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In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Moray like this:
Elginshire (or Morayshire), maritime co., in NE. of Scotland; is bounded N. by the Moray Firth, E. and SE. by Banff, SW. by Inverness, and W. by Nairn; coast-line, 30 miles; 304,606 ac.; pop. 43,788. Along the sea-coast the surface is mostly low and sandy; inland it consists of fertile valleys, divided by low hills, which gradually rise to the mountains on the S. ...
border. In the S. a large portion of the surface is still covered by forest. The principal rivers are the Spey, Lossie, and Findhorn; the Spey and the Findhorn have salmon and grilse, and in the lochs there is abundance of trout; large quantities of haddock, cod, and ling are caught in the Moray Firth. In the lower part of the co. farming and stock-raising are prosecuted with great success. The principal crops are wheat, oats, potatoes, and turnips, (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) Granite occurs in the S., and red sandstone in the N. There are large quarries of freestone and a few slate quarries; whisky is distilled; and there is some shipbuilding at the mouth of the Spey; but otherwise the industries, besides agriculture and fishing, are unimportant. Corn, timber, salmon, and whisky are the chief exports. The co. comprises 15 pars, and 7 parts, the parl. and royal burgh of Elgin (part of Elgin Burghs -- 1 member), and the parl. and royal burgh of Forres (part of Inverness Burghs). It unites with the co. of Nairn in returning 1 member to Parliament.
Vision of Britain presents long-run change by redistricting historical statistics to modern units. However, none of our modern units covers an area close to that of Moray. If you want trends covering a particular location within the county, find it on our historical maps and then select "Tell me more".
How to reference this page:
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Moray | Map and description for the county, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/17242
Date accessed: 12th February 2026
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Moray".
