Historical References
The Abertarph Extract
“... the church of Boleskine is distant from Inverness 15 miles & from Kill Chumin in Abertarph or Barracks there, 9 miles …
… the land yeilds bear, black and white oats in many corners and close on the lake of Ness, beans, pease or any grain growing in Murray land. Here the catle are horse, nolt, sheep and goats, deer roe and hare in hills and woods.
... The other end has its name from the River of Tarph ... has its rise from a place called Shelich & Cori Gherrag hills betwixt Badenoch & Abertarph from which it runs rapid 6 miles, & then falls into Lochness from South to North. Closs W on this river is Kill Chumin where is a charity school, near the foot of the river. About a mile East of this river is ane other called Do ariseing from the hills of Cornichulen …
About 5 miles W of Tarph is ane other river called Calidor having its rise from the hills of Corri Gherrag, Glenbuick & Glenturret, rising from them 4/5 miles & then falling into ane other river, the greatest in the parish, called Oich.
.. Salmond fish goes up from Ness in abundance to Loch Garry. This river is seldom foordable from October to March, yet no bridge or ferry boat on it. Closs S of this river stands the barracks of Kilchumin on arising hill having Tarph to the South a litle more distant so that they stand betwixt the two.
Betwixt the Barracks and Lochness there is a point not a quarter mile long, on the extremity of which close on the Lake stood the ruins of ane castle supposed to be built by the Cummings from whom it had its name to this day but scarce the vestiges of it remain, being demolished for the Barracks use.
Those Barracks are the largest built in the highlands in King George his time consisting of 2 parts of equal size each three storeys high with a garret, having betwixt both, 48 chambers of which 36 fire rooms. If I weel remember there is a parad betwixt the two parts, in the midst of which is a cistern, which is the best of the work. To the W & E of the parad is a strong rampart wall & at the midst of the eastern is the entry.
... In this parish are severall wild fowls such as swane, duck and drake, teil, and arteil, whape, plover, cushet dove, black cook, muire fowls, tarmichen and co and many other hurtfull creatures, such as eagles, ravens, of all sorts otters foxes, wild capts, serpents, toads and frogs …"