HALKIRK, a parish, in the county of Caithness,
7 miles (S. by E.) from Thurso; containing 2963 inhabitants,
of whom 236 are in the village. This place,
the name of which is of very uncertain origin, includes
the ancient parishes of Halkirk and Skinnet, supposed
to have been united soon after the Reformation. It is
evidently of remote antiquity, and was one of the seats
of the Harolds and Sinclairs, Earls of Caithness, of
whose baronial castle there are still considerable remains
on the north bank of the river Thurso. On the opposite
bank of that river was one of the residences of the
Bishops of Caithness and Sutherland, of which, however,
not the slightest vestige can now be traced. The only
event of historical importance connected with the place,
is the assassination of one of the bishops by some ruffians
who were supposed to have been employed for that purpose
by the Earl of Caithness, in revenge for an additional
assessment imposed by the bishop on his lands.
The perpetratorsof this inhuman murder were afterwards
discovered, through the strenuous exertions of King
Alexander II., by whose special order they were sentenced
to punishment.
The PARISH is situated nearly in the centre of the
county, and measures about twenty-four miles in length
and from three to twelve in breadth, comprising an area
of 74,000 acres, of which 6000 are arable, nearly an
equal number meadow and pasture, and the remainder
moorland, water, and waste. Its surface is generally
level i the only hill of any considerable elevation is that
of Spittal, about three miles to the south-east of the
church, and partly in the parish of Watten. There
are not less than* twenty lakes, of which the most extensive
are Loch Calder in the north, and Loch More
in the south; the former is three miles and a half in
length and nearly a mile in breadth, and the latter of
about equal extent. The rivers are, the Thurso, which,
issuing from Loch More, flows through this parish and
that of Thurso, and falls into the sea at Thurso bay;
and the Forss, which partly bounds this parish on the
north-west, and joins the sea at Forss, in the parish of
Thurso. Salmon and trout are found in both these
rivers; and trout of various kinds are taken in the
larger, and also in the smaller lakes, and in the various
streams that issue from them into the river Thurso.
The SOIL is various, in many parts a clayey loam;
and though generally wet and cold, resting on a clayey
subsoil, it has been greatly improved by the use of lime
and, marl. The chief crops are oats, barley, and bear.
The system of husbandry has been gradually advancing,
and some considerable tracts of moor and moss have
been drained, and brought into cultivation; the farmhouses
and offices are in tolerable condition; and the
lands have been partly inclosed. In this parish the
pastures are luxuriantly rich; and considerable numbers
of sheep chiefly of the Cheviot breed, and cattle of the
Highland breed and crosses from the Teeswater and
Ayrshire breeds, are reared, and sent to Thurso and
Wick, whence many are forwarded by steam to the
English markets. The annual value of real property in
the parish is £605'2. The moors abound with game,
consisting principally of grouse, hares, snipes, and
partridges; and certain portions are leased out by the
proprietors, producing a rental of £500 per annum.
There are but scanty remains to be seen of ancient wood;
and though a few plantations have been made around
the houses of some of the proprietors, they are not
in a very thriving state, the soil and climate being unfavourable
to their growth. The principal substrata are
flagstone, limestone, and freestone; and coal and leadore
have also been found, the latter of which was wrought
by the late Sir John Sinclair, of Ulbster, Bart. There
are quarries of flagstone for paving wrought at Spittal,
the produce being sent to Leith and Aberdeen for exportation.
Several handsome and substantial houses
have been erected in various parts, inhabited by some of
the principal farmers, but no seat requiring particular
description. The village is neatly built; it contains a
good inn, and has a friendly society with funds amounting
to £300. A cattle- market, called St. Magnus', is
held in the village on the third Tuesday in December;
and another, called Georgemas, takes place on the last
Tuesday in April and in July, on the hill of Ruggy, partly
in the parish. Facility of communication is maintained
by several good roads, and by two bridges over the river
Thurso, one near the village, and the other at Dale, both
which are substantial structures; also by a bridge of
wood at Dirlot. The turnpike- road to Thurso passes for
nearly a mile through part of the parish.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within
the bounds of the presbytery of Caithness, synod of
Sutherland and Caithness. The minister's stipend is
£205. 19., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £8 per
annum; patron. Sir James Colquhoun, Bart. Halkirk
church, erected in 1743, and enlarged in 1833, is situated
in the village, and is a neat plain structure containing
858 sittings. There is a missionary chapel at
Achrenny, with 403 sittings; the minister has a stipend
of £50 from the Royal Bounty, with a house and garden,
and pasture for a horse. In addition to this, he receives
£45 from the inhabitants of Halsary in the parish of
Watten, and Halladale in the parish of Reay, where,
also, there are missionary stations at which he officiates.
The parochial school is well conducted; the master has
a salary of £34, with a house and garden, and the fees
average about £5 per annum. There are several Picts'
houses and remains of ancient chapels in the parish, the
latter consisting of those of St. Thomas at Skinnet and
St. Magnus at Spittal, the walls of which are still tolerably
entire. Some remains of a third existed, at Banniskirk;
but they have totally disappeared under the operation
of the plough. There were other chapels in the
parish. Of the remains of the castle of Braal, the seat
of the Earls of Caithness, the more ancient portion is a
tower, whose walls, of great thickness, are still remaining
to the height of thirty-five feet; within the eastern
wall is a staircase, leading to the summit. The more
modern portion, which, from the difficulty of carrying
the materials, was never completed, consists only of the
ground-floor, 100 feet in length and fifty feet wide,
divided into six vaults. There are also remains of castles
at Dirlot and Loch More: the former, said to have been
erected by the Sutherlands, is situated on the summit of
a detached rock rising abruptly to the height of fifty
feet, from the river Thurso, by which it was at one time
surrounded. The latter was built by Ronald Cheyne, in
the fourteenth century, in a district selected as abounding
with deer. There are several springs supposed to
possess mineral properties; but they have not been properly
analysed.