Torosay

{{Short description|Civil parish on Isle of Mull, Scotland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}

{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}

{{Infobox UK place

| country = Scotland

| official_name = Torosay

| static_image_name = Church of Scotland Church, Craignure, Isle of Mull. - geograph.org.uk - 1528644.jpg

| static_image_caption = Torosay parish church

| os_grid_reference = NM717371

| coordinates = {{coord|56|28|2|N|5|42|2|W|display=inline,title}}

| map_type = Scotland

| population = 645

| population_ref = (2011)

| area_total_sq_mi = 140

| civil_parish = Torosay

| unitary_scotland = Argyll and Bute

| lieutenancy_scotland = Argyll and Bute

| constituency_westminster = Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber

| constituency_scottish_parliament = Argyll and Bute

| post_town = ISLE OF MULL

| postcode_district = PA65

| postcode_area = PA

| dial_code = 01680

}}

File:Map of the parishes of the Isle of Mull (1891).jpg

Torosay is a civil parish on the Isle of Mull in the county of Argyll, Scotland, part of the Argyll and Bute council area. It is one of three parishes on the island and extends over the central and south-eastern part. It is bordered by the parish of Kilninian and Kilmore in the north and Kilfinichen and Kilvickeon in the south-west. It extends about {{convert|12|mi|km|abbr=off}} east-west and {{convert|10|mi|km|abbr=off}} north-south. On the north-east coast it is separated from the mainland by the Sound of Mull. On its south-east coast, part of it is almost severed from the rest of the parish by the sea lochs Spelve and Buie, together with the freshwater loch Uisg, in between. This peninsula, which includes the hamlet of Croggan, is joined to the main island by a small isthmus at Kinlochspelvie and another at the settlement of Lochbuie. There is a smaller sea loch Loch Don, which gives its name to the hamlet of Lochdon (or Lochdonhead).Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by Francis H. Groome; publ. Thomas C. Jack, Edinburgh,1901. (Article on Torosay) Further north, there is a bay at Craignure which is the location of a ferry port.

The parish touches the west coast of Mull at Loch na Keal and includes the island of Eorsa. The River Ba, which flows into this loch, takes the overflow of the freshwater loch Loch Ba {{convert|2|mi|km|abbr=off}} inland. Also in the west of the parish, by its south-west border, is Ben More ({{convert|3169|ft|m|abbr=on}}), the highest point in the island (the name means great mountain in Gaelic).

At the 2011 census, the population of the civil parish was 645. 17.5% had some knowledge of Gaelic.Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web site

http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ retrieved April 2021. See "Standard Outputs", Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish In 1891 80% were Gaelic speaking. Tenth Decennial Census of the Population of Scotland, Taken 5th April 1891, publ. H.M.S.O. Edinburgh 1893; Table 1, p.12 The area of the parish is {{convert|89584|acre|mi2 km2|abbr=on|1}}.Census of Scotland 1931. Preliminary Report. Table 17 - Population and Acreage of Civil Parishes alphabetically arranged. Publ. H.M.S.O. 1931

The parish church of Torosay, which is in Craignure, dates from 1783. Its style is plain Georgian oblong. It underwent repairs in 1828 and again in 1832, when it was struck by lightning.Historic Environment Scotland website portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB17970 retrieved March 2024New Statistical Acccount Vol 7 (Article on Torosay), publ. William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh, 1845; pp.277-292 In the 19th century, churches were built by the government at Kinlochspelvie and Salen, resulting in separate quoad sacra (church only) parishes; but the former is now reunited with Torosay, while the latter still exists . Website of North Mull Parishes (Church of Scotland) www.northmullparish.org retrieved March 2024. Note: The parishes have a common minister.

The name Torosay appears to be derived from the Gaelic word for a conical hill and influenced by the common Old Norse ending ay , meaning island.

Place-names of Scotland, by James Johnston, publ. David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1892; p.237

The parish council was formed in 1895 with 7 elected members. The Parish Council Nominations in the Glasgow Herald, 21 March 1895; p.8 This was replaced by Mull District Council in 1930, which had 6 members, 3 of whom were the County Councillors for Mull and 3 elected to the District Council from wards based on the three parishes.Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929The Edinburgh Gazette 7 March 1930; p.265 Since 1976 there has been an Isle of Mull community council.

Community Councils website, managed on behalf of the Scottish Government www.communitycouncils.scot/community-council-finder Retrieved April 2021Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973Website of Isle of Mull community council - mull-community-council.co.uk/ - retrieved March 2024