The
Royal Burgh of (''Cromba'' in
Gaelic ) is a
Burgh in
Ross And Cromarty ,
Highland ,
Scotland . It was previously the
County Town of the former
County of
Cromartyshire . The burgh is a
Seaport on the southern shore of the mouth of
Cromarty Firth , 5 miles from
Invergordon on the opposite coast.
The name ''Cromarty'' variously derives from the
Gaelic ''crow'' (crooked), and from ''bati'' (bay), or from ''ard'' (height), meaning either the "crooked bay", or the "bend between the heights" (referring to the high rocks, or Sutors, which guard the entrance to the
Firth ), and gave the title to the
Earldom of Cromarty.
The town grew around its port, formerly used by
Ferries , to export locally-grown
Hemp Fibre (from
Cannabis ), and by
Trawler s trawling for
Herring s. Today, the port is used for the manufacture and maintenance of
Oil Rig s, and is home to the
UK 's smallest
Vehicle Ferry , running to
Nigg . It runs from May to October, from roughly 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. The vessel is called the ''Cromarty Rose''.
Cromarty is architecturally important for its
Georgian Terrace s, and
Victorian Cottage s in the local
Vernacular style. The thatched house with crow-stepped gables in Church Street, in which
Hugh Miller the
Geologist was born still stands, and a statue has been erected to his memory. To the east of the burgh is
Cromarty House , occupying the site of the old castle of the earls of Ross. It was the birthplace of Sir
Thomas Urquhart , the translator of
Rabelais .
The burgh is also noted as a base for viewing the local offshore
Sea Life .
Cromarty gives its name to one of the
British Sea Areas used to provide
Weather Forecast s to shipping.
From 1832 to 1918 Cromarty was a
Parliamentary Burgh , combined with
Dingwall ,
Dornoch ,
Kirkwall ,
Tain and
Wick in the
Wick Burghs Constituency of the
House Of Commons of the
Parliament Of The United Kingdom . Known also as ''Northern Burghs'', the constituency was a
District Of Burghs . It was represented by one
Member Of Parliament . In 1918 the constituency was abolished and the Cromarty component was merged into the
County Constituency of
Ross And Cromarty .
