Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the l ...
within the
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
council area of Scotland. Located in the Black Water, a tributary of the River Conon, it is downstream from Rogie Falls and is connected to the village of
Contin
Contin ( Gaelic: Cunndainn) is a Ross-shire village, and a civil parish and community council area between Strathpeffer and Garve in the Highland council area of Scotland. The parish has a population of 675.
The island is flat and lies between two arms of the Black Water. It is wooded at the northern and southern ends and at the centre is the parish church of Contin, dedicated to St Maelrubha or Máel Ruba and the old manse, surrounded by farm land. There has probably been a church on this site since the 7th or 8th century and there is a reference to it in 1227. The present church building dates from 1490, the former church having been burned by the MacDonalds sometime between 1482 and 1488. It was repaired and altered around 1832. There are two stones in the churchyard dating to about 1200.
The church is constructed of rubble walls with a slate roof, and the 19th century reconstruction followed the design of William Thomson. It has arched doors, windows with lattice glazing and a birdcage
bell-cot
A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...
on the west gable.
The
manse
A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions.
Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from ''m ...
, constructed in 1794 and enlarged in the 19th century, is located to the south of the church. It is now a private dwelling.
Inhabitation
Although it is clear from photographic evidence that the island is inhabited, at least from time to time, it was not listed as such by the census in 2001. However, the manse is a full-time family home.General Register Office for Scotland (28 Nov 2003) Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands ''. Retrieved 26 Feb 2012.
See also
*
List of freshwater islands in Scotland
The freshwater islands in Scotland include those within freshwater lochs and rivers – including tidal areas, so the islands may not always be surrounded by freshwater. It has been estimated that there are at least 31,460 freshwater lochs in S ...
Gallery
File:Contin Church.jpg, Contin Church
File:Contin Manse.jpg, Contin Manse
File:Torr Achilty.jpg, The heights of Torr Achilty from Contin Island