Fort Augustus
Encyclopedia
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 (2001); its economy is heavily reliant on tourism.
Until the early 18th century the settlement was called Kiliwhimin, and the Gaelic
name for the modern village is still Cill Chuimein. It was renamed 'Fort Augustus' after the unsuccessful Jacobite Rising of 1715
. The accepted etymology
is that the settlement was originally named after Saint Cummein of Iona
who built a church there. Other suggestions are that it was originally called Ku Chuimein after one of two abbots of Iona of the Comyn clan
, whose badge Lus mhic Chuimein refers to the cumin
plant, or that it was called Cill a' Chuimein ("Comyn's Burialplace") after the last Comyn in Lochaber
.
In the aftermath of the Jacobite
uprising in 1715, General Wade built a fort (taking from 1729 until 1742) which was named after the Duke of Cumberland
. The settlement grew, and eventually took the name of this fort. The fort was captured by the Jacobites in April 1745, just prior to the Battle of Culloden
.
The actual fort was sold to the Lovat family in 1867 and in 1876 they passed the site and land onto the Benedictine order
. The monks set up Fort Augustus Abbey
from the fort and later constructed a school there which ran until 1993 when it closed owing to changing educational patterns in Scotland causing a falling roll. The monks employed Tony Harmsworth to come up with a rescue package which saw it converted into the largest private heritage centre in Scotland which operated between 1994 and 1998. The heritage centre failed to generate sufficient profit to maintain the buildings and in 1998 the monks abandoned the site and it reverted to the Lovat family who sold it to Terry Nutkins
. He also owned the Lovat that stands on the site of the old Kilwhimen Barracks
, one of four built in 1718. This houses the west curtain wall
of the old Fort, intact with gun embrasure
s. The Lovat was originally built as the local Station Hotel.
The village was served by a rail line
to Spean Bridge
from 1903 until 1933, built by the North British Railway
, but initially operated by the Highland Railway
. The Caledonian Canal
connecting Fort William to Inverness
passes through Fort Augustus in a dramatic series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness.
The village is served by the Cill Chuimein Medical Centre. The village has both a primary school and a secondary school - Kilchuimen Primary School and Kilchuimen Academy
- which share a campus.
and Scotland, Fort Augustus experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. As with much of the surrounding area, sunshine levels are low, around 1000 hours per annum, and temperatures unpredictable - Fort Augustus holds the UK's lowest May temperature record of -9.4 C, also the latest point in run up to summer such a temperature has been recorded suggesting it can become a frost trap on calm clear nights due to its valley location. That same low lying topography can also give rise to some high temperatures on occasion - Fort Augustus held the UK daily high temperature record for December 16th for almost 80 years.
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...
Highlands, at the south west end of Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
. The village has a population of around 646 (2001); its economy is heavily reliant on tourism.
Until the early 18th century the settlement was called Kiliwhimin, and the Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
name for the modern village is still Cill Chuimein. It was renamed 'Fort Augustus' after the unsuccessful Jacobite Rising of 1715
Jacobite Rising of 1715
The Jacobite rising of 1715, often referred to as The 'Fifteen, was the attempt by James Francis Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart.-Background:...
. The accepted etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
is that the settlement was originally named after Saint Cummein of Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
who built a church there. Other suggestions are that it was originally called Ku Chuimein after one of two abbots of Iona of the Comyn clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
, whose badge Lus mhic Chuimein refers to the cumin
Cumin
Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...
plant, or that it was called Cill a' Chuimein ("Comyn's Burialplace") after the last Comyn in Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
.
In the aftermath of the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
uprising in 1715, General Wade built a fort (taking from 1729 until 1742) which was named after the Duke of Cumberland
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Prince William , was a younger son of George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, and Duke of Cumberland from 1726. He is generally best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and as such is also known as "Butcher" Cumberland...
. The settlement grew, and eventually took the name of this fort. The fort was captured by the Jacobites in April 1745, just prior to the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
.
The actual fort was sold to the Lovat family in 1867 and in 1876 they passed the site and land onto the Benedictine order
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
. The monks set up Fort Augustus Abbey
Fort Augustus Abbey
Fort Augustus Abbey, properly St. Benedict's Abbey, at Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire, Scotland, was a Benedictine monastery, from late in the nineteenth century to 1998.-History:...
from the fort and later constructed a school there which ran until 1993 when it closed owing to changing educational patterns in Scotland causing a falling roll. The monks employed Tony Harmsworth to come up with a rescue package which saw it converted into the largest private heritage centre in Scotland which operated between 1994 and 1998. The heritage centre failed to generate sufficient profit to maintain the buildings and in 1998 the monks abandoned the site and it reverted to the Lovat family who sold it to Terry Nutkins
Terry Nutkins
Terence P. Nutkins is an English naturalist, television presenter and author. He is known for his television appearances, notably in the UK children's programmes Animal Magic, The Really Wild Show, Brilliant Creatures and Growing Up Wild.-Biography:Terry Nutkins was born in Marylebone, London, and...
. He also owned the Lovat that stands on the site of the old Kilwhimen Barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
, one of four built in 1718. This houses the west curtain wall
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
of the old Fort, intact with gun embrasure
Embrasure
In military architecture, an embrasure is the opening in a crenellation or battlement between the two raised solid portions or merlons, sometimes called a crenel or crenelle...
s. The Lovat was originally built as the local Station Hotel.
The village was served by a rail line
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 :...
to Spean Bridge
Spean Bridge
Spean Bridge is a village, in the Highland region of Scotland.The village takes its name from the Highbridge over the River Spean on General Wade's military road between Fort William and Fort Augustus, and not from Telford's bridge of 1819 which carries the A82 over the river at the heart of the...
from 1903 until 1933, built by 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:...
, but initially operated 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...
. 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...
connecting Fort William to Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
passes through Fort Augustus in a dramatic series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness.
The village is served by the Cill Chuimein Medical Centre. The village has both a primary school and a secondary school - Kilchuimen Primary School and Kilchuimen Academy
Kilchuimen academy
Kilchuimen Academy is a small secondary school located in Fort Augustus in the Scottish Highlands. It shares its campus with neighbouring Kilchuimen Primary. The school has approximately 70–80 students enrolled. It is a full 6-year secondary. It offers S3-4 Standard Grade courses, S5-6 Higher or...
- which share a campus.
Climate
As with the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and Scotland, Fort Augustus experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. As with much of the surrounding area, sunshine levels are low, around 1000 hours per annum, and temperatures unpredictable - Fort Augustus holds the UK's lowest May temperature record of -9.4 C, also the latest point in run up to summer such a temperature has been recorded suggesting it can become a frost trap on calm clear nights due to its valley location. That same low lying topography can also give rise to some high temperatures on occasion - Fort Augustus held the UK daily high temperature record for December 16th for almost 80 years.