Fortrose is a
burghA Burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United Kingdom...
in the
Scottish HighlandsThe Scottish Highlands include the rugged and mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east...
, located on the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of Scotland...
, approximately ten kilometres north east of
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. The town is known for its ruined 13th century
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
, and as the home of the
Brahan SeerThe Brahan Seer, known in his native Scottish Gaelic as Coinneach Odhar. His existence is legendary at best, and some have questioned whether he really existed at all. He is thought to have come from Uig on lands owned by the Seaforths, and to have been a Mackenzie, although both these details are...
. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of
RossRoss is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...
. The Cathedral was largely demolished in the mid-seventeenth century by
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
to provide building materials for a citadel at
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. The vaulted south aisle, with bell-tower, and a detached chapter house (used as the tollbooth of Fortrose after the
ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
) remain.
Fortrose is a
burghA Burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United Kingdom...
in the
Scottish HighlandsThe Scottish Highlands include the rugged and mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east...
, located on the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of Scotland...
, approximately ten kilometres north east of
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. The town is known for its ruined 13th century
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
, and as the home of the
Brahan SeerThe Brahan Seer, known in his native Scottish Gaelic as Coinneach Odhar. His existence is legendary at best, and some have questioned whether he really existed at all. He is thought to have come from Uig on lands owned by the Seaforths, and to have been a Mackenzie, although both these details are...
. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of
RossRoss is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...
. The Cathedral was largely demolished in the mid-seventeenth century by
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
to provide building materials for a citadel at
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. The vaulted south aisle, with bell-tower, and a detached chapter house (used as the tollbooth of Fortrose after the
ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
) remain. These fragments, though modest in scale, display considerable architectural refinement, and are in the care of
Historic ScotlandHistoric Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.Its website states:It has direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about a quarter of which are manned and charge admission entry...
(no entrance charge). The burgh is a popular location for spotting
bottlenose dolphinBottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the Common Bottlenose Dolphin and the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin , where previous...
s (see
Chanonry PointChanonry Point lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, Scotland....
) in the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of Scotland...
.
Fortrose shares a golf course with
RosemarkieRosemarkie is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in northern Scotland-Geography:Rosemarkie lies a quarter of a mile east of the town of Fortrose...
. Set on the Chanonry Ness the course stretches out into the Moray Firth and offers good views of
Fort GeorgeFort George may refer to:United Kingdom:* Fort George, Highland - a fortified garrison, constructed from 1748, near Inverness, Scotland* Fort George, Guernsey - the former garrison of St Peter Port, Guernsey, constructed from 1780Canada:...
. The course is well known for its signature 4th Hole "Lighthouse". The lighthouse in question is the
Chanonry PointChanonry Point lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, Scotland....
lighthouse which was designed by
Alan StevensonAlan Stevenson was a lighthouse engineer who was Engineer to the Board of Northern Lighthouses.A member of the famous Stevenson family of engineers, eldest son of Robert Stevenson, and brother of David and Thomas Stevenson, between 1843 and 1853 he built thirteen lighthouses in and around Scotland...
and was first lit 15 May 1846.
Public buildings in Fortrose include a
leisure centreA leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the borough council or district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
,
libraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
and the only
secondary schoolSecondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling, known as secondary education, takes place. It follows on from elementary or primary education....
on the Black Isle, Fortrose Academy.
Parliamentary burgh
Fortrose was a parliamentary burgh, combined with
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
,
ForresForres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
, in the
Inverness BurghsInverness Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918, representing a seat for one Member of Parliament .There was also, 1708 to 1918, the Inverness-shire...
constituencyA constituency is any cohesive body of people bound by shared identity, goals, or loyalty. Constituency can be used to describe a business's customer base and shareholders, or a charity's donors or those it serves...
of the
House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members...
of the
Parliament of Great BritainThe Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
from 1708 to 1801 and of the
Parliament of the United KingdomThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. It alone has parliamentary sovereignty, conferring upon it ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories...
from 1801 to 1918. The constituency was abolished in 1918 and the Fortrose component was merged into the then new constituency of
Ross and CromartyRoss 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 ....
.
Fortrose Union Football Club
Fortrose Union are the local amateur football club and play at the King George V field in the east of the village. They are a focal point of the community and are the centre of many social events throughout each summer. The club has recently (May 2006) launched a website which has become very popular gaining more than 3000 hits per month. It is generally accepted that Fortrose Union FC are not as good at football as their neighbouring team Avoch FC who recently defeated Fortrose in the Highland Amateur Cup Final. Many consider current player Keith Abernethy to be the best to have ever to played for the club although Andrew Fraser has the accumulated the most appearances for the Club totalling 898. Unfortunately injury ended his career short of beating Pele's world record for appearances for one individual club, the under 21 ruling which meant he was getting past it and a dispute over the captaincy of a team-mate who shall remain nameless.
Roy Taylor has the record for shortest time on the park of any player when he made his debut for the team in 1974 but the Manager realised that the player in question did not understand the offside rule, that you were supposed to retreat back to the half-way line when the opposing team scored rather than staying in the opponents 6-yard box and he was quickly substituted for Shaft MacKenzie. Roy later went on to be the full-time janitor helper at Fortrose Academy in the 80's and early 90's.
Fortrose Academy
Fortrose Academy is the only secondary school on the Black Isle. There are around 700 pupils enrolled. Notable former teachers include Mr A.Tait, who won the Teacher of the Year Award in Scotland, 2006.
See also
- Fortrose Cathedral
- Fortrose railway station
Fortrose was the terminus of a single track branch of the Highland Railway, in north east Scotland. It connected villages in The Black Isle peninsula to the railway network via a junction at Muir of Ord....
closed around 1960.
- Chanonry Point
Chanonry Point lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, Scotland....
External links