Talks Archive
Session 2023-24
- Tarradale Through Time — Remarkable Discoveries on the Black Isle, Dr. Eric Grant
- A New perspective on the Highlands Before Culloden — The life‐writing of ‘curious cleric’ Rev. James Fraser (1634‐1709), Professor David Worthington
- Maps and Map Making in the Scottish 18th Century — A transition in surveying, maps amd map-making in Scotland, Roland Spencer‐Jones
- A Tale of Two Shopkeepers — and their families, Ross Couper
- All Hail Macbeth, Thain of Cromarty? — Good king, bad king: the making of an historical myth, Liz Broumley
- Are We Nearly There Yet? — A journey exploring Scotland’s milestones, Bruce Keith
- National Archive Papers regarding the Black Isle., Nicola Mills
- A Tour of Black Isle Place Names — Revealing the people, languages, values and changes over time , Sheila Currie
Session 2022-23
- William & Paterson Murdoch — Engineers of Highland Railways, Anne‐Mary Paterson
- The Herring Gutters of N.E. Scotland — a coastal history, Anne Coombs
- Cromarty Town Council — and the end of local democracy, Sandy Thomson
- From Pupil to Teacher — One Cromarty Girl’s journey in the first decade of the 20th century, Paul Monk
- James Braidwood, father of the modern fire service — A true Scottish hero, Diana Hamilton‐Jones
- General Sir Richard O'Connor of Rosemarkie; A hero of two world wars, Roger Young
- Where Angels Fear to Tread — Setting an historical novel in your own backyard, Shona MacLean
- The Story of Cromarty in Six Maps — (and a few diagrams), Liz Broumley and Pat Haynes
Session 2021-22
There were no talks from September to January due to Covid
- 7 Braehead — a Pickletoun House, Arthur Bird
- Resistance and Uprising — enslaved Africans defy their Highland masters, Guyana 1800-1814, David Alston
- AGM followed by — From the Courthouse archives: Cromarty — the story of a town: memories of Fishertown
Session 2020-21
There were no talks due to Covid
Session 2019-20
- Archaeology and the Historic Environment — in Scotland’s National Forests, Matt Ritchie
- Healing wells — Their contemporary use, history and folklore, Roddy McKenzie
- Cromarty Emigrants — and the Ships that took them, Sandy Thomson
- Telling the Highland Story — 30 years reporting the news from the north, David Ross
- Three Doctors — Highland medics at home and in the Empire, Dr. David Alston
- ‘One of the best portes in this yslande’ — A history of Cromarty harbour, Pat Haynes
Session 2018-19
- Kirkmichael — Back from the brink of destruction, Dr Jim Mackay
- The Yankee Mining Squadron — Impact on the Inverness Firth in 1918, Richard Jenner, Chanonry Sailing Club
- The Great North Road — The story of the A9, Jim Miller
- Cromarty Cameos — Portraits from our Town, Committee Members
- Making Plans for Daldon: — the story of Cromarty’s Provost and Edinburgh College of Art’s class of ‘62’, Gordon Haynes
- From factor’s house to The Factor’s House — a journey through 170 years, Fran Tilbrook
- Hector the Hero — Evidence, interpretation and musical judgement, Liz Broumley
- AGM Meeting, Paul Monk & Gordon Haynes
Session 2017-18
- Interpreting the Black Isle and Beyond — The history and mystery of 21st. century interpretative storytelling, Verity Walker
- The Hospitals of Inverness — Their origin and development 1650 – 2000, Jim & Steve Leslie
- The Remarkable Miss Yule of Tarradale — A woman in a man’s world, Dr. Eric Grant
- A Brief History of Cromarty — 800 years on one page, Dr. David Alston
- Walking with Cattle: — A writer’s journey in search of the last drovers of Uist, Terry J. Williams<
- Playing the Game: — 19th Century Sports in Ross and Cromarty, Sandy Thomson
- A Tale of Two Homes: — A wee journey through the life of two Cromarty houses, Sheila Currie & Jane Verberg
- Crime and Punishment at the Courthouse, Paul Monk
Session 2016-17
- Cromarty School 1913 – 1946 — Eric Malcolm’s last talk, Presented by Sandy Thomson
- The Ross and Cromarty Mountain Battery — Players on the global chessboard that was The Great Game, Dave Rendell
- The Diary of a VictorianLady — A visit to Dingwall in 1892, Jonathan McColl
- All Shall Have Prizes — A look at some of Cromarty’s cups, awards and more
- A New Way of Living — Georgian Town Planning in the Highlands and Islands, Gordon Haynes
- Rosemarkie Caves — Some finds and a puzzle, Simon Gunn & Mary Peteranna
- A Few Treasures from the Courthouse Museum — Objects Seldom Seen, Paul Monk
Session 2015-16
- Inverness Man Lost at Sea — Highlanders on the Titanic, Norman Newton
- A Curate's Egg — Hugh Rose Ross of Cromarty, 1767-1846 Dr Jim MacKay
- Tea and Rusty Bicycles — The Great Black Isle Drought of 1955 Sinclair Dunnett
- Eric Malcolm — Readings and Reflections
- Every Object Tells a Story, Dr. Alix Powers Jones
- Scandals and Reay House, Roger Young
- Still Life — Distilling in the Black Isle and surrounding area in the 18th Century, Meryl Marshall
- In the wake of the Betsey — Following Hugh Miller to Eigg, Ro Scott and Martin Gostwick
- Does Archaeology Matter? — Engaging the local community in the Cromarty Medieval Burgh, Mary Peteranna and Steve Birch
Session 2014-15
- The Black Isle Railway, Jack Kernohan
- From Crofting to Oil Rigs — the 1970s 'clearance' of Nigg, Sandy Thomson
- The Evolution of the Highland Hospital, Steve and Jim Leslie
- State-owned Pubs Around the Cromarty Firth, Sandy Thomson, and Forty Years of Cromarty Fourways Club, Anne Short
- 4th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders — the Great War, Lynsey Easton and Robert Shanks
- A Safe Place for Cromarty's Poor — the Black Isle Combination Poorhouse, Dr Jenny Fyfe
- Thief's Row Re-visited — an Update on the Cromarty Medieval Burgh Archaeology Project, Steven Birch
- Two Communities Changed by War — Cromarty and Resolis in WW1, Dr Jim MacKay
Session 2013-14
- The Baby in the Biscuit Box — A Case Study from 1882, Norman Newton
- Tent Pegs and Treasures — Metal Detecting at Belladrum, Eric Soane
- Building Your Own History — Climbing the family tree, Jonathan McColl
- Christmas Crackers — James Thomson and Hugh Miller, Society members
- Monumental Isles of Historic Scotland, Kenny Taylor
- A Wander along Thief's Row — community archaeology at the Reeds Park, Steven Birch
- The Murchisons of Tarradale, Eric Grant
- Sutherland Murray — the Yukon Gold Rush to Cromarty, Paul Monk
Session 2012-13
- How the Highlands and Islands Pioneered the Health Service, Dr Miles Mack
- Buildings of the Western Seaboard , Mary Miers
- Maps of the Black Isle, Graham Clark
- Cromarty Radicals (not the friends of Hugh Miller), Dr David Alston
- Robert Dick — Baker, Botanist and Geologist of Thurso, Jane Verburg
- Nigg and Rigs, Ross Couper
- Remember who stole the Mulbuie? — The division of a Black Isle Commonty, Ro Scott
- Spinning a Yarn — The Cromarty Hemp Factory, Dr David Alston
Session 2011-12
- David Urquhart of Braelangwell 1805-77, Sandy Thomson
- James Thomson of Tain — A Highlander in Quebec, Estelle Quick
- Ferries of the Black Isle, Dr Jim Mackay
- The Execution of John Adam, Dr Graham Clark
- Post-War Cromarty 1945-75, Sandy Thomson and David Alston
- HMS Natal — A Reappraisal , Paul Monk
- Hugh Miller's Visit to Olney, Dr Lindsay Hemy
- The Wardie Legacy to the Courthouse Museum, Paul Monk
Session 2010-11
- Oral History and Archaeology for Black Isle Communities, Susan Kruse
- Cromarty Schools and Schoolteachers, Dr Jenny Fyfe
- Heresy, Murder and Witchcraft, The Story of the Cromarty Bible, Dr David Alston
- George Bain — Pioneer in Celtic Art, Susan Seright
- The Changing Fortunes of Seals and Seabirds in Scottish Waters, Professor Paul Thompson
- RNAS Cromarty — The Cromarty Seaplane Base, Paul Monk
- Cromarty in Context 1901-1939, Sandy Thomson and Dr David Alston
- The Excavation of the Caird's Cave, Rosemarkie, Simon Gunn
Session 2009-10
- History of Education in the Highlands, Eileen McCaskill
- The MacKenzies of Redcastle, Dr Graham Clark
- The Episcopal Church in the Highlands, Very Rev. Mark Strange
- Cromarty in the Victorian Age, Dr David Alston and Sandy Thomson
- Cromarty Estate Farms in the 18th and 19th Centuries, Sandy Thomson
- Highlanders in Poland/Lithuania 1500-1800, Dr David Worthington
- Gravestones at the East Kirk, History Society Members
- Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty, Helma Reynolds
Session 2008-09
- Charming, and other sins, on the Black Isle, Dr Jim Mackay
- Historic Buildings in the Highlands and Islands, Mary Miers
- The Highland Archive Network, Susan Beckley
- The Cromarty Fishing Community, CHS Members
- Cromarty from 1707 to 1839, Dr David Alston and Sandy Thomson
- Progress at the East Church, Caroline Vawdrey and Dr David Alston
- Jacobites and Russia, Dr Becky Boyd
- The Geological History of Cromarty and the Surrounding Area, Dr Ian Basham
Session 2007-08
- Inverness Museum 'Future-Proofed', Catherine Niven
- Archaeological Investigations in Cromarty, John Wood
- Slaves, Highlanders and Freedom, Dr David Alston and Margot Henderson
- Cromarty from 1513 to 1707, Sandy Thomson and Dr David Alston
- The Fleet in the Cromarty Firth, Estelle Quick
- Cromarty in the 1950s, Dougie MacPhee
Session 2005-06
- The Parish of Edderton, Reay Clarke
- Unearthing Redcastle's Secret History, Colin MacLeod
- The Grahams of Drynie, John MacDonald
- Cromarty Town CouncilThe Last Days, Sandy Thomson
- A Walk through Resolis Parish, Dr Jim Mackay
- Restoration of the East Church, Sam Russell and Ian Fraser
- Cromarty Place Names, Dr Jenny Fyfe
- The Nigg Fabrication Yard, Bill Shannon
Session 2004-05
- Archaeology around Cromarty, John Wood
- Rosehaugh House, Kathleen MacLeman
- Hugh Miller — Hero or Villain?, Martin Gostwick
- A Tale of Two Hospitals, Lilah Dowsett
- Reverend Alexander Stewart, John Tallach
- Strathcarnoch, Dr David Alston
Session 2001-02
- Press Coverage of Cromarty in the 19th Century, Sandy Thomson and Dr David Alston
- A Highland Monastery — Fearn Abbey, Father Mark Dilworth
- Ross-shire Man Finds Gold in the Klondyke, Caroline Shepherd-Barron
- The Cromarty Stone — a Relic from Sir Thomas Urquhart's Castle, Eric Malcolm
- Kilts, Pipes and the Highland Soldier, Gordon Urquhart
- Cromarty Church Papers Discovered, CHS Members
- Remembering the Clearances, Christine Mackay
- Cromarty Treasure Trove, Dr David Alston
Session 2000-01
- Cromarty and the Civil War, Calum Davidson
- E.A Mackintosh — Poet of the Highland Division:, Colin Campbell MSP
- Forestry in the Black Isle, Ian Ross
- Strathpeffer Spa Recalled, Ian McCrae
- Black Highlanders, Dr David Alston
- George Romanes and the Nigg Laboratory, Dr Jenny Fyfe
- Playing the Game in Ross and Cromarty, Sandy Thomson
- From Baltic Seals to the Cromarty Volunteers, CHS Members
- Moray Firth Ships and Trade, Ian Hustwick
Session 1999-2000
- The Medieval 'Power Centre' of Cromarty, Dr Richard Oram
- Our Episcopal forefathers, Colin Page, ,
- Bringing Power from the Glens, Eric Malcolm
- Brewing on the Black Isle, Dr David Alston
- Archaeology of the Moray Firth, Dr Alex Hale
- Highland Drovers and Wild West Cowboys, Rob Gibson MSP
- Cromarty in the 1930s, Eric Malcolm
Session 1998-99
- Images of Highland Archaeology, Sena Mackay
- The Five Euphemias of Ross, Elizabeth Sutherland