Avoch is a harbour-village located on the south-east coastline of the Black Isle, on the Moray Firth. Ormond Castle or Avoch Castle was a stronghold built on the site and also worked as an imperial castle to William the Lion; handed down to the Morays of Petty after that Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway, upon his marriage to Joanna de Moravia in 1362. Offspring of Archibald, were to take the title of Earl of Ormonde from the castle. Tale has it that the village was founded by survivors of the Spanish Armada. Avoch was in the control of David Chalmers, Lord Ormond from 1560/61 however he forfeited his castle and control of Avoch in 1568 when he was ousted as a result of his part in aiding the escape of Mary Queen of Scots. The castle and also town after that passed to Andrew Munro of Milntown. Intrepid Scottish-Canadian explorer Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the first European to check out the great Canadian river now referred to as the Mackenzie River, crossing The United States and Canada twice, to the Arctic Ocean in 1789 as well as Pacific Sea in 1793, retired to Avoch in 1812 where he died in 1820 and also was buried in the old Avoch Parish churchyard. Avoch was the area of Rosehaugh (Pittanochtie) Home, an enforcing mansion house until it was knocked down in 1959. A considerable residence existed on this website considering that 1790. Craigie Well at Avoch on the Black Isle has offerings of both coins and clouties. Rags, wool and also human hair were likewise utilized as appeals versus sorcery, and as tokens of penenace and fulfilment of an oath (Sharp 1998). Much of Avoch's riches has actually come from its fishing market, and it stays a considerable contributor to the town economic situation, with a number of huge angling watercrafts had or crewed from Avoch as well as an energetic anglers's co-operative based there. The harbour is no more made use of by the larger boats for landing but is made use of by leisure craft and also watercrafts taking visitors to see the dolphins in the internal Moray Firth at Chanonry Factor. In addition to the fishing industry, commuting to Inverness as well as tourism provide earnings to the town. Lazy Corner, called for the children who collected there to pass the time, has been moved by the road widening in the Eighties, as well as improved by a sculpture planned to add personality to the town. It is still a gathering place.