KILLEARNAN, or Killiernan, a parish, in the
county of Ross-and-Cromarty, 4 miles (N. E. by E.)
from Beauly; containing 1643 inhabitants. It is said
to have derived its name from the circumstance of its
having been the burial-place of Irenan, a Danish prince,
the prefix Kill signifying a chapel, church, or cemetery.
On the northern boundary of the parish is a sepulchral
monument called Cairn-Irenan; and it is probable that
the Danes had a settlement here, or were often engaged
in conflicts with the original inhabitants. Tradition
states that two religious houses formerly existed in Killearnan,
and though nothing certain is known about
them, the names of two hamlets, Chapel-town and Spital,
give some authority to the assertion. More recently,
the family of Mackenzie, so well known in Scottish
history, resided at Redcastle and Kilcoy. The three
parishes of Killearnan, Kilmuir Wester, and Suddy were
formed into two in the year 1756, and the ecclesiastical
stipends equally apportioned. The parish of Killearnan
is between five and si.x miles long, and between two and
three broad. It is bounded on the north by the parish
of Urquhart, on the south by the Firth of Beauly, on
the east by the parish of Kilmuir Wester and Suddy,
and on the west by the parish of Urray. The ground
rises gently from the southern boundary to the top of
Mulbuy, where it has its greatest elevation. Along the
shore it is smooth and level, and unbroken by bays or
headlands. The water of the Firth is of a dark hue,
from the large quantities of moss and mud brought into
it by the river of Beauly.
The soil varies considerably; and very frequently, on
the same farm, light loam, red and blue clay, and gravel
succeed each other. Deep clay is common on the
shore; it is used as compost, and often for mortar
in buildings. Many of the lands are covered with small
stones, which require clearing every year; and throughout
the larger part of the parish, broom grows spontaneously,
and, if left to itself, would shortly overspread
the fields. The whole parish is the property of two
families, whose estates are called Redcastle, and Kilcoy
and Drumnamarg: the former comprises 3*96 acres, of
which 1566 are arable, 5*7 pasture, and 1653 wood;
the latter contains 3041 acres, of which 977 are arable,
882 wood, and H8'2 pasture. The crops consist of
wheat, barley, oats, rye, clover, turnips, and potatoes;
and the annual value of real property in the parish
amounts to £4'275. Many agricultural improvements
have been made within the last twenty or thirty years,
and the lands have assumed an entirely different appearance.
The native heath and broom are gradually
yielding to valuable crops of grain; and the gratuity of
£5 allowed for the improvement of every Scottish acre,
and the permission to enjoy it rent-free during the remainder
of the current lease, have given an impulse to
the energies of the cultivator, the effects of which are
conspicuous in every direction. Tiie union of several
small farms, and the building of good houses and offices,
with the formation of niclosures, especially on the Redcastle
property, have introduced superior tenants, and,
with them, better means of cultivation; and the encouragement
afforded by the spirited proprietors in the
pari.-ih bids fair to raise it, in a few years, to a level with
the best cultivated districts in the country. In general
the farmers breed only the cattle necessary for ploughing,
&c., on their own ground; but at the close of harvest,
they purchase young cattle in considerable quantities to
consume their straw, and others for the purpose of fattening
them upon turnips with the sheep in winter, by
which lliey make a considerable profit at the markets in
the summer time. The substratum of the |)arish is one
continued bed of red freestone, which is easily prepared,
and well suited to buildings of every description. A quarry
of this stone has been wrought for some centuries, from
which Inverness has been freely supplied, and from which
the stones used in the locks of the Caledonian canal
were taken.
Formerly each of the estates had a castle in which
the proprietor resided. That on the Kilcoy estate is
now in ruins; but the mansion on the property of Redcastle,
so named from the colour of the stone of which
the building is constructed, is in good and habitable condition.
It is a large pile, and is surrounded with beautiful
plantations, which occupy many hundreds of acres, and
consist of oak, ash, birch, Scotch fir, and larch. In
other parts, also, the same trees are to be seen. There
are two villages: that of Miltown, a name common to
other villages in this district, is chiefly remarkable for
its delightful situation, and its miniature likeness to a
town; Quarry consists of a line of neat cottages, extending
along the base of a sandstone rock, which rises to
the height of a hundred feet above the village, giving it a
very singular appearance, and conferring upon it its name.
There is a corn-mill on each of the two estates, for the
use of the parish. Two fairs are held which are the
staple horse- markets of the country, one in February,
and the other in July. Facility of communication is
afforded by a good road from the ferry at Kessock to
Dingwall, Invergordon, and Fortrose, the repairs of
which are defrayed by a regular toll; and there are two
small vessels belonging to the parish, employed in carrying
timber and coal between Killearnan and Newcastle
in England. Ships, also, touch here, and land their cargoes
on the shore at the eastern extremity of the parish,
as there is no harbour.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Chanonry, synod of Ross; and the patronage
is vested in the Marchioness of Stafford. The stipend
of the minister is £'200, with a manse, built about
a century ago, and repaired and enlarged some years
since. The glebe consists of about six acres of arable
land; and one-half, also, of the glebe of Kilmuir Wester
has belonged to Killearnan since 1*56. The church,
which is built in the form of a cross, is very ancient,
and of considerable size. It was thatched with heather
until about fifty years ago, when it was roofed with slate,
and also supplied with fresh seats; it has lately been
again repaired, and is now a very comfortable building.
The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.
There is a parochial school, in which Greek and Latin,
English grammar, geography, and practical mathematics
are taught: the salary of the master is £30, with a
house, an allowance in lieu of garden, and about £8 fees.
Another school is endowed by the Society for Propagating
Christian Knowledge; English, Gaelic, writing, and
arithmetic are taught, and the master has £15 per annum,
and a small house. There is also a female school
supported l)y the society. The chief relics of antiquity
are, the ruins of Kilcoy Castle; the cairn already referred
to, supposed to have been raised to commemorate the
murder of a Danish prince; and, in the vicinity of the
cairn, the remains of a Druidieal temple.