National Gazetteer, 1868

"LOTH, a parish in the E. coast of county Sutherland, Scotland, 11 miles N.E. of Golspie, its post town. It contains the village of Port Gower, and adjoins Helmsdale. It is 7 miles in length,-and about 4 at its greatest breadth. The surface for the most part is hilly, and attains in some parts a height of 1,500 feet above the sea-level. There are several streamlets, the principal being the Loth. The parish is in the presbytery of Dornoch and synod of Sutherland and Caithness. The minister's stipend is £162. The church is a modern and commodious structure. There were formerly three chapels in this parish, but the burying-grounds of two are the only traces now left of them. A portion of the parish, including the town of Helmsdale, was in 1841 annexed to the parish of Kildonan. There are remains of Picts' houses on Loth Water, also cairns, tumuli, and a pillar of stone 10 feet high. The last witch burnt in Scotland suffered here about 1720."

"GOWER-PORT, a village in the parish of Loth, county Sutherland, Scotland, 7 miles N.E. of Brora. It is situated on Dornoch Firth, and is chiefly inhabited by fishermen."

"PORT-GOWER, a village in the parish of Loth, county Sutherland, Scotland, 2 miles S.W. of Helmsdale. It was founded by the late Duke of Sutherland. The inhabitants are engaged in the fisheries."

Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)