Name, Situation, and Extent:
The Parish of Tongue is situated in the County of Sutherland, the Presbytery of Tongue, and the Synod of Sutherland and Caithness. It is in circuit about 60 miles, and resembles a spherical triangle, whose hypotenuse forms a capacious bay, from which the parish derives its antient name, Kintail, (cean an tial), which, in Gaelic, signifies the boundary of the sea. It is in length, from east to west, 11 miles, and nearly the same in breadth from north to south.
Soil:
The soil varies in different parts of the parish, but is frequently rich, and capable of high improvements. By a judicial rental, taken in December 1789, it appears there are only 89 5/16 (unreadable) penny lands in the parish, which at 8 acres to the penny land, is 714 ½ arable acres; the rest consists of pasture, the extent of which is not ascertained, and much of which is entirely waste.
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Welcome to the Melness Internet Site. This is a labour of love for me. It is a celebration of all that makes Melness a wonderful place. It holds so many fantastic memories for me, growing up there until going to School in Golspie. It is a celebration of the people, their culture, history, music, poetry and heritage. I hope you like the new design and find the site easy to use. There are lots of new pages and resources to enjoy and many more to come in the future. Enjoy, Iain