GAIRLOCH, a parish, in the county of Ross-and-Cromarty,
60 miles (W. by N.) from Dingwall; including
the islands of Horisdale and Longo, the former
quoad sacra district of Poolewe, and part of that of
Shieldag; and containing 4880 inhabitants. This place
takes its name from a salt-water lake called Gairloch,
from the Gaelic word g^earr, signifying " short". It is
not remarkable for any important historical events; but
some antiquities in the parish indicate the settlement
and military operations of the Danes, and the celebrated
Loch Maree has an island in its centre, the tombstones
and hieroglyphical figures on which support the current
tradition that it was the sepulchre of Danish kings.
The parish is forty miles long, and thirty miles broad,
at its extreme points. It is bounded on the north by
the river Gruiuard, which separates it from Lochbroom
parish; on the south by an arm of the sea; by a chain
of hills on the east; and on the west by the Minch,
which divides Lewis from the main land. The general
aspect of the surface is hilly; and in some parts the
elevations are of unusual height, forming grand and romantic
scenery. The beautiful inland water of Loch
Maree, eighteen miles long, with its thickly-wooded
islands twenty-four in number, is one of the most striking
features in the parish, and has long been the admiration
of the traveller, not only for its own attractions,
but also on account of the imposing mountain scenery
by which it is encompassed. A lofty range, commencing
on each side of it, runs to a distance of four miles beyond
its extremity, presenting in the group the majestic Slioch,
or Sliabhach, towering 3000 feet above the level of the
sea. The loch is of the average breadth of one mile and
a half; it is about sixty fathoms deep, and was never
known to freeze. Among its islands is that of Maree,
where St. Maree, one of St. Columba's followers, dwelt,
and where is a consecrated well, with a burying-ground
supposed by some to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary,
and by others, as already stated, to have been the sepulchre
of Danish kings. The only river of note is the
Ewe, which issues from Loch Maree, and after running
a mile north-westward, joins the estuary called Loch
Ewe; it abounds with salmon of the finest quality, and
during the season its fame draws the lovers of angling
from all quarters. There are two salt-water lochs, Gairloch
and Loch Ewe, the latter nine or ten miles long.
The climate of the parish, though mild, is very rainy,
occasioned partly by the prevalence of south-west winds,
and partly by the mountainous character of the country.
Arable land lets only at from 10*. to £1 per acre, and
there is much room for agricultural improvement: the
more respectable families have large sheep-farms, but
the lots of ground of the poorer inhabitants do not generally
exceed one or two acres. The annual value of real
property in the parish is £4810. Towards the sea-coast
is a belt of red sandstone of the old formation, forming
low barren headlands. To this there succeeds, at the
head of Loch Gairloch, micaceous schist; and five miles
farther eastward the sandstone again appears, in mountain
ridges and eminences, some of them 3000 feet high,
characterised by a rude grandeur seldom equalled. At
the head of Loch Maree, quartz succeeds the sandstone;
and on the estate of Letterewe, a century and a half
ago, some veins of iron- ore were wrought for several
years; but the wood in the neighbourhood, used for
fuel, failing, the adventurers were compelled to give up
the work. The ruins of two of the furnaces employed
in the operations are still to be seen. A cattle-market
is held in July, and cattle are also sent to Beauly; herrings
and cod are forwarded to Glasgow, wool to Liverpool
and Inverness, and salmon to London. In this
parish the houses, generally speaking, are of the humblest
description; and the people are employed about
equally between agriculture and fishing: they mostly
dwell in irregular hamlets, or clusters of cottages; and
some of them manufacture a stout woollen-cloth and
coarse stockings, but chiefly for domestic wear, a small
quantity only of either being sent to market. The mail
from Dingwall to Stornoway runs through the parish
twice a week, but the roads are in bad condition: indeed,
with the exception of ten miles of road in the centre
of the parish, and ten miles leading to the eastern
extremity of Loch Maree, they arc little more than footpaths.
There are four vessels belonging to the several
ports, of about thirty-five tons' burthen each. Flowerdale,
an old chateau in a vale of great beauty, is a seat
of Sir Francis Mackenzie's; around it are some large
forest-trees.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Lochcarron, synod of Glenelg; and the
patronage is vested in the Crown. The stipend of the
minister is £217, with a manse, erected in 1805 and
enlarged in 1823, and a glebe valued at £15 per annum.
Gairloch church, built in 1791, and repaired in 1834,
accommodates 385 persons with sittings. There is a
parochial school, in which English and Gaelic, Greek,
Latin, and mathematics are taught, with the usual
branches of education; the master's salary is £30, with
a house, and about £4 fees. Another school is supported
by a society. The ordinary language spoken is
Gaelic; and William Ross, a respectable poet, who was
born in the parish, and died here about half a century
since, wrote in this tongue. The foundations of one or
two small forts can be traced near the sea-shore; and
at Cairnfield are those of a large building, supposed by
some to have been a Culdee religious house.