Belladrum (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

: ''Baile an Druim'', meaning "Farm of the Ridge") is a small settlement in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

council area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It is about 0.9 miles (1.4 km) east of the village of Kiltarlity, and 9 miles (14.5 km west) of Inverness. Belladrum is synonymous with the Belladrum Estate, a large area of land once owned by

Clan Fraser of Lovat Clan Fraser of Lovat ( gd, Friseal french: link=yes, Fraiser) is a Highland Scottish clan and the principal branch of Clan Fraser. The Frasers of Lovat are strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gaine ...

, before being sold to the Gibbs' family in 1857. In the early 16th century, Belladrum was one of two

davoch The davoch, davach or daugh is an ancient Scottish land measurement. All of these terms are cognate with modern Scottish Gaelic ''dabhach''. The word ''dabh'' or '' damh'' means an " ox" (cf. oxgang, ''damh-imir''), but ''dabhach'' can also refer ...

s of Moy, under rulership of the Barony of

the Aird The Aird (from the Scottish Gaelic: ''An Àird'' (IPA: �anˈaːɾʃt̪ meaning "The High Place") is an area of the County of Inverness, to the west of the City of Inverness. It is situated to the south of the River Beauly and the Beauly Firth, an ...

. It was confirmed by

King James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

to the Haliburton family (an offshoot of Clan Chisholm) in the year 1512 Nowadays, Belladrum is better-known for its Tartan Heart Festival, a rapidly-growing music and arts festival that has in recent years seen acts like Tom Jones,

Jess Glynne Jessica Hannah Glynne (born 20 October 1989) is an English singer and songwriter. After signing with Atlantic Records, she rose to prominence in 2014 as a featured artist on the singles "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit and " My Love" by Route 94, bo ...

, and

Lewis Capaldi Lewis Marc Capaldi ( ; born 7 October 1996) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards. In March 2019, his single " Someone You Loved" topped the UK Singles Chart wher ...

. The Belladrum Estate is also a popular site for weddings, held within an octagonal "temple" on the estate grounds. Outside of the festival, Belladrum is chiefly concerned with sheep farming and forestry. Belladrum Forest is a popular destination for both bikers and walkers, climbing to a

radio mast Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made ...

atop Phoineas Hill. The hill was the site of an ancient Pictish fort, though its remains are no longer visible. There is also a pony club located on the estate. In 2016, the Belladrum Estate registered its own tartan with the

Scottish Register of Tartans The Scottish Register of Tartans (SRT) is Scotland's official non-ministerial department for the recording and registration of tartan designs, operating since 5 February 2009. As a governmental body, SRT is headquartered at HM General Register Ho ...

, said to represent the estate's "ancient green forests and native lichens ... coupled with a contrasting russet red, a colour that signifies the passion and pride many generations have had for the Belladrum Estate." File:Belladrum Chapel - geograph.org.uk - 147041.jpg, Belladrum Chapel (or "Temple"), a popular site for local weddings File:Summit of Phoineas Hill - geograph.org.uk - 218320.jpg, Summit of Phoineas Hill, located within Belladrum Forest 170m above sea level File:Belladrum Tartan Heart Rock Festival - geograph.org.uk - 218314.jpg, The Garden Stage at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival

References

{{reflist Villages in Highland (council area)