Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty (Scottish Gaelic: Ros agus Cromba) is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latter of which is 8,019 square kilometres (3,096 square miles) in extent. Historically there has been a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (1832 to 1983), a local government county (1890 to 1975), a district of the Highland local government region (1975 to 1996) and a management area of the Highland Council (1996 to 2007). The local government county is now divided between two local government areas: the Highland area and Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Western Isles).
The region has some of the most spectacular landscapes, and among the oldest rock formations in Europe. The rocks are of Cambrian and Precambrian age. The population is very low, being mainly engaged in fishing and tourism. The population as of 2001 was 49,967.Crofting is widespread.
Landscape
The district is famous for its mountainous scenery, especially in the west, in an area known as Wester Ross. It includes the Torridon Hills composed of Precambrian Torridonian sandstone over Lewisian gneiss, and capped by Cambrian quartzite. The latter rocks often give the appearance of a snow topping when they cap a specific peak. The Torridons comprise individual mountains such as Beinn Eighe and Liathach, with related peaks Slioch and An Teallach to the north. Although many peaks in the North-west highlands exhibit Torridon geology, the Torridon hills are generally considered only to be those in the Torridon Forest to the north of Glen Torridon. Specifically, these are:
Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)
Ross and Cromarty was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1983. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.
When created in 1832 by the Scottish Reform Act 1832 it combined in one constituency the former constituencies of Ross-shire and Cromartyshire.
In 1918 Lewis was taken from the constituency and merged into the then new Western Isles constituency, and the Fortrose component of the former Inverness Burghs constituency and the Dingwall and Cromarty components of the former Northern Burghs constituency were merged into the Ross and Cromarty constituency.
In 1983 the area of the Ross and Cromarty constituency was merged with the Isle of Skye and Isle of Raasay areas of the former Inverness constituency to form the then new Ross, Cromarty and Skye constituency.
Local government areas
1890 to 1918
County councils were created in Scotland in 1890, and so the constituency area became also the county council area of Ross and Cromarty, minus the Fortrose, Dingwall and Cromarty parliamentary burghs.
Lord Lieutenant of Ross and Cromarty
The Lord Lieutenant of Ross and Cromarty, is the British monarch's personal representative in an area which has been defined since 1975 as consisting of the local government districts of Ross and Cromarty and Skye and Lochalsh in Scotland, and this definition was renewed by the Lord-Lieutenants (Scotland) Order 1996. Previously, the area of the lieutenancy was the county of Ross and Cromarty, which was abolished as a local government area by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The districts were created, under the 1973 act as districts of the two-tier Highland region and abolished as local government areas under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994, which turned the Highland region into a unitary council area.
Prior to 1891 there had been a separate Lord Lieutenant of Ross and a Lord Lieutenant of Cromarty, but these were merged by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889.
List of Lord-Lieutenants of Ross and Cromarty
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
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