Kirkhill, Highland

Human settlement in Scotland

Kirkhill

Location within the Inverness area

Population750 (2020)^[1]OS grid referenceNH556453Council area

Highland

Lieutenancy area

Inverness

CountryScotlandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townInvernessPostcode districtIV5 7Dialling code01463PoliceScotlandFire Scottish AmbulanceScottish UK Parliament

Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey

Scottish Parliament

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

List of places: UK; Scotland

57°28′32″N 4°24′34″W / 57.47544°N 4.40953°W / 57.47544; -4.40953

Kirkhill (Scottish Gaelic: Cnoc Mhoire, meaning "Big Hill") is a small village and civil parish in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is 10 miles (16 km) west of Inverness and 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Beauly, close to the south opening of the Beauly Firth.^[2]

The village of Kirkhill encompasses the historic parish of Wardlaw to its north, the two areas merging in 1618.^[3]

Kirkhill also has a village hall and primary school, Kirkhill Primary, with a catchment area including Inchmore, Lentran, Drumchardine, Cabrich, Bunchrew, Clunes and Newtonhill.^[4]

Wardlaw Mausoleum

Kirkhill is home to the Wardlaw Mausoleum, built in 1634 as the resting ground for the Frasers of Lovat and used by the family until the early 19th century. In the 1990s, the Wardlaw Mausoleum Trust was formed to repair the building, then in heavy disrepair.^[5]

In 1722, the 11th Lord Lovat raised the roof of the mausoleum and constructed a tower overhead. After his execution for the part he played in the Jacobite rebellion, legend had it the Lord Lovat's body was moved in secret, from the Church of St Peter ad Vincula in London to the family mausoleum. However, analysis of his supposed skeleton by the University of Dundee in 2018, declared the bones were of a young woman.^[6]

References

^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
^ Gittings, Bruce; Munro, David. "Kirkhill". The Gazetteer for Scotland. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
^ "MHG31356 - Cemetery, St. Mary's Church, Wardlaw - Highland Historic Environment Record". her.highland.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
^ "Kirkhill Primary school". Kirkhill Primary school. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
^ "Home". Wardlaw Mausoleum. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
^ "Headless body is not C18th Scottish clan chief, say experts". The Guardian. Press Association. 19 January 2018. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 July 2020.