Parish of Gigha and Cara

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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1791-99: Gigha and Cara
1834-45: Gigha and Cara

Cara, an island in Gigha and Cara parish, Argyllshire. It lies 1 mile S of the southern extremity of Gigha island, and 3½ miles W of the nearest part of Kintyre; measures 1 mile in length and 3 miles in circuit; has a landing-place on the NE, and a rocky shore in all the rest of its coast; is mostly low and level, but rises at the S end into a mural rock called the Mull of Cara, 117 feet high; and is there pierced with two caverns, the one 40 feet long, 5 high, and 5 wide, the other 37 feet long, 9 high, and 9 wide. An ancient monastery is supposed to have been on the island, or to have given name to it; and remains of an old chapel, with a pointed-arched door, are still on it.

Gigha, an island and a parish of Argyllshire. The island lies 1¾ mile W of the nearest point of Kintyre, and 27/8 miles NW of Moniemore, near Tayinloan, by ferry to Ardminish. It has a post office under Greenock, and communicates by boat from its northern extremity with the steamers on the passage between Tarbert and Port Ellen or Port Askaig in Islay. It measures 6 miles in length from NNE to SSW; varies in width between 1½ furlong and 17/8 mile; and, with the neighbouring island of Cara, has an area of 39131/3 acres, of which 2661/3 are foreshore. Its coast is so jagged as to measure 25 miles in extent; and, bold and rocky on the W side, has there two caverns, the Great and the Pigeons' Caves, the latter of which is coated with calcareous spar, and much frequented by wild pigeons. At the south-western extremity it is pierced by a natural tunnel 133 feet long, with two vertical apertures, and so invaded by surging billows in a storm as to emit dense vapour and loud noises. Much, too, of the E coast, although not high, is bold and rocky enough; and here are various sandy bays, very suitable for sea-bathing, whilst those of Ardminish, Druimyeon, and East Tarbert afford good anchorage. The harbour, on the N side of the islet of Gigulum, is much frequented by coasting vessels, and is considered safe in all sorts of weather. The interior westward attains 225 feet beyond the church, 260 at Meall a Chlamaidh, and 153 at Cnoc Loisgte. The rocks are mica slate, felspar slate, chlorite slate, and hornblende slate, with veins of quartz and a few transverse dykes of basalt. The soil, except on the hills, is a rich loam, with a mixture here and there of sand, clay, or moss. About three-fifths of the land are in tillage, but barely 7 acres are under wood. Springs of good water are plentiful, and two of them afford water-power to a corn-mill. Some ten boats are employed during three or four months of the year in cod and ling fishing on banks 2 or 3 miles distant. Dunchifie or Keefe's Hill, towards the middle of the island, appears to have been anciently crowned with a strong fortification; and a hill, now used as a steamer signal-post, at the northern end of the island, is crowned by a cairn, called 'Watch Cairn,' and seems to have formerly served as a beacon station for giving alarm in case of invasion. Achamore House, 7 furlongs SSW of the church, is the Scottish seat of the proprietor, Capt. William James Scarlett (b. 1839; suc. 1880).-The parish comprises also the brownie-haunted island of Cara, 1 mile to the S of Gigha, and 185 feet high at the Mull of Cara, with the uninhabited islet of Gigulum in the sound between them, and bears the name of Gigha and Cara. It is in the presbytery of Kintyre and synod of Argyll; the living is worth £298. The church, which stands at the head of Ardminish Bay, was built about 1780, and contains 260 sittings. An ancient chapel, ½ mile SSW, is now represented by ruined walls and a burying-ground. A public school, with accommodation for 83 children, had (1881) an average attendance of 39, and a grant of £44, 2s. 6d. Valuation (1882) £2466, 7s. 10d. Pop. (1801) 556, (l831) 534, (186l) 467, (1871) 390, (1881) 382, of whom 4 belonged to Cara.—Ord. Sur., sh. 20, 1876. See Captain Thomas P. White's Archœological Sketches in Kintyre and Gigha (2 vols., Edinb., 1873-75).

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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