Coordinates: 57°29′05″N 4°27′43″W / 57.484662°N 4.462035°W / 57.484662; -4.462035

Beauly
Scottish Gaelic: A' Mhanachainn[1]
Scots: Beuly[2]
Beauly  Beauly shown within the Inverness area
Population	1,164 [3] (2001 census) est. 1,130[4] (2006)
OS grid reference	NH525465
Council area	Highland
Lieutenancy area	Inverness
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Beauly
Postcode district	IV4
Dialling code	01463
Police	Northern
Fire	Highlands and Islands
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Ross, Skye and Lochaber
Scottish Parliament	Ross, Skye and Inverness West
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Beauly ( /ˈbjuːliː/ BEW-lee; from French: Beaulieu meaning "beautiful place"; Scottish Gaelic: A' Mhanachainn) is a town of the Scottish county of Inverness-shire, on the River Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. Its population was 855 in 1901. The town is now within the Highland council area.

The land around Beauly is fertile and the town historically traded in coal, timber, lime, grain and fish.

Early years[link]

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Beauly Priory.

Beauly is the site of the Beauly Priory, or the Priory Church of the Blessed Virgin and John the Baptist, founded in 1230 by John Byset of the Aird, for Valliscaulian monks. Following the Reformation, the buildings (except the church, now a ruin) passed into the possession of Lord Lovat.

Beauly is also the site of Lovat Castle, which once belonged to the Bissets, but was presented by James VI, to Hugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat and later demolished.

Recent history[link]

In 1994 Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat sold the castle to Ann Gloag of the Stagecoach Group to pay off debts. In 2002, the Beauly railway station, built in 1862 and closed in 1960, was renovated and reopened.

In January 2010, the Scottish government approved controversial plans for a power line upgrade that will begin in Beauly and end in Denny, Falkirk.^[5] The new power line, part of a plan to carry electricity generated by wind farms on the Western Isles, was called "the most significant grid infrastructure project in a generation" by Jim Mather MSP.^[5] The 220-kilometre (140 mi) line will consist of a network of 600 pylons, ranging in height from 42 to 65 metres (138 to 213 ft).^[5]

Other attractions[link]

The town is known for the Beauly Shinty Club, its shinty team, who have won the Camanachd Cup three times and have been World Champions once.

To the south-east of Beauly is the church of Kirkhill, Highland containing the vault of the Lovats as well as a number of septs of the Mackenzies, including Seaforth and Mackenzies of Gairloch.

Three miles south of Beauly is Beaufort Castle, the chief seat of the Lovats, a modern mansion in the Scottish baronial style. It occupies the site of a fortress erected in the time of Alexander II., which was besieged in 1303 by Edward I. This was replaced by several castles in succession, of which one, Castle Dounie ,was taken by Oliver Cromwell and burned by Prince William, Duke of Cumberland in 1746, the conflagration being witnessed from a neighbouring hill by Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, before his capture on Loch Morar.

See also[link]

• Beauly Firth

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2010)

Specific:

General:

External links[link]

• Visit Beauly from the Beauly Marketing Group