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Kilmallie

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" KILMALLIE, a Lochaber parish of Inverness and Argyll shires, the largest parish in Scotland. By the extension of the Inverness-shire boundary to Loch Eil, and the corresoponding contraction of that of Argyllshire, by the Order or the Boundary Commissioners in 1891, so much of the Argyllshire part of the parish as lay north of Loch Eil was transferred to lnveness-shire. The parish thus remains still in both counties, but the Commissioners expressed the opinion that the portion of Kilmallie remaining in Argyllshire might suitably be formed at some future time into an independent civil parish. A part of the Inverness-shire portion of Kilmallie, situated on Loch Linnhe between the river Lochy and the river Ness, was separated from the remainder by a portion of the Inverness parish of Kilmonivaig. This intervening portion was at the same time transferred to Kilmallie. The Argyllshire parish of Lismore and Appin had a detached part (comprising 22,730 acres) on the north shore of Loch Linnhe, at Kingairloch. This aIso was transferred to Kilmallie, to the Argyllshire portion. Kilmallie contains the burgh of Fort WILLIAM, and the hamlets of North BALLACHULISH, BANAVIE, CORPACH, and ONICH in its Inverness-shire section, and of ARDGOUR, BLAICH, CLOVULIN, DUISKY, and GARVAN in that of Argyllshire. Bounded W by Ardnamurchan and Glenelg, N and E by Kilmonivaig, S by Lismore and Appin, and SW by Morvern, it has an extreme length from N by E to S by W of 29⅛ miles, a varying width of 2⅝ and 30¼ miles, and an area (not including the addition from Kilmonivaig, for which no figures are given) of 306,781 acres, of which 8403¼ are water. The northern boundary is partly defined by the last 13 miles of Gairowan river, flowing to Loch Quoich; by Loch Quoich itself (5¼ miles x ⅝ mile; 555 feet); and by the first 3½ miles of its effluent, the GARRY, on to the influx of the Kingie. The eastern, again, is partly defined by the lower 6 miles of Loch LOCHY (9⅝ miles x 1 to 9⅝ furl. ; 93 feet), and by its effluent, the river Lochy, winding 9⅜ miles south-south-westward to the head of Loch Linnhe at Fort William; whilst all the southern boundary is traced by the Black Water or river Loven, flowing 13⅞ miles westward, through a chain of four small lakes, to the head of salt-water Loch LEVEN and next by Loch Leven itself (11⅜ miles x ⅔ furl. to 2½ miles). To the Invemess-shire interior belongs fresh-water Loch ARCHAIG (12 miles x ⅝ mile; 140 feet), sending off the Archaig river 1⅜ mile ESE to Loch Lochy; while to Inverness-shire and Argyllshire belong equal halves, N and S, of salt water Loch EIL (6⅜ miles x 7⅓ furl.), communicating by the Narrows, 2 miles long and 1 furlong broad at the narrowest, with the head of Loch Linnhe. Loch LINNHE itself with a varying width of 5 furlongs and 1⅞ mile, strikes 9⅝ miles south-westward to CORRAN Narrows (1½ furl wide); and thus far, often called Lower Loch Eil, it divides the Inverness-shire from the Argyllsllire section of Kilmallie, the latter still fringing its western shore for 20 miles below Corran Ferry. The surface everywhere is grandly mountainous, chief elevations to the N of Loch Archaig being Meall Odhar (2971 feet), Scour Gairoch (3015), and Sgor Mor (3290); between Lochs Archaig and Eil, Beinn Bhan (2613), Meall Bhanabhie (1071), Druim Fada (2420), Gulvein (3224), and *Sgor Choileam (3164); to the S of Loch Eil, Stob Choire a' Chearcaill (2527), Sgur na h-Eanchainne (2397), and *Sgur Dhomnuil, where asterisks mark those summits that culminate on the confines of the parish. To the E of Loch Linnhe rise huge *BEN NEVIS (4406), Aonach Beag (4060), Binnein Mor (3700), Am Bodach (3382), Sgor a' Mhaim (3601), Stob Ban (3274), Mullach nan Coirean (3077), and Beinn na Cucaig (2017). Such is a bare outline of the general features of this vast Highland parish, which is larger than Edinburghshire and fifteen others of the thirty- three Scottish counties. Fuller details are furnished under ACHNACARRY, ARDGOUR, CALEDONIAN CANAL, CONA, FASSIFERN, GLENNEVIS, and other articles already alluded to. Gneiss and mica slate are the predominant rocks; but granite, syenite, porphyry, quartz, hornblende, and limestone are also common. Silurian rocks, too, occur. Fine-hued marble and roofing-slates have been quarried, the latter around North Ballachulish, where there are mountains of it; and several veins of lead ore, with a comparatively large proportion of zinc and silver, are known to exist. The soil along parts of the margins of the lochs and of the bottoms of the glens, is mostly light, shallow, and sandy or mossy; and on the braes and mountains is mostly moorish. Not 1 acre in 300 is cultivated or capable of cultivation; but woods and plantations must cover a very large aggregate area., the old Loch Archaig native pine forest being from 8 to 9 miles in length. Giving off the quoad sacra parishes of DUNCANSBURGH and BALLACHULISH, Kilmallie is in the presbytery of Abertarff and synod of Argyll ; the living is worth £265. The districts of Ardgour and Kilmonivaig were erected into a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1894. The parish church of Kilmallie was built in 1783 and renovated in 1890, when a stained-glass window to the memory of the late Rev. Dr Clerk was inserted. Ita ancient predecessor was dedicated to some Celtic saint, whose name is not preserved in any calendar; for the rendering of Kilmallie by 'church of Mary' is wholly inadmisslble. In the churchyard there stand the ruins of one of the seven churches built by Lochiel about 1460. There is a Free church at Corpach; and other places of worship are noticed under Fort WILLIAM and BALLACHULISH. Nine public schools—Achnacarry, Ardour, Banavie, Duisky, Fort William, Kingairloch, Kinlochiel, Onich, and Trieslaig—North Ballachulish Episcopal, and Fort William Roman Catholic schools, with total accommodation for 844 children, have an average attendance of about 440, and grants amounting to over £690. Pop. (1881) 4157, (1891) 4312, of whom 3193 were Gaelic-speaking, 3623 were in Inverness- shire, and 1306 belonged to Kilmallie ecclesiastical parish.—Ord. Sur.., shs. 53, 62, 54,1873-77."

Extract from Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland c.1895)

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    Population

    YearPopulation
    18814157
    18914312