Parish of Strachur

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: Strachur and Stralachlan
1834-45: Strachur and Stralachlan

Strachur and Stralachlan, a parish on the W side of Cowal district, Argyllshire, containing Strachur village, 1 mile SE of Creggans steamboat pier on Loch Fyne, 5 miles S by E of Inveraray, 4½ NNW of Locheckhead, and 19 NNW of Dunoon. The village has a post office, with money order, savings' bank, and telegraph departments, a good hotel, and cattle fairs on the last Saturday of May and the first Tuesday of October. The present parish comprises the ancient parishes of Kilma. glass or Strachur to the NE and Kilmorrie or Stralachlan to the SW, which were disjoined from Dunoon, Lochgoilhead, and Inverchaolain in 1650. It is bounded NE and E by Lochgoilhead, S by Kilmun, Kilmodan, and Kilfinan, and NW by Loch Fyne. Its utmost length, from NE to SW, is 17¼ miles ; its breadth varies between 15/8 and 7 miles ; and its area is 622/3 square miles or 39,0833/10 acres, of which 24, 5421/3 belong to Strachur and 14,541 to Stralachlan, whilst 3663/5 are foreshore and 440 water. The coast, extending 18¾ miles south-westward along the eastern shore of Loch Fyne, from the neighbourhood of St Catherines Ferry to Largiemore, rises rapidly from the water's edge, which, except for 3 miles near Stralachlan church, is closely skirted by the road to Otter Ferry. It is slightly indented by Strachur, Newton, and Lachlan Bays, and between the two last projects its sole conspicuous headland, Barr nan Damh, 527 feet high. The river Cur, formed by two head-streams at an altitude of 380 feet, runs 6¾ miles south-westward and south-eastward to the head of fresh-water Loch Eck (61/8 miles x 3 furl. ; 67 feet), whose upper 21/8 miles belong to Strachur. The surface of Strachur is hilly everywhere, in places mountainous, chief elevations from N to S being Creag Dubh (1559 feet), Creagan an Eich (1068), Meall Reamhar (1364), *Ben Lochain (2306), Carnach Mor (2048), *Ben Bheula (2557), Ben Dubhain (2090), *Sgor Coinnich (2148), and Ben Bheag (2029), where asterisks mark those summits that culminate on the eastern border. In Stralachlan the highest point is Cruach nan Capull (1576 feet). Metamorphic rocks, chiefly mica slate and clay slate, predominate ; limestone has been worked ; and there are indications of coal and ironstone. The low grounds are disposed in two vales which bear the distinctive names of Strachur Strath and Strath-Laehlan. The former and larger, at the head of Lock Eck, consists of good alluvial soil, particularly along the banks of the Cur. ` Any kind of crop might be raised in such soil. There is good meadow ground for hay, but the river often overflows its banks in summer and autumn, doing much harm to the crops of hay and corn. Like many other rivers fed by mountain streams, it is very difficult to provide any remedy against the overflowing of its banks or the occasional changing of its course.' The hills afford excellent pasture for sheep and black cattle, and, though once heathy, are now to a great extent covered with rich soft verdure. Barely one-thirtieth of the entire area is in tillage ; nearly one-twentieth is under wood ; and all the remainder is pastoral or waste. Strachur Park, between Strachur village and Creggans, is the property of John Campbell, Esq. (b. 1847 ; suc. 1874), who holds 24, 593 acres in the shire, valued at £3287 per annum. Another mansion, noticed separately, is Castle-Lachlan. This parish is in the presbytery of Dunoon and the synod of Argyll ; the living is worth £205. Strachur church, at the village, was built in 1789, and contains 400 sittings ; and Stralachlan church, 6 miles to the SW, was built in 1792, and contains 150 sittings. There is a Free church of Strachur ; and three public schools - Poll, Strachur, and Stralachlan - with respective accommodation for 72, 80, and 76 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 23, 71, and 47, and grants of £36, 16s., £37, 14s., and £56, 2s. Valuation (1860) £4707, (1885) £7628. Pop. (1801) 1079, (1831) 1204, (1841) 1086, (1861) 872, (1871) 867, (1881) 932, of whom 623 were Gaelic-speaking, and 358 were in Stralachlan, 574 in Strachur.—Ord. Sur., shs. 37, 29, 1876-73.

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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