Tarbat Ness Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Tarbat Ness Lighthouse is located at the North West tip of the Tarbat Ness peninsula near the fishing village of Portmahomack
on the east coast of Scotland
. It was built in 1830 by Robert Stevenson
and has an elevation of 53 metres (173.9 ft) and 203 steps to the top of the tower.
", possibly a Viking name for Macbeth
.
Further down the peninsula at Portmahomack
, in the 1480s the Clan Ross
slaughtered a raiding party from the Clan Mackay
by locking them in the Tarbat Old Church and setting fire to it. This event is known as the Battle of Tarbat
.
in November 1826 saw the loss of 16 vessels and brought many applications for lighthouses to be constructed at Tarbat Ness and at Covesea Skerries
.
Tarbat Ness Lighthouse was engineered by Robert Stevenson for the Northern Lighthouse Board
and the light was first exhibited on 26 January 1830. James Smith of Inverness was the contractor responsible for the building of the lighthouse which cost £9,361. The lighthouse tower is the third tallest in Scotland behind North Ronaldsay
and Skerryvore
and is notable for having two distinguishing broad red bands.
Earthquake shocks were sometimes reported and Tarbat Ness once shook so that the shades and lamp glasses rattled.
Portmahomack
Portmahomack is a small fishing village in Easter Ross, Scotland. It is situated in the Tarbat Peninsula in the parish of Tarbat. Tarbat Ness Lighthouse is about three miles from the village at the end of the Tarbat Peninsula. Ballone Castle lies about a mile from the village...
on the east coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was built in 1830 by Robert Stevenson
Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)
Robert Stevenson FRSE MInstCE FSAS MWS FGS FRAS FSA was a Scottish civil engineer and famed designer and builder of lighthouses.One of his finest achievements was the construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse.-Early life:...
and has an elevation of 53 metres (173.9 ft) and 203 steps to the top of the tower.
History of Tarbat Ness
At the Battle of Tarbat Ness in the 11th century, Thorfinn the Mighty defeated "Karl HundasonKarl Hundason
Karl Hundason, also Karl Hundisson, is a personage in the Orkneyinga Saga. The saga recounts a war between Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Earl of Orkney, and Karl, whom it calls king of Scots...
", possibly a Viking name for Macbeth
Macbeth of Scotland
Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
.
Further down the peninsula at Portmahomack
Portmahomack
Portmahomack is a small fishing village in Easter Ross, Scotland. It is situated in the Tarbat Peninsula in the parish of Tarbat. Tarbat Ness Lighthouse is about three miles from the village at the end of the Tarbat Peninsula. Ballone Castle lies about a mile from the village...
, in the 1480s the Clan Ross
Clan Ross
Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross.-Origins:Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV of Scotland in 1160...
slaughtered a raiding party from the Clan Mackay
Clan MacKay
Clan Mackay is an ancient and once powerful Scottish clan from the far north of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old kingdom of Moray. They were a powerful force in politics beginning in the 14th century, supporting Robert the Bruce. In the centuries that followed they were...
by locking them in the Tarbat Old Church and setting fire to it. This event is known as the Battle of Tarbat
Battle of Tarbat
The Battle of Tarbat was a Scottish clan battle fought in the 1480s on the Tarbat peninsula, in Easter Ross. The Clan Ross cornered a raiding party of Clan Mackay near the village of Portmahomack and put many of them to the sword. The survivors sought sanctuary in the nearby church but the Rosses...
.
Lighthouse
A storm in the Moray FirthMoray Firth
The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
in November 1826 saw the loss of 16 vessels and brought many applications for lighthouses to be constructed at Tarbat Ness and at Covesea Skerries
Covesea Skerries Lighthouse
Covesea Skerries Lighthouse, belonging to the Northern Lighthouse Board , is built on top of a small headland on the south coast of the Moray Firth at Covesea, near Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland.-History:...
.
Tarbat Ness Lighthouse was engineered by Robert Stevenson for the Northern Lighthouse Board
Northern Lighthouse Board
The Northern Lighthouse Board is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas.-History:...
and the light was first exhibited on 26 January 1830. James Smith of Inverness was the contractor responsible for the building of the lighthouse which cost £9,361. The lighthouse tower is the third tallest in Scotland behind North Ronaldsay
North Ronaldsay
North Ronaldsay is the northernmost of the Orkney Islands, Scotland and with an area of is the fourteenth largest.-Geography:North Ronaldsay lies around north of its nearest neighbour, Sanday at . The island is around long along its length and is defined by two large sandy bays; Linklet Bay on...
and Skerryvore
Skerryvore
Skerryvore is a remote reef that lies off the west coast of Scotland, 12 miles south west of the island of Tiree...
and is notable for having two distinguishing broad red bands.
Earthquake shocks were sometimes reported and Tarbat Ness once shook so that the shades and lamp glasses rattled.