Dingwall

History

Its name, derived from the Scandinavian (field or meeting-place of the thing, or local assembly; compare Tynwald, Tingwall, Thingwall in the British Isles alone, plus many others across northern Europe), preserves the Viking connections of the town; Gaels call it (), meaning "the mouth of the Peffery" or meaning "cabbage town". The site of the , and of the medieval Moothill, thought to have been established by the Vikings after they invaded in the 8th century, lies beneath the Cromartie memorial. In the early Middle Ages Dingwall Castle, which was established in the 11th century, was reputed to have been the largest castle north of Stirling. King Alexander II created Dingwall a royal burgh in 1226, the burgh becoming the seat of the Earls of Ross. James IV renewed its royal burgh charter in 1497. On the top of Knockfarrel (), a hill about to the west, stands a large and very complete vitrified fort with ramparts. An obelisk, high, was erected over the grave of George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie, near the parish church of St Clement after he died in 1717. It was affected by subsidence, becoming known as the "Leaning Tower", and was later replaced by a much smaller replica. Dingwall Town Hall, which dates back to 1745, still survives. On 6 August 1904 a large memorial to the Seaforth Highlanders killed in the Boer War was unveiled in Dingwall. It is a high Ionic cross in pale pink granite. Dingwall formerly served as the county town of Ross and Cromarty: the headquarters of Ross and Cromarty County Council, established in 1889, was County Buildings in Dingwall. James Gillanders of Highfield Cottage near Dingwall, was the factor for the estate of Major Charles Robertson of Kincardine and, as his employer was then serving with the British Army in…