Urray () is a scattered village and coastal parish, consisting of Easter, Old and Wester Urray and is located in the county of

Ross Ross may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ross (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan Places Antarctica * Ross Sea ...

in the

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

council area of the Highland. Urray is also a parish in the district of Wester

Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty (), is an area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. In modern usage, it is a registration county and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. Between 1889 and 1975 it was a Shires of Scotland, county. Historical ...

. It comprises the

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Carnoch and Kinlochlychart, with the ancient parish of Kilchrist. Urray is located 2 miles northwest of

Muir of Ord Muir of Ord () is a village in Easter Ross, in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It is situated near the western end of the Black Isle, about west of the city of Inverness and south of Dingwall. The village had a p ...

and 1.5 miles east of

Marybank Marybank is a small village in Ross-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The village of Muir of Ord lies south east of Marybank, along the A832 road. The village of Contin Contin ( Gaelic: Cunndainn) ...

. The closest town is

Dingwall Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...

to the north-east. The ruined

Fairburn Tower Fairburn Tower is a recently Restoration of castles in Scotland, restored Scottish castle near Inverness and Muir of Ord in the parish of Urray. The tower house on a hill above the River Orrin is believed to have been built in 1545 for Murdo Ma ...

was a castle of the

Clan Mackenzie Clan Mackenzie ( ) is a Highland Scottish clan associated with Kintail and Ross-shire. Its chiefs trace their lineage to the 12th century, though the earliest recorded chief is Alexander Mackenzie of Kintail, who died after 1471. The clan suppo ...

. During the war, the

Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit The Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit (NOFU) was a civilian unit composed of skilled forestry workers who came from Newfoundland to Scotland to support the war effort during the Second World War. It was formed on 17th November 1939 and was disb ...

had a sawmill and camp named Fairburn nearby, at Aultgowrie. A NOFU member who died during his time in Scotland is buried at Urray Cemetery.

Churches

A church dedicated to St Constantine existed since medieval times and was under the control of

Fortrose Cathedral Fortrose Cathedral was the Cathedral, episcopal seat (''cathedra'') of the Christianity in medieval Scotland, medieval Scottish Diocese of Ross (Scotland), diocese of Ross in the Highland region of Scotland near the city of Inverness. It is prob ...

. As with many Highland parishes Urray gravitated to the Free Church of Scotland after the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of Sc ...

. These links provided three Moderators of the General Assembly for the Free Church (see below). The Church of Scotland parish churchyard remains the main place of burial for the parish. The Free Church serves the wider parish of

Notable people

* Very Rev Patrick Grant

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...

in 1778 *Rev Archibald Donald Cameron,

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...

of the Free Church of Scotland 1928/29 was born and raised in Urray * Rev Roderick Finlayson, minister of Urray, was

of the Free Church of Scotland 1945/6Herald (Scottish newspaper) 21 Feb 1989 * Very Rev John Macleod Moderator of the Free Church in 1918 *

Duncan Mackenzie Duncan Mackenzie (17 May 1861 – 25 August 1934) was a Scottish archaeologist who assisted Arthur Evans in his excavations of the Minoan palace at Knossos. Early biography Duncan MacKenzie was born on 17 May 1861 in the small Gaelic-spea ...

, archaeologist, from nearby Aultgowrie

References

{{reflist Populated places in Ross and Cromarty Parishes in Ross and Cromarty