Dornoch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Map sources for Dornoch at grid reference NH798896
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The Royal Burgh of Dornoch (Gaelic: Dòrnach) is a burgh and seaside resort in Sutherland, Highland, on the east coast of the Scottish Highlands, and the north shore of the Dornoch Firth.
The town is near the A9 road, to which it is linked by the A949 and the B9168.
Dornoch boasts the thirteenth-century Dornoch Cathedral, the Old Town Jail and a notable golf course, the Royal Dornoch Golf Club, the 5th best golf course outwith the United States[citation needed], according to Golf Digest magazine. It is also notable as the last place a witch was burnt in Scotland. Her name was Janet Horne; she was tried and condemned to death in 1727. There is a stone, the Witch's Stone, commemorating her death, inscribed with the year 1722. Legendary golf course designer Donald Ross began his career as a greenkeeper on the Royal Dornoch links.
On December 21, 2000, the pop star Madonna had her son Rocco christened in Dornoch Cathedral, the day before her wedding to Guy Ritchie in nearby Skibo Castle.
On January 13, 2005, Dornoch was granted Fairtrade Town status.
[edit] Parliamentary burgh
Dornoch was a parliamentary burgh, combined with Dingwall, Kirkwall, Tain and Wick in the Northern Burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. Cromarty was added to the list in 1832.
The constituency was a district of burghs known also as Tain Burghs until 1832, and then as Wick Burghs. It was represented by one Member of Parliament. In 1918 the constituency was abolished and the Dornoch component was merged into the then new county constituency of Caithness and Sutherland.
