Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

SUTHERLANDSHIRE

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 170 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

SUTHERLANDSHIRE , a See also:

northern See also:county of See also:Scotland, bounded N. and W. by the See also:Atlantic, E. by See also:Caithness, S.E. by the See also:North See also:Sea and S. by the See also:shire of See also:Ross and See also:Cromarty. It has an See also:area of 1,297, 846 acres or 2,028 sq. m., being the fifth largest shire in Scotland. The western and northern shores are much indented and terminate at many points in precipices and rugged headlands. The mountains are distinguished by grandeur of outline. See also:Ben More (3273 ft.) in Assynt is the highest in the shire, and next to it in height is Ben Clibreck (3154). Ben See also:Hope (Icelandic See also:hop, haven, 3040), in the north, is noted as the only See also:place in See also:Great See also:Britain where the Alpine Alsine rubella is found, and also for its See also:fauna, See also:ptarmigan being See also:common, and even the See also:wild See also:cat and See also:golden See also:eagle occurring at rare intervals. Other lofty hills include Foinaven (See also:wart See also:mountain, 2980) inthe north-See also:west; Ben Hee (2864); the highest point in Reay See also:Forest; the serrated See also:ridge of Quinag (2653) and Glasven (2541) north, and the See also:cone of Canisp (2779) See also:south of . See also:Loch Assynt; the precipitous Carn Stackie (2630) in Durness; Ben Arkle (2580) and Ben Stack (2364), frowning above Loch Stack; the fantastic peaks of Ben Loyal (the See also:hill of the See also:young calves, or See also:deer, 2504) in See also:Tongue; and Suilven (2399). The greater See also:part of the mountainous region consists of wild and desolate moorlands. The See also:chief See also:river is the Oykell, which, rising in Coniveall (3234), a See also:peak of Ben More, flows south and then south-See also:east for 33 m. to See also:Dornoch See also:Firth, forming the See also:major part of the See also:southern boundary of the shire. Its See also:principal See also:left-See also:hand tributaries are the Shin and Cassley. Other See also:rivers flowing to Dornoch Firth are the Helmsdale (22 m.), issuing from Loch an Ruathair; the Brora (28 m.), rising in Mt Uaran and pre-serving in its name (See also:bridge river) the fact that its bridge was cnce the only important one in the county; and the See also:Fleet (17), the See also:head of the See also:estuary of which was embanked for See also:i000 yds. in 1813 by See also:Thomas See also:Telford, whereby a considerable See also:tract of See also:rich alluvial See also:land was reclaimed from the sea.

The longest rivers flowing to the north See also:

coast are the Dionard (14) to Kyle of Durness, the Naver (17) to Torrisdale See also:Bay, and the Halladale (22), rising in Knockfin on the See also:borders of Caithness and entering the sea to the east of Portskerry. Much of the See also:surface in the See also:district of Assynt is honeycombed with lakes and tarns, but the only large See also:lake is Loch Assynt, which is 63 m. Iong, lies 215 ft. above the sea, has a drainage area of 43 sq. m., and a greatest See also:depth of 282 ft., and empties into the sea by the Inver. Other lakes are Loch Crocach, little more than 1 m. See also:long by a m. wide, in which the ratio of the area of islands to the See also:total area of the loch is greater than in any other See also:British lake; Loch Shin (17 M. long); Loch Loyal (4 m.); Loch Hope (6 rn.); Loch Naver (6 m.); and Loch More (4 m.). The principal inlets of the sea are, on the north coast, Kyle of Tongue--on the east See also:shore of which stands Tongue See also:House, once the See also:property of the Reay See also:family, now a seat of the See also:duke of See also:Sutherland—Loch Eriboll and Kyle of Durness; on the west, Lochs Inchard, Laxford (See also:salmon See also:fjord), Cairnbawn, Glendhu, Glencoul, Eddrachilis Bay and Loch Inver; and, on the south-east, Loch Fleet. There are many waterfalls in the county. Those of Escuallin, near the head of Glencoul, are among the finest in Great Britain. There are three principal capes—Strathy Point on the north; Cape Wrath at the extreme north-west; and Ru Stoer, near which is the Old See also:Man of Stoer, a detached See also:pillar of See also:rock about 250 ft. high. On its seaward See also:face Cape Wrath (a corruption of the Icelandic hvarf, turning-point) rises in precipitous cliffs to a height of 300 ft. The See also:gneiss rocks are scored with See also:pink See also:granite. Sunken reefs keep the sea almost always in tumult. Of the larger islands Handa, usually visited from Scourie on the west coast, has magnificent cliff scenery, distinguished for its beautiful coloration, its caverns and the richness and variety of the See also:bird See also:life, especially on the north-west, where the See also:Torridonian See also:sandstone rocks are 406 ft. high.

The See also:

cave of Smoo (Icelandic smuga, hole: same See also:root as smuggle) on the north coast, 1 m. east of Durness, is the most famous cavern in the shire; it consists of three See also:chambers hollowed out of the See also:lime-See also:stone; the entrance See also:hall, 33 ft. high and 203 ft. long, is separated from the inner chamber, 70 ft. long by 30 ft. wide, by a ledge of rock beneath which pours a stream that descends as a See also:cataract from a hole in the roof, 8o ft. above. Behind the See also:waterfall is the third chamber, 120 ft. long by 8 ft. wide, which can only be seen by artificial See also:light. See also:Geology.—A very irregular See also:line from Loch Eriboll on the north coast to the neighbourhood of Cromalt near the southern boundary separates the two rock See also:groups that See also:form the See also:foundation of the major portion of the county. On the western See also:side of this line are See also:tile See also:ancient gneisses and See also:schists (the Lewisian gneiss) ; these are penetrated by innumerable basic and See also:acid dikes which generally have a north-west to south-east trend. On the eastern side of the line, occupying the whole of the remaining area except the eastern fringe of the county, is a younger See also:series of metamorphic rocks, the Moine schists. Resting with marked unconformability upon the old gneiss near Cape Wrath, at Ru Stoer, Quinag, Canisp and Suilven are the dark red conglomerates, breccias and sandstones of Torridonian See also:age: See also:Cambrian rocks succeed the Torridonian, again with strong unconformity; they are represented in ascending See also:order by (i) false bedded See also:quartzite, (2) quartzite with annelid burrows, the " See also:pipe rock," (3) the fucoid beds with Olenellus See also:band, (4) serpulite grit, (5) Durness See also:limestone and See also:dolomite and their marmorized equivalents. The See also:white quartzite that has been left as a cap on such dark Torridonian hills as Quinag and Canisp forms a striking feature in the landscape. These Cambrian rocks occupy a very irregular See also:belt along the line above mentioned; the broadest tract is in the neighbourhood of Loch Assynt, another large area lies about the southern end of Loch Eriboll and the Durness limestone is extensively See also:developed near the loch of that name. Along the belt of Cambrian rocks there is abundant See also:evidence of crustal deformation on the most extensive See also:scale; one after another great slices of rock, often See also:miles in extent, have been sheared off and pushed forward by thrusts from a south-easterly direction, so that in several places it is possible to find the Lewisian gneiss dragged up and carried forward right on to the Cambrian; in the Durness district the eastern schists have been so transported from a distance of 10 m. The most striking of the planes of thrusting is that known as the Moine, others of great magnitude occur to the west of it, such as those by Glencoul and Ben More. Masses of granite appear in the eastern schists on the county boundary by Strath Halladale,at Ben Laoghal, Ben Stomino and east of Lairg. The Old Red Sandstone forms some elevated ground around Dornoch and Golspie and patches occur at Portskerra and elsewhere.

A narrow See also:

strip of Mesozoic strata lies along the coast from Golspie See also:Burn to Ord. Triassic marls are seen in the Golspie stream; these are succeeded northwards, near Dun-See also:robin See also:Castle, by See also:Lias, then by Great Oolite, with the Brora See also:coal, followed by See also:Oxfordian, See also:Corallian and See also:Kimeridgian beds. Evidence of See also:ice See also:action is everywhere apparent, the striations show that the ice travelled towards the north-west and north, and from the eastern part of the county, towards See also:Moray Firth. See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture.—The rainfall varies greatly, being lowest on the south-east and highest in the mountainous See also:hinterland of the west, with an See also:annual mean of 44.7 in. The See also:average temperature for the See also:year is47° F., for See also:January 38.5°F.,for See also:July 56.5°F. Only one-fortieth of the total area is under cultivation, the shire ranking lowest in Scotland in this respect. The great See also:mass of the surface is grazing ground and deer forest. The best land adjoins Dornoch Firth, where farming is in an advanced See also:condition, but there are fertile patches along the river valleys. At the beginning of the 19th See also:century the crofters occupied almost every cultivable spot, and were more numerous than the See also:soil could support. The first duke of Sutherland (then See also:marquis of See also:Stafford) adopted a policy of wholesale clearance. Between 1811 and 1820 fifteen thousand peasants were evicted from their holdings in the interior and transferred tq the coast. The duke incurred great obloquy, but persisted in his re-forms, which included reduction of See also:rent, improvement in the well-being of the See also:people, reclamation of thousands of acres, and abolition of the tacksman or middleman, so that tenants should hold directly of himself.

He also did much to open up the shire generally. Between 1812—when there was only one bridge and no road in Sutherland—and 1832, he See also:

bore See also:half the cost, the See also:government contributing the See also:rest, of constructing 450 M. of road, 134 See also:bridges, some of considerable See also:size, and the See also:iron bridge at See also:Bonar of 15o ft. span. The 3rd duke (1828–1892) carried out a large See also:plan of reclamation. Attempts have been made to repeople some of the glens (Strath-'laver, for example) depopulated by the clearances. Crofters still largely predominate, nearly two-thirds of the holdings being under 5 acres —the highest proportion in Scotland. The chief See also:grain crops are oats and See also:barley, the chief See also:green crops turnips (including swedes) and potatoes. The raising of livestock is the See also:staple business of the county. The See also:sheep are mostly Cheviots. the See also:cattle West Highland, shorthorn and crossbred. Horses—principally ponies, though Clydesdales are used on the bigger farms—are almost wholly kept for agricultural purposes, and pigs are also reared. The deer forests belonging to the duke of Sutherland are Reay, 64,600 acres; Ben Armine and Coirna-fearn, 35,840; Glen Canisp, 34,490; and Dun-robin, 12,180--in all 147,110 acres, or more than one-ninth of the whole area. Excepting the south-See also:cast coast, the valley of the Shin, and a considerable portion of Strath Oykell, there are very few districts under See also:wood. Other See also:Industries.—Next to agriculture, the deep-sea See also:fishery and the salmon See also:fisheries in the rivers are the most important See also:interest.

Helmsdale (pop. 12J9) is the only See also:

port of any consequence. Her-rings are the principal catch, but See also:cod, See also:ling and other fishes are also taken. See also:Whisky is distilled at Clyne and Brora; some woollens are manufactured at Rogart ; coal is See also:mined at Brora, See also:marble quarried iu Assynt and limestone and sandstone in several districts. The exceptional facilities offered by the deer forests, See also:moors and the many lochs and rivers attract large See also:numbers of sportsmen whose See also:custom is valuable to the inhabitants; and Dornoch and Lochinver are in growing repute as See also:holiday resorts. The Highland railway enters the county at Invershin, goes northward to Lairg, then east to Brora and north-east to Helmsdale, whence it runs north-west to Kildonan, and north to Forsinard, where it shortly afterwards leaves the shire. The See also:Glasgow steamers See also:call at Lochinver once a See also:week, and See also:mail-cars run periodically from Lairg to Lochinver and Scourie in the west and to Durness and Tongue in the north; from Helmsdale,by the coast, to Berriedale, Dunbeath, Latheron and Lybster; and from Tongue to See also:Thurso. Considering its scanty and scattered See also:population and mountainous See also:character, the county is well intersected by roads, many of which were constructed by successive See also:dukes of Sutherland, who own four-fifths of the shire. Population and See also:Administration.—In 1891 the population amounted to 21,896, and in 1901 it was 21,440, or 11 persons to the square mile, the least populous of Scottish counties. Several islands See also:lie off the west and north coast, but only See also:Roan, at the entrance to Kyle of Tongue, is inhabited (67). In 1901 there were 469 persons speaking Gaelic only, 14,083 who spoke Gaelic and See also:English. The county returns a member to See also:parliament, and Dornoch, the county See also:town, belongs to the See also:Wick See also:group of See also:parliamentary burghs.

Sutherland forms a See also:

joint sheriffdom with Ross and Cromarty, and a See also:sheriff-substitute presides at Dornoch. The county is under school-See also:board See also:jurisdiction; some of the See also:schools See also:earn the See also:grant for higher See also:education, and the " See also:residue " grant is expended in bursaries. The Sutherland See also:combination poorhouse is situated in Creich and there is a See also:hospital, the See also:Lawson Memorial, in Golspie. See also:History and Antiquities.—Of the Picts, the See also:original inhabitants, there are considerable remains in the form of broths (or See also:round towers), numerous and widely scattered, Picts' houses, tumuli, See also:cairns and hut circles. Dun Dornadilla, in the See also:parish of Durness, 4 M. south of Loch Hope, is a See also:tower, 150 ft. in circumference, still in See also:good preservation. The Norse jarl Thorfinn overran the See also:country in 1034 and the Scandinavian colonists called it, in relation to their settlements in the Orkneys and Shetlands, Sudrland, the " southern land," or Sutherland. After the See also:conquest of the district by the Scottish See also:kings, Sutherland was conferred on See also:Hugh Freskin (a descendant of Freskin of See also:Moravia or Moray), whose son See also:William was created See also:earl of Sutherland in 1228 by See also:Alexander II. Assynt was peopled by a See also:branch of the Macleods of See also:Lewis, till they were dispossessed by the Mackenzies, who sold the territory to the earl of Sutherland about the See also:middle of the 18th century. The vast tract of the Reay country, belonging to the Mackays, an ancient See also:clan, also See also:fell piece by piece into the hands of the Sutherland family. See also:Killin, on the east See also:bank of Loch Brora, was the site of an old See also:chapel dedicated to St See also:Columba, an association commemorated in the name of Kilcolmkill House, hard by. On the south shore of Helmsdale See also:creek stand the ruins of the castle in which the 11th earl of Sutherland and his wife were poisoned by his See also:uncle's widow in 1567, with a view to securing the See also:title for her only See also:child who was next of See also:kin to the earl and his son. Ardvreck Castle, now in ruins, at the east end of Loch Assynt, was the See also:prison of the marquis of See also:Montrose after his defeat at Invercarron (1650), whence he was delivered up by Neil See also:Macleod of Assynt for See also:execution at See also:Edinburgh.

In the graveyard of the old See also:

church of Durness is a See also:monument to See also:Robert See also:Mackay, called Rob Donn (the See also:brown), the Gaelic poet (1714-1778).

End of Article: SUTHERLANDSHIRE

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
SUTHERLAND, EARLS AND DUKES OF 		[next]
SUTLEJ

Site © 2006 - Net Industries