Kilcalmonell and Kilberry, a united coast parish in Kintyre and Knapdale, Argyllshire, containing the village of Clachan and the greater part of the small seaport town of Tarbert, each with a post and telegraph office under Greenock. It is bounded N by South Knapdale, E by Loch Fyne and by Saddell and Skipness, S by Killean and Kilchenzie, and W by the Atlantic Ocean. Its greatest length, from NE to SW, is 14 miles; its breadth varies between 2 3/8 and 5 miles; and its area is 51,183 ½ acres, of which 837 are foreshore and 680 water. West Loch Tarbert, striking 10 miles north-north-eastward, intersects the interior, and divides Kilcalmonell from Kilberry. The W coast of the Knapdale or Kilberry section presents a bold front to the billows of the Atlantic, and is indented towards the southern extremity by small Loch Stornoway, between which bay and Loch Tarbert it terminates in the headland of Ardpatrick (265 feet). The Kintyre coast is lower and more uniform, comprising a largish aggregate of sandy shore, and including several small fishing hamlets and harbours, from which boats go out to the herring fishery. Of twelve or thirteen fresh-water lakes dotted over Kilcalmonell, the largest are Lochs Ciaran (8 ¾ x 3 ½ furl.; 353 feet) and Garasdale (4 ¼ x 3 ½ furl.; 404 feet), and both are well stocked with trout. The surface is hilly but nowhere mountainous, chief elevations from N to S being Cruach an t-Sorchain (1125 feet), Cnoc a' Bhaileshios (1383), Cruach nam Fiadh (882), Creag Loisgte (650), and Cruach McGougaiu (813). Limestone occurs, and sea-weed is plentiful. A few of the larger farms are very well cultivated, and potatoes form the staple article of farm produce; but cattle and sheep grazing is much more important than husbandry. Cairns are numerous; remains exist of the chain of forts that formerly defended the communication between Kintyre and Knapdale; and other antiquities, treated in special articles, are the forts of Dunskeig and the ruins of Tarbert Castle. James Colquhoun Campbell, D.D., Bishop of Bangor, was born at Stonefield in 1813. The principal mansions are Ardpatrick, Ballinakill, Dunmore, Kilberry, Ronachan, and Achglashach; and 7 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 2 of between £100 and £500, 7 of from £50 to £100, and 9 of from £20 to £50. Giving off a portion to the quoad sacra parish of Tarbert, this parish is in the presbytery of Kintyre and synod of Argyll; the living is worth is £255. There are two churches, served alternately by the minister - Kilcalmonell (1760; 600 sittings) and Kilberry (1821; 700 sittings). There are also Free churches of Kilcalmonell (at Tarbert) and of Kilberry and South Knapdale; and four public schools Clachan, Dunmore, Kilberry, and Whitehouse - with respective accommodation for 95, 50, 60, and 68 children, had (1881) an average attendance of 43, 36, 24, and 49, and grants of £50, £32, 9s., £29, 12s., and £58, 7s. 6d. Valuation (1860) £9913, (1883) £14, 365, 13s. 7d. Pop. (1801) 2952, (1831) 3488, (1861) 2312, (1871) 2237, (1881) 2304, of whom 1616 were Gaelic-speaking, and 1043 were in the ecclesiastical parish.—Ord. Sur., shs. 20, 29, 28, 1873-83.
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
