STRONTIAN, a quoad sacra parish, chiefly in the
parish of Ardnamurchan, district of Argyll, and
partly in the parish of Morvern, district of Mull,
county of Argyll, 235 miles (S. W. by W.) from Fort
William; the Ardnamurchan portion containing 982
inhabitants. This place, which is situated on the shores
of Loch Sunart, derived its earliest importance from
the opening of some valuable lead-mines, in 1722, by
Sir Andrew Murray, who let them on lease to the York
Buildings' Company. Though it is certain that these
mines had been wrought at a much earlier period, yet it
was not till after they had been leased to the company
that any effectual means were adopted for bringing
them into profitable operation. An English mining
establishment was soon afterwards formed here, in which
500 men were regularly employed: appropriate buildings,
with the requisite machinery for working the mines
to advantage, were erected; and a village, called New
York, was raised for the accommodation of the miners.
These mines continued in extensive operation, yielding
an ample revenue, both to the York Buildings' Company
and their lessors, till about the year 1818, when they
began to decline. They were also let in the year 1836,
but were shortly discontinued; and though they are
still wrought to a limited extent, every vestige of the
village of New York has been obliterated by the plough.
Traces of lead-ore are found in many parts of Sunart,
yet no other mines than those of Strontian have been
opened. There are two veins of ore connected with these
works, one of which, although difficult to work, is said
to contain a large proportion of silver, and produces
lead of excellent quality; the other is traversed with
dykes of whin, and the galena is plentifully embedded
in the blue stone or calc spar. A new mineral called
after this place, where it was first discovered, occurs
in abundance. It is a kind of earth, of a whitish or light
green colour, with a small degree of transparency, and
possessing properties between those of lime and barytes.
It was analysed by Dr. Kirwan, and Dr. Hope of Edinburgh,
and found to contain 6r21 parts of pure earth,
3020 parts of carbonic acid gas, and 8'59 parts of water.
The parish comprises the eastern, and larger, portion
of the district of Sunart, in Ardnamurchan parish;
and also part of Morvern parish. From these two parishes
Strontian was separated for ecclesiastical purposes,
by the presbytery, on the erection of a church in
1827: a quoad sacra parish was formed under act of
the General Assembly in 1833. It is nearly twenty-five
miles in extreme length, and varies greatly in breadth,
containing 49,148 acres, of which 1380 are arable, 5558
meadow and pasture, 1583 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder moorland, moss and waste. The
surface, like that of the parish of Ardnamurchan generally,
is diversified; in the district are some mountains
of considerable elevation (particularly noticed in the
article on Ardnamurchan), and the beautiful and fertile
valley of Strontian, where most of the inhabitants reside.
Near the eastern extremity of Loch Sunart, which
is navigable to its head, is the harbour of Strontian,
possessing good anchorage for the vessels arriving with
supplies for the use of the district: till lately, a steamer
plied regularly, affording direct communication with
Glasgow. The soil of the arable lands is fertile, and
under good cultivation; the hills furnish pasturage for
sheep, generally of the black-faced kind, and the moorlands
for black-cattle, of the Argyllshire breed, of which
latter great numbers are reared, and sent to the Glasgow
market. There are considerable remains of natural
wood, consisting of oak, birch, ash, alder, and hazel;
and the plantations, which are extensive and regularly
thinned, are chiefly plane, ash, oak, and the various kinds of fir.
Strontian House, the seat of Sir James Milles Riddell,
Bart., is a handsome modern mansion, pleasantly situated
in grounds tastefully laid out, and embellished
with thriving plantations. The village consists of some
irregular clusters of neat houses, interspersed with
cottages occupied by persons employed in the leadmines;
the post-office here has a daily delivery, and
there is a good inn. Fairs for sheep and black-cattle
are held on the Thursdays before the last Wednesdays
in May and October. Facility of communication is
afforded by the turnpike road leading from the village
to Corran Ferry, which is a continuation of the parliamentary
road from Kinloch-Moidart. Strontian is in
the presbytery of Mull, and synod of Argyll: the
minister's stipend is £120, with a manse, and a glebe
valued at £5 per annum; patron, the Crown. The
church, erected by government in 1827, is a substantial
structure, situated in the vale of Strontian, and containing
650 sittings. The school for the district was built
by Sir James Milles Riddell, and is supported by government,
who allow the master a salary of £30, besides the
fees: connected with the school is a small library.