Moidart ( ; ) is part of the remote and isolated area of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, west of
Fort William, known as the
Rough Bounds. Moidart itself is almost surrounded by bodies of water.
Loch Shiel
:''See Glen Shiel for the much smaller Loch Shiel in Lochalsh.''
Loch Shiel () is a freshwater loch situated west of Fort William, Highland, Fort William in the Highland (council area), Highland subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Scotla ...
cuts off the eastern boundary of the district (along a south-south-west to north-north-east line) and continues along part of the southern edge. The remainder of the southern edge is cut off by
Loch Moidart. The north is cut off by
Loch Morar
Loch Morar () is a freshwater loch in the Rough Bounds of Lochaber, Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland. It is the fifth-largest loch by surface area in Scotland, at , and the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles with a maximum ...
and
Loch Ailort.
Moidart is currently part of the district of
Lochaber
Lochaber ( ; ) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a distric ...
, in the
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...
council area. It includes the townships of
Dorlin,
Kinlochmoidart and
Glenuig. At Dorlin is
Castle Tioram, a former fortress of
Clann Ruaidhrí and the
Clanranald branch of
Clan Donald
Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald or Clan McDonald ( ), is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 and two of those chiefs a ...
.
Moidart forms part of the
Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan National Scenic Area
Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan is a National scenic area (Scotland), national scenic area (NSA) covering the coastal scenery of three peninsulas in the western Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland: Ardnamurchan, Moidart and Morar. It is one ...
, one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection by restricting certain forms of development.
History
Early history

Following raids by
vikings
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
, Moidart became part of the
Kingdom of the Isles
The Kingdom of the Isles, also known as Sodor, was a Norse–Gaelic kingdom comprising the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries. The islands were known in Old Norse as the , or "Southern I ...
, a Norwegian dependency. It was in this period that Moidart acquired its name, from the
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
''mod'', meaning ''mud'', and the Norse suffix ''-art'', derived from ''
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...
''; the whole name thus means ''muddy loch'', and refers to Loch Moidart in particular (whose name is thus
tautologous). In the late 11th century,
Malcolm III of Scotland
Malcolm III (; ; –13 November 1093) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Alba from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" (, , understood as "great chief"). Malcolm's long reign of 35 years preceded the beginning of the Scoto-Norma ...
made a written agreement with
Magnus Barelegs, the Norwegian king, which moved the border to the coast; Moidart thus became Scottish.
In the early 12th century,
Somerled
Somerled (died 1164), known in Middle Irish as Somairle, Somhairle, and Somhairlidh, and in Old Norse as Sumarliði , was a mid-12th-century Norse-Gaelic lord who, through marital alliance and military conquest, rose in prominence to create the ...
, a
Norse-Gael of uncertain origin, came into possession of Moidart and the surrounding region; no reliable record explains how this happened, but at some point in the 1140s,
David I of Scotland
David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Scottish Gaelic, Modern Gaelic: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th century ruler and saint who was David I as Prince of the Cumbrians, Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 112 ...
's control of the region had been eroded. In the early part of the century, in the 1130s, Somerled launched a coup in the Kingdom of the Isles, which resulted in that kingdom joining his other possessions, as a single independent state. Upon Somerled's death, Norwegian authority was restored, but in practice, the kingdom was divided; the portion containing Moidart was known as ''
Garmoran
Garmoran is an area of western Scotland. It lies at the south-western edge of the present Highland Region. It includes Knoydart, Morar, Moidart, Ardnamurchan, and the Small Isles.
History
The medieval lordship of Garmoran was ruled by the Mac ...
'', and ruled by the
MacRory, a faction among Somerled's heirs.

Following the 1266
Treaty of Perth, Garmoran became a Scottish crown dependency – the ''Lordship of Garmoran'' – still ruled by the MacRory, until the sole MacRory heir was
Amy of Garmoran. At around this time,
Castle Tioram was built, in Loch Moidart, as the principal seat of the Lordship of Garmoran. Most of the remainder of the Kingdom of the Isles had become the ''
Lordship of the Isles'', ruled by the
MacDonalds, whose leader,
John of Islay, married Amy. After the birth of three sons, he divorced Amy and married the king's niece, in return for a substantial
dowry
A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
.
As part of the arrangement, John deprived his eldest son,
Ranald, of the ability to inherit the Lordship of the Isles, in favour of a son by his new wife; as compensation, he made Ranald the Lord of Garmoran.
However, at the end of the 14th century, on Ranald's death, his sons were still children, and Ranald's younger brother Godfrey took the opportunity to seize the Lordship of Garmoran. Furthermore, the
heirs of Ranald's other brother Murdoch now made their own claim. This involved Godfrey's family (the
Siol Gorrie) and those of his brothers in a great deal of violent conflict which is not described in much detail in surviving records.

In 1427, frustrated with the level of violence generally in the highlands, together with the insurrection caused by
his own cousin, King
James I demanded that highland magnates should attend a meeting at
Inverness
Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
. On arrival, many of the leaders were seized and imprisoned. Alexander MacGorrie, son of Godfrey, was considered to be one of the two most reprehensible, and after a quick
showtrial, was immediately executed.
[, p. 65] As Alexander had by now inherited Godfrey's
de facto position as Lord of Garmoran, and in view of Ranald's heirs being no less responsible for the violence, King James declared the Lordship forfeit.
Lairdship grants

In 1469, James' grandson (
James III) granted
Laird
Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scotland, Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a Baronage of ...
ship of the lands of Garmoran and Uist to
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
, the Lord of the Isles. In turn, John passed it to his own half-brother,
Hugh of Sleat; the grant to Hugh was confirmed by
the king in a 1493 charter. The violence that led to Alexander's execution had brought the Siol Gorrie to the brink of extinction, and after Alexander's death they played no further part in Moidart's history.
Ranald's heirs (
Clan Ranald) disputed and fought against the charter. Following Hugh of Sleat's death, in 1498, and for reasons that are not remotely clear, his son John immediately resigned, transferring all authority to the king. In 1532, the king granted Moidart to the leader of Clan Ranald, John ''Moidartach''. The charter granting him the lands also acknowledged his ownership of the lands of his former uncle, ''Ranald Bane'', who had been granted the adjacent lands of
Arisaig some 30 years earlier.
In 1609, following a degree of lawlessness in the region, John's grandson Donald was imprisoned. Donald was only released on condition of being obedient to the king,
James VI
James may refer to:
People
* James (given name)
* James (surname)
* James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician
* James, brother of Jesus
* King James (disambiguation), various kings named James
* Prince Ja ...
, and the king's law; in return, James granted Donald a second charter to his lands.
Later history
The
Rough Bounds became a hotbed of
Jacobite sympathy. Following the failure of the
Jacobite rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...
, it was the last part of Scotland in which
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...
found sanctuary. Finally leaving Scotland from
Loch nan Uamh, he took seven prominent men with him, who despite their places of origin became known as the ''
Seven Men of Moidart'' (the Second Duke of Atholl, Aeneas MacDonald – brother of the local Laird, Francis Strickland – an aristocratic English
Recusant
Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation.
The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...
, George Kelly – Irish
Presbyterian minister, and three officers from the
French Royal Army's
Irish Brigade); a commemorative row of
beech
Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...
trees was planted a century later.
In an April 1787 letter from Moidart to the
Congregation for Propaganda in Rome, Fr. Austin MacDonald wrote, "On account of the emigration of the people of
Knoydart to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, along with their
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
; it fell to me in the autumn to attend to those who were left behind, and during the winter to the people of Moydart (sic) as well. Although not less than 600 Catholics went to
America
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, still I administered the
Sacrament
A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...
s to over 500 souls who remained. The overpopulation of these districts, together with the oppression of the landlords, are the principal causes of the departure of so many, not only among the Catholics, but also among the Protestants."
Unlike many other areas of Jacobite sympathy, no attempt was made to establish a
military road into Moidart, and it remained without road access until the
A861 was built, in 1966 (after receiving approval in 1963). Prior to that, other than a rough footpath, it could only be accessed by a ferry running between
Lochailort
Lochailort ( , ) is a hamlet in Scotland that lies at the head of Loch Ailort, a sea loch, on the junction of the Road to the Isles (A830 road, A830) between Fort William, Highland, Fort William and Mallaig with the A861 road, A861 towards Salen, ...
(at the north of Moidart) and
Glenuig (in the west). It wasn't until 1988 that it became possible for residents to have a connection to the mains electricity supply.
The remoteness ensured the persistence both of Catholicism, despite the
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation.
Fr ...
, and of the
Gaelic language. The area remained strongly Gaelic-speaking until the mid 20th century – in the 1881 census, around 90% of the population were able to speak Gaelic and over a third unable to speak English, though by 2001 the share of Gaelic speakers had declined to under 15% of habitual residents.
The lack of connectivity before the 1960s also made the area an ideal training location for special operational units during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Several
SOE paramilitary
A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.
Overview
Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
training bases were sited in the area, and HMS ''Dorlin'' was established at Dorlin, and used for training of
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
Beach Signals and
Royal Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...
sections.
Famous people
*
Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair
Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair (c. 1698–1770), legal name Alexander MacDonald, or, in Gaelic Alasdair MacDhòmhnaill, was a Scottish war poet, satirist, lexicographer, and memoirist.
He was born at Dalilea into the Noblesse, Scottish nobili ...
, 18th century
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
poet and
Jacobite
*
Fergie MacDonald was raised in the area.
References
Sources
* Rev. Charles Macdonald, ''Moidart, or among the Clanranalds'' (1889)
{{Coord, 56.820, -5.696, display=title, region:GB_scale:100000
Lochaber
National scenic areas of Scotland