It has an area of 239 square miles and a population of 648 (2011 census). [2]. As a civil parish named “Kincardine” it is a unit for various statistical, census, registration and record purposes, while, as “Ardgay and District”, it functions as a community council.
Etymology
Kincardine derives from Gaelic “kin” or “ceann” meaning head and Pictish “cardain” (Welsh cardden) meaning wood. It originally applied to the vicinity of the church, from where it extended to the district looked after by the church, namely the parish. Ardgay derives from the Gaelic words “ard” and “gaoith”, meaning windy height. [3]
Demographics
The civil parish had a population of 647 in 1991, 674 in 2001 and 648 in 2011. [2] Before the Highland Clearances of the mid-19th century, it had a much larger population - 2,108 in the 1841 census. [4]
For the census purposes, Kincardine parish is assigned to five “Output Areas” (OAs). [5] (Population figures in recent censuses are a based on aggregation of OAs [6]). Ardgay, which covers three OAs, [7] has a population of 370 and is the main settlement. It was sufficiently important as to be granted the status of a burgh of barony in 1686, but this was never carried into effect.[4][8]
Populations of other settlements were too small to be published separately in the census,[5] but Culrain was estimated to have 90 and Croick 22 (both 2001). [9]
In the early 19th century Gaelic was still the language generally spoken, read and understood [10] and even in 1881, 75.8% of the population spoke Gaelic. [4]But in 2011, only 4.6% of the population had some knowledge of Gaelic. [11]
Geography
The district has two main natural divisions. That part drained by the River Carron and its tributaries and that northern part draining into the River Oykel above the Kyle of Sutherland. [3]
Its northern border is formed by the River Oykel, the Kyle of Sutherland and Dornoch Firth, which divide it from the old county of Sutherland. The Oykel arises in the north-west corner at a height of 1,500 ft. from whence it flows 35 miles to the sea, first southward via Loch Ailsh, then east-south-eastwards until it becomes the estuary of the Kyle of Sutherland.[4] In the east, the parish (or district) is bordered by the civil parish of Edderton, to the south by those of Rosskeen, Alness, Fodderty, and Contin, and to the west by the parish of Lochbroom. All these lie in Ross and Cromarty.
The land is mostly hilly with several significant peaks, several on its borders, namely Cnoc Leathad na Siorramachd (1845 ft.), Càrn Chuinneag (2749 ft.) and Breabag (2338 ft.). Also Carn Bhrain, Breac-Bheinn, Beinn Ulbhaidh (formerly Ulamhie) (1616 ft.), Bodach Mor and Carn Loch Sruban Mora within the parish/community council area. It extends 22 miles from east to west.[4]
In the west, the river Einig flows northwards meeting the Oykel below Oykel Bridge.
River Carron at Gruinards
Through the centre flows the river Carron and its tributaries, until it flows into the kyle of Sutherland just above Bonar Bridge. [4]
In the north-west of the parish, a triangular salient protrudes almost as far as Ben More Assynt. It has Breabag on its western side and Loch Ailsh and the river Oykel on the eastern side. This salient, north of the Allt Eileag river, around 19 sq. miles, is not included in the Community Council area. [12][13]
The old parish church of Kincardine, after which the parish is named, lies a mile east of Ardgay, close to the eastern parish boundary ( with Edderton). [10]
History
By the 9th century the area was in the province of Ross, which later became an earldom and a county. The Norse place names Gruniard, Amat, Dibidale, Alladale, Langwell, Syal and Carbisdale, in the parish, attest to the Norse settlement of the district. [14]
The diocese of Ross was organised around 1128, in the same area as the Earldom of Ross, and the delineation of parishes arose at this time. Kincardine is not recorded as having changed since then. [15]
The Clan Ross were the inhabitants of the district and, even in the 19th century, they still owned three quarters of the property in the parish and were by much the most prevalent surname. [4]
Sir George Mackenzie's Ross-shire estates were transferred to Cromartyshire by a 1685 Act of Parliament (repealed 1686, re-enacted 1690). As a result, 7,025 acres of the parish, representing 4.5% of the total, were henceforth in the county of Cromartyshire, before its amalgamation with Ross-shire in 1889. [4]Dounie and Amatnatua were in Cromartyshire. [17]
Sheep farming was first introduced into the parish by Sir John Lockhart-Ross in the 1760s or 1770s, which would presage the later decline in population. [18]
Croick Parish Church (quoad sacra). In the centre of the civil parish, Croick Church was designed by Thomas Telford and built with Government grants in 1827 (ecclesiastical parish 1846). When Glencalvie's population was cleared in 1845, they took refuge at the church. Names of many are scratched into the windows.
For the convenience of inhabitants in the west or central areas, a church was erected at Croick in 1827 [10] and Croick became a “quoad sacra” parish (i.e. remaining in Kincardine for secular purposes) in 1846.[19] Prior to the establishment of Croick Church, additional religious services were held at Amat in Strathcarron and Doune in Strath Oykel. [18]
One of the best documented outrages of the Highland Clearances took place at Croick in 1845. James Gillander, factor to Charles Robertson of Kindeace, evicted 18 families (92 people) from Glencalvie, 3 miles south of Croick, to create a sheep farm. Unable to find accommodation, in desperation 80 people took refuge in the churchyard at Croick. [20]
Administrative History
Kirk Session
Following the Reformation in 1560, parishes were governed by Kirk Sessions, which were composed of the minister of the parish and the elders of the parish church, [21]. However, it was not until 1804 that records were kept. In 1840 the Kirk Session had 7 members including the minister, with the Kincardine school master acting as clerk. [10]
Parochial Board
The Parochial Board of Kincardine was established in 1845,[22][23] being composed of the Heritors of the parish, the Kirk Sessions, and some elected members.
The Kirk Sessions members at the board could not exceed six, so when the Kincardine sessions was greater in size (as in 1840) they would appoint six of their number for the board.
As Kincardine raised a property tax(“Rate”), from mid 1845, in accordance with the Act, three elected members were included in the board. [24][25]
Parish Council
Kincardine Parish Council superseded the parochial board in 1894. By determination of Ross and Cromarty County Council, it was established with 9 elected councillors[26]
Kincardine Parish Council was abolished in 1930,[27] but reappeared in local government in 1976 as Ardgay and District Community Council, established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.[28]
District Council
After 1930, the parish as a unit formed half of the successor Tain District. It elected half the members of Tain District Council, the remaining being elected by the parishes of Edderton and Tain (“landward”, i.e. non-burghal, part only). [29].
The parish also formed the Kincardine county council electoral division (C.C.E.D.). [30].
Community Council
By the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, county councils and the old districts were abolished, replaced by “Regions” and “Districts”. A new District of Sutherland (within Highland Region) was created by adding the Kincardine electoral division (and therefore the parish [30]) to the county of Sutherland. However, from 1975 to 1983, the Kincardine electoral division remained within the Ross and Cromarty UK Parliament constituency.
As required by the act, Sutherland District Council set up a scheme of community councils for its area.[28][31], thus, community council boundaries at the edge of the district followed the Sutherland district boundary. On the south, this was the boundary of the former Kincardine electoral division (i.e. the parish). The scheme, which was implemented in 1976, established Ardgay and District community council in that part of the district south of the Oykel and Kyle of Sutherland. [12] The community council has 8 members.[28]
Cromarty is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is 5 miles (8 km) seaward from Invergordon on the opposite coast. In the 2001 census, it had a population of 719.
Cromartyshire is a historic county in the Highlands of Scotland, comprising the medieval "old shire" around the county town of Cromarty and 22 enclaves and exclaves transferred from Ross-shire in the late 17th century. The largest part, six times the size of the old shire, is Coigach, northwest from Ullapool. In 1890, Cromartyshire was merged with Ross-shire into the administrative county of Ross and Cromarty, which in 1975 was merged into the new council area of Highland.
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.
Ross and Cromarty, also referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latter of which is 8,019 square kilometres in extent. Historically there has also been a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, a local government county, a district of the Highland local government region and a management area of the Highland Council. The local government county is now divided between two local government areas: the Highland area and Na h-Eileanan Siar. Ross and Cromarty border Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south.
Ross is a region of Scotland. One of the provinces of Scotland from the 9th century, it gave its name to a later earldom and to the counties of Ross-shire and, later, Ross and Cromarty. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning "headland", perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. Another possible origin is the West Norse word for Orkney – Hrossey – meaning horse island; the area once belonged to the Norwegian earldom of Orkney. Ross is a historical comital region, perhaps predating the Mormaerdom of Ross. It is also a region used by the Kirk, with the Presbytery of Ross being part of the Synod of Ross, Sutherland and Caithness.
Bonar Bridge is a village on the north bank of the Kyle of Sutherland to the west and the Dornoch Firth to the east in the Parish of Creich in the Highland council area of Scotland.
Coigach is a peninsula north of Ullapool, in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The area consists of a traditional crofting and fishing community of a couple of hundred houses located between mountain and shore on a peninsula looking over the Summer Isles and the sea. The main settlement is Achiltibuie. Like its northerly neighbour, Assynt in Sutherland, Coigach has mountains which rise sharply from quiet, lochan-studded moorland, and a highly indented rocky coast with many islands, bays and headlands. The highest summit is Ben Mor Coigach at 743 metres; the distinctive profile of Stac Pollaidh is the other main peak within Coigach. The scenic qualities of Coigach, along with neighbouring Assynt, have led to the area being designated as the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland.
Ross-shire is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting of numerous enclaves or exclaves scattered throughout Ross-shire's territory. Ross-shire includes most of Ross along with Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Dingwall is the traditional county town. The area of Ross-shire is based on that of the historic province of Ross, but with the exclusion of the many enclaves that form Cromartyshire.
Tarbat is a civil parish in Highland, Scotland, in the north-east corner of Ross and Cromarty.
Ardgayard-GY ["high wind"] is a small Scottish village on the south west shore of the Dornoch Firth, Sutherland and is 1 mile south from Bonar Bridge and lies at the entrance to Strathcarron, the valley of the River Carron and is at the mouth of the Kyle of Sutherland.
The River Oykel is a major river in northern Scotland that is famous for its salmon fishing. It rises on Ben More Assynt, a few miles from Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland, and drains into the North Sea via the Kyle of Sutherland. Traditionally it has marked the boundary between Ross to the south and Sutherland to the north.
Culrain (Cul Raoin) is a small village in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland.
Amatnatua is a hamlet in Highland, Scotland.
Kincardine is a small hamlet in Sutherland, situated on the west end of the south shore of the Dornoch Firth. The village of Ardgay is less than 1 mile north west of Kincardine along the A836 coast road. It lies within the civil parish of Kincardine and Community council of Ardgay and District.
Dounie is a small remote scattered hamlet in Sutherland, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The River Carron runs through Dounie.
Lubcroy is a lodge in Glen Oykel, in Sutherland, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.
Gustavus Aird (1813–1898) was a Scottish minister of the Free Church of Scotland who served as Gaelic Moderator of the General Assembly in Inverness in 1888. He was an active campaigner against the Highland Clearances.
Eddrachillis is a civil parish in north-west Sutherland, Scotland. In Gaelic it means: between two firths. For local government, it forms part of the Highland Unitary Authority.
Lochbroom is a civil parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, part of the Highland Unitary Authority area. Its name is Gaelic (Lochbraon), meaning "loch of rain showers". It completely surrounds Loch Broom, a sea loch extending from 7 miles (11 km) inland from the Minch on the west coast of Scotland. The former parish church stands at the head of this loch, hence the name of the parish. Lochbroom is also a Community council area, but the north-west corner of the parish is the Coigach community council area.
References
Groome, Francis H. (1882–1885). Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A survey of Scottish Topography statistical biographical and historical. Edinburgh: Thomas C. Jack.
Watson, William John (1904). Place-names of Ross and Cromarty. Inverness: The Northern Counties Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd.
Notes
↑ Census of Scotland 1931. Preliminary Report. Table 17 - Population and Acreage of Civil Parishes alphabetically arranged. Publ. H.M.S.O. 1931
1 2 Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland, web site www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk - See "Standard Outputs", Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish Retrieved April 2021.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A survey of Scottish Topography statistical biographical and historical, by Francis H. Groome; publ. Thomas C. Jack, Edinburgh, 1882 - 1885. (Article on Kincardine, in Ross and Cromarty)
1 2 National Records of Scotland website - index of Output Areas to higher areas: www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/geography/our-products/census-datasets/2011-census/2011-indexes retrieved Jan. 2024
↑ Census of Scotland 2011, Output Area 2011 map – www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/search-the-census#/location/OA?title=Output%20Area%202011 - retrieved Jan 2024. Ardgay is in S00118060, S00119384 and S00119385
↑ Note: Although the census OA map shows one OA (S00118058) transgressing into Glen Cassley in Creich parish, this glen is sparsely populated (Glencassley Wind Farm - Scoping Report www.sserenewables.com/media/y1odm1ek/glencassley-wind-farm-scoping-report-aug-2019-incl-figures.pdf - retrieved Jan. 2024; p.9)
↑ Census of Scotland 2011, Table QS211SC – Gaelic language skills, publ. by National Records of Scotland, web site www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk - See "Standard Outputs", Table QS211SC, Area type: Civil Parish - retrieved April 2021
1 2 Map of Ardgay and District Community Council area on Highland Authority web site: www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/4301/ardgay_and_district_community_councilpdf - retrieved Jan. 2024
↑ 1 inch to 1 mile map: Sheet 15, Lochinver and Loch Assynt, Revised 1927, Published by Ordnance Survey 1947 – the triangular area enclosed by the county boundary, with the Allt Eileag on the south side
↑ Battle of Carbisdale, website of Historic Environment Scotland portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/BTL19 – retrieved Jan. 2024
↑ 6 inch Ordnance Survey Index map for Ross and Cromarty, publ. Ordnance Survey, Southampton, 1881
1 2 Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol 3, No. 51, Parish of Kincardine (Ross and Cromarty), by Rev. A. Gallie, ed. Sir John Sinclair; publ. William Creech, Edinburgh, 1792; pp.505-516
↑ Website of the Church of Scotland’s Kyle of Sutherland area (comprising three parishes) www.kyleofsutherlandchurches.org/kincardine-croick-edderton/ - retrieved Jan. 2024
↑ ”Our Records: The Kirk Session and The Poor“; guide by the National Records of Scotland www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/our-records-kirk-session-and-poor - retrieved Jan. 2024
1 2 “Digest of the Law of Scotland Relating to the Poor”, by John Guthrie Smith; publ. T.&T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1867; pp.9-18
↑ Reports from Commissioners, Session 3 February to 1 July 1852, 6th Volume - Appendix A; Parliamentary Papers, publ.by Parliament, London, 1852; pp. 5 and 66
1 2 3 Highland Council - Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils in Highland Updated Sept 2019 www.highland.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/4456/scheme_of_establishment_for_community_councils.pdf - retrieved Jan. 2024
↑ The Edinburgh Gazette, March 11, 1930, published at the Exchequer Chambers, Edinburgh; p. 296
1 2 The Edinburgh Gazette, August 9, 1929, published at the Exchequer Chambers, Edinburgh; p. 874
↑ Community Councils, Aberdeen Press and Journal, publ. 10 October 1975, Aberdeen; p. 31
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
