152-586: Sutherland ( Scottish Gaelic : Cataibh ) is a historic county , registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Viking era when the area was ruled by the Jarl of Orkney ; although Sutherland includes some of the northernmost land on the island of Great Britain , it was called Suðrland ("southern land") from the standpoint of Orkney and Caithness . From
304-442: A 19% fall in bilingual speakers between the 1911 and 1921 Censuses. Michelle MacLeod of Aberdeen University has said that there was no other period with such a high fall in the number of monolingual Gaelic speakers: "Gaelic speakers became increasingly the exception from that point forward with bilingualism replacing monolingualism as the norm for Gaelic speakers." The Linguistic Survey of Scotland (1949–1997) surveyed both
456-564: A Pictish substrate. In 1018, after the conquest of Lothian (theretofore part of England and inhabited predominantly by speakers of Northumbrian Old English ) by the Kingdom of Scotland , Gaelic reached its social, cultural, political, and geographic zenith. Colloquial speech in Scotland had been developing independently of that in Ireland since the eighth century. For the first time,
608-524: A central feature of court life there. The semi-independent Lordship of the Isles in the Hebrides and western coastal mainland remained thoroughly Gaelic since the language's recovery there in the 12th century, providing a political foundation for cultural prestige down to the end of the 15th century. By the mid-14th century what eventually came to be called Scots (at that time termed Inglis ) emerged as
760-823: A challenge to revitalization efforts which occur outside the home. Positive engagements between language learners and native speakers of Gaelic through mentorship has proven to be productive in socializing new learners into fluency. In the 2022 census, 3,551 people claimed Gaelic as their 'main language.' Of these, 1,761 (49.6%) were in Na h-Eileanan Siar, 682 (19.2%) were in Highland, 369 were in Glasgow City and 120 were in City of Edinburgh; no other council area had as many as 80 such respondents. Gaelic has long suffered from its lack of use in educational and administrative contexts and
912-579: A coast onto the Moray Firth . Ross's main towns are Dingwall (which was the county town of Ross-shire), Cromarty , Fortrose , Invergordon and Tain , all of which lie on its eastern coast. Cromarty and Fortrose are on the Black Isle peninsula. Ross gave its name to the medieval Diocese of Ross , which was based at Fortrose Cathedral . The name Ross is still used by the Church of Scotland for
1064-513: A county council, which had its main offices in the village of Golspie . Sutherland has a coast to the east onto the Moray Firth and a coast to the north-west onto the Atlantic Ocean . Much of the county is mountainous, and the western and northern coasts include many high sea cliffs . There are four national scenic areas wholly or partly in the county: Assynt-Coigach , North West Sutherland , Kyle of Tongue and Dornoch Firth , with
1216-551: A dialect known as Canadian Gaelic has been spoken in Canada since the 18th century. In the 2021 census , 2,170 Canadian residents claimed knowledge of Scottish Gaelic, a decline from 3,980 speakers in the 2016 census . There exists a particular concentration of speakers in Nova Scotia , with historic communities in other parts of Canada having largely disappeared. Scottish Gaelic is classed as an indigenous language under
1368-489: A full range of language skills: speaking, understanding, reading and writing Gaelic. 40.2% of Scotland's Gaelic speakers said that they used Gaelic at home. To put this in context, the most common language spoken at home in Scotland after English and Scots is Polish, with about 1.1% of the population, or 54,000 people. The 2011 UK Census showed a total of 57,375 Gaelic speakers in Scotland (1.1% of population over three years old), of whom only 32,400 could also read and write
1520-586: A language ideology at odds with revitalization efforts on behalf of new speakers, state policies (such as the Gaelic Language Act), and family members reclaiming their lost mother tongue. New learners of Gaelic often have a positive affective stance to their language learning, and connect this learning journey towards Gaelic language revitalization. The mismatch of these language ideologies, and differences in affective stance, has led to fewer speaking opportunities for adult language learners and therefore
1672-456: A light sandy gravel to a rich deep loam . As of 1911, among grain crops oats were most generally cultivated, but barley and wheat were also raised. Turnips and potatoes were the chief green crops . The higher land contains much good pasturage , with many sheep, blackfaced being the principal breed. Most of the horses, principally half-breds between the old garrons (hardy, serviceable, small animals) and Clydesdales , were maintained for
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#17327733006811824-656: A metre in width, effects a sheer drop of 110 m, and soon afterwards ends its course in Glen Elchaig. The falls are usually visited from Invershiel 11 km to the south-west. 12 miles south-east of Ullapool, on the estate of Braemore, are the Falls of Measach, formed by the Droma, a headstream of the River Broom. The cascades, three in number, are close to Corrieshalloch Gorge. The River Oykel, throughout its course, forms
1976-805: A national centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, based in Sleat , on the Isle of Skye . This institution is the only source for higher education which is conducted entirely in Scottish Gaelic. They offer courses for Gaelic learners from beginners into fluency. They also offer regular bachelors and graduate programs delivered entirely in Gaelic. Concerns have been raised around the fluency achieved by learners within these language programs because they are disconnected from vernacular speech communities. In regard to language revitalization planning efforts, many feel that
2128-602: A northwest–southeast direction; some of these are of great breadth. The Torridonian rocks are succeeded unconformably by a series of Cambrian strata confined to a variable but narrow belt west of the line of main thrusting. This belt of Cambrian rocks has suffered an enormous amount of subordinate thrusting. It is composed of the following subdivisions in ascending order: falsebedded quartzite, Pipe Rock quartzite, fucoid beds and Olenellus band, serpulite grit, Durness dolomite and marble , Durness dolomite and limestone : but these are not always visible at any one spot. So great has been
2280-535: A population of 13,451. The population peaked at just under 26,000 in the 1851 census, but has been in decline since then. The A9 road main east coast road is challenging north of Helmsdale, particularly at the notorious Berriedale Braes , and there are few inland roads. The Far North Line north-south single-track railway line was extended through Sutherland by the Highland Railway between 1868 and 1871. It enters Sutherland near Invershin and runs along
2432-549: A process of Gaelicisation (which may have begun generations earlier) was clearly under way during the reigns of Caustantín and his successors. By a certain point, probably during the 11th century, all the inhabitants of Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, and Pictish identity was forgotten. Bilingualism in Pictish and Gaelic, prior to the former's extinction, led to the presence of Pictish loanwords in Gaelic and syntactic influence which could be considered to constitute
2584-610: A proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 65% (the highest value is in Barvas , Lewis , with 64.1%). In addition, no civil parish on mainland Scotland has a proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 20% (the highest is in Ardnamurchan , Highland , with 19.3%). Out of a total of 871 civil parishes in Scotland, the proportion of Gaelic speakers exceeds 50% in seven parishes, 25% in 14 parishes, and 10% in 35 parishes. Decline in traditional areas has recently been balanced by growth in
2736-600: A representative body for their communities. The Highland Council designates community council areas, but a community council is only formed if there is sufficient interest from the residents. Following a review in 2019, Sutherland comprised the following communities, all of which have community councils as at 2024: The Sutherland constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom represented
2888-400: A single post. Although they shared a sheriff after 1748, Caithness and Sutherland remained legally separate counties, having their own commissioners of supply and, from 1794, their own lord lieutenants . The sheriff courts for Sutherland were held at Dornoch Castle until 1850, when they moved to the purpose-built Dornoch Sheriff Court , also known as 'County Buildings', which also served as
3040-536: A situation where new learners struggle to find opportunities to speak Gaelic with fluent speakers. Affect is the way people feel about something, or the emotional response to a particular situation or experience. For Gaelic speakers, there is a conditioned and socialized negative affect through a long history of negative Scottish media portrayal and public disrespect, state mandated restrictions on Gaelic usage, and highland clearances . This negative affect towards speaking openly with non-native Gaelic speakers has led to
3192-598: A smaller population than a medium-size Lowland Scottish town. It stretches from the Atlantic in the west, up to the Pentland Firth and across to the North Sea in the east. The west and north coasts have very high sea cliffs and deep sea lochs . The east coast contains the sea lochs of Loch Fleet and Dornoch Firth . Cape Wrath is the most north-westerly point in Scotland. Several peninsulas can be found along
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#17327733006813344-479: A southwest–northeast axis brings up the basal beds of the series about the mouth of Cromarty Firth and exposes once more the schists in The Sutors (The Sutors of Cromarty) guarding the entrance to the firth. The western boundary of the younger schist is formed by the great pre-Cambrian dislocation line that traverses the county in a fairly direct course from Elphin on the north by Ullapool to Glencarron. Most of
3496-625: A translation of the New Testament. In 1798, four tracts in Gaelic were published by the Society for Propagating the Gospel at Home, with 5,000 copies of each printed. Other publications followed, with a full Gaelic Bible in 1801. The influential and effective Gaelic Schools Society was founded in 1811. Their purpose was to teach Gaels to read the Bible in their own language. In the first quarter of
3648-520: A tribe called the Decantae occupying the area that would later become Easter Ross. It may be doubted whether the Romans ever effected even a temporary settlement in the area of the modern county. In Roman times, and for long afterwards, the land was occupied by Picts , who, in the 6th and 7th centuries, were converted to Christianity by followers of Saint Columba . Throughout the next three centuries
3800-471: A white background, arranged as an overlapping saltire and Nordic cross , representing combined Scottish and Norwegian heritage. A gold star representing the sun is formed where the lines intersect. In M. C. Beaton 's Hamish Macbeth mystery series, the fictional towns of Lochdubh and Strathbane are located in Sutherland. Rosamunde Pilcher 's last novel Winter Solstice is largely set in and around
3952-719: Is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family ) native to the Gaels of Scotland . As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as both Irish and Manx , developed out of Old Irish . It became a distinct spoken language sometime in the 13th century in the Middle Irish period, although a common literary language was shared by the Gaels of both Ireland and Scotland until well into
4104-490: Is a significant step forward for the recognition of Gaelic both at home and abroad and I look forward to addressing the council in Gaelic very soon. Seeing Gaelic spoken in such a forum raises the profile of the language as we drive forward our commitment to creating a new generation of Gaelic speakers in Scotland." Bilingual road signs, street names, business and advertisement signage (in both Gaelic and English) are gradually being introduced throughout Gaelic-speaking regions in
4256-456: Is an area of Scotland . It was first recorded in the tenth century as a province , at which time it was under Norwegian overlordship. It was claimed by the Scottish crown in 1098, and from the 12th century Ross was an earldom . From 1661 there was a county of Ross, also known as Ross-shire , covering most but not all of the province, in particular excluding Cromartyshire . Cromartyshire
4408-526: Is generally rural and sparsely populated. Sutherland was particularly affected by the Highland Clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the population has been in decline since the mid-19th century. As at 2011 the population of the county was 12,803, being less than half of the peak of 25,793 which was recorded in 1851. Only one town held burgh status, being Dornoch , where the county's courts were held. Between 1890 and 1975 Sutherland had
4560-411: Is no evidence that Gaelic was ever widely spoken. Many historians mark the reign of King Malcolm Canmore ( Malcolm III ) between 1058 and 1093 as the beginning of Gaelic's eclipse in Scotland. His wife Margaret of Wessex spoke no Gaelic, gave her children Anglo-Saxon rather than Gaelic names, and brought many English bishops, priests, and monastics to Scotland. When Malcolm and Margaret died in 1093,
4712-723: Is now Easter Ross ; the Munros the small tract around Ben Wyvis, including Dingwall; the Macleods Lewis , and, in the mainland, the district between Loch Maree and Loch Torridon; the Macdonalds of Glengarry, Coigach, and the district between Strome Ferry and Kyle of Lochalsh, and the Mackenzies the remainder. The shire of Inverness was further enlarged in the 15th century to take in the Outer Hebrides and some of
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4864-659: Is occupied by the younger highland schists or Dalradian series. These consist of quartzites , mica-schists, garnetiferous mica-schists and gneisses , all with a gentle inclination towards the southeast. On the eastern side of the county the Dalradian schists are covered unconformably by the Old Red Sandstone. The boundary runs southward from Edderton on Dornoch Firth, by Strathpeffer, to the neighborhood of Beauly. These rocks comprise red flags and sandstones , grey bituminous flags and shales . An anticlinal fold with
5016-633: Is poor relative to the rest of the UK, with few job opportunities beyond government-funded employment, agriculture and seasonal tourism. Further education is provided by North Highland College , part of the University of the Highlands and Islands , which has campuses in Dornoch. The inland landscape is rugged and very sparsely populated. Despite being Scotland's fifth-largest county in terms of area, it has
5168-561: Is recognised by the fact that four of Scotland's forty national scenic areas (NSAs) are located here. The purpose of the NSA designation is to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development. The areas protected by the designation are considered to represent the type of scenic beauty "popularly associated with Scotland and for which it is renowned". The four NSAs within Sutherland are: Sutherland includes numerous small islands, generally lying close to
5320-605: Is under 1,000 ft (300 m) in height. Easter Ross and the peninsula of the Black Isle are comparatively level. The longest stream of the mainland portion of Ross and Cromarty is the River Orrin, which rises from the slopes of An Sidhean (2,671 ft or 814 m) and pursues a north-easterly course to its confluence with the River Conon after a run of about 26 mi (42 km), a small part of which forms
5472-469: The Atlantic (western) coastline—which has a length of nearly 311 miles (501 kilometres)—the principal sea lochs and bays, from south to north, are Loch Duich , Loch Alsh , Loch Carron, Loch Kishorn, Loch Torridon , Loch Shieldaig, Upper Loch Torridon, Gair Loch , Loch Ewe , Gruinard Bay , Loch Broom and Enard Bay. The chief capes include Tarbat Ness on the east coast, and Coigach, Greenstone Point, Rubha Reidh, Redpoint and Hamha Point on
5624-548: The Clach a' Charridh , or Stone of Lamentation - stands at Shandwick . It is about 10 feet (3 m) high and contains representations of the martyrdom of St Andrew and figures of an elephant and dog. It fell during a storm in 1847 and was broken into three pieces, two of which were joined back together and re-erected; it is now preserved in a glass pavilion. On the top of the cross in Nigg churchyard are two figures with outstretched arms in
5776-837: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages , which the UK Government has ratified, and the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 established a language-development body, Bòrd na Gàidhlig . The Scottish Parliament is considering a Scottish Languages Bill which proposes to give the Gaelic and Scots languages official status in Scotland. Aside from "Scottish Gaelic", the language may also be referred to simply as "Gaelic", pronounced / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ k / GAL -ik in English . However, "Gaelic" / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik also refers to
5928-608: The Inner Hebrides (notably Skye ) when the Lordship of the Isles was fully absorbed into the kingdom of Scotland. An act of parliament in 1504 acknowledged that the shire of Inverness was too big for the effective administration of justice, and so declared Ross and Caithness to be separate shires. In the event, that act was not put into effect as far as Ross was concerned. A subsequent act in 1661 finally separated Ross from Inverness-shire. The new shire of Ross also included
6080-492: The Outer Hebrides , accommodation ethics exist amongst native or local Gaelic speakers when engaging with new learners or non-locals. Accommodation ethics, or ethics of accommodation, is a social practice where local or native speakers of Gaelic shift to speaking English when in the presence of non-Gaelic speakers out of a sense of courtesy or politeness. This accommodation ethic persists even in situations where new learners attempt to speak Gaelic with native speakers. This creates
6232-584: The Presbytery of Ross . The name Ross may derive from a Gaelic word meaning "headland", perhaps a reference to the Black Isle . Another possible origin is the West Norse word for Orkney – Hrossey – meaning horse island . Excavations of a rock shelter and shell midden at Sand, Applecross on the coast of Wester Ross have shown that the coast was occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Ptolemy 's 2nd century Geography lists
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6384-695: The River Oykel . The Scottish crown claimed the overlordship of the Caithness and Sutherland area from Norway in 1098. The Earls of Orkney thereafter owed allegiance to the Scottish crown for their territory on the mainland, which they held as the Mormaer of Caithness , but owed allegiance to the Norwegian crown for Orkney. The Diocese of Caithness was established in the 12th century. The bishop's seat
6536-688: The Scottish Lowlands . Between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, the number of Gaelic speakers rose in nineteen of the country's 32 council areas. The largest absolute gains were in Aberdeenshire (+526), North Lanarkshire (+305), the Aberdeen City council area (+216), and East Ayrshire (+208). The largest relative gains were in Aberdeenshire (+0.19%), East Ayrshire (+0.18%), Moray (+0.16%), and Orkney (+0.13%). In 2018,
6688-786: The significant increase in pupils in Gaelic-medium education since that time is unknown. Gaelic Medium Education is one of the primary ways that the Scottish Government is addressing Gaelic language shift. Along with the Bòrd na Gàidhlig policies, preschool and daycare environments are also being used to create more opportunities for intergenerational language transmission in the Outer Hebrides. However, revitalization efforts are not unified within Scotland or Nova Scotia, Canada. One can attend Sabhal Mòr Ostaig ,
6840-473: The 10th century, with the boundary between them generally following the River Beauly . The Scottish crown claimed the overlordship of Ross and neighbouring Caithness (which then included Sutherland ) from Norway in 1098, but the process of establishing effective Scottish authority over the area took many years. Whereas Moray to the south was divided into shires (areas administered by a sheriff ) during
6992-492: The 12th century, Ross and Caithness at that time were placed under the nominal jurisdiction of the Sheriff of Inverness (one of the three sheriffdoms created covering the province of Moray) rather than being given their own sheriffs. By the mid-13th century there were sheriffs at Cromarty and Dingwall, both within the province of Ross, but each appears to have had only a small area of jurisdiction around those towns, rather than
7144-413: The 12th century. An act of parliament in 1504 acknowledged that the shire of Inverness was too big for the effective administration of justice, and so declared Ross and Caithness to be separate shires. The boundary used for the shire of Caithness created in 1504 was the diocese of Caithness, which included Sutherland. The Sheriff of Caithness was directed to hold courts at either Dornoch or Wick . That act
7296-528: The 13th century, Sutherland was a provincial lordship , being an earldom controlled by the Earl of Sutherland . The earldom just covered the south-eastern part of the later county. A shire called Sutherland was created in 1633, covering the earldom of Sutherland and the neighbouring provinces of Assynt to the west and Strathnaver to the north. Shires gradually eclipsed the old provinces in administrative importance, and also become known as counties. The county
7448-421: The 17th century. Most of modern Scotland was once Gaelic-speaking, as evidenced especially by Gaelic-language place names. In the 2011 census of Scotland , 57,375 people (1.1% of the Scottish population aged over three years old) reported being able to speak Gaelic, 1,275 fewer than in 2001. The highest percentages of Gaelic speakers were in the Outer Hebrides . Nevertheless, there is a language revival , and
7600-544: The 19th century, the SSPCK (despite their anti-Gaelic attitude in prior years) and the British and Foreign Bible Society distributed 60,000 Gaelic Bibles and 80,000 New Testaments. It is estimated that this overall schooling and publishing effort gave about 300,000 people in the Highlands some basic literacy. Very few European languages have made the transition to a modern literary language without an early modern translation of
7752-404: The 2011 Census. The 2011 total population figure comes from table KS101SC. The numbers of Gaelic speakers relate to the numbers aged 3 and over, and the percentages are calculated using those and the number of the total population aged 3 and over. Across the whole of Scotland, the 2011 census showed that 25,000 people (0.49% of the population) used Gaelic at home. Of these, 63.3% said that they had
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#17327733006817904-476: The 4th Earl of Ross , was present with his clan at the Battle of Bannockburn (1314), and almost a century later (1412) the castle of Dingwall, the chief seat on the mainland of Donald, Lord of the Isles , was captured by Donald just before the battle of Harlaw in Aberdeenshire , which Donald fought because the ambitious Stewarts, governing in the absence of James I, rejected his wife Mariota's rightful claim to
8056-407: The 4th–5th centuries CE, by settlers from Ireland who founded the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata on Scotland's west coast in present-day Argyll . An alternative view has been voiced by archaeologist Ewan Campbell , who has argued that the putative migration or takeover is not reflected in archaeological or placename data (as pointed out earlier by Leslie Alcock ). Campbell has also questioned
8208-569: The Bible; the lack of a well known translation may have contributed to the decline of Scottish Gaelic. Counterintuitively, access to schooling in Gaelic increased knowledge of English. In 1829, the Gaelic Schools Society reported that parents were unconcerned about their children learning Gaelic, but were anxious to have them taught English. The SSPCK also found Highlanders to have significant prejudice against Gaelic. T. M. Devine attributes this to an association between English and
8360-516: The Conon pours over a series of cascades and rapids and then pursues a winding course of 12 mi (19 km), mainly eastward to the head of the Cromarty Firth. Situated above Glen Elchaig in the southwest of the region are the Falls of Glomach. The stream giving rise to them drains a series of small lochs on the northern flanks of Beinn Fhada (Ben Attow) and, in an almost unbroken sheet over
8512-546: The EU's institutions. The Scottish government had to pay for the translation from Gaelic to other European languages . The deal was received positively in Scotland; Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy said the move was a strong sign of the UK government's support for Gaelic. He said; "Allowing Gaelic speakers to communicate with European institutions in their mother tongue is a progressive step forward and one which should be welcomed". Culture Minister Mike Russell said; "this
8664-449: The English term 'county' came to be used interchangeably with the older term 'shire'. Following the Jacobite rising of 1745 , the government passed the Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746 , returning the appointment of sheriffs to the crown in those cases where they had become hereditary positions, as had been the case in Sutherland. From 1748 the government merged the positions of Sheriff of Sutherland and Sheriff of Caithness into
8816-401: The Fannich group contains six Munros, the highest being Sgurr Mor (3,645 ft or 1,111 m). The immense isolated bulk of Ben Wyvis (3,428 ft or 1,045 m), forms the most noteworthy feature in the north-east, and An Teallach (3,484 ft or 1,062 m) in the north-west appears equally conspicuous, though less solitary. Only a small fraction of the west and south of the area
8968-552: The Far North Bus company does provided scheduled services connecting Durness to Lairg (bus 806), and from Durness to Thurso via the towns of the north Sutherland coast (bus 803). There are no commercial airports in the county. There is a small general aviation airstrip south of Dornoch, the former RAF Dornoch, which sees little traffic. Parishes existed from medieval times. From 1845 to 1894 they had parish boards and from 1894 to 1930 they had parish councils. They have had no administrative functions since 1930, but continue to be used for
9120-484: The Forth–Clyde line and along the northeastern coastal plain as far north as Moray. Norman French completely displaced Gaelic at court. The establishment of royal burghs throughout the same area, particularly under David I , attracted large numbers of foreigners speaking Old English. This was the beginning of Gaelic's status as a predominantly rural language in Scotland. Clan chiefs in the northern and western parts of Scotland continued to support Gaelic bards who remained
9272-415: The Gaelic Act falls so far short of the status accorded to Welsh that one would be foolish or naïve to believe that any substantial change will occur in the fortunes of the language as a result of Bòrd na Gàidhlig 's efforts. On 10 December 2008, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , the Scottish Human Rights Commission had the UDHR translated into Gaelic for
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#17327733006819424-582: The Gaelic aristocracy rejected their anglicised sons and instead backed Malcolm's brother Domnall Bán ( Donald III ). Donald had spent 17 years in Gaelic Ireland and his power base was in the thoroughly Gaelic west of Scotland. He was the last Scottish monarch to be buried on Iona , the traditional burial place of the Gaelic Kings of Dàl Riada and the Kingdom of Alba. However, during the reigns of Malcolm Canmore's sons, Edgar, Alexander I and David I (their successive reigns lasting 1097–1153), Anglo-Norman names and practices spread throughout Scotland south of
9576-442: The Highland and Island region. In 1616, the Privy Council proclaimed that schools teaching in English should be established. Gaelic was seen, at this time, as one of the causes of the instability of the region. It was also associated with Catholicism. The Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (SSPCK) was founded in 1709. They met in 1716, immediately after the failed Jacobite rising of 1715 , to consider
9728-416: The Highlands and Islands, including Argyll. In many cases, this has simply meant re-adopting the traditional spelling of a name (such as Ràtagan or Loch Ailleart rather than the anglicised forms Ratagan or Lochailort respectively). Some monolingual Gaelic road signs, particularly direction signs, are used on the Outer Hebrides , where a majority of the population can have a working knowledge of
9880-426: The Inner Hebridean dialects of Tiree and Islay, and even a few native speakers from Western Highland areas including Wester Ross , northwest Sutherland , Lochaber and Argyll . Dialects on both sides of the Straits of Moyle (the North Channel ) linking Scottish Gaelic with Irish are now extinct, though native speakers were still to be found on the Mull of Kintyre , on Rathlin and in North East Ireland as late as
10032-410: The Irish language ( Gaeilge ) and the Manx language ( Gaelg ). Scottish Gaelic is distinct from Scots , the Middle English -derived language which had come to be spoken in most of the Lowlands of Scotland by the early modern era . Prior to the 15th century, this language was known as Inglis ("English") by its own speakers, with Gaelic being called Scottis ("Scottish"). Beginning in
10184-434: The Isles , who thus became the 11th Earl. In consequence, however, of the treason of John Macdonald, 4th and last Lord of the Isles and 12th Earl of Ross, the earldom was again vested in the crown (1476). Five years later James III bestowed it on his second son, James Stewart , whom he also created Duke of Ross in 1488. By the 16th century the whole area of the county was occupied by different clans . The Rosses held what
10336-421: The Sutherland district, after which the border between the Sutherland and Caithness districts followed the pre-1975 county boundary. As part of the 1975 reforms, the area served by the Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland was redefined to be the new district, having previously been the county. Sutherland District Council was based at the former county council's headquarters at the County Offices in Golspie. Throughout
10488-428: The UK Government as Welsh . With the advent of devolution , however, Scottish matters have begun to receive greater attention, and it achieved a degree of official recognition when the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act was enacted by the Scottish Parliament on 21 April 2005. The key provisions of the Act are: After its creation, Bòrd na Gàidhlig required a Gaelic Language Plan from the Scottish Government. This plan
10640-405: The US or Australia. The population has continued to decline since the mid-19th century. One effect of the clearances was that it concentrated Gaelic speakers in the newly created fishing villages, so extending the survival of the language in these communities. The area on Sutherland's east coast around Golspie, Brora and Embo had its own dialect, East Sutherland Gaelic . This was the last area on
10792-581: The Western Isles (−1,745), Argyll & Bute (−694), and Highland (−634). The drop in Stornoway , the largest parish in the Western Isles by population, was especially acute, from 57.5% of the population in 1991 to 43.4% in 2011. The only parish outside the Western Isles over 40% Gaelic-speaking is Kilmuir in Northern Skye at 46%. The islands in the Inner Hebrides with significant percentages of Gaelic speakers are Tiree (38.3%), Raasay (30.4%), Skye (29.4%), Lismore (26.9%), Colonsay (20.2%), and Islay (19.0%). Today, no civil parish in Scotland has
10944-707: The Western Isles. The Scottish Qualifications Authority offer two streams of Gaelic examination across all levels of the syllabus: Gaelic for learners (equivalent to the modern foreign languages syllabus) and Gaelic for native speakers (equivalent to the English syllabus). An Comunn Gàidhealach performs assessment of spoken Gaelic, resulting in the issue of a Bronze Card, Silver Card or Gold Card. Syllabus details are available on An Comunn's website. These are not widely recognised as qualifications, but are required for those taking part in certain competitions at
11096-482: The act of supplication; the dove descends between them, and below are two dogs. The cross was knocked down by the fall of the belfry in 1725, but has been riveted together. The third stone formerly stood at Hilton of Cadboll, but was removed for security to the grounds of Invergordon Castle. Among old castles are those of Loch Slin Castle , in the parish of Fearn , said to date from the 13th century; Ballone Castle , in
11248-547: The act; the county boundary was retained, but the part of Reay parish in Sutherland was transferred to the parish of Farr in 1891. Local government was reformed in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , which replaced Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts with a two-tier structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Sutherland became part of the Highland Region . At
11400-522: The age and reliability of the medieval historical sources speaking of a conquest. Instead, he has inferred that Argyll formed part of a common Q-Celtic -speaking area with Ireland, connected rather than divided by the sea, since the Iron Age. These arguments have been opposed by some scholars defending the early dating of the traditional accounts and arguing for other interpretations of the archaeological evidence. Regardless of how it came to be spoken in
11552-408: The annual mods . In October 2009, a new agreement allowed Scottish Gaelic to be formally used between Scottish Government ministers and European Union officials. The deal was signed by Britain's representative to the EU, Sir Kim Darroch , and the Scottish government . This did not give Scottish Gaelic official status in the EU but gave it the right to be a means of formal communications in
11704-502: The area as a whole. Much of the area that would become Sutherland was anciently part of the Pictish kingdom of Cat , which also included Caithness. It was conquered in the 9th century by Sigurd Eysteinsson , Jarl of Orkney. The Jarls owed allegiance to the Norwegian crown . It is possible that Sigurd may have taken Ross to the south as well, but by the time of his death in 892 the southern limit of his territory appears to have been
11856-491: The area of the pre-1996 district, despite the abolition of the district itself. The boundaries of the historic county (as it was following the 1891 boundary changes) are still used for some limited official purposes connected with land registration, being a registration county . The Highland Council has an area committee called the Sutherland County Committee, comprising the councillors representing
12008-492: The area under wood must have been remarkable, if we accept the common derivation of the word "Ross" as from the Old Irish ros , a wood, and there was until recent times a considerable extent of native woodland, principally pine , oak , ash and alder . The fauna was noteworthy. Red and roe deer abounded, and foxes and alpine hares were common, while badgers and wild cats were occasionally trapped. Winged game
12160-421: The area west of the line of disturbance is covered by Torridonian Sandstone , mainly dark reddish sandstones, grits and shales, resting unconformably on the ancient Lewisian gneiss with horizontal or slightly inclined bedding. The unconformity is well exposed on the shores of Gairloch, Loch Maree and Loch Torridon. These rocks, which attain a considerable thickness and are divisible into three sub-groups, build up
12312-402: The barony of Cromarty and wanted all his lands to be in the same shire. From 1747 onwards Ross-shire and Cromartyshire shared a sheriff, but the two counties remained separate, having their own Lord-lieutenants and Commissioners of Supply , until they were united into the single county of Ross and Cromarty in 1889. With all of Cromartyshire having been part of the medieval province of Ross,
12464-603: The bill be strengthened, a revised bill was published; the main alteration was that the guidance of the Bòrd is now statutory (rather than advisory). In the committee stages in the Scottish Parliament, there was much debate over whether Gaelic should be given 'equal validity' with English. Due to executive concerns about resourcing implications if this wording was used, the Education Committee settled on
12616-474: The boundary with Inverness-shire. At Aultgowrie the stream rushes through a narrow gorge where the drop is considerable enough to make the Falls of Orrin. The River Blackwater flows from mountains in Strathvaich southeast for 18 mi (29 km) until it joins the Conon, forming soon after it leaves Loch Garve the small but picturesque Falls of Rogie. Within a short distance of its exit from Loch Luichart
12768-480: The boundary with Sutherland. There are many freshwater lochs , the largest being Loch Maree . In the far north-west, 243 ft (74 m) above the sea, lies Loch Sionascaig, a loch of such irregularity of outline that it has a shore-line of 17 mi (27 km). It contains several wooded islands, and drains into Enard Bay by the River Polly. Lochan Fada (the long loch), 1,000 ft (300 m) above
12920-625: The census of pupils in Scotland showed 520 students in publicly funded schools had Gaelic as the main language at home, an increase of 5% from 497 in 2014. During the same period, Gaelic medium education in Scotland has grown, with 4,343 pupils (6.3 per 1000) being educated in a Gaelic-immersion environment in 2018, up from 3,583 pupils (5.3 per 1000) in 2014. Data collected in 2007–2008 indicated that even among pupils enrolled in Gaelic medium schools, 81% of primary students and 74% of secondary students report using English more often than Gaelic when speaking with their mothers at home. The effect on this of
13072-464: The centre of the area (8 miles long and between 1 ⁄ 2 –1 mi (0.8–1.6 km) wide), fringed with birches and having the shape of a crescent, the mountain-girt Loch Fannich (1 mi or 1.6 km wide); and the wild narrow Lochs Monar (4 mi or 6 km long) and Mullardoch (5 mi or 8 km long), on the Inverness-shire boundary. Of the straths or valleys,
13224-568: The cities and professors of Celtic from universities who sought to preserve the language. The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 provided universal education in Scotland, but completely ignored Gaelic in its plans. The mechanism for supporting Gaelic through the Education Codes issued by the Scottish Education Department were steadily used to overcome this omission, with many concessions in place by 1918. However,
13376-553: The coast of the mainland. None are now inhabited, although some formerly were, notably including Eilean Hoan in Loch Eriboll , Eilean nan Ròn off the north coast near Skerray , and Handa Island in Eddrachillis Bay . The parishes which make up the registration county (being the pre-1975 county) had a population of 12,803 at the 2011 census . The Sutherland lieutenancy area (additionally including Kincardine) had
13528-499: The concept of 'equal respect'. It is not clear what the legal force of this wording is. The Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament unanimously, with support from all sectors of the Scottish political spectrum, on 21 April 2005. Under the provisions of the Act, it will ultimately fall to BnG to secure the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland. Some commentators, such as Éamonn Ó Gribín (2006) argue that
13680-710: The council was held on 13 February 1890 at the County Buildings in Dornoch, but it was decided that a more accessible location was needed for the council's meetings. Although Dornoch was the county's only burgh , it was in the extreme south-eastern corner of the county and lay some seven miles from its then nearest railway station at The Mound . The council's first official meeting was held on 22 May 1890 at Bonar Bridge , and subsequent meetings were generally held in Lairg , with occasional meetings in other places, including Dornoch, Golspie, Brora and Lochinver . Although
13832-701: The county council generally met in Lairg, from its creation in 1890 the county council's clerk was based in Golspie, and in 1892 the council moved its main administrative offices to a new building on Main Street in Golspie called County Offices , initially sharing the building with the village post office. The 1889 Act also led to a review of boundaries, with parish and county boundaries being adjusted to eliminate cases where parishes straddled county boundaries. The parish of Reay had straddled Sutherland and Caithness prior to
13984-512: The county from 1708 to 1918. The constituency excluded the burgh of Dornoch , which was represented as a component of the Northern Burghs constituency. In 1918 the Sutherland constituency and Dornoch were merged into the then new constituency of Caithness and Sutherland . In 1997 Caithness and Sutherland was merged into Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross . The Scottish Parliament constituency of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
14136-499: The dialect of the Scottish Gaelic language, and also mixed use of English and Gaelic across the Highlands and Islands. Dialects of Lowland Gaelic have been defunct since the 18th century. Gaelic in the Eastern and Southern Scottish Highlands, although alive until the mid-20th century, is now largely defunct. Although modern Scottish Gaelic is dominated by the dialects of the Outer Hebrides and Isle of Skye, there remain some speakers of
14288-531: The district level, most of Sutherland was included in the Sutherland District . The differences between the post-1975 district and the pre-1975 county were that the district excluded the parishes of Farr and Tongue (which both went to the Caithness district), but included the parish of Kincardine from Ross and Cromarty. The transfer of Farr and Tongue to Caithness district was not popular; less than two years later, in 1977, they were transferred to
14440-432: The district's existence from 1975 to 1996, a majority of the seats were held by independent councillors. Further local government reforms in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the regions and districts created in 1975 abolished and replaced with single-tier council areas . The former Highland region became one of the new council areas. The Sutherland lieutenancy area continues to be defined as
14592-485: The disturbance in the region of thrusting that in some places, as in the neighborhood of Loch Kishorn and elsewhere, the rocks have been completely overturned and the ancient gneiss has been piled upon the Torridonian. On the shore of Moray Firth at Rathie a small patch of Kimeridge shale occurs, and beneath the cliffs of Shandwick there is a little Lower Oolite with a thin seam of coal. Glacial striae are found upon
14744-474: The earldom. After the battle, the people of Ross embraced Donald and Mariota as rightful rulers of the earldom notwithstanding the Duke of Albany (a Stewart) purporting to give it to his son. Donald died in 1423 and in 1424 the earldom reverted to the crown, but James I soon afterwards restored it to Mariota, wife of Donald Macdonald, and the heiress of the earldom. She was the mother of Alexander Macdonald, Lord of
14896-663: The east coast as far as possible, but an inland diversion was necessary from Helmsdale along the Strath of Kildonan . The line exits to the east of Forsinard . Helmsdale on the east coast is on the A9 road, at a junction with the A897, and has a railway station on the Far North Line. Buses operate about every two hours Mondays-Saturdays and infrequently on Sundays from Helmsdale to Brora , Golspie , Dornoch , Tain and Inverness in
15048-480: The east coast of Scotland where a Gaelic dialect was commonly spoken. Work by the linguist Nancy Dorian from the 1960s onwards studied the gradual decline of East Sutherland Gaelic. The last known native speaker of the dialect died in 2020. Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 , taking most of the functions of the commissioners of supply (which were eventually abolished in 1930). The first provisional meeting of
15200-413: The eastern district. A vitrified fort crowns the hill of Knockfarrel in the parish of Fodderty , and there is a circular dun near the village of Lochcarron . Some fine examples of sculptured stones occur, especially those that, according to tradition, mark the burial-place of the three sons of a Danish king who were shipwrecked off the coast of Nigg . The largest and handsomest of these three crosses -
15352-582: The entire region of modern-day Scotland was called Scotia in Latin, and Gaelic was the lingua Scotica . In southern Scotland , Gaelic was strong in Galloway , adjoining areas to the north and west, West Lothian , and parts of western Midlothian . It was spoken to a lesser degree in north Ayrshire , Renfrewshire , the Clyde Valley and eastern Dumfriesshire . In south-eastern Scotland, there
15504-514: The fictional Sutherland town of Creagan, located in the Sutherland town of Dornoch. The ship captained by Horatio Hornblower in C. S. Forester ’s book A Ship of the Line is called HMS Sutherland . The short story " Monarch of the Glen " by Neil Gaiman is set in Sutherland, and includes a discussion on the origin of the name. It is still common to refer to the entire Gaelic-speaking world with
15656-487: The first three of these lying along the western and northern coasts. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975, when the area became part of the Highland region, which in turn became a single-tier council area in 1996. There was a local government district called Sutherland from 1975 to 1996, which was a lower-tier district within the Highland region, covering a similar but not identical area to
15808-560: The first time. However, given there are no longer any monolingual Gaelic speakers, following an appeal in the court case of Taylor v Haughney (1982), involving the status of Gaelic in judicial proceedings, the High Court ruled against a general right to use Gaelic in court proceedings. While the goal of the Gaelic Language Act was to aid in revitalization efforts through government mandated official language status,
15960-479: The initiatives must come from within Gaelic speaking communities, be led by Gaelic speakers, and be designed to serve and increase fluency within the vernacular communities as the first and most viable resistance to total language shift from Gaelic to English. Currently, language policies are focused on creating new language speakers through education, instead of focused on how to strengthen intergenerational transmission within existing Gaelic speaking communities. In
16112-502: The language. Compared with the 2001 Census, there has been a diminution of about 1300 people. This is the smallest drop between censuses since the Gaelic-language question was first asked in 1881. The Scottish government's language minister and Bòrd na Gàidhlig took this as evidence that Gaelic's long decline has slowed. The main stronghold of the language continues to be the Outer Hebrides ( Na h-Eileanan Siar ), where
16264-494: The language. These omit the English translation entirely. Bilingual railway station signs are now more frequent than they used to be. Practically all the stations in the Highland area use both English and Gaelic, and the use of bilingual station signs has become more frequent in the Lowlands of Scotland, including areas where Gaelic has not been spoken for a long time. Ross, Scotland Ross ( Scottish Gaelic : Ros )
16416-427: The larger territories usually given to sheriffs. The Sheriff of Inverness was therefore still responsible for most of Ross and Caithness. The position of Sheriff of Dingwall did not endure. The Diocese of Ross was in existence by the mid-12th century, and by the 13th century it was based at Fortrose Cathedral . The title of Mormaer or Earl of Ross was created several times from the mid-12th century. William,
16568-455: The largest scale clearances that occurred in the Highlands, much of this being carried out in 1812, 1814 and 1819–20. In this last period (the largest of the three listed), 1,068 families were evicted: representing an estimated 5,400 people. This population was provided with resettlement in coastal areas, with employment available in fishing or other industries. However, many instead moved to farms in Caithness or left Scotland to emigrate to Canada,
16720-532: The late 15th century, it became increasingly common for such speakers to refer to Scottish Gaelic as Erse ("Irish") and the Lowland vernacular as Scottis . Today, Scottish Gaelic is recognised as a separate language from Irish, so the word Erse in reference to Scottish Gaelic is no longer used. Based on medieval traditional accounts and the apparent evidence from linguistic geography, Gaelic has been commonly believed to have been brought to Scotland, in
16872-746: The mainland is 1,572,332 acres (636,300 hectares). On the North Sea (eastern) side of the county the major firths are the Beauly Firth and the (Inner) Moray Firth , which separate the Black Isle from Inverness-shire ; the Cromarty Firth , which bounds the districts of Easter Ross and the Black Isle; the Moray Firth, separating Easter Ross from Nairnshire ; and the Dornoch Firth , dividing north-east Ross from Sutherland. On
17024-485: The meeting place for the Sutherland Commissioners of Supply. Sutherland, like other parts of the Highlands, was affected by the Highland Clearances , the eviction of tenants from their homes and/or associated farmland in the 18th and 19th centuries century by the landowners. Typically, this was to make way for large sheep farms. The Sutherland Estate (consisting of about two thirds of the county) had
17176-459: The members of Highland school boards tended to have anti-Gaelic attitudes and served as an obstacle to Gaelic education in the late 19th and early 20th century. Loss of life due to World War I and the 1919 sinking of the HMY Iolaire , combined with emigration, resulted in the 1910s seeing unprecedented damage to the use of Scottish Gaelic, with a 46% fall in monolingual speakers and
17328-734: The mid-20th century. Records of their speech show that Irish and Scottish Gaelic existed in a dialect chain with no clear language boundary. Some features of moribund dialects have been preserved in Nova Scotia, including the pronunciation of the broad or velarised l ( l̪ˠ ) as [w] , as in the Lochaber dialect. The Endangered Languages Project lists Gaelic's status as "threatened", with "20,000 to 30,000 active users". UNESCO classifies Gaelic as " definitely endangered ". The 1755–2001 figures are census data quoted by MacAulay. The 2011 Gaelic speakers figures come from table KS206SC of
17480-532: The modern era. Some of this was driven by policy decisions by government or other organisations, while some originated from social changes. In the last quarter of the 20th century, efforts began to encourage use of the language. The Statutes of Iona , enacted by James VI in 1609, was one piece of legislation that addressed, among other things, the Gaelic language. It required the heirs of clan chiefs to be educated in lowland, Protestant, English-speaking schools. James VI took several such measures to impose his rule on
17632-625: The more important run from the centre eastwards, such as Strathconon, Strathbran, Strathgarve, Strathpeffer and Strathcarron . Excepting Glen Orrin, in the east central district, the longer glens lie in the south and towards the west. In the extreme south Glen Shiel runs between five mountains (the Five Sisters of Kintail ) to its mouth on Loch Duich. The A87 passes down the glen. Further north lie Glen Elchaig, Glen Carron, and Glen Torridon. The railway from Dingwall runs through Glen Carron to Kyle of Lochalsh . The central portion of this county
17784-470: The most northerly Munro , and Ben More Assynt , the tallest peak in the county at 998 m (3,274 ft). The western part comprises Torridonian sandstone underlain by Lewisian gneiss . The spectacular scenery has been created by denudation to form isolated sandstone peaks such as Foinaven , Arkle , Cùl Mòr and Suilven . Such mountains are attractive for hill walking and scrambling , despite their remote location. Together with similar peaks to
17936-420: The mountain districts of Applecross, Coigach and elsewhere. Within the Torridonian tract the older Lewisian gneiss occupies large areas north of Coigach, on the east of Enard Bay, between Gruinard Bay and Loch Maree. Between the last named and Gairloch, on both sides of middle Loch Torridon and at many other spots smaller patches appear. The Lewisian gneiss is everywhere penetrated by basic dikes , generally with
18088-519: The mountains up to heights of 3,300 ft (1,000 m), and much boulder clay is found in the valleys and spread over large areas in the eastern districts. Raised beaches occur at up to 108 ft (33 m) or so above the present sea-level; they are well seen in Loch Carron. The west coast has high rainfall: an annual average of 1,281 mm (50.42 in) at Loch Broom and 1,600 mm (62 in) at Strome Ferry (autumn and winter being
18240-471: The natives were continually harassed by Norwegian Viking raiders, of whose presence tokens have survived in several place-names ( Dingwall , Tain , and others). At this time the country formed part of the Province of Moray (Latin: Moravia ), which then extended as far as the Dornoch Firth and the River Oykel . The principal relics of antiquity - mainly stone circles , cairns and forts - appear in
18392-590: The new county of Ross and Cromarty covered broadly the same area as the old province of Ross, but with the addition of the Isle of Lewis. Ross lies south of Sutherland and the Dornoch Firth, west of the North Sea and the Moray Firth , north of the Beauly Firth and Inverness-shire and east of The Minch . There are also a number of small islands off the area's west coast, among which are: The area of
18544-501: The north and west coasts, most notably Strathy Point , A' Mhòine , Durness / Faraid Head (the latter two formed by the Kyle of Durness , Loch Eriboll and the Kyle of Tongue ), Ceathramh Garbh (formed by Loch Laxford and Loch Inchard), and Stoer Head . The county has numerous beaches, a remote example being Sandwood Bay , which can only be reached by foot along a rough track. Sutherland has many rugged mountains such as Ben Hope ,
18696-481: The northern Outer Hebrides, notably the Isle of Lewis , which was owned by Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth , a major landowner in Ross. The shire of Ross excluded the small area of Cromartyshire , which just covered the area around the town itself at that time. Apart from occasional conflicts between rival clans, the only battles in the county were at Invercarron , at the head of Dornoch Firth, when Montrose
18848-434: The number of speakers of the language under age 20 did not decrease between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. In the 2022 census of Scotland , it was found that 2.5% of the Scottish population had some skills in Gaelic, or 130,161 persons. Of these, 69,701 people reported speaking the language, with a further 46,404 people reporting that they understood the language, but did not speak, read, or write in it. Outside of Scotland,
19000-695: The official language of government and law. Scotland's emergent nationalism in the era following the conclusion of the Wars of Scottish Independence was organized using Scots as well. For example, the nation's great patriotic literature including John Barbour's The Brus (1375) and Blind Harry's The Wallace (before 1488) was written in Scots, not Gaelic. By the end of the 15th century, English/Scots speakers referred to Gaelic instead as 'Yrisch' or 'Erse', i.e. Irish and their own language as 'Scottis'. A steady shift away from Scottish Gaelic continued into and through
19152-459: The outcome of the act is distanced from the actual minority language communities. It helps to create visibility of the minority language in civil structures, but does not impact or address the lived experiences of the Gaelic speaker communities wherein the revitalization efforts may have a higher return of new Gaelic speakers. Efforts are being made to concentrate resources, language planning, and revitalization efforts towards vernacular communities in
19304-504: The overall proportion of speakers is 52.2%. Important pockets of the language also exist in the Highlands (5.4%) and in Argyll and Bute (4.0%) and Inverness (4.9%). The locality with the largest absolute number is Glasgow with 5,878 such persons, who make up over 10% of all of Scotland's Gaelic speakers. Gaelic continues to decline in its traditional heartland. Between 2001 and 2011, the absolute number of Gaelic speakers fell sharply in
19456-695: The parish of Tarbat, once a stronghold of the Earls of Ross; the remains of Dingwall Castle , their original seat; and Eilean Donan in Loch Alsh, which was blown up by British warships during the abortive Jacobite rising in 1719. Ross is first recorded as a territorial unit in a hagiography of the Scottish-born saint Cathróe of Metz , written in Metz shortly after the saint's death between 971 and 976. Ross appears to have been separated from Moray during
19608-410: The phrase "Ó Chataibh go Cléire" (from Sutherland to Cape Clear ) or "Ó Chataibh go Ciarraí" (from Sutherland to Kerry). Cléire and Ciarraí are Gaelic-speaking regions in the far south-west of Ireland. Scottish Gaelic language Scottish Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ k / , GAL -ik ; endonym : Gàidhlig [ˈkaːlɪkʲ] ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic ,
19760-432: The pre-1975 county. The pre-1975 county boundaries are still used for certain functions, being a registration county. The neighbouring counties prior to the 1975 reforms were Caithness to the north-east and Ross and Cromarty to the south. The Sutherland lieutenancy area was redefined in 1975 to be the local government district. The registration county and the lieutenancy area therefore have slightly different definitions;
19912-404: The presentation of statistics. Following the 1891 parish boundary changes, Sutherland contained the following civil parishes: Eddrachillis and Tongue were formerly part of Durness parish, being separated in 1724. The other eleven parishes are ancient in origin. Community councils were created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 . They have no statutory powers, but serve as
20064-466: The prosperity of employment: the Highland economy relied greatly on seasonal migrant workers travelling outside the Gàidhealtachd . In 1863, an observer sympathetic to Gaelic stated that "knowledge of English is indispensable to any poor islander who wishes to learn a trade or to earn his bread beyond the limits of his native Isle". Generally, rather than Gaelic speakers, it was Celtic societies in
20216-744: The purposes of agriculture. The herds of cattle, mainly native Highland or crosses, were large, many of them supplying the London market. Pigs were reared, though in smaller numbers than formerly, most generally by the crofters . As of 1911 about 800,000 acres (300,000 hectares) were devoted to deer forests, a greater area than in any other county in Scotland, among the largest being Achnashellach with 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares), Fannich with 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares), Kinlochluichart with 20,600 acres (8,340 hectares), Braemore with 40,000 acres (20,000 hectares), Inchbae with 21,000 acres (8,500 hectares) and Dundonnell with 23,000 acres (9,300 hectares). At one time
20368-460: The reform and civilisation of the Highlands, which they sought to achieve by teaching English and the Protestant religion. Initially, their teaching was entirely in English, but soon the impracticality of educating Gaelic-speaking children in this way gave rise to a modest concession: in 1723, teachers were allowed to translate English words in the Bible into Gaelic to aid comprehension, but there
20520-587: The region, Gaelic in Scotland was mostly confined to Dál Riata until the eighth century, when it began expanding into Pictish areas north of the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. During the reign of Caustantín mac Áeda (Constantine II, 900–943), outsiders began to refer to the region as the kingdom of Alba rather than as the kingdom of the Picts. However, though the Pictish language did not disappear suddenly,
20672-414: The registration county does not include Kincardine , but the lieutenancy area does. In Gaelic , the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich MhicAoidh (or Dùthaich 'IcAoidh ) (MacAoidh's country) in the north (also known in English as Mackay Country), Asainte ( Assynt ) in the west, and Cataibh in the east. Cataibh is also sometimes used to refer to
20824-594: The sea, is 4 mi (6 km) in length, and covers an area of 1,112 acres (450 ha), and is 42 fathoms (77 m) deep, with a mean depth of 17 fathoms (31 m). Once drained by the Muice (Allt na Muice), it has been tapped a little farther west by the Abhainn na Fhasaigh, which has lowered the level of the loch. Other lochs are Fionn Loch (the white or clear lake), 8 mi (13 km) long by 1 mi (2 km) wide, famous for its herons , Loch Luichart towards
20976-474: The south in Wester Ross , such as Stac Pollaidh , they have a unique structure with great scope for exploration. On the other hand, care is needed when bad weather occurs owing to their isolation and the risks of injury. The county contains numerous lochs , some of which have been enlarged to serve as reservoirs. The larger inland lochs are: Owing to its isolation from the rest of the country, Sutherland
21128-461: The south, and Berriedale, Dunbeath, Halkirk, Thurso and Scrabster in the north. These are on route X99 and are operated by Stagecoach Group , but tickets can be bought on the Citylink website. Various other Stagecoach buses link the other towns of eastern Sutherland, such as Lairg and Bonar Bridge to Tain and Inverness. The western areas of the county are less well served by public transport, however
21280-473: The wards which approximately cover the Sutherland area. The council also marks some of the historic county boundaries with road signs. Much of the population of approximately 13,000 inhabitants are situated in small coastal communities, such as Helmsdale and Lochinver , which until very recently made much of their living from the rich fishing of the waters around the British Isles . Much of Sutherland
21432-450: The west. Almost all the southern boundary with Inverness-shire consists of a rampart of peaks, many of them Munros : To the north of Glen Torridon are the masses of Liathach (3,455 ft or 1,053 m), Beinn Eighe (3,313 ft or 1,010 m), Beinn Alligin (3,235 ft or 986 m) and Beinn Dearg (2,998 ft or 914 m). On the northeastern shore of Loch Maree rises Slioch (3,219 ft or 981 m), while
21584-475: The wettest seasons), but on the east coast the annual average is only 690 mm (27 in). The average daily maximum temperature for the year is 8.1 °C (46.5 °F). Average daily maxima for January and July are 3 °C (38 °F) and 14 °C (57 °F) respectively. The most fertile tracts lie on the eastern coast, especially in Easter Ross and the Black Isle, where the soil varies from
21736-463: Was a hereditary one, held by the Earls of Sutherland. Over time, Scotland's shires became more significant than the old provinces, with more administrative functions being given to the sheriffs. In 1667 Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890. Following the Acts of Union in 1707,
21888-399: Was accepted in 2008, and some of its main commitments were: identity (signs, corporate identity); communications (reception, telephone, mailings, public meetings, complaint procedures); publications (PR and media, websites); staffing (language learning, training, recruitment). Following a consultation period, in which the government received many submissions, the majority of which asked that
22040-605: Was created in 1999 for the newly established parliament. The constituency was extended for the 2011 election to include more of Ross-shire , and was so renamed Caithness, Sutherland and Ross . In the Scottish Parliament , Sutherland is represented also as part of the Highlands and Islands electoral region . In 2018 a flag was adopted for Sutherland, following a competition organised by the Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland. The winning design has black lines on
22192-555: Was crushed by Colonel Archibald Strachan on 27 April 1650; and at Glenshiel , where the Jacobites , under the Earl of Seaforth , aided by Spaniards, were defeated by a force under the command of General Joseph Wightman on 10 June 1719. In the late 17th century, Cromartyshire was significantly enlarged to take over numerous separate tracts of land across Ross-shire. Despite many being some distance from Cromarty itself, they were owned by George Mackenzie, Viscount of Tarbat , who owned
22344-408: Was initially at Halkirk , but in the early 13th century was moved to Dornoch Cathedral , which was begun in 1224. Around the same time, a new earldom of Sutherland was created from the southern part of the old joint earldom of Orkney and Caithness. In terms of shires (areas where justice was administered by a sheriff ), the north of mainland Scotland was all included in the shire of Inverness from
22496-554: Was long suppressed. The UK government has ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Gaelic. Gaelic, along with Irish and Welsh, is designated under Part III of the Charter, which requires the UK Government to take a range of concrete measures in the fields of education, justice, public administration, broadcasting and culture. It has not received the same degree of official recognition from
22648-510: Was no further permitted use. Other less prominent schools worked in the Highlands at the same time, also teaching in English. This process of anglicisation paused when evangelical preachers arrived in the Highlands, convinced that people should be able to read religious texts in their own language. The first well known translation of the Bible into Scottish Gaelic was made in 1767, when James Stuart of Killin and Dugald Buchanan of Rannoch produced
22800-401: Was reputedly the last haunt of the native wolf , the last survivor being shot in the 18th century. However, other wildlife has survived, including the golden eagle , sea eagle and pine marten amongst other species which are very rare in the rest of the country. There are pockets of the native Scots Pine , remnants of the original Caledonian Forest . The importance of the county's scenery
22952-407: Was set aside for most purposes in 1509, and Caithness (including Sutherland) once more came under the sheriff of Inverness. In 1633 a new shire called Sutherland was created. It covered the earldom of Sutherland plus the provincial lordships of Strathnaver on the north coast and Assynt on the west coast. Dornoch was declared to be the head burgh of the new shire. The position of Sheriff of Sutherland
23104-534: Was subsequently merged with the county of Ross in 1889 to form the county of Ross and Cromarty . The area is now part of the Highland council area . The western and eastern parts of Ross are known as Wester Ross and Easter Ross . Wester Ross is sparsely populated, containing part of the Northwest Highlands mountains and having extensive sea lochs along its coast onto the Minch . Easter Ross has
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