GLENELG, a parish, in the county of Inverness,
I8S5 miles (N. W.) from Edinburgh; containing, with
the island of Rassay, 2729 inhabitants. The name of
this place, according to some, signifies " the valley of
hunting", and according to others, "the valley of the
roe ", each of which descriptions is appropriate to the
character of the district. The parish is about twenty
miles in length, and of nearly the same breadth. It is
bounded on the north-east and east by the parish of
Glenshiel, in the county of Ross; on the south-east and
south by Glengarry and Lochaber; on the south-west
by the lake of Morir, dividing it from Ardnamurchan;
and on the west and north-west by the Sound of Sleat,
separating it from the Isle of Skye. The coast is abrupt
and rocky, except in the bay of Glenelg and in the lochs,
where good anchorage may be obtained. The interior
consists of three districts, namely, Glenelg proper, Knodyart,
and North Morir, which are formed by the intersection
of two arms of the sea, called Loch Hourn and
Loch Nevis. Its surface is diversified with hill and
glen. In the district of Glenelg are two valleys, through
each of which a river pursues its course; and the inhabitants
reside in villages on each side of the streams,
and along the shores, the arable land extending along
the river-banks, and on the acclivities of the hills. In
Knodyart the people live near the sea: North Morir is
but little inhabited, being rocky and mountainous, and
chiefly adapted for pasture. Loch Hourn and Loch
Nevis are about four miles wide at the entrance, and are
navigable for twenty miles; the former is celebrated for
the beauty of its scenery and the well-wooded mountains
rising from its margin. There are also several freshwater
lakes, which, as well as the rivers, contain a tolerable
supply of fish.
The SOIL in Glenelg proper is loamy and fertile; that
in the district of Knodyart is much lighter, but when
well cultivated produces good crops. The parish, however,
is chiefly pastoral, being unfit for extensive agricultural
operations from the rockiness of the surface,
and from the great quantity of rain to which the lands
are subject at all seasons, exposing the farn)er to much
loss of crop. Sheep are the staple live stock, the arable
land not being able to supply a sufficiency of winter
provender for any other; the few cattle kept are of the
pure Highland breed, and the sheep the black-faced and
Cheviots. About '2000 acres are occupied by wood;
and the annual value of real property in the whole parish
amounts to £644'2. The rocks are chiefly gneiss,
with mica-slate, quartz, hornblende, granite, syenite,
and serpentine. There are also several beds of limestone;
but it is not wrought, as the scarcity of proper
fuel renders the operation too expensive, and as the
shells which abound on the coast are found to be a good
substitute. Impure plumbago is to be met with in considerable
quantities. The only mansion-house in the
parish is that of Inverie, on the property of Glengarry,
in the district of Knodyart; it is beautifully situated on
the banks of Loch Nevis. The chief village is Kirkton,
which, with its circumjacent scenery, has excited the
admiration of most visiters to this part of the country,
and is conveniently seated upon a bay affording good
anchorage with the wind south-east, north-east, or east.
Its principal street consists of slate-roofed houses, having
some good shops, with numerous dirty and squalid cottages
in the vicinity. The roads leading from the village
are beautified with rows of trees; and these, together with
the extensive bay and the interesting back-ground, form
a very agreeable and striking picture. The village of
Arnisdale, situated at the southern extremity of the district
of Glenelg proper, on the banks of Loch Hourn, is
jdso rendered attractive by its imposing Alpine scenery.
There is a herring-fishery connected with the parish,
which produces about £'250 a year; and three annual
fairs are held in the months of May, July, and September,
respectively. The inhabitants enjoy good means
of communication. The parliamentary road towards the
Isle of Skyc passes through the principal glen to the
ferry of Kyle Rhea; it is kept in proper order, and has
excellent bridges over the mountain streams. A steamboat,
also, visits the parish weekly, except in the most
stormy weather; and post-offices have been established
under Lochalsh and Fort-Augustus.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within
the bounds of the presbytery of Lochcarron, synod of
Glenelg; patrons, the family of Baillie of Kingussie.
The stipend is £237. The manse, which was built recently,
is a large and handsome edifice, beautifully
situated, more than a mile from the church. The glebe
is of great extent, comprehending 360 acres, nearly
thirty of which are arable, the rest being pasture: this
tract, subject to a rent of £19. 10. per annum, was received
in lieu of the old glebe, which was comprehended
in a portion of land sold to government for building a
fort and barracks, subsequently to the rebellion of 1715.
Glenelg church contains about 400 sittings, and is in
good condition, having been repaired and re- seated about
1827. In the districts of Knodyart and Morir, the
population of which is almost entirely Roman Catholic,
a missionary labours under the patronage of the General
Assembly, also preaching every third Sunday at Arnisdale,
on account of its distance from the parish church.
Two Roman Catholic priests officiate in Knodyart and
Morir. The parochial school affords instruction in
English and Gaelic reading, with the common branches
of education, and sometimes in Latin; tlie master has
£30 a year, with £9 in lieu of a house and garden, and
about £5 fees. Other schools are supported by the
General Assembly's Education Committee and the Society
for Propagating Christian Knowledge. The chief
relics of antiquity are two duns or Pictish towers, situated
in the valley of Glenbeg; they are the finest specimens
of their class in this part of the Highlands, and are supposed
by many, not to be the workmanship of any purely
Celtic tribe, but to have been raised by the Danes or
Norwegians. Glenelg gives the title of Baron to the
family of Grant, a dignity created in IS35, in the person
of the Hon. Charles Grant, who had been representative
in parliament of the county of Inverness for some years
previously, and was at that time secretary of state for
the colonies: this nobleman is proprietor of Glenelg
proper.