Merkinch (

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 as ...

: ''Marc-Innis'', meaning "Island of the Horse") is an area of the city of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

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 country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. One of the oldest neighbourhoods in Inverness, it's situated in the city's north-west flanked by the

Caledonian Canal The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. Route The canal r ...

to its west and

River Ness The River Ness (Scottish Gaelic: ''Abhainn Nis'') is a river in Highland, Scotland, UK. It flows from Loch Dochfour, at the northern end of Loch Ness, north-east to the mouth of the Beauly Firth at Inverness, a distance of about , with a fall ...

to its east. It is a traditionally

working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

area. In Merkinch is Grant Street Park, home to Clachnacuddin Football Club, and Merkinch Primary School, one of the oldest schools in the city. In February 2020, Merkinch was ranked as the number 8th most deprived area in Scotland, in a report by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Residents immediately leapt to defend their community. Notably, Merkinch was one of the last areas in Inverness to retain the city's own dialect of Scottish Gaelic.

Local History

Merkinch first appears in writing during the reign of King Alexander II, when it was granted by royal charter to the

burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...

of Inverness. This occurred in 1232, with the charter written four years afterwards. As part of this, the area was required to contribute ''"one pound of pepper"'' (or risk a fine of nine shillings) to the city every

Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...

. Prior to the area's industrialisation, Merkinch was almost entirely farmland sitting on an island in the River Ness (hence its name-meaning in Gaelic). Wher the river flowed past the neighbourhood on its west side, is now the Caledonian Canal today. In 1829 it was the subject of a land dispute between the Frasers of Torbreck and Duffs of

Muirtown Muirtown (Gaelic: ''Baile an Fhraoich'') is an area in the west end of the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. It contains the Muirtown basin and Muirtown Primary School. An expansion of the Caledonian Canal close to its northeastern ...

, as tenants on both properties were unsure to whom they answered. In the Highland Potato Famine of 1846, wide social unrest gripped the city of Inverness. In Merkinch, a march was organised through the area and neighbouring Muirtown (another working-class neighbourhood), led by a 12-year-old drummer boy named John Fraser. The January protests were a direct result of potato prices skyrocketing at the market on Academy Street, it being a staple food both for rural and urban lay-folk. Despite the famine affecting Highlands, potatoes were still being exported in vast quantities to London—causing an angry mob to overturn carts at the city's quay, and vandalise the houses of prominent potato merchants. In the end, 70 soldiers were called in to quell further unrest. Fraser's march would inspire similar ones across the Highlands, and over a year later similar protests occurred in response to rising oatmeal prices. Before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Merkinch became home to Inverness'

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

industry; across the railway lines to the area's north, the

Kessock Ferry The Kessock Ferry used to ply between Inverness and the Black Isle, across the Beauly Firth. It was withdrawn on the opening of the Kessock Bridge in 1982. Service The ferry crossed between North and South Kessock at the narrows between the Mora ...

would cross the

Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotl ...

from a pier in

South Kessock South Kessock (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ceasag a Deas'', meaning "Ceasag's Place") is an area of the city of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is situated to the city's north at the mouth of the River Ness. It is a traditionally ...

. Distilling was another important industry, with several distilleries in the area. Today, industrial activity still takes place on the Carse Industrial Estate and Telford Retail Park. File:Trinity Church of Scotland Inverness Scotland (15074761531).jpg, Trinity Church of Scotland, formed from the merger of three separate congregations in 1977 File:Clachnacuddin Football Club ground.JPG, Grant Street Park (Clachnacuddin football ground), in the centre of Merkinch

References

{{Areas of Inverness Areas of Inverness