Cromarty

Coordinates: 57°40′54″N 4°02′13″W / 57.681628°N 4.037008°W / 57.681628; -4.037008

Cromarty (pronunciation: ⁱ/ˈkrɒmərti/; Scottish Gaelic: Cromba, IPA: [ˈkʰɾɔumpə]) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 719.

History

Cromarty is a seaport on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, 5 miles (8 km) seaward from Invergordon on the opposite coast. Until 1899 it was the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire.

The name Cromarty variously derives from the Gaelic crom (crooked), and from bati (bay), or from àrd (height), meaning either the "crooked bay", or the "bend between the heights" (referring to the high rocks, or Sutors, which guard the entrance to the Firth), and gave the title to the Earldom of Cromartie. Its name in 1264 was Crumbathyn.

The town grew around its port, formerly used by ferries, to export locally-grown hemp fibre, and by trawlers trawling for herrings. The port was a British naval base during the First World War and HMS Natal blew up close by on 30 December 1915 with heavy loss of life.

Cromarty (Parliament of Scotland constituency)

Cromarty was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

A royal burgh since 1264, Cromarty had a new charter on 4 July 1593, but this was not enrolled by Parliament until 1661. The right of representation was relinquished in 1672.

List of burgh commissioners

References

See also

Cromartyshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Cromartyshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 until 1800, and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832.

The constituency

Cromartyshire was paired as an alternating constituency with neighbouring Nairnshire. The freeholders of Cromartyshire elected one Member of Parliament to one Parliament, while those of Nairnshire elected a Member to the next.

Abolition

The Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832 abolished the alternating constituencies. Cromartyshire was merged with Ross-shire to form the single constituency of Ross and Cromarty, both counties electing one Member between them to each Parliament.

Members of Parliament

References