KILFINICHEN-AND-KILVICEUEN, a parish, in
the district of Mull, county of Argyll; containing
4113 inhabitants, of whom 250 are in the village of
Bonessan. It takes its name from the churches of the
two ancient parishes whereof it consists, one church in
the district of Airdmeanach, and the other in that of
Ross, by which latter appellation the whole parish is
frequently designated. The parish comprises the southwest
portion of the isle of Mull, and includes the isles of
lona, Inniskenneth or Inch- Kenneth, and Eorsa, with
several small islets. It is bounded on the north and
north-east by a ridge of mountains separating it from
the parish of Torosay; on the south it is bounded by
an arm of the Atlantic, and on the west by the Atlantic
Ocean itself. Exclusive of the isles, it is about twentyfour
miles in length and thirteen in extreme breadth,
comprising an area of nearly 180 .'quare miles. Of the
four districts of lona, Ross, Brolas, and Airdmeanach,
into which the ])arish is divided, lona is separated from
Ross l)y the sound of lona, and is three miles in length
and almost one mile in breadth, lioss and Ihohis are
divided from Airdmeanach by Loch Scridain, and arc
each about twelve miles in length and from three and
a half to seven miles in breadth; while Ainbtu-iiniich,
which joins Brolas at the u]ipcr extremity of Loch
Scridain, is thirteen miles in length, and varies from
three to six in breadth. The surface is hilly, and the
lands generally are better adapted tor pasturage than for
the plough: in some portions the grounds are low and
flat, consisting of heath, pasture, and arable land. Of
the mountains that separate the parish from Torosay, the
most conspicuous is Benmore, which has an elevation of
3097 feet above the level of the sea, commanding from
its summit an unbounded view of the numerous islands
in this part of the Atlantic, the whole of the circumjacent
country, and Ireland in the distance. The promontory
of BHrg',also,at the western extremity ofAirdmeanach,
is especially worthy of notice, rising precipitously from
the sea in an irregular series of basaltic columns.
The island of lona is described in a separate article.
Inmskenneth, which takes its name from Kenneth, a disciple
and companion of St. Columba, who lived here in
seclusion, is separated from the northern shore of Airdmeanach
by a sound nearly half a mile wide; it is a mile
in length and about half a mile in breadth. The isle
belonged to the monastery of lona, to which it was a cell;
the remains of the ancient chapel are in tolerable preservation,
and in the cemetery, which is still used as a
place of sepulture, are numerous monuments. The remains
of the cottage of Sir Allan Maclean, in which he
hospitably entertained Dr. Johnson when on a visit to
the Hebrides, are also preserved here. This island is
now the property of Col. Robert Macdonald, who has
built a handsome mansion, in which he resides. Eorsa,
to the north-east of Inniskenneth, is about a mile in
length, and the property of the Duke of Argyll; it is very
fertile, formerly producing crops of grain, aud at present
pasturage for sheep, but it is uninhabited.
The sea-coast, including its numerous indentations, is
not less than 100 miles in circuit; and the shores are
bold and rocky throughout the whole of its extent. On
the south side of Ross is the creek of Pnrtuisgeii, aifording
safe anchorage in favourable weather for vessels not exceeding
thirty tons; and in the sound of lona are the
creeks of Barachan and Poltairve, in which vessels of
large burthen may ride: there is, however, a sand-bank
nearly in the middle of the sound, to pass which, with
safety, vessels must keep within one-third channel of the
island of lona. To the east of the sound of lona is Loch
Lahaich, which extends for about two miles into the district
of Ross, and has good anchorage for ships of considerable
burthen. The whole of Loch Scridain forms a
roadstead; and at Kilfinichen, vessels of the largest size
may find excellent anchorage, and secure shelter from all
storms. The headland of Burgh, and the entire north
coast of Airdraeanach, are exceedingly dangerous, abruptly
rocky, and without any harbour. There are numerous
rivers, some of which in their descent from the
rocks, precipitously steep and cragged, form strikingly
romantic cascades; but none of the rivers are of sufficient
importance to require particular description.
The SOIL of the arable land is chiefly clay, alternated
with sand, and, though in some parts fertile, is in others
thin and light, and better adapted for spade husbandry
than for the plough. The principal crops are oats, bear
(sold to the distillers of Oban and Tobermory), potatoes,
turnips, and other green crops. The cattle, of which
great numbers are pastured ou the hills, are of a hardy
breed; and on the larger farms are kept a few cows of
the Ayrshire: the sheep, formerly of the small Highland
breed, are now the Cheviots and others, numbers of which
are pastured. There are plantations at Kilfinichen, but
not of any considerable extent; and in the district of
Airdmeanach is some natural wood, consisting of oak,
ash, and beech: none of the trees have attained any great
growth. The rocks are mostly of the trap and oohte
formations, and many of the clilfs are of basalt and greywacke.
The substrata of Inniskenneth are red sandstone,
and limestone; and on the south side of Ross, granite
and micaceous schistus. Limestone is found at Carsaig,
where, also, are some good quarries of freestone. Several
indications of coal occur on the lands near the coast,
and in the bed of a rivulet on the side of the mountain;
there are also favourable appearances at Brolas and Gribund,
and the proprietor of Carsaig is now boring for
coal with every prospect of success. The annual value
of real property in the parish is £4.569.
The principal mansions are Kilfinichen House, Pennycross
House, and the house of Inniskenneth, the seat of
Col. Macdonald, previously noticed. The only village
is Bonessan, containing several shops well stocked with
various kinds of merchandise for the supply of the adjacent
district: a post-office, subordinate to that of Aros,
has been established here; and fairs for black-cattle are
held on the Friday before the Mull markets in May and
October. Facility of communication is afforded by numerous
steam-boats, which, during the summerespecially,
convey visiters to the islands of lona and Staffa. Ecclesiastically
the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery
of Mull, synod of Argyll. The minister's stipend
is £180. 10., with an allowance of £4'2 in lieu of manse,
and a glebe valued at £15 per annum; patron, the Duke
of Argyll. There are two churches, one at Bonessan, in
the district of Ross, and the other at Kilfinichen, in
Airdmeanach, both built in 1804, and repaired in 1828,
the former containing 350 sittings, and the latter 300.
Divine service is performed for two Sundays at Bonessan,
and on the third at Kilfinichen; and a church has
been erected in the island of lona, forming a separate
charge for that island and another district of the parish.
There are two parochial schools, the masters of which
have respectively salaries of £30 and £'21. 6. 3., with
fees averaging £8 for each master, and a house and garden.
A school is supported by the General Assembly,
who pay the master a salary of £22; and two Gaelic
schools are maintained in the parish, the teachers receiving
£20 and £15 respectively, and having a house and
garden each. The schools together are attended by about
800 children. See Iona.