Search Scotland, People of the Black Isle, Ross and Cromarty

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Parishes included in this set -

Avoch

The Parish of Avoch lies in a small bay on the northwest shores of the Moray Forth and is

bounded on the north by the united parishes of Cullicudden and Kirkmichael, on the northeast

by Rosemarkie and Resolis, on the south by Knockbain, formerly known as Kilmuir Wester

and Suddie and on the northwest by Urquhart. It is primarily a fishing harbour mainly supplying

the Inverness market. The parish is about 3 miles by 4 miles in extent forming a portion of the Maol Buidh, the yellow headland, which divides the two arms of the Moray Firth.The dates given against the pre-census inhabitants of the parish are those at which the person was known to be living in the area. There are many gaps in the church records, and several other sources have also been used in this study.

Cromarty

Cromarty, known in 1264 as Crombathyn, was historically significant as a royal burgh and ferry point on the pilgrimage route to Tain. Cromarty Castle, once the seat of the Urquharts—hereditary sheriffs of the area—hosted King James IV in 1513. Archaeological evidence suggests the original medieval town, dating back to the 12th century, has been largely lost to the sea, with remnants uncovered after storms in 2012.

Located at the northeast tip of the Black Isle, Cromarty’s sheltered position made it a natural harbour and coastal trading hub. Its population, primarily of Lowland or Scandinavian origin, often clashed with neighbouring Highland clans—most notably in the reign of James IV, when the town was sacked.

After the Reformation, Robert Williamson became Cromarty’s first minister in 1593. In the 17th century, it became the administrative centre of Cromartyshire, a scattered county surrounded by Ross-shire. In the late 18th century, George Ross—a wealthy army agent—purchased the town and transformed its economy. He established a biscuit and cotton-bagging factory, a large brewery, and various manufacturing industries including nail and spade making and lacework. Ross secured government funding to build a pier in 1785 and promoted trade, including the import of Swedish iron and Norwegian timber.

The resulting prosperity drew Gaelic-speaking migrants from the Highlands. Ross responded by building the Gaelic Chapel (1783) and the Court-House, whose clock and cupola remain landmarks. Most of Cromarty’s current buildings date from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when it was a thriving fishing and manufacturing centre. Goods like linen, lace, bacon, and ale were shipped from its tall-masted sloops across Scotland and to the Continent.

The T-plan church, built in 1700 and extended in 1799, survived coastal erosion. Inside, its lofts reflect the town’s social stratification. Merchant William Forsyth boosted the local herring trade and flax industry in the mid-18th century, building the prominent Forsyth House still standing today.

By the 19th century, Cromarty was admired for its charm. Robert Chambers described it as “one of the neatest, cleanest, prettiest towns of the size in Scotland,” helped by a political candidate who funded house whitewashing during the 1826 election.

In 1830, a schooner named The Sutors of Cromarty was launched from Hugh Allan’s yard, but the town’s fortunes declined as emigration surged and steam-powered industry from the south overtook local crafts. Cromarty was bypassed by the railway, isolating it further.

Among its notable figures is Sir Thomas Urquhart (1613–c.1660), writer and linguist, who owned much of the shire and led a colorful life across courts, prisons, and battlefields.

Killearnan

The Parish of Killearnan, nestled on the southern shore of the Beauly Firth, is centred around the village of Redcastle—more accurately known historically as the Miltoun of Redcastle. The village takes its name from the nearby Redcastle, a now-ruined fortress believed to have been originally constructed in the 12th century, likely on the site of an earlier Pictish stronghold. The castle was once a key defensive site guarding the approaches to the inner Moray Firth and formed part of the network of Norman-style castles introduced to the Highlands during the reign of David I, reflecting a period of increasing feudal consolidation and royal influence.

Throughout the medieval and early modern periods, Redcastle was associated with powerful local families, including the Bissets, the Frasers, and later the Mackenzies of Kintail, whose influence stretched across Ross and Inverness-shire. The estate was not only a symbol of feudal authority but also an economic hub for the surrounding area.

The village that grew up in the castle’s shadow—Miltoun of Redcastle—developed as an agricultural and industrial centre. Like nearby Charlestown, it was equipped with essential rural facilities including a smithy, a mill, and storage for agricultural produce. Its proximity to the firth gave it an advantage in maritime trade. The construction of a pier enabled the efficient transport of local resources, especially stone from the nearby Redcastle quarry.

This quarry played a notable role in regional development during the 18th and early 19th centuries, supplying quality stone for significant engineering projects. One of its most prominent contributions was to the construction of the eastern section of the Caledonian Canal, a major feat of early 19th-century civil engineering designed by Thomas Telford. The canal, completed in 1822, linked the east and west coasts of Scotland, and Redcastle stone helped form part of this vast waterway, symbolising the village’s indirect connection to the wider currents of industrial progress and Highland transformation.

The parish church of Killearnan itself, located just a short distance inland, dates back in part to the early 18th century, though it likely stands on an earlier ecclesiastical site. As with many Highland parishes, the church served not only a spiritual role but also as a centre of community governance and education.

Killearnan, like much of the surrounding Black Isle and Easter Ross, saw gradual changes in land use, population, and economy through the 18th and 19th centuries. Improvements in agriculture, the rise and fall of rural industries, and the impact of emigration and the Highland Clearances reshaped the demographic and cultural landscape. While Redcastle itself fell into ruin by the 20th century, its presence remains a striking reminder of the area's deep historical roots.

Knockbain

The Parish of Knockbain, formerly Kilmuir Wester and Suddie, contains the villages of

Kilmuir, Redcastle, Charlestown and Munlochy. The two parishes were united in 1756. The

church, an ancient structure, was repaired in about 1806 and has seating for about 800. There

was later also a Free Church and an Episcopal Chapel in the parish.

The Kessock Ferry has always been an important feature of life in the parish. It is first

mentioned in the 15th century, and although the Cromarty to Ardesier Ferry was on the more

direct route from the north, the Kessock Ferry featured significantly for many centuries.

Craigton, a small village sitting above North Kessock, once a crofting settlement, was also

home to the ship’s pilots needed to take ships safely into Inverness harbour and through the

sandbanks of the Beauly Firth with cargoes of coal and lime. The village of Kilmuir, just to the

east of the Kessock crossing is the site of the pre-Reformation church and burial ground,

although much of this village dates from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Charlestown,

once just a small fishing settlement, is named from Charles MacKenzie of Kilcoy, who

enlarged and improved the village in the early 19th century to accommodate his estate workers.

Charlestown in the 19th century had a smithy, two shops, an inn and a watermill producing

excellent oatmeal. The village of Redcastle, more correctly Miltoun of Redcastle, adjacent to

the ruined 12th century castle, had similar facilities to Charlestown and the pier was used by

the local quarry to ship stone for various projects, including the building of the eastern end of

the Caledonian Canal.

St John’s Chapel at Allangrange allegedly dates to the Knights Templar and is the burial place

of the family of Fraser MacKenzie of Allangrange. The Church of St Dustan at Suddie is of

pre-Reformation origin.

Rosemarkie

The Parish of Rosemarkie, which includes the Burgh of Fortrose, has existed from the 11th or

12th century and is very much a rural and agricultural area. It was sometimes known as the

Chanonry or Channery town of Ross. The parish is about 6 miles in length from east to west,

and about 3 miles from south to north. It is bordered on the north and east by the parishes of

Resolis and Cromarty, and on the west by Avoch.

Urquhart & Wester Logie

The Parish of Urquhart and Logie Wester has a long and eventful history, with early references to a major clan battle in the area around 1480 (possibly 1483). Known variously as the Battle of Lagabraad or the Battle of Logiebride, it was part of the conflict following the decline of the MacDonald Lordship of the Isles. Clan Donald fought and defeated a coalition including the MacKenzies, MacKays, Brodies, Frasers of Lovat, and Clan Ross, with some accounts recording over 500 deaths.

A second battle at Logiebride took place in 1597 between Clan MacKenzie and Clan Donald, led by John Bain on one side and John MacGillichallum and a MacLeod on the other. Casualties ranged from 2 to 50, depending on the source.

Originally separate parishes, Urquhart and Logiebride were united in 1845 to form a single parish. Logie Wester comprises the western portion and Urquhart the eastern. Each formerly had its own medieval church, now in ruins. The present parish church, built in 1795 near the shore of the Cromarty Firth, could seat up to 1500 people and served as a central place of worship. The majority of the population adhered to the Established Church by the mid-19th century, with earlier Episcopalian influence fading.

Tradition holds that Urquhart was named after a pious noblewoman, Sophia Urquart, who was granted the land as a dowry. “Logie” comes from the Gaelic lag, meaning hollow, and was distinguished as Logie Wester to avoid confusion with another Logie parish.

By the 19th century, the parish stretched from the Cromarty Firth and River Conon in the north to the parishes of Knockbain and Killearnan in the south. It included the villages of Conon Bridge (the largest), Culbokie, Easter Kinkell, and Bishop Kinkell. Most of the inhabitants worked in agriculture, growing oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, and turnips. Landowners in the 1840s included Mr. Forbes of Culloden and Sir Francis Mackenzie of Gairloch.

The earliest surviving parish register dates to 1715, though early entries were sporadic and often lacked full details, particularly for baptisms and marriages. There is no known earlier written history of the parish.