Ferintosh, Black Isle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ferintosh is the name of an estate in the Black Isle, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. Confusingly, Urquhart is the name of the parish but due to amalgamations a Ferintosh "Parish" Church is at nearby Conon Bridge, whereas the former Urquhart Parish Church is close to the Ferintosh Burn (see below). Ferintosh Free Church however has a much closer link as this is where Dr Macdonald ministered. The parish of Urquhart is virtually the original Ferintosh estate and was part of Nairnshire until about 1895 as the owner, Forbes of Culloden, was also a major landowner in Nairnshire
The Ferintosh whisky distillery was burnt down during the Jacobite disturbances in 1689, but became the first legal distillery in Scotland in 1690. At a later date, up to the late 20th century, the Ben Wyvis distillery in nearby Dingwall changed its name to Ferintosh to take advantage of the good reputation of the Ferintosh whisky
A natural amphitheatre at the Ferintosh Burn was used for open-air gatherings during communion seasons in the 18th and 19th centuries.
A particularly famous minister of the parish was Dr John MacDonald (1749-1849), whose biography, The Apostle of the North was written by the Free Church minister of Dingwall, John Kennedy. As suggested by the title, he preached the gospel in many parts of northern Scotland.
