View source for Lochaber

{{Short description|Ward management area of the Highland Council}}
{{About|the area in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{multiple image
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| image1            = Loch Eil from CMD.jpg
| caption1          = [[Loch Eil]]
| image2            = Glenfinnan Viaduct at Loch Shiel 2.jpg
| caption2          = The viaduct at [[Glenfinnan]]
| image3            = Lochaber (district).PNG
| caption3          = Map of Scotland showing the historic province of Lochaber
}}
'''Lochaber''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ɒ|x|'|ɑː|b|ər}} {{respell|lokh|AH|bər}}; {{langx|gd|Loch Abar}}) is a name applied to a part of the [[Scottish Highlands]]. Historically, it was a [[provincial lordship]] consisting of the parishes of [[Kilmallie]] and [[Kilmonivaig]]. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of [[Loch Leven (Highlands)|Loch Leven]], a district called Nether Lochaber, to beyond [[Spean Bridge]] and [[Roybridge]], which area is known as Brae Lochaber or ''Braigh Loch Abar'' in Gaelic.<ref>{{cite book|author=Donald B. MacCulloch |title= Romantic Lochaber Arisaig and Morar |location= Spean Bridge |publisher= Lines Publishing |date= 1996 |pages= 1–2, 168}}</ref> For local government purposes, the name was used for one of the [[landward district]]s of [[Inverness-shire]] from 1930 to 1975, and then for one of the [[Districts of Scotland|districts]] of the [[Highland (council area)|Highland]] region from 1975 to 1996. Since 1996 the [[Highland Council]] has had a Lochaber [[area committee]].

The main town of Lochaber is [[Fort William, Scotland|Fort William]]. Other moderate sized settlements in Lochaber include [[Mallaig]], [[Ballachulish]] and [[Glencoe, Highland|Glencoe]].

==Name==
[[William J. Watson|William Watson]] outlined two schools of thought on this topic. He favoured the idea that ''Abar'' came from the [[Pictish language|Pictish]] and [[Welsh language|Welsh]] for "river mouth" and that ''Loch Abar'' meant the confluence of the [[River Lochy|Lochy]] and the [[River Nevis|Nevis]] as they flowed into [[Loch Linnhe]], {{lang|gd|an Linne Dhubh}} in Gaelic. He also conceded that ''abar'' might also come from the Gaelic {{lang|gd|eabar}}, meaning "mud" or "swampy place". Thus Lochaber could be the "loch of swamps", a historic water feature that existed on the Blàr Mòr, where the area's High School and Health Centre are situated today.<ref>{{cite book|author=W.J.Watson |title=The History of the Place Names of Celtic Scotland |location= Shannon |publisher= Irish University Press |date= 1973 |pages= 78–79}}</ref> Other experts favour the "swamp" derivation. A Lochaber person is called an Abrach.<ref>{{cite book|author=Iain Taylor |title= Place Names of Scotland |location= Edinburgh |publisher= Birlinn |date= 2011 |page= 110}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Inverlochy Castle PICT6929.jpg|thumb|[[Inverlochy Castle]], ''[[Caput baroniae|caput]]'' of the [[provincial lordship]] of Lochaber and site of a possible earlier [[Picts|Pictish]] settlement]]
Lochaber is first recorded in the ''[[Life of Columba]]'' written in {{circa|690}} by [[Adomnán]], the Abbot of [[Iona Abbey]].{{sfn|Martin|2005|p=xix}} Although there are no known [[Pictish stone]]s within the area, [[Ardnamurchan Point]] is believed to have marked the boundary between the lands ruled by the [[Picts]] to the north and east, and those ruled by migrating [[Irish clan]]s in [[Dál Riata]] to the south.{{sfn|Martin|2005|p=12}}

Archaeological evidence of earlier structures supports the tradition that [[Inverlochy Castle]] was built on the site of an earlier Pictish settlement, described by the historian [[Hector Boece]] in 1526 as a "city ... much frequented with merchants of France and Spain", but destroyed by the [[Vikings]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/23701/inverlochy-castle |title=Inverlochy Castle |last=Miers |first=Mary |date=2008 |website=Canmore |publisher=Historic Environment Scotland |access-date=2022-02-01 }}</ref> Lochaber contains no early monastic locations,{{sfn|Martin|2005|p=14}} but the numerous placenames starting with the element ''"Kil-"'' or  ''"Cille-"'' suggest early [[Christianity|Christian]] sites dating from the period 600-900, while the placename element ''"annat"'' found near [[Corpach]] suggests the site of an early mother church.{{sfn|Martin|2005|p=13}}  Placename evidence also suggests the presence of Viking settlements in the [[Morvern]] and [[Ballachulish]] areas, but nowhere north and east of [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]].{{sfn|Martin|2005|p=15}}

Lochaber formed part of the [[Province of Moray]] from the early 12th century at the latest.{{sfn|Ross|2011|p=77}} It was first recorded as a [[provincial lordship]] at the end of the 13th century, but a "Steward of Lochaber" is recorded witnessing a charter sealed by [[Walter Comyn, Lord of Badenoch]] in 1234, suggesting that Lochaber had already been granted as a lordship by that date,{{sfn|Ross|2015|p=98}} and had probably, like [[Badenoch]], been granted to Comyn by [[Alexander II of Scotland|Alexander II]] in 1229.{{sfn|Martin|2005|p=15}}

It was therefore one of the seven lordships created within Moray by ca. 1230 that as well as Badenoch included [[The Aird]], [[Glencarnie]], [[Abernethy, Perth and Kinross|Abernethy]], [[Stratha'an]] and [[Strathbogie, Scotland|Strathbogie]].{{sfn|Ross|2015|p=93}} The lordship was made up of the two parishes of [[Kilmallie]] and [[Kilmonivaig]] and had its ''[[Caput baroniae|caput]]'' at [[Inverlochy Castle]].{{sfn|Ross|2015|p=98}}

Lochaber was one of the territories that King [[Robert the Bruce]] gave to his friend, [[Aonghus Óg of Islay|Angus Òg Macdonald]], [[Lord of the Isles]], who fought by his side during the [[First Scottish War of Independence]], including the successful [[Battle of Bannockburn]] in 1314. In turn, Angus Òg gave [[Ardnamurchan]] to his younger brother, [[Iain Sprangach MacDonald]] (first Chief of [[Clan MacDonald of Ardnamurchan]]), and he gave his [[illegitimacy|illegitimate]] son, [[Iain Fraoch MacDonald]] the Chiefdom of [[Clan MacDonald of Glencoe]]. In 1376, [[Robert II of Scotland|King Robert II]] confirmed [[John of Islay, Lord of the Isles]] and son of Angus Òg MacDonald, control of [[Colonsay]], [[Kintyre]] and [[Knapdale]] and granted Lochaber to John and his new wife Princess Margaret as a part of her [[dowry]]. In turn, John of Islay's son, [[Ranald MacDonald (founder of Clanranald)|Reginald]], (first Chief of Clanranald and Glengarry), through his first marriage of [[Amie mac Ruari|Amie MacRuari]], were given charter to the old lands of [[Clann Ruaidhrí]] in Lochaber. Jogn of Islay's other son, [[Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles]], gave the province to his brother, [[Alistair Carragh Macdonald]], who became both the [[Tighearna|Lord]] of Lochaber and the 1st [[Scottish clan chief|Chief]] of [[Clan MacDonald of Keppoch]].

In the [[Middle Ages]], [[Clan Cameron]] was the principal and dominant [[Scottish clan]] in Lochaber. Other important clans included: [[Clan MacDonald of Keppoch|MacDonald of Keppoch]], [[Clan MacDonell of Glengarry|MacDonell of Glengarry]], [[Clan MacMillan|MacMillan]] and [[Clan Mackintosh|MacIntosh]]. To enforce [[Scots Law]], the old province of Moray was also divided into [[Shires of Scotland|shires]] (areas administered by a [[Sheriff principal|sheriff]]). The western parts of Moray, including the provincial lordships of Lochaber, Badenoch and the Aird were included in [[Inverness-shire]], being the area administered by the [[Sheriff of Inverness]]. Over time the shires were given more administrative functions, whereas the old provinces and provincial lordships gradually lost their functions.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shaw |first1=Lachlan |title=The History of the Province of Moray: Volume 1 |date=1882 |publisher=Hamilton, Adams and Co. / Thomas D. Morison |location=London / Glasgow |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpJJAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22province+of+moray%22&pg=PA404 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref> Timber from Lochaber was shipped to Edinburgh to mount the cannons of [[James V]] at [[Edinburgh Castle]] in September 1532.<ref>[[James Balfour Paul]], ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 6 (Edinburgh, 1905), pp. 155–157.</ref>

===Seventeenth to nineteenth centuries===
Some historians argue the late seventeenth-century [[Scottish Highlands]] were more peaceful than often suggested, in part because chiefs could be fined for crimes committed by their clansmen. The exception was Lochaber, identified as a refuge for cattle raiders and thieves by government officials, other chiefs and Gaelic poets. Four local clans were consistently named in such accounts: the [[MacDonald of Glencoe|Glencoe]] and [[Clan MacDonald of Keppoch|Keppoch MacDonalds]], the [[MacGregors]] and the [[Clan Cameron|Camerons]].{{sfn|MacInnes|1986|pp=174–176}} In September 1688, James VII outlawed the Keppoch MacDonalds for attacking his troops at the [[Battle of Mulroy]], shortly before he was deposed by the November 1688 [[Glorious Revolution in Scotland|Glorious Revolution]].{{sfn|MacInnes|1986|pp=193–194}}

Beginning in 1740, Lochaber was the residence of Fr. [[Alexander Cameron (priest)|Alexander Cameron]], a [[Noblesse|nobleman]] from [[Clan Cameron]] and [[outlawed]] [[Roman Catholic priest]] of the [[Society of Jesus]]. For five years prior to the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|Uprising of 1745]], Fr. Cameron's secret residence was located under the cliff of a big boulder at Brae of Craskie in [[Glen Cannich|Glenannich]], from which he and two other priests, Frs. [[John Farquharson (Jesuit)|John]] and Charles Farquarson, ran a highly successful vicariate in both Lochaber and [[Strathglass]] for the strictly illegal and underground [[Catholic Church in Scotland]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=MacWilliam|first=A. S.|title=A Highland mission: Strathglass, 1671-1777|publisher=IR xxiv|year=1973|isbn=|location=|pages=95–99}}</ref>

Many local residents took part in the [[Jacobite Rising of 1745]], and [[Raids on Lochaber and Shiramore|the reprisals inflicted]] by government troops after the [[Battle of Culloden]] is still referred to in the [[Highlands and Islands]] as {{lang|gd|Bliadhna nan Creach}}, or "Year of the Pillaging".<ref>Michael Newton (2001), ''We're Indians Sure Enough: The Legacy of the Scottish Highlanders in the United States'', Saorsa Media. Page 32.</ref> Thereafter, the local population was further reduced by the [[Highland Clearances]] and voluntary emigration, including the poet [[Ailean a' Ridse MacDhòmhnaill]], who emigrated and settled in [[Mabou]], [[Nova Scotia]] in 1816. In 1900, his son [[Canadian Gaelic]] poet [[Alasdair a' Ridse MacDhòmhnaill]] wrote, "They say the best singers and ''[[Seanchaidh|Seanachies]]'' left Scotland. They left Lochaber for certain."<ref> Effie Rankin (2004), ''As a' Braighe/Beyond the Braes: The Gaelic Songs of Allan the Ridge MacDonald'', [[Cape Breton University]] Press, pg. 49.</ref>

According to John Watts, after the estate clearances ordered by [[Laird]] [[Ranald George Macdonald]] at the height of the [[Highland Potato Famine]] and their assisted passage to [[Australia]] through the [[Highland and Island Emigration Society]], [[Little River, Victoria|Little River]] and [[Belmont, Victoria|Belmont]] were the main population centers in the [[Colony of Victoria]] for Roman Catholic [[Scottish Gaels]] from Lochaber and [[Moidart]].<ref> Macdonald (2011), ''Moidart: Among the Clanranalds'', Birlinn Limited. Page 223.</ref> The Gaels of Little River were joined in 1857 by their former parish priest from Scotland, Fr Ronald Rankin ({{circa|1785–1863}}),<ref> [https://www.churchhistories.net.au/church-catalog/little-river-vic-st-michaels-catholic St Michael's Catholic Church, Little River, Victoria]</ref><ref> [https://fergusonandurie.com/2013/01/06/24-05-1884-st-michaels-catholic-church-little-river-victoria/ St Michael’s Catholic Church, Little River, Victoria]</ref> who is best known as the author of the Scottish Gaelic [[Christmas carol]] [[Tàladh Chrìosda]].<ref>[[John Lorne Campbell]], ''The Sources of the Gaelic Hymnal, 1893'', ''[[The Innes Review]]'', December 1956 Vol. VII, No. 2, pp. 101-111.</ref>

In 1879, a visitor to [[Canada]] from Scotland enthusiastically declared that the Lochaber dialect of the [[Scottish Gaelic language]] was better preserved, "with the most perfect accent, and with scarcely any, if any, admixture of English", in [[Glengarry County]] and in [[Cornwall, Ontario|Cornwall]], Ontario than in Lochaber itself.<ref> {{cite book |last=Newton |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Newton (Gaelic scholar) |date=2015 |title={{lang|gd|Seanchaidh na Coille|italic=no}}/Memory-Keeper of the Forest: Anthology of Scottish Gaelic Literature of Canada |publisher=Cape Breton University Press |isbn=978-1-77206-016-4}} p. 373.</ref>

===Recent history===
In 2023, Lochaber, with Ben Nevis, was put forward as a potential new [[National parks of Scotland|National Park]], however it was not successful in its bid.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0qx7eyep9o |title=Park status suggested for Ben Nevis and Lochaber |date=29 September 2023 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.westcoasttoday.co.uk/news/mixed-reaction-as-lochaber-national-park-bid-fails |title=Mixed reaction as Lochaber National Park bid fails |publisher=West Coast Today |access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref>

==Governance==
There has been no administrative area called Lochaber since 1996, but the Highland Council has a [[committee area]] called Lochaber. The committee comprises the councillors representing the two wards of [[Fort William and Ardnamurchan (ward)|Fort William and Ardnamurchan]] and [[Caol and Mallaig (ward)|Caol and Mallaig]], which together cover broadly the same area as the pre-1996 Lochaber District.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lochaber Committee |url=https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/20003/committee_information/491/lochaber_committee |website=The Highland Council |access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
The medieval lordship of Lochaber was never explicitly abolished, but more significant administrative functions were gradually given to other bodies, particularly the Sheriff of Inverness, the [[Commissioners of Supply]] for Inverness-shire established in 1667,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Keith |title=Act of the convention of estates of the kingdom of Scotland etc. for a new and voluntary offer to his majesty of £72,000 monthly for the space of twelve months, 23 January 1667 |url=http://www.rps.ac.uk/trans/1667/1/10 |website=Records of the Parliament of Scotland |publisher=University of St Andrews |access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref> and then the Inverness-shire County Council created in 1890. Lochaber's main town of Fort William was governed as a [[police burgh]] with a town council from 1875.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Souter |first1=Mary |title=A Peculiar Diversity: Public Health in Inverness County 1845–1912 (thesis) |date=2020 |publisher=University of the Highlands and Islands |page=8 |url=https://pureadmin.uhi.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/16882254/Mary_Souter_thesis.pdf |access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref>

A local government district called Lochaber was created in 1930, when Scotland's parish councils were abolished. Instead of having parish councils, the landward (outside a [[burgh]]) area of each county was divided into [[landward district]]s, each with a district council. The Lochaber district created in 1930 covered the parts of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig which lay outside the burgh of Fort William, plus the three parishes of [[Arisaig]] and [[Moidart]], [[Glenelg, Highland|Glenelg]], and [[Small Isles]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=14632|page=256|date=7 March 1930|city=e}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=14596|page=1305|date=1 November 1929|city=e}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quarter-inch Administrative Areas Maps: Scotland, Sheet 4, 1969 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/222075461 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> Although the Lochaber district created in 1930 did not include the burgh of Fort William, the district council nevertheless established its offices in the town.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18901|page=646|date=28 July 1970|city=e}}</ref>

{{Infobox historic subdivision
|Name=              Lochaber
|HQ=                [[Fort William, Scotland|Fort William]]
|subdivision_type=  [[Districts of Scotland|District]]
|Start=             16 May 1975
|End=               31 March 1996
|Replace=           [[Highland (council area)|Highland]]
|image=
|Map=               Scot1975Lochaber.png
|membership_title1= Region
|membership1=       [[Highland (council area)|Highland Region]]
}}
Local government in Scotland was reformed again in 1975 under the [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973]], which abolished Scotland's counties, [[burgh]]s and [[landward district]]s and replaced them with a two-tier system of [[Local government areas of Scotland (1975–1996)|regions and districts]]. One of the new districts was also called Lochaber, covering the combined area of the former Lochaber district plus the burgh of Fort William from Inverness-shire, plus the [[Ardnamurchan]] district and the [[Ballachulish]] and [[Kinlochleven]] electoral divisions from [[Argyll]]. The post-1975 Lochaber District Council was a district-level authority, with regional-level functions provided by the [[Highland Regional Council]], based in Inverness.<ref name=1973act>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973|year=1973|chapter=65|accessdate=26 August 2024}}</ref>

The boundaries of the district created in 1975 included [[Glen Coe]], [[Nether Lochaber]], the western part of the [[Rannoch Moor]], the [[Road to the Isles]], [[Moidart]], [[Ardgour]], [[Morvern]], [[Sunart]], [[Ardnamurchan]], and the [[Small Isles]] ([[Rùm]], [[Eigg]], [[Muck, Scotland|Muck]] and [[Canna, Scotland|Canna]]).
[[File:Retail area and park, Fort William - geograph.org.uk - 4878930.jpg|thumb|Tweeddale (lighter building behind trees) and Lochaber House (brown building to left of Tweeddale): Lochaber District Council's offices]]
Throughout the district council's existence from 1975 to 1996 a majority of the seats were held by [[independent politician|independents]].<ref name=compositions>{{cite web |title=Compositions Calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/composition_calc.html |access-date=21 May 2025 |website=The Elections Centre |publisher=University of Exeter}} (Put "Lochaber" in search box to see specific results.)</ref> The council was initially based at Tweeddale, before moving to the neighbouring Lochaber House in 1979, both being adjoining 1970s office buildings with shops on the ground floor on the High Street in Fort William. Tweeddale subsequently served as the area office for the Highland Regional Council.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shopping complex cracks probed |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search-newspapers |access-date=27 August 2024 |work=Aberdeen Press and Journal |date=26 November 1975 |page=15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lochaber Council's new home 'baptised' |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search-newspapers |access-date=27 August 2024 |work=Aberdeen Press and Journal |date=5 June 1979 |page=32}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23805|page=1590|date=23 June 1995|city=e}}</ref>

The districts and regions created in 1975 were abolished in 1996, under the [[Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994]] and replaced with single-tier [[Council areas of Scotland|council areas]]. The Highland region became one of the new council areas.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994|year=1994|chapter=39|accessdate=17 April 2023}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
The [[William Shakespeare|Shakespearean]] character [[Banquo]] was Thane of Lochaber and a kinsman of his friend [[Macbeth]]. His home is reputed to have been at [[Tor Castle]] above the [[River Lochy]], near Seangan.<ref>{{cite book |author=Donald B. MacCulloch |title= Romantic Lochaber Arisaig and Morar |location= Spean Bridge |publisher= Lines Publishing |date= 1996 |page= 78}}</ref>

"Lochaber No More" is a traditional folk song, first compiled in 1760<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tunearch.org/wiki/Lochaber_No_More |title=Lochaber No More - The Traditional Tune Archive|website=tunearch.org|date=3 September 2021 }}</ref> — with additional lyrics penned by [[Allan Ramsay (poet)|Allan Ramsay]] in the 1720s — but with a melody also known in Ireland (where it may very well have originated) as "Lament for Limerick" or "Limerick's Lamentation". The melody was also popular in England — used in "Amintor's Lamentation for Celia's Unkindness", a broadside ballad from the 19th century. The phrase "Lochaber no more" is borrowed by [[The Proclaimers]] as the start of the bridge in their hit song about the Scottish clearances "[[Letter from America (song)|Letter From America]]".

According to legend, a [[glaistig]], a ghostly woman-goat hybrid, once lived in the area.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ash |first=Russell |date=1973 |title=Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain |publisher=Reader's Digest Association Limited |page=442 |isbn=9780340165973 }}</ref>

===Columba===
Lochaber is mentioned by [[Adomnan of Iona]] in his biography of [[St Columba]] on two occasions. Both stories are related to Columba using his saintly blessing to raise people out of poverty and make them wealthier.<ref name=Columba>{{cite book|author=Adomnan of Iona |title= Life of St Columba |publisher= Penguin Books |date= 1995}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
===Hospital===
The main hospital in Lochaber is [[Belford Hospital]] in Fort William.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/your-services/in-person-services-and-locations/hospitals/belford-hospital-fort-william/ |title=Belford Hospital (Fort William) |publisher=NHS Highland |access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref> In 2023 exploratory work began to replace the hospital, with construction expected to begin in the Blar Mhor area near Caol in 2025, with an estimated completion date of 2028.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/news/2023/11/ground-investigations-begin-at-proposed-site-for-new-hospital/ |title=Ground investigations begin at proposed site for new hospital |publisher=NHS Highland |access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref> In 2024 funding issues resulted in a potential delay for the construction of the new hospital with protests taking place in Fort William.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4n3l601yevo |title=Further delay to new Lochaber hospital 'depressing' |date=22 January 2024 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c29wnnz0e14o |title=Hundreds protest over delays to new hospital |date=18 March 2024 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref>

===Hydroelectric scheme===
[[File:Pipelines supplying Aluminium works Fort William - geograph.org.uk - 22776.jpg|thumb|Penstocks carrying water to the aluminium smelter at Fort William]]
{{Main|Lochaber hydroelectric scheme}}

The Lochaber [[hydroelectric]] scheme is a hydroelectric power generation project constructed in the Lochaber area after [[World War I]].<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB30029|desc=Lochaber Hydroelectric Scheme and Aluminium Smelter, Loch Treig Dam}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Lochaber axe]]
* [[Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite journal |last1=MacInnes |first1=Allan |title=Repression and Conciliation: The Highland Dimension 1660–1688 |journal=The Scottish Historical Review |volume=65 |issue=180 |date=1986 |pages=167–195 |jstor=25530202}}
* {{cite book |last=Martin |first=Paula |date=2005 |title=Lochaber: A Historical Guide |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Birlinn |isbn=1841582417 }}
* {{cite book |last=Ross |first=Alasdair |year=2011 |title=The Kings Of Alba: c.1000-c.1130 |publisher=John Donald |location=Edinburgh |isbn=9781906566159}}
* {{cite book |last=Ross |first=Alasdair |date=2015 |title=Land Assessment and Lordship in Medieval Northern Scotland  |location=Turnhout |publisher=Brepols |isbn=9782503541334 }}

==External links==
* {{commonscat-inline}}

{{Lochaber}}
{{Scottish provinces|mainland|state=uncollapsed}}
{{Former local government regions of Scotland}}
{{Portal bar|Scotland}}
{{coord|57|-5|region:GB|display=title}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lochaber}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2024}}


[[Category:Lochaber| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Scotland]]
[[Category:Provincial lordships of Scotland]]