Contents

Contin

Contin Scottish Gaelic: Cunndainn
Contin Stores
Contin Location within the Ross and Cromarty area
Population	675 (2001)
OS grid reference	NH458560
Community council	Contin
Council area	Highland
Lieutenancy area	Ross and Cromarty
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STRATHPEFFER
Postcode district	IV14
Dialling code	01997
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Ross, Skye and Lochaber
Scottish Parliament	Caithness, Sutherland and Ross
List of places UK Scotland 57°34′05″N 4°34′43″W / 57.56802°N 4.57868°W / 57.56802; -4.57868

Contin (Gaelic: Cunndainn) is a Ross-shire village, and a civil parish and community council area between Strathpeffer and Garve in the Highland council area of Scotland. The parish has a population of 675.^[1]

The church in Contin is dedicated to St Maelrubha or Máel Ruba and is on Contin Island which lies in the Black Water (Conon) and is reached from the rest of the village by two bridges, one foot and the other road. The present building dates back to the 18th century but there has probably been a church on this site since the 7th or 8th century.

According to a booklet "Parish of Contin 690 to 1990", based on research by Rev. A.C. Maclean FSA, JP Minister from 1906 to 1937, published by the Church of Contin "Between 1485 and 1487 the Macdonalds and some of their allies (about 1,000 men) meeting at Contin, at the appropriately named (Scottish Gaelic: Blar' na'n Ceann) or the field of heads^[2] on their way to a punitive raid against the Mackenzies of Kinellan, discovered the church was filled with the aged men, women and children trusting to its sanctuary. Alexander Macdonald ordered the door to be shut and the building to be surrounded so that none could escape. He gave orders to set the church on fire, and everyone within - several hundreds - were burnt to death. Vengeance from the Mackenzies and Macreas was swift. After the battle at Pairc, one or two hundred out of 1,800 to 2,000 Macdonalds and their followers, who had eventually gathered at Contin, were left to escape as they might."

Notable people[edit]

• Runrig songwriter and percussionist Calum MacDonald lives in the village in the Old Manse. Coul House Hotel is situated in the hills to the North of the village.
• John Mackenzie, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• DrPaul Monaghan, SNP MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross from 2015-17.

References[edit]