Fort William
Fort
William is the largest town in the West Highlands of Scotland and is the
commercial centre of Lochaber, an area renowned for magnificent scenery
with an important history.
It is close to the highest mountain in the UK - Ben Nevis, and Loch
Morar - the deepest loch, with beautiful glens, forests and beaches in
between.
Fort William and Lochaber offer the modern traveller an enormous choice
for recreation, discovery and relaxation. Fort William and Lochaber is
the Outdoor Capital of the UK.
Historically,
this area of Lochaber was strongly Cameron country, and there were a
number of mainly Cameron settlements in the area (such as
Blarmacfoldach). The nearby settlement of Inverlochy was the main
settlement in the area before the building of the fort, and was also
site of the Battle of Inverlochy. However, the town is not of local
origin. It grew up as a settlement next to a fort constructed to control
the population following Oliver Cromwell's invasion during the English
Civil War, and then to suppress the Jacobite uprisings of the 18th
century.
The fort was named Fort William after William Of Orange, and the
settlement that grew around it was called Maryburgh, after his wife.
This settlement was later renamed Gordonsburgh, and then to Duncansburgh
before being renamed Fort William, this time after "Butcher" Cumberland.
Given these origins, there have been various suggestions over the years
to rename the town (for example, to Invernevis). These proposals have
led to nothing as of yet. During World War II, Fort William was the home
of HMS St Christopher which was a training base for Royal Navy Coastal
Forces.