The Rev. Hugh Mackay Mackenzie, Minister
II. - Civil History
Parochial Register:
There was no register kept, previous to the year 1775. From that period till 1797 there was a record of births and marriages regularly made up; but the person who was session-clerk at that time became deranged, which was never suspected till it was incontestibly proved, by his being found one morning busily employed in the churchyard distributing papers on the gravestones, with the sanguine hope of raising an army from the dead. On examination, these papers were discovered to be the parish register, so torn as to be completely useless. From 1797 marriages and births were registered, but not in a permanent form, and many of the loose sheets have been lost through the carelessness of clerks. However, since 1816, a correct register has been regularly kept.
Antiquities:
The most striking ruin is Castle Varrich, standing on the promontory already mentioned, bearing the same name. It is a square building, which originally consisted of two stories, the first arched with stone, the second covered with wood. Its dimensions inside, are not great; the walls are thick, and still of considerable height. Tradition is silent as to its history, on which subject its name has given rise to various conjectures; but most probably the name is merely derived from a Gaelic word signifying the castle on the eminence. The remains of several circular towers are to be seen, extending from the coast to the interior, which, from the circumstance of one being always in sight of another, are supposed to have been erected for the purpose of conveying telegraphic information when an enemy threatened to invade the country.
Several subterranean caves have been found in the parish, long and narrow in their construction, with a small entrance. From various circumstances they appear to be artificial and were probably occupied by the natives, in warlike times, as places of retreat. The only tumuli to be seen, are at a place called Druim na Coup, where, as has been noticed in the former account, a battle was fought between the Mackays and the Sutherlands. Upon the same ground, or nearly so, a party of French were seized in 1746 going south with gold to aid the rebels. The French vessel in which they were conveyed, being pursued off this coast, ran for safety into The Bay of Tongue, and the party, carrying their valuable treasure, landed at Melness, where for a night they were protected by a gentleman of kindred sentiments. Next day, his son went to conduct them by the safest route through the country, but, as soon as their character and object were known, they were pursued by a band of natives from several neighbouring places.
When the French came to Druim na Coup, finding that these were in chase of them, and hearing the beating of a drum resounding from the cliff of Ben Laoghal, indicating the approach of soldiers from the south, they at once surrendered. Much of the gold was lost, being probably thrown into a deep loch in the neighbourhood, but a considerable quantity was appropriated by those who led on the pursuit. A few gold coins have since been found at a considerable distance from Druim na Coup.
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