In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Findhorn like this:
Findhorn, a seaport village in Kinloss parish, NW Elginshire, at the right side of the mouth of Findhorn river, and on the point of a peninsula between Findhorn and Burghead Bays. By road it is 5 miles N of Forres and 3¼ NE of Kinloss station on the Highland railway, this station being 9¼ miles W by S of Elgin and 27¾ ENE of Inverness. ...
A branch line from Kin loss to Findhorn, opened in 1860, has now for some years been discontinued. The original town, which stood at least 2 miles westward of the present one, was destroyed by the drifting of the Culbin Sands; the next one stood a mile N W, on ground now covered by the sea, and was swallowed in a few hours by the great inundation of 1701; and even the present town is so beset with surge-lashed sand-banks, that it, too, possibly may some day share their fate. A place of worship in it, used first as a dissenting meeting-house, and next as a chapel of ease, was built on the sand, and fell in Jan. 1843. The town, from its situation at the mouth of the Findhorn, known in Gaelic as the Erne, is commonly called by the Highlanders Invererne. lt ranks as a burgh of barony; is the centre of an extensive fishery district between Buckie and Cromarty; and carries on some commerce in the export of salmon, grain, and other goods, and in the import of coals, groceries, and manufactured wares. It has a post office under Forres, a good harbour, a Free church, a girls' public school, and a public library. The harbour is partly natural, partly artificial, with a stone pier, two quays of hewn stone, and a breastwork connecting the pier with one of the quay; and has, in the shallowest part of the channel at its entrance, 10½ feet of water in the lowest neap tide, and from l3 to 17 feet in spring tides. In 1881, the number of boats employed in the district was 470, of fishermen and boys 2063, of fish-curers 49, and of coopers 54; the value of the boats being £29,423, of the nets £41, 827, and of the lines £4909. The following is the number of barrels of herrings salted or cured in different years:-(1866) 29,572, (1870) 16, 311, (1878) 2389, (1879) 9443, (1880) 16, 255, (1881) 9753; of cod, ling, or hake taken (1866) 20, 779, (1873) 67,837, (1879) 56,191, (1880) 34, 265, (l881) 15,255. Pop. (1841) 806, (1861) 891, (1871) 701, (1881) 605.—Ord. Sur., sh. 94, 1878.
Findhorn through time
Findhorn is now part of Moray district. Click here for graphs and data of how Moray has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Findhorn itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Findhorn in Moray | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20521
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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