EDDRACHILLIS, a parish, in the county of
Sutherland, 15 miles (N. N. W.) from Assynt; including
the islands of Handa and Scourie, and the late
quoad sacra district of Keanlochbervie; and containing
1699 inhabitants. The Celtic name of this place, Eadarda-
chaolas, signifies " between two kyles or arms of the
sea ", and is descriptive of the situation of the main part
of the parish between the kyle of Scow, which separates
Eddrachillis from Assynt on the south, and the
kyle of Laxford. The parish was anciently part of the
barony of Skelbo, and was granted by Hugo Freskyn
de Moravia, ancestor of the Duke of Sutherland, in the
twelfth century, to his brother. Bishop Gilbert Moray,
by whom, in 1235, it was transferred to a third brother,
Richard Moray, of Culbyn. About the year 1440, it
came to the family of Kinnaird of Kinnaird, by an
heiress, Egidia Moray; and in 1515, Andrew Kinnaird
disposed of it to John Mackay of Eddrachillis, son of
Mackay of Strathnaver, the superiority remaining with
the Earls of Sutherland. In 1829, it was restored to
the Sutherland family by purchase. So early as 1550,
another branch of the Mackays seized the territory of
Scourie by displacing the Mc Leods, and located themselves
here under the title of Mackays of Scourie. From
this family sprang Lieutenant-General Hugh Mackay,
the famous commander-in-chief in the time of William
and Mary, eminent for his skill and bravery, and who
fell in the year 1692, shortly after the siege of Namur,
where he commanded the British division of the grand army.
The PARISH was formerly included in Durness, but
was separated in 1726. Its extreme length from north
to south is twenty-five miles, its mean breadth seven
miles, and it contains an area of about 112,000 acres.
It is situated in the angle of the county formed by the
Atlantic and Northern Seas, and in its general features,
like other Highland districts, is exceedingly wild, rugged,
and mountainous, but in some parts highly romantic,
and interesting to the tourist. The outline is altogether
irregular, being indented by numerous fissures and arms
of the sea, and the parish is naturally formed into three
parts, namely, the Scourie division, between Loch
Glendhu and Loch Laxford; Ceatliramh-garbh, between
Loch Laxford and Loch Inchard; and Ashare. The
derivation of the first of these three names is unknown;
the second signifies " a rough section of country ", and
the third " arable land ". The principal mountains are,
Beinne-Leothaid, Beinne-Stac, Beinne-Stroim, Arkle, and
the south-west range of the Reay forest to the summit
of Toinne-Beinne, Meal-Horn, Sabhal-mhoir, and Mille-
Rinidh, with part of Beinne-Shith: several of these rise
3000 feet above the level of the sea. The Reay forest,
or Diru-inoir, claims particular notice, having always
been reckoned one of the principal forests in Scotland.
Considerable tracts of it had been allotted for sheep at
the commencement of the present century, but upon the
expiration of the leases, the proprietor restored the
whole to its ancient character of a deer forest, and the
extent of land set apart for this purpose is estimated at
60,000 acres, half in this parish and half in Durness.
Thousands of red-deer roam in this territory, under the
management of regularly appointed foresters. Almost
every description of game visits the parish, and the
black eagle occupies the highest rocks. The harbours
are numerous and excellent, and are said to be capable
of affording safe anchorage to the whole naval and mercantile
shipping of Great Britain; those most celebrated
are Lochs Laxford, Inchard, Badcall, Calva, Glendhu,
and the Sound of Handa. Besides the island of Handa,
there is a cluster of isles consisting of about twenty,
lying between Eddrachillis and Assynt, which are uninhabited,
but afford good pasturage for lambs and cattle.
The most remarkable inland lakes are Loch Moir and
Loch Stac, which are well stocked with different kinds
of trout; the most considerable rivers are the Laxford
and the Inchard, which, with numerous minor streams,
discharge themselves into the Atlantic Ocean. The dif
ferent districts of the parish are well supplied with water,
principally from perennial springs.
Though the principal occupation, besides fishing, is
the rearing and pasturing of sheep, yet some part of the
laud is under tillage. The soil is generally a mixture of
gravel and moss, considerably improved by the application
of sea- weed for manure; the lands of Ashare are
superior to the rest, and like the island of Handa consist
of dark loam mixed with sand. The crops raised
are potatoes, bear, and oats, the ground for which is
prepared by the common garden spade and the Highland
implement called the cas-chrom. On the large farms
the sheep are the pure Cheviots; those of the smaller
tenants are a cross between the Cheviot and the native
black-faced: the cattle are of an inferior kind. The
annual value of real property in the parish is £30'27-
The rocks comprise gneiss, hornblende, veins of granite,
and quartz; limestone, also, is met with on the sides of
some of the lochs. Handa is composed chiefly of the
best sort of red sandstone; its rocks lie horizontally, and
are considered by geologists as possessing an almost equal
interest, though of another kind, with the celebrated basaltic
columns in the island of Staffa.
The people are principally located on the sea-coast, in
townships or hamlets, each family possessing a certain
portion of land; and their occupation consists partly of
tiUing the ground and partly of fishing, the latter comprehending
the herring, salmon, white, and lobster fisheries.
Those who have commodious boats go for herrings
to the Caithness coast, but large quantities are
taken at home in the lochs, especially in Loch Glendhu.
The salmon-fishing is good, and of the swarms of almost
every description of white-fish on these shores very considerable
numbers are taken; all kinds of shell-fish are
abundant, and lobsters are conveyed from this place in
smacks, by a London company, to the market at Billingsgate.
Whales, porpoises, and seals likewise frequent the
coast; but the first of these are never captured. The
chief approach to the parish from the south is through
a part of Assynt to the kyle of Scow, where is a ferry
380 yards broad. There is a post-office at Scourie, which
communicates twice a week with the office at Golspie;
and three inns have been erected at the expense of the
Duke of Sutherland, by whose liberality and exertions
the aspect of the district has been entirely changed.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Tongue, synod of Sutherland and Caithness;
patron, the Crown. The stipend is £158, of which
£103 are paid by the exchequer; with a glebe valued at
£'20 per annum, and a manse at Badcall, lately erected.
Eddrachillis church is a plain edifice, built upwards of a
century ago, and thoroughly repaired about twelve years
since; it is a commodious edifice in very excellent condition,
and contains 275 sittings. There is also a good
church at Keanlochbervie, to which a quoad sacra district
w^as annexed: it was erected in 18'2S-9, at the expense
of government; contains 350 sittings, and is of
sufficient height to be enlarged by galleries. The stipend
of the minister at Keanlochbervie is £120, paid
from the exchequer; and there is a manse, with a glebe of
some acres. The members of the Free Church have two
places of worship. There is a parochial school at Scourie;
the master has the maximum salary, a house, and allowance
for a garden. A school was erected and endowed
for the Keanlochbervie district in 1845, and another is
supported at Ashare by the Society for Propagating
Christian Knowledge.