Editing Fort Augustus (section)

==History==
[[File:Invergarryrailway.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Section of dismantled railway south of Fort Augustus]]

Some historians like G. Mcdonalds -after the finding of a roman coins hoard in 1767 near the city's ancient benedictine abbey- wrote about the possibility that Fort Augustus was built on a roman small fortification built under [[Diocletian]] rule<ref>"A letter from an officer at Perth, dated May 2, 1767 says: "Last week I was out with a command to Fort Augustus, where some part of the fortifications are repairing. Whilst there, some labourers in digging a trench, found an earthen urn, of a blue colour, with about 300 pieces of coin, of mixed metal, some a little larger than our halfpence, and the others the size of farthings. They appear to me to be all of the Emperor Dioclesian" ([https://her.highland.gov.uk/Monument/MHG2612])</ref>

The [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] name for the modern village is ''{{lang|gd|Cille Chuimein}}'' ({{IPA|gd|ˈkʲiʎə ˈxumɛɲ|}}) and until the early 18th century the settlement was called '''Kiliwhimin'''. It was renamed ''Fort Augustus'' after the [[Jacobite rising of 1715]]. The accepted [[etymology]] is that the settlement was originally named after Saint [[Cumméne Find|Cummein]] of [[Iona]] who built a church there.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ambaile.org/en/item/item_illustration.jsp?item_id=18212|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311123811/http://ambaile.org/en/item/item_illustration.jsp?item_id=18212|url-status=dead|title=am baile – Fort Augustus|archivedate=11 March 2007}}</ref> Other suggestions are that it was originally called ''{{lang|gd|Ku Chuimein}}'' after one of two abbots of Iona of the Comyn [[Scottish clan|clan]], whose badge ''{{lang|gd|Lus mhic Chuimein}}'' refers to the [[cumin]] plant,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/atoc/cumming2.html|title=Clan Comyn, Cumming|website=electricscotland.com}}</ref> or that it was called ''{{lang|gd|Cill a' Chuimein}}'' ("Comyn's Burialplace") after the last Comyn in [[Lochaber]].<ref>[http://www.cameron-site.com/Private%20Site/macmillan3.html MacMillan 3] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928164056/http://www.cameron-site.com/Private%20Site/macmillan3.html |date=28 September 2007 }}</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[Jacobite risings|Jacobite rising]] in 1715, [[George Wade|General Wade]] built a fort (taking from 1729 until 1742) which was named after [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland]]. Wade had planned to build a town around the new barracks and call it Wadesburgh.<ref>Caledonian Mercury 1 August 1727</ref> The settlement grew, and eventually took the name of this fort. The fort was captured by the Jacobites in March 1746, just before the [[Battle of Culloden]].

A hoard of Roman coins was unearthed in 1767 near the ancient Benedictine abbey that are thought to be from Roman to Late Iron Age - 79 AD to 560 AD.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://her.highland.gov.uk/Monument/MHG2612 |title=MHG2612 - Coin Hoard, Fort Augustus |work=Highland Historic Environment Record |publisher=highland.gov.uk |access-date=29 September 2024}}</ref>

In 1867, the fort was sold to the Lovat family, and in 1876 they passed the site and land to the [[Benedictine|Benedictine order]]. The monks established [[Fort Augustus Abbey]] and later a school. The school operated until 1993 when it closed owing to changing educational patterns in Scotland causing a decline in enrollment. The monks employed Tony Harmsworth<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.loch-ness.org/webmaster.html | title=Loch Ness Webmaster, Tony Harmsworth | access-date=11 July 2011 | archive-date=2 November 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102130648/http://www.loch-ness.org/webmaster.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> to devise a rescue package which saw the site converted into the largest private heritage centre in Scotland which operated between 1994 and 1998;<ref>[http://www.LochNessNessieAndMe.com Loch Ness, Nessie & Me (2011)]</ref> however, the heritage centre failed to generate sufficient profit to maintain the buildings. In 1998 the monks abandoned the site, and it reverted to the Lovat family which in turn sold it to [[Terry Nutkins]]. He also owned [[The Lovat Hotel]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thelovat.com/|title=The Lovat Hotel Loch Ness &#124; 4 Star Luxury Hotel Fort Augustus|website=thelovat.com}}</ref> that stands on the site of the old Kilwhimen [[Barracks]], one of four built in 1718. This site houses the west [[curtain wall (fortification)|curtain wall]] of the old Fort, intact with gun [[embrasure]]s. The Lovat was originally built as the local Station Hotel.