abolished in 1975, the constituency was effectively divided between three districts of the Highland region. Its Member of Parliament then represented the Ross and Cromarty district plus a area of the  district and a  area of the  district.

In 1983, the was created to represent the Ross and Cromarty district and the Skye and Lochalsh district. The Kincardine area was merged into the.

See

 * D. Alston, Ross and Cromarty : a historical guide (Edinburgh : Birlinn, 1999 ISBN 1-874744-48-3), which, however, restricts itself to coverage of the mainland county;
 * R. Bain, History of the Ancient Province of Ross (Dingwall, 1899);
 * J. H. Dixon, Gairloch (Edinburgh, 1888);
 * F. N. Reid, The Earls of Ross (Edinburgh, 1894);
 * W. C. Mackenzie, History of the Outer Hebrides (Paisley, 1904).