Scotland Beneath the Surface   —   a subterranean odyssey

Bruce Keith

Victoria Hall, Cromarty

Come to Cromarty History Society’s fundraiser for the Courthouse Museum on Thurs 15 May at 7.30pm in the Victoria Hall, Cromarty to hear a fascinating and funny talk by Bruce Keith as he takes us on a subterranian odyssey around Scotland and find out.

Entry by donation — suggested donation £5

Bruce Keith is a retired chartered surveyor and environmentalist, having started his professional career working on several Perthshire and Aberdeenshire estates and in Edinburgh with the Department of Agriculture. He moved south of the border to Peterborough in 1996 as Chief Surveyor with English Nature, but kept his Scottish connections, retiring ten years ago as Head of Property at SSE (the Hydro Board). In his retirement, he has researched and written three books combining his passion for Scottish history, geography and landscape with his interest in heritage conservation

His talk will be based on his most recent book Scotland beneath the surface, which celebrates the subterranean wonders of the natural and man-made heritage under our feet. From natural caves to hollow mountains housing hydro-electricity generators, from ancient settlements to railway tunnels, from mining sources of fuel to building materials for our built heritage, there’s something fascinating for everyone’s interests.

Cromarty History Society now meets on the third Tuesday of each month, September‐April and occasionally during the summer

CHS Annual Report for 2024‐25

The retirement of 5 committee members at the end of the last season, left quite a gap to be filled in order continue running this society. 3 members stepped up to the challenge — Scilla Aitchison, Graham Philips and Anne Dickie, they joined Ross Couper and myself to ensure a future for the history society. During the season, Sue Kent became a Cromarty Courthouse Trust representative on our committee.

As a group, we now have 47 paid‐up members which is a respectable number for a small community.

I hope you agree that our programme of talks this year has covered a broad range of interesting subjects. We have certainly attracted additional visitors, even from beyond the Black Isle, and kept up the average attendance across our meetings to over 40. Indeed at Professor Donna Heddle’s lecture on Vikings in the North of Scotland there was an audience of 65.

So, big thanks are due to both committee and audience:

• Our committee for ensuring an excellent programme, good publicity and that meetings run smoothly with refreshments continuing to enhance the social opportunity which forms an important part of all our meetings. I shouldn’t fail to mention that we strive to ensure the society is kept financially viable, as we cope with all the frustrations of dealing with banks who seem to try to exasperate their small society customers.
• Our audience for continuing to support the society by regularly turning up to meetings and showing that there is an appetite for keeping history, particularly local history alive.

It was heartening to hear last month’s speaker, Calum Maclean, express his thanks to us all for helping to keep the legacy of Highland architect, Alexander Ross, in the public domain. He felt that history societies such as ours play a key role, where many statutory bodies fail to appreciate what heritage is in danger of being lost.

Additional thanks go to Roger Young for continuing to maintain our society website.

As a Friends Group to our local museum, we will be hosting an extra talk in May to raise funds for Cromarty Courthouse, as a way of demonstrating our support. In addition we will make a donation of at least £250 to ensure that the sum of £500 goes to the museum next month.

M. Bowers
April 2025

Romancing the Stone   —   Marriage Lintels and Date Stones close to you

Dr. Jim Mackay

Victoria Hall, Cromarty

Cromarty History Society’s next meeting will be in the Victoria Hall at 7.30pm on April 15th, the subject being ‘Romancing the Stone ‐ Marriage Lintels and Date Stones close to you’.

Dr Jim Mackay of the Kirkmichael Trust will tell the stories behind our local marriage lintels and date stones, with copious beautiful images of the often extravagant carving on these stones. The focus will be on Cromarty, but with examples drawn from every village in the Black Isle, as well as some from Easter Ross and Inverness. Jim will be relating the tales, sometimes sad sometimes amusing, of the people behind the inscriptions on these stones.

Dr Jim Mackay is Chair of the Kirkmichael Trust which maintains medieval Kirkmichael in the Black Isle, subject of an award-winning restoration. He is a popular speaker, his lively talks combining information with entertaining stories. He is the author of ‘Resolis “Slope of Light$rdquo; Guide to a Black Isle Parish’, ‘Tales from Kirkmichael’ and ‘Guide to Jemimaville and the Colony “Reachfar”) creative home of Jane Duncan, author’. Jim’s latest research project has been marriage lintels and datestones in the area, and his discovery of the names behind the Abertarff House initials some months ago reached the national press.

The meeting begins at 7.30pm in the Victoria Hal with a short AGM and will be followed by refreshments, £5 for non‐members.

Cromarty History Society now meets on the third Tuesday of each month, September‐April and occasionally during the summer