Inverness-shire

Inverness-shire, former county in northern Scotland; Inverness was the county town. The largest of the former Scottish counties, Inverness-shire included several of the Hebrides islands, notably the Isle of Skye, and Harris (the southern section of Lewis and Harris Island). The mountainous mainland section lay astride the Great Glen, a geological fault containing several lakes, including Loch Ness. Picts were the early inhabitants of the area. In 1078 it came under Scottish rule, but the Highland clans retained local control until the 18th century. In 1746 the Jacobites suffered their final defeat at Culloden Moor in the county. In 1975 Inverness-shire was divided between the Highland and Western Isles (Eilean Siar) regions.