Canisbay, a parish in the extreme NE of Caithness, containing the villages of Mey (with a post office under Wick) and Auchingill, and the townships of East Mey, West Mey, Huna, Duncansbay, Freswick, and Gills; whilst including the island of Stroma in the Pentland Firth. Its church is situated near Gills Bay, 3½ miles E of Mey, and 19¾ NNW of Wick. Bounded N by the Pentland Firth, E by the German Ocean, S by Wick and Bower, and W by Dunnet, it has a varying length from E to W of 5¼ and 8 miles, an extreme breadth from N to S of 6¼ miles, and an area of 26,9581/3 acres, of which 1012/3 are water, and 603¾ foreshore. Duncansbay Head (210 feet) is the NE extremity; and Ness Head, Skirsa Head, and Mey Head are the only other considerable headlands. Gills Bay in the N and Freswick Bay in the E are the principal sea-inlets. The N coast is partly bold and rocky, but mainly low and level. The E coast, with slight exception, is all bold and precipitous. Two rocky stacks or islets are near Duncansbay Head; and a group of skerries, the Men of Mey, lies off Mey Head. The surface inland is singularly level, the only noticeable elevations from N to S being Mey Hill (218 feet), Hill of Rigifa (264), Craig Hill (288), Wart Hill (412), Black Hill (274), and Hill of Slickly (240). Four or five lakelets are scattered over the interior; Loch Mey (½ x ¼ mile) lies on the NW border; but Loch Syster (1¾ x ½ mile), falling just within Dunnet, was drained in 1866. A few burns emerging from mosses are the only streams, the chief of them, Gill Burn, running to Freswick Bay. Freshwater springs everywhere abound, and chalybeate springs are in several places. Old Red sandstone, of the kind elsewhere quarried as Caithness flag, is the principal rock; and limestone occurs at Mey and Quoys. A light black loam, with intermixture of moss or humus, is the soil of most of the arable lands, but a dark-coloured loam of argillaceous character occurs in places; and either it or deep moss prevails over by far the larger part of the area. The seaboard is mostly taken up by fishermen's small crofts, and there are only four large arable farms, on one of which, Philip's Mains, the late Earl of Caithness reclaimed 500 acres by steam-power since 1863. On the four estates generally much has been done during the last quarter of a century in the way of draining, reclaiming, feuing, and building. The Earl's seat, Barrogill Castle, is separately noticed, as likewise are Bucholie Castle, Duncansbay, Freswick, and John o' Groat's House, at which last a good hotel was opened in 1876. Traces of an ancient watch-tower are on Duncansbay Head; and faint vestiges of ancient chapels are at Duncansbay, Brabster, Freswick, and Mey. Canisbay is in the presbytery of Caithness and synod of Sutherland and Caithness; the living is worth £349. The parish church, an old cruciform edifice, on a green rising ground within 200 yards of the shore, contains 512 sittings. There is also a Free church, and five public schools (Canisbay boys' and girls', Freswick, John o' Groat's, and Mey), with respective accommodation for 100,63,90,72, and 105 children, had (1880) an average attendance of 5 4, 28,55,55, and 52, and grants of £46,2s., £22,7s., £50,7s. 6d., £40,9s., and £41,4s. Valuation (1881) £5902,7s., of which the Earl of Caithness held £3555, 6s., and Wm. Thomson-Sinclair, Esq., £2214. Pop. (1801) 1986, (1831) 2364, (1841) 2306, (1861) 2730, (1871) 2729, (1881) 2625.—Ord. Sur., sh. 116,1878.
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