AVOCH, a parish, in the county of Ross-and-Cromarty,
if mile (S. W. by W.) from Fortrose; containing
1931 inhabitants, of whom 936 are in the
village. This place apparently derives its name, said to
signify in the Gaelic language " shallow waters ", from
the small river on which the village is situated. The
parish is bounded on the south and south-east by
the Moray Firth, and on the south-west by the bay of
Munlochy; and is about four miles and a quarter in
length, and three miles in extreme breadth, comprising
6198 acres, of which about 2500 are arable, 1500 woodland
and plantations, and the remainder meadow, pasture,
and waste. Its surface, though generally level, with a
gentle acclivity from the shore of the Firth, contains a
portion of the Milbuy hill, which has an elevation of
nearly 500 feet; and is also intersected, in the lower
parts, by several prominent ridges. The river from which
it is said to take its name rises within its limits, near a
pool called the Littlemilstick, and after a beautifully
winding course, in which the stream turns several mills,
falls into the Firth near the village. The coast extends
for about three miles, and is bounded by a high ridge of
rocks, projecting slightly in two points, between which
is a beach of sand and gravel.
The soil, which comprises almost every variety, has
been greatly improved, and the pastures are mostly rich;
the crops are wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and turnips,
with the usual grasses. Considerable attention has been
for some time paid to the rearing of live-stock; and the
farms have been newly divided in portions adapted to
the ability and resources of the various tenants, by
which a much better system of management has been
introduced. The annual value of real property in the
parish is £3658. The substrata are generally of the red
sandstone formation, interspersed with rocks of granite;
and indications of limestone occur, though none has yet
been wrought: there are freestone quarries in several
places from one of which, affording stone of a deep red
colour, it is supposed that the materials were taken for
the erection of the cathedral church of Chanonry.
Rosehaugh, the seat of Sir James J. R. Mackenzie of
Scatwell, Bart., is an elegant modern mansion, beautifully
situated on an eminence about half a mile from
the sea, and embellished with woods and thriving plantations.
Avoch House, a handsome mansion embosomed
in romantic scenery, was destroyed in 1833 by an accidental
fire. Bay Cottage is situated near, and derives
its name from, the bay of Munlochy.
The village stands on the river Avoch, near its influ.x
into the Moray Firth, which is here about four miles in
breadth, and, between the promontory of Fort-George
on the east and the town of Inverness on the west, has
the appearance of a beautiful inland lake. The inhabitants
are chiefly employed in fisheries, in which nine
boats, having each a crew of ten men, are engaged in
taking haddock, whiting, cod, and other fish, on the
coasts of Sutherland and Caithness: in the Moray Firth
are found oysters, flounders, and halibut. After supplying
the neighbourhood, the remainder of the fish are
sent to the Inverness market. During the season, commencing
about the middle of July, the fishermen of this
place send thirty-five boats to the herring-fishery at
Caithness, from which they return some years with
from £20 to £50 each of clear gain, while in other years
few are able to cover the necessary expenses. In the
intervals of the fishing season, the inhabitants are employed
in making nets, not only for their own use, but
also for the fishing-stations in the north and west
Highlands. The harbour that is formed near the
mouth of the river affords good anchorage and shelter
for the boats, and a substantial pier has been constructed,
at which vessels of considerable burthen land cargoes of
coal from Newcastle; it is also safely accessible to
trading vessels, which, from London, Leith, Aberdeen,
and Dundee, regularly touch at the port. There are
two salmon-fisheries, one on the estate of Rosehaugh,
and the other on the estate of Avoch. In Munlochy
bay, mussels are found in profusion. Facility of communication
is afforded by the turnpike-road from Fort-
George ferry to the western coast of Ross-shire, which
passes through the village and the southern part of the
parish, leading to Kessock ferry on the west, and to the
town of Dingwall on the north-west. Ecclesiastically
the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of
Chanonry and synod of Ross: the minister's stipend
is £249. 9. 6., with a manse, and a glebe valued at
£7. 10. per annum: patron. Sir J. J. R. Mackenzie. The
church, a neat plain structure, erected in 16/0, enlarged
in 1792, and repaired in 1833, is situated close to the
village, and contains 600 sittings. There is a place of
worship for Independents. The parochial school is well
conducted; the master has a salary of £30, with a house
and garden, and the fees average between £20 and £30
per annum.
There are some slight remains of the ancient castle of
Avoch, consisting chiefly of the site, occupying a rocky
knoll on the northern promontory of the bay of Munlochy,
and distinguished by the rubbish of ruined walls
which surrounded the summit of the hill. It was the
residence of the lord of Moray, who died in 133S. The
castle subsequently passed to the Earls of Ross, on
whose forfeiture it was annexed to the crown, and was
granted by James III. to his second son, the Marquess
of Onnond, from which circumstance the knoll was
called Ormoud's Mount. The lower story, or dungeon,
of the Tower of Arkendeith, supposed to have been built
by the Bruces of Kinloss, is also remaining. Chambers
of Ormond, the Scottish historian, was born in the
parish; and Sir Alexander Mackenzie, who discovered
the river in America which is called by his name, resided
for many years at Avoch House, and was interred here.