Kiltearn (Gael. cill- Tighearn, ' St Ternan's church '), a parish of Ross-shire, containing Evanton village and Foulis station, the latter being 2 miles SSW of Novar and 4¼ NNE of Dingwall. Tapering north-westward, and bounded NE by Alness, SE by the Cromarty Firth, SW by Dingwall, and W by Fodderty, it has an utmost length from NW to SE of 131/8 miles, a varying width of 1 mile and 6 miles, and an area of 29,956 1/9 acres, of which 1097½ are foreshore and 8861/3 water. Loch Glass (4 miles x 5 furl.; 713 feet) lies on the Alness border, and from its foot sends off the river Glass or Aultgrande, which, running 8 miles east-south-eastward to the Cromarty Firth, chiefly along the NE boundary, but latterly through the north-eastern corner of the parish, is joined from Kiltearn by the Allt nan Caorach; whilst of seven lakes scattered over the interior, the largest is Loch Bealach nan Cuilean (71/3 x 1 furl.; 1200 feet). Except for a level strip along the Firth, the entire surface is hilly or mountainous, wild, heathy, and uncultivated upland, chief elevations north-westward being Cnoc Vabin (1000 feet), Cnoc nan Each (1508), huge, lumpish *Ben Wyvis (3429), Queen's Cairn (2109), *Carn nan Ruadha (2206), and *Clach nam Buaidh-fhearan (1875), where asterisks mark those summits that culminate on the western confines of the parish. Devonian rocks predominate along the coast; metamorphic rocks, chiefly gneiss, in the interior. Small portions of carboniferous rocks, containing coal, near the shore, at one time induced an expensive but fruitless attempt to sink a coal mine; and lead and iron ores occur in the interior, but not in quantity to promise productive working. At most, 3000 acres are regularly or occasionally in tillage; but a fair proportion of the lower district is under wood. A cairn and remains of five pre-Reformation chapels are among the extant antiquities, a Caledonian stone circle having been demolished not long before 1839. There is a remarkable group of cup-and-ring marked stones on the estate of Mountgerald, and a very remarkable and interesting group of hut circles with tumuli to the SW of Cnoc Mhargaidh Dhuibh on the estate of Swordale. This group of hut circles is in part surrounded by the remains of an old enclosure. The Falls of Coneas near the junction of the Aultgrande and Allt-nan-Caorach are interesting an beautiful. The most interesting natural phenomenon in the parish is the Black Rock of Kiltearn, now visited by hundreds of people every year. The most distinguished and venerated of the northern Covenanters, the Rev. Thomas Hogg, was minister of Kiltearn. There is a marble tablet in the parish church with the following inscription, which gives a condensed history of his life:-' In memory of the Rev. Thomas Hogg of Kiltearn, one of the most eminent Scottish ministers of the 17th century. He was born at Tain 1628; ordained minister of Kiltearn 1654; deposed as a Protester 1661; and ejected from Kiltearn 1662. As " a noted keeper of conventicles " he was imprisoned in Forres 1668; in Edinburgh 1677, 1679, and 1683; in the Bass Rock 1677 and 1677-1679; put to the horn 1674; intercommuned 1675; fined 5000 merks 1683; and banished furth of Scotland 1684. He was imprisoned, on false political grounds, in London 1685; went in 1686 to Holland, where the Prince of Orange made him a royal chaplain; was restored to Kiltearn 1691; and died 4th Jany. 1692, aged 64 years. Matt. v. 10-12. 1880.' Mansions, all noticed separately, are Foulis Castle, Mountgerald, Lemlair, and Baiconie; and 3 proprietors hold each an annual value of between £1100 and £4100, 6 of between £250 and £830. Kiltearn is in the presbytery of Dingwall and synod of Ross; the living is worth £332. The parish church (parts of it pre-Reformation, recently repaired and reseated) stands close to the Firth, 1¼ mile SE of Evanton, where there is a Free church; and a public school, with accommodation for 150 children, had (1881) an average attendance of 124, and a grant of £94, 1s. Valuation (1860) £7684, (1881) £10, 568, 10s. 9d., plus £1512 for railway. Pop. (1801) 1525, (1831) 1605, (1861) 1634, (1871) 1496, (1881) 1182, of whom 649 were Gaelic-speaking.—Ord. Sur., sh. 93, 1881.
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