County Dossier
Morayshire
Northern county of cathedrals, coasts and clans.
Morayshire is a maritime county on the south coast of the Moray Firth. The coastline is mostly low and sandy, supporting a mix of fishing and farming, with the Firth rich in haddock and cod.
At a glance
Morayshire at a glance
Northern county of cathedrals, coasts and clans.
- Once the Kingdom of Moray
- Sheriffdom by 12th century
- Elgin became county town
- Area: 476 sq miles / 1,233 sq km
- Population: 67,654
- County Top: Carn a' Ghille Chearr (2,329ft / 710m)
County Geography
Morayshire meets Nairnshire to the west and Banffshire to the east on the coast, while Inverness-shire encloses the county’s southern side and its detached inland portions. The county is shaped by the Moray Firth to the north, the Lossie, Findhorn, and Spey valleys through the interior, and the southern rise toward the hills.
Morayshire is easy to recognise through the coast plain, fertile valleys, and southern upland rise.
Map Reference
View Morayshire on the map
Morayshire is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Elgin, Forres, Lossiemouth, Fochabers, and Grantown-on-Spey show the county from the central coast plain to the eastern Spey side and the southern inland reach.
Connections
The county’s routes have long followed the coast plain, crossed the fertile interior, and run south through the river valleys. Movement follows the same firth, valley, and upland pattern.
Names
- Morayshire
- County of Moray
- Elginshire
- County of Elgin
- Moireibh
Moireibh is the Gaelic form of Morayshire. County of Moray is the formal historical style, while Elginshire and County of Elgin are later alternative forms tied to the county town at Elgin.
The county’s older roots lie in the old kingdom of Moray, and it was a sheriffdom by the twelfth century, with Elgin and Forres long central to its public life. The firth-side plain and inland valleys still define Morayshire clearly.