INVERARY, or Inveraray, a parish anbd burgh (royal), the county town, in the district and county of
Argyll, 60 miles (N. W. by W.) from Glasgow, and 114 (W. N. W.) from Edinburgh; containing 2285 inhabitants,
of whom 1233 are in the burgh. This place takes its name from its situation at the mouth of the river Aray,
which here falls into Loch Fine or Fyne. It appears to have been, if any thing,
only an inconsiderable hamlet consisting of a few fishermen's
huts, prior to the fourteenth century, when the
Campbell family, selecting it as their principal residence,
erected a baronial castle, around which the original town
gradually arose. In 1745, Archibald, third Duke of
Argyll, commenced the erection of the present magnificent
castle, which, after a short interruption during
the time of the rebellion, was completed at an expense
of nearly £300,000, when the ancient castle was taken
down. In 1748, the duke introduced the linen manufacture,
which was carried on for some time with considerable
benefit to the inhabitants; and in 17*6, John,
the fifth duke, established a woollen manufacture at the
Water of Douglas. For this purpose he built premises,
erected machinery, and provided every requisite, at his
own expense; giving the farm on which the factory w.is
built, and the factory itself, at a low rent, to a person
who carried on the manufacture for a time with tolerable
success. His grace also pulled down the houses nearly
contiguous to the castle, and built others of superior
character, on grounds which he gave to the inhabitants
at a nominal rent.
The TOWN is beautifully situated on the western shore
of Loch Fine, and to the south of the pleasure-grounds
of the castle, of which it commands an interesting view.
The houses are substantially built, and of handsome appearance;
the streets are clean, and lighted with gas,
and the inhabitants are amply supplied with water. The
principal trade carried on here is the herring-fishery:
the season commences generally about the end of June,
and continues till the beginning of January; and during
the interval, the fishermen are many of them employed
in agriculture. The number of boats engaged in the
herring-fishery of Loch Fine is about .500, employing on
an average three men and a boy each; and nearly 160
persons are occupied in curing and packing the fish, of
which about '20,000 barrels are annually exported. Inverary
harbour is not adapted for vessels of any considerable
burthen; and previously to 1S09 the quay was
in a very bad state; but a good pier has since been constructed,
which in 1836 was extended at an expense of
£V100, whereof £S00 were contributed by the Fishery
Board, and the remainder by the then Duke of Argyll
and the corporation of the town. The post-ofRce has a
daily delivery of letters. A ferry to the opposite shore
of Loch Fine is kept up by the corporation; and great facilities
of communication are afforded by steamers. The
market is well supplied with provisions; and fairs are
held annually on the 17th of May and I6th of September,
for cattle, and on the 15th of July, for wool.
The first notice of the place occurs in a charter granted
to Colin, first Earl of Argyll, erecting the town into a
burgh of barony; and it was subsequently made a royal
BURGH by charter of Charles I. while a prisoner in Carisbrooke
Castle, vesting the government in a provost, four
bailies, and a council. Since the passing of the Municipal
Reform act, hosvever, the corporation has consisted
of a provost, two bailies, and sixteen councillors. The
magistrates exercise both civil and criminal jurisdiction
over the chartered boundary of the burgh, with the exception
of the castle and park of Inverary; but the former
kind of jurisdiction has been almost superseded by
the sheriff's small-debt court, and the latter is limited
to petty riots and assaults. This burgh is associated
with Oban, Campbelltown, Rothesay, Irvine, and Ayr, in
returning a member to the imperial parliament. The
number of £10 householders within the parliamentary
boundaries is sixty-three, of whom thirty-one are burgesses;
and of those above £5, and below £10, tsventythree,
of whom four are burgesses. The town-house, in
which the courts for the burgh and for the county are
held, is a handsome building containing a spacious courtroom,
and the sheriff, justice of peace, and town-clerk's
offices. A new prison has been built, of much larger dimensions
than the old one.
The PARISH, originally named Kilmilieu, is situated
between the Lochs Awe and Fine, and bounded on the
south and east by the latter, along which it extends for
about ten miles, in the form of a crescent, presenting an
outline of projecting rocks indented with bays. It is
sixteen miles in extreme length, varying from three to
six miles in breadth, and is supposed to comprise an
area of fifty-two square miles, or 34,'2S0 acres, of which
by far the greater portion is in pasture. The surface is
mountainous, and of great diversity of character. The
highest of the mountains is Benbui, which has an elevation
of '2800 feet; and in front of the castle are two
perpendicular masses of porphyritic rocks, called Dunchuaich
and Dunchorvil, the former of them "00 and
the latter 800 feet high. The headlands of Kenmore and
Stronshira command an interesting view of the parish.
In general the shores are smooth and level; but towards
the southern extremity, the rocks rise precipitously from
the loch, and assume a bold rugged aspect. The chief
rivers are, the Shira, which flows through the vale of
Glenshira into the Douloch, or " black lake"; and the
Ara)', flowing through denary into Loch Fine. A river
called the Gear-Amhuinn, or "short river", connects
the Douloch with Loch Fine. Both these lochs abound
with salmon, trout, and other kinds of fish; and salmontrout,
herrings, cod, and flounders are often taken together
in the same net. Near the shore the soil is
chiefly a thin light loam, on a gravelly bottom; at the
bases of the mountains, in the valleys, a deep dark loam
on sand and clay; and in other parts, moss, with a
small quantity of earth washed down from the higher
grounds. The system of agriculture in the valleys is in
an improved condition; but in the higher lands so
much progress has not been made, as the farms contain
a much larger portion of pasture than of arable ground.
On the principal farms the buildings are substantial, but
many of those on the smaller farms are of very inferior
order. Much regard is paid to the rearing of cattle,
generally of the West Highland breed: little attention
is bestowed on the dairy, though for some years the
Highland Society has awarded prizes in the county for
cheese. The sheep, of which great numbers are reared,
are of the black-faced breed. The horses are sometimes
of a mixed breed between the native and the Clydesdale,
and considerable numbers of pigs are fed for market.
The annual value of real property in the parish is £6836,
of which £1973 are returned for the burgh. The geological
formation is mica-slate intersected with porphyry,
limestone, and greenstone; and many of the rocks
abound with garnet. There is an extensive quarry of
good paving-stone, great quantities of which are raised
for the city of Glasgow.
The plantations are in a very thriving condition, and
consist mostly of oak, Scotch fir, spruce, larch, ash,
beech, and plane. They were chiefly formed by the first
!Marquess of Argyll and his son, the ninth earl, and by
Archibald, third duke, and his successors; and are supposed
to occupy an area of about 12,000 acres. Among
the earliest were those of Dunchuaich and the heights
above the castle of Inverary, including the stately avenue
of beech at the entrance of the vale of Glenshira; and
among the more recent are those of the hills of Douloch
and Stronshira, which contain some beautiful specimens
of larch, Norway spruce, and American black and white
spruce, silver fir, laburnum, and lime. Inverary Castle,
the seat of the Duke of Argyll, erected near the site of
the ancient baronial castle, is a spacious quadrangular
structure, with circular towers at the angles. The great
hall is ornamented with ancient armour, among which
are 150 stand of arms used by the Campbells at the
battle of Culloden, ranged on each side: in a circular
recess fronting the entrance, are various specimens of
Highland armour. The gallery leading to the principal
apartments is spacious, and superbly decorated; and the
paintings, family portraits, and tapestry are all of the
very highest order. The demesne, which is nearly thirty
miles in circuit, is tastefully embellished, and laid out in
walks and rides, comprising much picturesque and romantic
scenery, and commanding extensive and richlydiversified
prospects. A noble avenue of trees of ancient
growth leads into the beautiful glen of Essachossan. In
her trip to Scotland in the year 1847, Her Majesty the
Queen paid a visit to his grace the Duke of Argyll at Inverary
Castle: the royal party was received by a distinguished
circle, and after a stay of about an hour and a
half, returned to the royal squadron.
Inverary is the seat of the presbytery of Inverary, and
the synod of Argyll. There are two ministers: the minister
of the first charge has a stipend of £168. 15. (onethird
paid from the exchequer), with a glebe valued at
£45 per annum, and also a manse; and the minister of
the second charge, a stipend of £157. 15. (four-fifths
derived from the exchequer), with a manse, and a glebe
valued at £30 per annum: patron of both charges, the
Duke of Argyll. The church, erected in 1798, and repaired,
after being greatly damaged by lightning, in 1 838,
is a spacious and handsome structure, with a central
tower and spire 115 feet in height, dividing it into two
distinct portions, one for the first or Gaelic church, containing
450, and the other for the English congregation,
containing 410 sittings. There are places of worship in
connexion with the Free Church and the United Presbyterian
Synod. Of the several schools in the burgh, are,
a parochial school, with a salary of £'25. 13., besides a
schoolroom, dwelling-house, and garden; and a grammar
school under the patronage of the corporation, with a
salary of £20, and the other accommodations. A female
school in the burgh is supported by the Duke of Argyll,
who pays the teacher £20 per annum, to which £4 are
added by the council; and a female school of industry,
also in the burgh, is supported by the duchess, who allows
£26 to the teacher, with a dwelling-house, coal, and other
perquisites. In the rural districts of the parish are, a
parochial school, the master of which has a salary of
£25. 13., with a house and garden; a school maintained
by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, the
master of which has a salary of £15, to which the duke
adds £8, with a house and garden, fuel, and grass for a
cow; and a female school, the teacher of which has £5
from the society, and a house from the duke. The poor,
the average number of whom on the parish list is fifty,
are supported partly by collections at the church, averaging
£65 annually, and the interest of funds in the
hands of the Kirk Session, producing nearly £10; but
chiefly by the Duke of Argyll, who, in various ways, distributes
about £300 annually for their relief. There are
some slight vestiges of an old fort at Dunchuaich; of
.the ancient castle of the Mac Naughtens, on the banks
of Douloch; and of some religious houses at Kilbride
and Achantiobairt. The market-cross, supposed to have
been brought from lona, was removed from the old town,
and erected in the present burgh; and on the lawn of
Inverary Castle is an upright stone, thought to have been
erected in commemoration of some battle near the spot.
Over the water of Douglas is a very ancient bridge of one
arch, forming the segment of a circle, and thence called
the Roman bridge; but the date of its erection is unknown.