The story of Strathdearn and its people through the ages.
Hunter-gatherers followed the receding glaciers into Strathdearn at the end of the last Ice Age, and the first settlements were founded around 6000 years ago. The bronze age brought metal axes and the clearing of trees to expand cultivation and the Iron age saw the Celts fortify their settlements with duns and crannogs, perhaps 2500 years ago.
The Romans had the sense to leave us alone so next in were the Picts, the Painted Ones, who left us the mysterious Invereen Stone. In the 8th Century, St Fergus brought Christianity to Strathdearn, with his first cell at Dalarossie.
The Clan system began in the 12th century and in the 14th, the Mackintoshes built their castle on the island on Loch Moy. The Jackobite uprisings resulted in the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and the bloody aftermath took a toll on Strathdearn.
Since then, Wade’s Road, the magnificent Tomatin Railway Viaduct, and then the A9 road, have successively reduced our isolation and thus our individuality — for better or worse, history will decide.
Dip into the articles below to learn more about the history of Strathdearn.
Strathdearn – Ancient to Modern Times
Hunter gatherers to modern Highlanders – the last 10,000 years.
Place Names of Strathdearn
A transcription from Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, Vol 30, listing locations and Gaelic derivations. (more Strathdearn place name research here).
Invereen Stone
A carved Pictish stone, unearthed near Moy, 1200 – 1500 years old.
The Rout of Moy
How five loyal Jacobites saw off 1500 Hanoverian troops.
A hand-written record of historic landholdings in the Parish of Moy
Land ownership and church ministers in Moy since the 14th century.
The Steep Brae of the Corpses and the Grave of the Soldiers
About a cairn erected to the memory of 2 unknown soldiers, executed in the bloody aftermath of the Battle of Culloden.
Cattle rustling in the Streens near Moy (1760)
A cattle rustling incident is settled with honour on both sides.
Witches, Thieves, and Archers
Historic Strathdearn characters, including sportsmen and witches; pipers and hunters; thieves and archers.
Clan Davidson connections to Dalarossie
A Clan Davidson historian is surprised at the number of connections he has found.
Tracing your Ancestors
A guide for those seeking family connections in Scotland, with emphasis on Strathdearn.