Aberchalder
Encyclopedia
Aberchalder is a small village on the north shore of Loch Oich
in Highland region and is in the Scottish
council area of Highland. Scotland. It lies on the A82 road
and is situated in two parishes, Boleskine and Kilmonivaig
. Fort Augustus
is within 5 mi (8 km).
", while the suffix Chalder translates to "of the calder". Calder itself is a corruption of Coille Dur with Coille meaning "of the wood" and Dur used as an obsolete Gaelic term for "water".
. On August 27, 1745, the MacDonnell of Glencoe's and Glengarry's Regiment joined the Scottish Jacobite Army at Aberchalder. In 1812, residents of Aberchalder produced a petition which led to the building of a road connecting the eastern part of the Loch Oich to Loch Hourn
.
A swing bridge is located in the area, the Caledonian Canal
and locks (Cullochy Lock), built upon rocks. The locks were afforded to allow a depth of over 20 feet over its upper-gate sills. The canal flooded during the great floods of November 1834, rising some 27 feet and 3 inches above the upper-gate sills. Immediately before entering the loch, the Aberchalder Burn, a rapid mountain torrent, empties itself into the canal. Despite extensive work on the canal with cement in the summer of 1839, in 1849, further floods washed away the old bridge at Aberchalder, which subsequently led to a dredging of the canal. The bridge was rebuilt about five years later and designed by James Dredge, a brewer turned civil engineer from Bath. In 1932, another bridge was built to accommodate traffic.
The village was once served by the Aberchalder railway station
. It was opened by the Highland Railway
(Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway
) and became part of the North British Railway
, joining the London and North Eastern Railway
during the Grouping
of 1923. The line closed in 1935.
Aberchalder gives its name to the 16,000 acre (65 km²) Aberchalder Estate and the Aberchalder Lodge
which is rented out or leased as a self-catering holiday property through Scottish Letting Agents Ecosse Unique.
(Leitir Fearn), and Mullach a'Ghlinne (1734 ft). The three smaller rivers include Allt na Criche, Coachan a'Bhrudhaiste, and Fairies' Burn (Allt nan Sithean). Calder Burn, namesake of the town, is a river that runs through the district's wood for almost its entire length. Bealach Strep is a steep pass south of Laggan. Field of the Shirts (Blar na Leine) was the site of a 1543 feud between the Clan Ranald of Moydert and the Frasers. Maiden's Leap (Ceum na Nighean) is a rock, difficult to pass, that lies on the road between Aberchalder and Laggan. Coille Shlugan is a wood and Dalruary (Dal ruairdh) is a field. Shian (Dubh Sithean) is a knoll, specifically the black fairies' knoll, the fairies having been worshipped by the ancient inhabitants of this area. Feil Droman was a market ridge where an annual fair used to be held.
Loch Oich
Loch Oich is a freshwater loch in the Highlands of Scotland which forms part of the Caledonian Canal, of which it is the highest point. This narrow loch lies between Loch Ness and Loch Lochy in the Great Glen...
in Highland region and is in the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
council area of Highland. Scotland. It lies on the A82 road
A82 road
The A82 is a trunk road in Scotland. It is the principal route from Lowland Scotland to the western Scottish Highlands, running from Glasgow to Inverness, going by Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. It is the second longest primary A-road in Scotland after the A9, which is the other...
and is situated in two parishes, Boleskine and Kilmonivaig
Kilmonivaig
Kilmonivaig is a small village, situated close to the southeast end of Loch Lochy in Spean Bridge, Inverness-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.Fort William lies approximately 15 miles southwest of Kilmonivaig....
. Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus is a settlement in the Scottish Highlands, at the south west end of Loch Ness. The village has a population of around 646 ; its economy is heavily reliant on tourism....
is within 5 mi (8 km).
Etymology
The town is named for its location. The prefix Aber refers to "the mouth" or "confluenceConfluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
", while the suffix Chalder translates to "of the calder". Calder itself is a corruption of Coille Dur with Coille meaning "of the wood" and Dur used as an obsolete Gaelic term for "water".
History
Aberchalder was owned at one time by Randolph, Earl of Moray, then passing to Dunbar, Earl of Moray, and later to the Clan Fraser of Lovat, and still later to GlengarryClan MacDonnell of Glengarry
Clan MacDonell of Glengarry is a branch of Clan Donald taking its name from Glen Garry where the river Garry runs eastwards through Loch Garry to join the Great Glen about 16 miles north of Fort William...
. On August 27, 1745, the MacDonnell of Glencoe's and Glengarry's Regiment joined the Scottish Jacobite Army at Aberchalder. In 1812, residents of Aberchalder produced a petition which led to the building of a road connecting the eastern part of the Loch Oich to Loch Hourn
Loch Hourn
Loch Hourn is a sea loch to the north of Knoydart, on the west coast of Scotland.-Geography:Loch Hourn runs inland from the Sound of Sleat, opposite the island of Skye, for 22 km to the head of the loch at Kinloch Hourn...
.
A swing bridge is located in the area, the Caledonian Canal
Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
and locks (Cullochy Lock), built upon rocks. The locks were afforded to allow a depth of over 20 feet over its upper-gate sills. The canal flooded during the great floods of November 1834, rising some 27 feet and 3 inches above the upper-gate sills. Immediately before entering the loch, the Aberchalder Burn, a rapid mountain torrent, empties itself into the canal. Despite extensive work on the canal with cement in the summer of 1839, in 1849, further floods washed away the old bridge at Aberchalder, which subsequently led to a dredging of the canal. The bridge was rebuilt about five years later and designed by James Dredge, a brewer turned civil engineer from Bath. In 1932, another bridge was built to accommodate traffic.
The village was once served by the Aberchalder railway station
Aberchalder railway station
Aberchalder railway station served the village of Aberchalder, in the county of Inverness-shire in Scotland. Opened by the Highland Railway , it became part of the North British Railway, and so joined the London and North Eastern Railway during the Grouping of 1923...
. It was opened by the Highland Railway
Highland Railway
The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
(Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway
Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway
The Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway was a branch-line railway built in Scotland, and served by the Highland Railway, the North British Railway and later the London & North Eastern Railway- Beginnings :...
) and became part of the North British Railway
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
, joining the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
during the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of 1923. The line closed in 1935.
Aberchalder gives its name to the 16,000 acre (65 km²) Aberchalder Estate and the Aberchalder Lodge
Aberchalder Lodge
Aberchalder Lodge is a country house in the Inverness-shire region of Scotland's Highland Council area.It lies at the centre of the 16,000 acre Aberchalder Estate close to Loch Oich....
which is rented out or leased as a self-catering holiday property through Scottish Letting Agents Ecosse Unique.
Geography
There are several mountains and hills in the Aberchalder district. These include, Ben Van (Bewinn Bhan), Beinn Laragan, Carn Dearg, Carn na Larach, Goat's Crag (Craegan nan Gobhar), Eldrig, Leacann doire bannear (2091 feet), LetterfearnLetterfearn
Letterfearn is a settlement that lies of the western shore of Loch Duich in Skye and Lochalsh, Highlands of Scotland and is in the council area of Highland. Eilean Donan Castle lies two miles north of Letterfearn....
(Leitir Fearn), and Mullach a'Ghlinne (1734 ft). The three smaller rivers include Allt na Criche, Coachan a'Bhrudhaiste, and Fairies' Burn (Allt nan Sithean). Calder Burn, namesake of the town, is a river that runs through the district's wood for almost its entire length. Bealach Strep is a steep pass south of Laggan. Field of the Shirts (Blar na Leine) was the site of a 1543 feud between the Clan Ranald of Moydert and the Frasers. Maiden's Leap (Ceum na Nighean) is a rock, difficult to pass, that lies on the road between Aberchalder and Laggan. Coille Shlugan is a wood and Dalruary (Dal ruairdh) is a field. Shian (Dubh Sithean) is a knoll, specifically the black fairies' knoll, the fairies having been worshipped by the ancient inhabitants of this area. Feil Droman was a market ridge where an annual fair used to be held.
Notable people
- Donald MacdonellDonald MacdonellDonald Macdonell was a political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Greenfield, near Aberchalder, in Inverness-shire, Scotland in 1778, the son of Alexander Macdonell, and came to Charlottenburgh Township in Upper Canada in 1792 as part of a group of Scottish settlers led by his father. He...
(1778-1861)-political figure in Upper CanadaUpper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution... - Hugh Macdonell-political figure in Upper CanadaUpper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
- John MacdonellJohn MacdonellLieutenant Colonel John Macdonell of Greenfield was an aide-de-camp to British Major General Sir Isaac Brock during the War of 1812, dying in the Battle of Queenston Heights. He was born on 19 April 1785 in Scotland near Aberchalder and came to Canada when he was seven years old...
-political figure in Upper CanadaUpper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution... - John Lamont (fl. 1814) -priest