Imperial gazeteer of Scotland, or, Dictionary of Scottish topography > Volume 2

STRIVEN.
76y
STKOMNESS.
throw-house, — the lust a fine Grecian edifice. The
antiquities are interesting but obscure. The parish
is traversed by the west road from Dundee to
Aberdeen, and has near access to the Dubton and
Craigo stations of the Aberdeen railway. Popula-
tion, in 1831, 564 ; in 1861, 546. Houses, 118.
This parish is in the presbytery of Brechin, and
synod of Angus and Mearns. Patrons, the Crown
and the Earl of Kintore. Stipend, £170 9s. 5d. ;
glebe, £16 10s. Schoolmaster's salary, £50, with
£12 fees. The parish church was built in 1799,
and repaired in 1849, and contains 360 sittings.
There are a non-parochial school and a par-
ochial library. The present parish of Strickathrow
comprehends the old parishes of Strickathrow on
the south-east and Dunlappie on the north-west.
They were united in 1612. The ancient church of
Strickathrow belonged to the chantership of the
cathedral of Brechin.
STRIVEN (Loch), a projection of the sea into
the south of Cowal, in Argyleshire. It enters
from the north side of the Kvles of Bute, about 2
miles north of Kames-bay, and penetrates the land
north-north-westward to the extent of about 8
miles. It is about 2 miles wide at its widest part,
but becomes much narrower towards its head. Its
bottom generally shelves in a gradual manner from
the shore, to a depth of from 20 to 55 fathoms,
without any rocks or shoals. Its shores, in some
places, have beautiful sandy beaches, but, in others,
make so sudden a plunge as might afford berthage,
almost in the manner of a wharf, to the largest
ships. The screens of the loch are of a Highland
character.
STROAN (Loch). See Kells.
STROM. See Loghcarrobt.
STROMA, an island in the Pentland frith, poli-
tically included in the parish of Canisbay, Caith-
ness-shire. It lies opposite Gill's- bay ; and, at two
points, is If mile distant from the continent. It
forms an oval of 24, miles b}' 1 J, the longer axis ex-
tending from north-east to south-west. Its coast,
all around, but especially on the west, is a series
of precipitous lofty rocky cliffs. Its surface con-
tains good land, but is injuriously drenched bv the
sea-spray in storms. The island is so situated as
to mitigate in some degree the dangers of the navi-
gation of the frith ; and in 1856 there was erected
on it an iron beacon 45 feet high, surmounted by a
cross and cage. Population in 1841, 186; in 1861,
291. Houses, 49.
STROMNESS, a parish, containing a post-town
of its own name, in the south-west of Pomona,
Orkney. It is bounded on the north by Sand wick;
on the north-east and east by Loch-Stenness, which
divides it from Harrav and Stenness ; on the south-
east and south by the sound of Hoy; and on the
west by the Atlantic ocean. Its length, from north
to south, is about 5§ miles; its greatest breadth
is about 3J miles; and its area is about 14 square
miles. A chain of hills, whose summit-line is
everywhere about a mile from the western coast,
extends southward from the northern boundary,
and subsides at the distance of about 1J- mile
from the sound of Hoy. A tract of fertile fields,
agreeably disposed in meadow and arable grounds,
extends all along the south, and everywhere com-
mands a picturesque view of the hills of Hoy, and
the mountains of Sutherland, as far as to Cape
Wrath. All the west coast rises sheer up from the
sea to altitudes of from 100 to 500 feet; and during
storms, it largely shares the grandeur of scenery
noticed in our article on Ohkney. The soil of the
arable lands is variously a black earth, a sandy black
earth, a stiff clay, and a mixture of clay and sand. A
II
mineral spring in the vicinity of the town has some
medicinal fame. Limestone abounds; roofing-slates
are extensively quarried ; and there are appearances
of lead and iron ore. Stromness is the most interest-
ing geological locality in Orkney, and was, a few
years ago, brought into fame, in that character, by the
publication of Hugh Miller's " Asterolepis of Strom-
ness." About 1,900 imperial acres in the parish
are in tillage; about 3,000 acres are improvable
pasture; and the rest of the surface is chiefly moss
and unimprovable upland. The principal land-
owners are Pollexfen of Cairston, Spence of Pow,
and Watt of Brackness; but there are upwards of 70
others. Near Brackn ess-head, at the south-west
extremity of the parish, stands a venerable house
built in 1633, as an episcopal residence, by the last
bishop of Orkney. Between this and the town are
the ruins of the old parish church, surrounded with
the cemetery and the remains of an old monastery ;
and, in other places, are ruins of ancient chapels
whose history is lost. Population of the parish in
1831, 2,832; in 1861,2,540. Houses, 515. As-
sessed property in 1860, £3,603.
Stromness, under the name of Cairston, is the
seat of a presbytery in the synod of Orkney. Patron,
the Earl of Zetland. Stipend, £158 6s. 7d.; glebe,
£12. Schoolmaster's salary, £35, with fees. The
parish church was built in 1814, and contains 1,200
sittings. There is a Free church, with an attend-
ance of 650 ; and the amount of its receipts in 1865
was £213 lis. lid. There is an United Presby-
terian church, which was built in 1806, and contains
643 sittings. There are two subscription schools
and several adventure schools.
The Town of Stromxess is a seaport and a burgh
of barony. It stands on the sloping skirts of high
ground, along the west side of a beautiful bay, 14
miles west by south of Kirkwall, 23 north-west of
Duncansby-head, and 29 north-north-east of Thurso.
It is nearly a mile long, and very irregularly built.
The principal street runs in a zigzag manner from
end to end of it, and is very narrow in some places,
but tolerably macadamised. Many of the houses
between this street and the beach stand within
high-water mark, and have tiny bulwarks, quays,
or jetties for the unloading of boats, and for facility
of fishing. The bay on which the town stands is a
natural harbour, safer and more commodious than the
great majority of the harbours of Britain. It ex-
tends upwards of a mile from south to north, and is
entered by a passage ^ of a mile wide, but expands
in the interior to a width of half-a-mile ; and it has
a firm clay bottom, and sufficient depth of water
for vessels of 1,000 tons burden, and is sheltered
from the violence of every wind. The pier has
18 feet of water in spring tides. A substantial
patent slip admits a vessel of 500 tons burden.
Many vessels bound for the Arctic seas call here
for shelter, provisions, or men ; and the total num-
ber of vessels of every kind entering the harbour
averages about 320 in the year, with an aggregate
burden of about 45,000 tons. A considerable num-
ber of vessels belong to the place ; and many boats
are employed in the local fisheries. Some work is
done in boat and ship-building. A market is held
on the last Wednesday of every month; and a fair
of several days commences on the first Tuesd.-iv
of September. The town has two large inns. It
has also branch-offices of the Commercial bank and
the National bank. There are likewise a public
library and some other institutions. Public com-
munications are maintained with Kirkwall and
across the Pentland frith.
At the beginning of last century, Stromness
comprised only half-a-dozen slated houses and a few
3c