KNOCKBAIN, or Kilmuir-Wester-and-Suddy,
a parish, in the county of Ross-and-Cromarty, 3^ miles
(N. N. W.) from Inverness; containing, with the villages
of Charlestown and Munlochy, 2565 inhabitants. Previously
to the union of the counties of Ross and Cromarty,
this parish was locally in the county of Ross
only. The name Kilmuir signifies " a church dedicated
to Mary"; and Suddy, "a good place for a settlement".
The two districts, once separate parishes, were united in
1756, when they received the name of Knockbain, b)'
which they have since been called, but which was originally
applied only to a cold and desolate moor, whereon
the church and manse are built. Little is known concerning
the ancient history of the parish; but the remains
of many cairns on the field of Blair-na-coi are said
to be the memorials of a sanguinary conflict which took
place near the spot, in the thirteenth century, between
the famous Mc Donalds and the people of Inverness.
The length of the parish is between six and seven
miles, and its breadth between five and six; it is bounded
on the south by the Moray Firth, and on the north-west
by the parish of Killearnan. The climate is tolerably
healthy. In general the soil is good, but it differs greatly
throughout, consisting of the several varieties of sandy
loam, clay loam, moor earth, moss, gravel, and alluvial
deposits. The number of acres on the estates of four
of the five heritors in the parish is, 3458 of arable land,
3496 plantation, and 3323 pasture or uncultivated: the
number of acres on the estate of Suddy is not precisely
known. Large quantities of wheat and barley are raised,
and the farmers grow crops also of oats, peas, turnips,
and potatoes. The woods consist of Scotch fir, larch,
and one very large and recent plantation of oak-trees, for
which the planter received a premium from the Highland
Society. The estate of Drumderfit contains the most
important farm in the parish; this farm has been for
some centuries in the possession of the same family,
and they have brought it to a high state of cultivation by
the large sums from time to time expended upon it. At
Allangrange, Suddy, Muirends, Munlochy, and Wester
Kessock, considerable quantities of waste land have been
recovered. The lands generally have been portioned
into farms of the most suitable extent; good houses
and fences have been raised, and the most recent improvements
in husbandry are skilfully applied. On
some lands, particularly those of Wester Kessock, great
encouragement has been given by granting long leases.
The subsoil of the parish is clayey, in many parts tenacious,
and sometimes covered with a thin stratum of
iron-ore, mixed with gravel and sandstone: the rocks
are of the old sandstone formation. The annual value
of real property in Knockbain is £6772.
There are two villages, one named Munlochy, the
other Charlestown; the latter is opposite the northern
entrance of the Caledonian canal, and both are built on
the estate of Sir Colin McKenzie, Bart., of Kilcoy. A
considerable trade has been carried on for several years
with Newcastle and Hull, in the exportation of fir-props,
in exchange for which lime and coal are received. A
post-office is established, and the roads are in good repair:
that leading from Dingwall to Kessock-Ferry passes
through the western part of the parish, and the roads
from Kessock to Fortrose and Invergordon, and from
Fortrose to Beauly, run through the centre of it. Ecclesiastically
the parish is within the limits of the presbytery
of Chanonry and synod of Ross. The stipend of
the minister is about £205, with a manse, a glebe of the
annual value of £22, and a composition of £1 a year in
lieu of the privilege of cutting peat; the patronage belongs
to the Crown and the Marchioness of Stafford.
Knoekbuin church is an ancient structure: when repaired
about thirty or forty years ago, it was sufficiently enlarged
to admit 250 additional hearers, and at present it
accommodates nearly 800 persons. The members of the
Free Church have a place of worship; and there is an
episcopal chapel. Tlie parochial schoolmaster has the
maximum salary, with a house, and about £13 fees.
There is another school, supported by the General Assembly's
committee, and called Principal Baird's school,
the master of which has a salary of £25, and the fees.
In each of these schools the ordinary branches of education
are taught, and some of the Latin authors. Major-
General McKenzie, who was M.P. for Sutherland, and
who fell while supporting one of the wings of the British
army at Talavera, was born here: there is a monument
to his memory in St. Paul's Cathedral, London.