The L.M.S. railway entering the county to the north of Beauly runs northwards to Dingwall, and then strikes off to the north-east by Invergordon and Tain, where it bends to the west by north, leaving the shire at Culrain, having largely followed the coast throughout. At Muir of Ord it sends off the Black Isle branch and at Dingwall a branch to Strathpeffer, as well as a line to Strome Ferry and Kyle of Loch Alsh on the south-western shore.
Population and Administration.—The population of the county in 1931 was 62,802; 37,597 on the mainland and 25,205 On the islands. Thus Ross and Cromarty, though the third largest in size, is the fourteenth county in population. In 1931 there were 3,435 Persons who spoke Gaelic only and 31,098 speaking Gaelic and English. The chief towns and villages are Stornoway (pop. 3,771), Dingwall (2,554), Tain (1,383), Cromarty (837), Inver gordon (1,417). Ullapool is a fishing port near the mouth of Loch Broom. The county returns one of the Inverness members to parliament. Dingwall, Tain and Fortrose are royal burghs, and Dingwall is the county town. Ross and Cromarty forms a sheriff dom, and there are resident sheriffs-substitute at Dingwall and Stornoway, the former also sitting at Tain and Cromarty. The shire is under school-board control and there are academies at Dingwall and Fortrose.
History and Antiquities.—It may be doubted whether the Romans ever effected even a temporary settlement in the area of the modern county. At that period, and for long afterwards, the land was occupied by Gaelic Picts, who, in the 6th and 7th centuries, were converted to Christianity by followers of St. Columba. Throughout the next three centuries the natives were continually harassed by Norse pirates, of whose presence tokens have survived in several place-names (Dingwall, Tain, etc.). At this time the county formed part of the great province of Moray. When the rule of the Celtic maormors or earls ceased in the I 2th century, consequent on the plantation of the district with settlers from other parts (including a body of Flemings), by order of David I., who was anxious to break the power of the Celts, the bounds of Moravia were contracted and the earldom of Ross arose. At first Ross proper only included the territory adjoining Moray and Dornoch Firths. The first earl was Malcolm MacHeth, who received the title from Malcolm IV. After his rebellion in I '79
chronic insurrection ensued, which was quelled by Alexander II., who bestowed the earldom on Farquhar Macintaggart, then abbot of Applecross, and in that capacity lord of the western district. William, 4th earl, was present with his clan at the battle of Ban nockburn (1314), and almost a century later (1412) the castle of Dingwall, the chief seat on the mainland of Donald, lord of the Isles, was captured after the disastrous fight at Harlaw in Aber deenshire, which Donald had provoked when his claim to the earldom was rejected. The earldom reverted to the crown in 1424, but James I. soon afterwards restored it to the heiress of the line, the mother of Alexander MacDonald, 3rd lord of the Isles, who thus became 11th earl. In consequence, however, of the treason of John MacDonald, 4th and last lord of the Isles and I 2th earl of Ross, the earldom was again vested in the crown (1476). Five years later James III. bestowed it on his second son, James Stewart, whom he also created duke of Ross in 1488. By the 16th century the whole area of the county was occupied by different clans, the Rosses, Munroes, Macleods, Macdonalds and Mackenzies. The county of Ross was constituted in 1661, and Cromarty in 1685 and 1698, both being consolidated into the present county in 1889. (See CROMARTY, county.) Apart from occasional conflicts between rival clans, the only battles in the shire were those of Invercarron (1650), when Montrose was crushed by Colonel Strachan, and Glenshiel (1719) when the Jacobites, under the earl of Seaforth, aided by Spaniards, were defeated, near Bridge of Shiel, by General Wightman.
Stone circles, cairns and forts are found in the eastern district. A vitrified fort crowns the hill of Knockfarrel in the parish of Fodderty, and there is a circular dun near the village of Loch carron. Some fine examples of sculptured stones occur, the finest being at Shandwick. Among old castles are those of Lochslin, in the parish of Fearn, said to date from the 13th century, which, though ruinous, possesses two square towers in good preservation : Balone, in the parish of Tarbat, once a stronghold of the earls of Ross ; the remains of Dingwall Castle, their original seat ; and Eilean Donain in Loch Alsh, which was blown up by English war ships during the abortive Jacobite rising in 1719.