Inverallan & Advie Parish of Cromdale

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: Cromdale 1834-45: Cromdale

Advie, a barony in Cromdale parish, Elginshire, on the right balk of the river Spey, and on the Strathspey branch of the Great North of Scotland railway, 8 miles NE of Grantown. It has a post office of Advie Station, under Ballindalloch, an Established mission church, and a public school, which, with accommodation for 90 children, had (1879) an average attendance of 37, and a grant of £32, 3s. The barony of Advie, on the right side of the Spey, and the barony Tulchen on the left side, anciently were a parish, now united with Cromdale, and they belonged to the Earl of Fife, passed in the 15th century to the Ballindalloch family, and were eventually sold to Brigadier Alexander Grant.

Cromdale, a parish, chiefly in Elginsbire, but partly also in Inverness-shire. In its Elginshire portion, on the Spey's right bank, is Cromdale station on the Strathspey section of the Great North of Scotland, 3 miles NE of Grantown station and 21 SW of Craigellachie Junction; near it are a post office under Grantown, a new public school (1877), the parish church (1809; 900 sittings), and a wire suspension footbridge (1881) over the Spey, 195 feet in span. The parish, till 1870 mainly in Inverness-shire, contains also the town of Grantown; the station of Dava, at the NW border, 8½ miles NNW of Grantown; the station of Advie; and the station of Broomhill, 3¾ miles SS W of Grantown. It is bounded NW by Edinkillie; NE by Knockando; E by Inveraven, and SE by Kirkmichael, in Banffshire; S by Abernethy, and SW by Duthil, in Inverness-shire; and W by Ardclach, in Nairnshire. Its utmost length, from NE to SW, is 16 miles; its utmost breadth, from NW to SE, is 11 ³/₈ miles; and its area is 64, 253 acres, of which 899¼ are water. The Spey winds 20¾ miles north-eastward along the border and through the interior, descending in this course from about 680 to 480 feet above sea-level; and the Divie and Dorbock, feeders of the Findhorn, rise in the NW corner of the parish, the Dorbock issuing from Lochindorb, which, 2¼ miles long and from 1 ¹/₃ to 5 furlongs broad, lies at an altitude of 769 feet on the Edinkillie boundary. To the S of it lie Loch an t-Sithein (2¾ x 1 furl.), Lochan Dubh (1 x ½ furl.), and Loch Ruigh a' Bhuair (2 x 1 furl.). Chief elevations to the left or W of the Spey, from NE to SW, are Gallow Hill (1210 feet), Geal Charn (1487), Carn na h-Eige (1673), Larig Hill (1783), Creag a' Bharrain (1324), Carn an Loin (1798), Carn na Doire (1294), Carn Bad na Caorach (1557), Craig Tiribeg (1586), and Beinn Mhor (1545); whilst to the right, on the Banffshire and Invernessshire border, rise Tom a Chait (1646 feet), Creag an Tarmachain (2121), Carn Eachie (2329), and Tom Biath (1163), these latter belonging to the heathy Cromdale Hills. Granite is a predominant rock; and limestone of prime quality abounds in places, and has been largely worked for both building and manure. The soil of the haughs along the Spey is very fertile; that of the other arable lands is generally thin and dry. Barely a tenth of the entire area is under the plough, and woods and plantations cover at least as much, the country round Grantown, and indeed the whole strath of the Spey, being finely adorned with trees. On May 1, 1690, the war in Scotland between James VII. and William of Orange was virtually ended by the affair of the Haughs of Cromdale, when, at a spot 2½ miles E by S of Cromdale station, the dragoons of Sir Thomas Livingstone surprised Buchan's sleeping Highlanders, 800 in number, slaying more than 300, and taking 100 prisoners. The ruined castle of Muckerach is separately noticed, as likewise is Castle-Grant,whose owner, Ian Charles Grant-Ogilvie, eighth Earl of Seafield (b. 1851; suc. 1881), is almost the sole proprietor. In the presbytery of Abernethy and synod of Moray, Cromdale comprises the ancient parishes of Inverallan and Advie, and is now divided into the quoad sacra parishes of Inverallan and Cromdale, the latter being worth £298, with manse and glebe. Besides two schools in Grantown, four public schools-Achanarrow, Advie, Cromdale, and Davawith respective accommodation for 70 90, 100, and 50 children, had (1880) an average attendance of 33, 34, 55, and 29, and grants of £40, 2s., £26, 11s., £35, 16s., and £36, 13s. 6d. Valuation (1881) £13, 554, 2s., of which £1627, 18s. was in the Inverness-shire section. Pop. (1801) 2187, (1831) 3234, (1861) 3943, (1871) 3817, (1881) 3642, of whom 1166 were in Cromdale quoad sacra parish.—Ord. Sur., shs. 74, 75, 84, 85, 1876-77.

Inverallan, a quoad sacra parish in Cromdale parish, Elgin and Inverness shires, containing the town of Grantown. Constituted in 1869, it is in the presbytery of Abernethy and synod of Moray. Stipend, £120. Pop. (1v871) 2522, (1881) 2497, of whom 2055 were in Elginshire.

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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