Boundary Changes 1889-92 : Caithness

3. - COUNTY OF CAITHNESS.

I. - COUNTY BOUNDARIES.

No change. 

The parish of Reay was situated partly in the county of Caithness and partly in the county of Sutherland, but the mode in which it has been dealt with has entailed no change in the county boundaries.

See county of Sutherland, Farr and Reay, infra, p.131.

II. - PARISH BOUNDARIES.

1. HALKIRK AND THURSO.

The parish of Thurso had one detached part which extended to 7074 acres, and was bounded on the north-west by thc parish of Reay, and on east and south by the parish of Halkirk. It consisted of the Crown lands of Dorrery. By the Order printed at p. 4 this detached parish was disjoined from the parish of Thurso and annexed to the parish of Halkirk.

The following are the subjects thus transferred from the parish of Thurso to the parish of Halkirk :—

(Sheet 115 of the Ordnance Survey maps of Scotland, one inch scale.)

2. REAY.

The parish of Reay was situated partly in the county of Caithness an partly in the county of Sutherland.

By the Order printed at p. 5 no change was made in the county boundary or to the boundaries of the Caithness-shire portion of the parish. A change, however, was made in the area of the parish, for the Sutherlandshire portion was disjoined from the parish of Reay annexed to the parish of Farr, in the county of Sutherland. The parish of Reay, as thus altered in area, consists solely of the Caithness-shire portion of the old parish of Reay.

For particulars see county of Sutherland, Farr and Reay, infra, p, 131.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

1. The counties are arranged in the order as in the Census returns, "such that a zig-zag line beginning at the north of Scotland and carried to the south passes successively through every County". The counties have the same numbers as in the Census returns.

2. The subjects transferred are enumerated under the head of the County or Parish to which they are transferred. Thus when an area has been transferred from County A to County B, the subjects affected are enumerated under County B, and a cross reference is given under County A.

3. The names of subjects are those contained in the Valuation Rolls. In the description of subjects the term "farm" includes the farm-house and servants' houses, and the term "croft" includes the house. But where any of the servants' houses on the farm have distinctive names, such houses are detailed separately. "House" includes "cottage", and "land" includes gardens, yards &c.

4. The names of proprietors are in almost all cases those given in The Valuation Rolls of 1890-91. It is therefore to be borne in mind that those who are described as proprietors may be limited owners only, such as liferenters or leaseholders.

5. Where villages or towns are affected, the names of the subjects and proprietors are not usually given. The description of the area transferred is in such cases quite sufficient to show whatever and to what extent any subject in the village or town has been affected by the Order.

6. The Ordnance Survey maps referred to are those published by the Ordnance Survey Department on the scale of one inch to the mile. Those published down to this date (1891), show the Counties and Parishes as they were before the Order of the Commissioners came into operation. It is expected that, when the work of the Commissioners is completed, revised maps will be issued to show the altered boundaries, but the sheets of the revised maps will bear the same numbers as the present maps. The Orders and the explanations can be followed readily on the maps as published at present.

7. An ampersand (&) has been used wherever a County or a Parish has a double name, e.g. "Ross & Cromarty" or "Fetlar & North Yell".

8. In most cases it is necessary to read the text of the order along with the explanation, because the full descriptions contained in the Orders are, as a rule, not repeated in the explanation.