Armadale
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Location within the Sutherland area | |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Postcode district | KW |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Armadale (Scottish Gaelic : Armadal, Scots : Airmadale) [1] [ failed verification ] [2] is a small village on the north coast of Scotland, in the council area of Highland. The village is part of the parish of Farr, in the county of Sutherland. Armadale is about 30 miles (50 kilometres) west of the town of Thurso, off the A836 road. The population of Armadale is 50 and shrinking, with 32% of the population being retired, and the remaining 68% population are working or at school.[ citation needed ]
Armadale is first mentioned in charters in the 13th century as part of the parish of Farr. There was a small fishing hamlet consisting of two or three houses north of the village before the year 1600 called Port Moir. In 1558, "Armydale" was listed among lands held by Helena Sinclair, the widow of Donald Mackay of Strathnaver. Produce from Armadale was sent to the royal garrison at Borve Castle. [3]
William Honyman (whose mother, Margaret, was a daughter of John Mackay of Strathy) bought the estate from his grandfather about 1779 and built a new mansion at Armadale. The Armadale estate under the ownership of Honeyman was the first to bring the North Country Cheviot to Sutherland. William Honeyman, as a judge of the Court of Session took the title of “Lord Armadale of Strathy”. Honeyman removed the tenants that lived on both sides of the Armadale burn and settled them where the village is now before 1800.
In 1812 the Armadale Farm extended from the burn of Kirtomy in the west to the water of Strathy in the east, some six miles (ten kilometres) along the seashore and four miles (six kilometres) inland and contained about 50 acres (20 hectares) of green pasture and arable land. Honeyman sold the estate to the Duke of Sutherland in 1813 for the sum of £25,000 On a map of 1823 by John Thompson and William Johnson both the old Armadale and the new Armadale Fishing Village are shown. The present layout of the village was designed in 1855. 3 kilometres west of Armadale is the deserted township of Poulouriscaig, this was a post “Clearance” village of seven houses that was settled in the 1830s and the last family had left by 1935 and moved into the present village.
The name ’Armadale’, meaning ‘elongated valley’, derives from the Old Norse armr and dalr. [4]
Since 2006, five new houses have been erected, two by Highland Council to encourage more people into the area, and three private builds. Armadale has an old school house, doctors house (both of which are now owned privately properties) and a new village hall, completed in 2021, [5] used for the Strathy and Armadale Grazing Committee meetings and such. Armadale also has a Doctor's Surgery and the south end, which is the main surgery for places as far out west as Skerray and east as Melvich.
At the north end of Armadale there is a point called Reismeave, which is a good local fishing spot and great for seeing the coastal birds such as the oystercatcher, rock dove and the famous puffin. This point is home to the famous and extremely rare Primula scotica, the Scottish primrose, although often very hard to find. Armadale beach is a half kilometre stretch of golden sands, offering good tanning and picnic spots during the summer months and two burns flowing either side of the beach, splitting it into three sections. The beach is at its best during the summer, which attracts surfers and body boarders, but the best time to go surfing is from late August to October. The rocks surrounding the bay are excellent for rock pooling and climbing. The beach is accessible by either Armadale itself, or parking near the eastern bridge, and heading down a small track.
Unlike Armadale, Skye, both the town of Armadale, West Lothian and the suburb of Armadale, Victoria in Australia are named after the village of Armadale in Sutherland. There are the ruins of an old inn, in the centre of Armadale which was open in the early 19th century and was run by one Alexander Munro who was a boat builder and house carpenter and his wife Barbara Mackay. Their grandson was James Munro who was born in the village of Armadale, Sutherland and also went to school there. He moved to Australia and it was thanks to him that the Armadale in Victoria, Australia takes its name. At the north end of the village is Armadale Salmon Fishery, owned by James "Jukesy" Mackay. Further down is the red bus shelter, which is no longer in service due to Highland Council erecting a new one at the A836 end of the village. There is a new path down to Armadale Beach that was courtesy of the Allt Beag Armadale Trust, built and finished in mid-2005.
Sutherland is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire to the south and the Atlantic to the north and west. Like its southern neighbour Ross-shire, Sutherland has some of the most dramatic scenery in Europe, especially on its western fringe where the mountains meet the sea. These include high sea cliffs, and very old mountains composed of Precambrian and Cambrian rocks.
Durness is a village and civil parish in the north-west Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north coast of the country in the traditional county of Sutherland, around 120 miles north of Inverness. The area is remote, and the parish is huge and sparsely populated, covering an area from east of Loch Eriboll to Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point of the Scottish mainland.
Helmsdale is a village on the east coast of Sutherland, in the Highland council area of Scotland. The modern village was planned in 1814 to resettle communities that had been removed from the surrounding straths as part of the Highland Clearances.
Lairg is a village and parish in Sutherland, Scotland. It has a population of 891 and is at the south-eastern end of Loch Shin.
Castletown is a village on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland, situated near Dunnet Bay. It is within the civil parish of Olrig, where it is the main settlement, and within the historic county of Caithness. The A836 links the village with Thurso and Tongue in the west and with John o' Groats in the east. The B876-A99 links the village with Wick in the southeast. Contrary to the common misconception, the name Castletown is a misnomer as there is no castle within the village limits.
Dunnet is a village in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is within the Parish of Dunnet.
Forss Water, known also as Forss River, has its source at the northern end of Loch Shurrey, at grid reference ND042568. About 13 kilometres north of its source the river flows into Crosskirk Bay and the Atlantic Ocean at ND029700. Crosskirk Bay is on the north coast of Great Britain and about 8 kilometres west of the burgh of Thurso, Caithness, in Highland, Scotland. The river marked the eastern extent of the Clan Mackay raid in the Sandside Chase of 1437.
Reay is a village which has grown around Sandside Bay on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. It is within the historic Parish of Reay and the historic county of Caithness.
Bettyhill is a village in the parish of Farr, on the north coast of Scotland.
Strathnaver or Strath Naver is the fertile strath of the River Naver, a famous salmon river that flows from Loch Naver to the north coast of Scotland. The term has a broader use as the name of an ancient province also known as the Mackay Country, once controlled by the Clan Mackay and extending over most of northwest Sutherland.
Armadale is a town within the county of West Lothian in the Central Belt of Scotland. It lies to the west of Bathgate and to the east of Blackridge. Armadale, formerly known as Barbauchlaw, is an ex-mining town which was also known for its brick manufacturing. It is named after Armadale in Sutherland, this estate being owned by Sir William Honeyman who later acquired the land of Barbauchlaw. Primarily a residential community, the town has a number of different public places, a central Mains Street and a series of parks, green spaces and nature reserves, many of which lie atop former mines and industrial areas.
Strathy is a scattered community in Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. The settlement emerged in the late 19th century as the north coast was populated by families forcibly displaced during the Highland Clearances.
Aultiphurst, in Strathy, Sutherland, is a village in the Scottish Highlands
Farr is a parish in the county of Sutherland in the Scottish council area of Highland. The parish also includes a small hamlet named Farr. The village of Bettyhill lies less than 1 mile to the west of the hamlet along the A836 road.
Westerdale is a scattered crofting village which lies on the River Thurso, located five miles directly south of Halkirk, in Caithness, Highland, Scotland. The B870 road passes through the village.
Skerray is a remote small crofting hamlet and fishing port on the north coast of Sutherland, Scotland. It is located 7+3⁄4 miles by road northeast of Tongue and 40+1⁄4 miles by road west of Thurso. Skerray is home to a community of artists and a group of tree planters.
Swordly is an extremely remote hamlet, located on the Bay of Swordly, on the north coastline of Scotland in Sutherland, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.
Sir William Honyman, 1st Baronet, also known by his judicial title Lord Armadale, was a Scottish landowner, and judge from Orkney. On his lands in Sutherland he was one of the first landlords to evict tenants in order to create sheep farms, a process which grew to become the Highland Clearances.
Loch Naver is a loch in the Farr parish in Sutherland in the Highland council area of northern Scotland. It is situated upon the B873 main road. Upon the loch are also the settlements of Kilbreck, Redhackaistelll and Dailmallhart. Additionally Alltnaharra and Achanaes are nearby. Fishing is very popular on Loch Naver and the River Naver.
Strathnaver Museum is located in Bettyhill, Sutherland, Scotland. It is a fully accredited volunteer-run independent museum which first opened in 1976. It explores the history of north west Sutherland through the context of the Highland Clearances. The Clan Mackay Centre is located on the 1st floor of the main museum building.