MY discourse upon Orkney and Zetland being extended beyond what either was intended or expected, I shall therefore study to be the briefer upon Caithness, as like-wise seeing it is supposable that it may be better known than anv of the former, it being upon the same continent with us. What then is to be said thereupon, I shall dispatch and sum up in this one chapter.
Caithness is the northernmost province or shire in Scotland, having Pightland-firth whereby it is divided from Orkney on the north, the entrence to 'Murray-firth on the east, Sutherland and Strahnaver on the south, and the Deucaledonian Ocean on the west. It is from that high hill called the Ord of Caithness, toward the south, whereby it is divided from Sutherland, to Dungisby-head, about thirty miles long, and from Thurso on the west side, to Wick on the east side of the country, twelve miles broad.
As we were much in the dark about the etymology of Orkney and Zetland, so no less are we here in that of Caithness ; upon which Blaw, in his Geography, giveth us this notandum : " That many names of places are something strenge, whose originals seem to be neither Scottish, Irish, Danish, or Norwegian, but unknown, uncertain, and most ancient : such as Orbister, Loyibster, Robaster, Trumbuster, and innumerable others, Caeterum not multa locorum nomina peregrinum quid sapere, quorum origo neque Scoticum, Hibernicum, Danicum, aut Norvegicum quid referant, sed ignotas, incerta, et vetussimaoriginisvidentur, qualiasunt Orbister, Loyibster, Robaster, Trumbuster, et innumera alia." And seeing such examples of names which are of an unknown originai, asare given by the historian, do all end in ster, I would add, that most of the namesof places in this country do end in ster or star, and go ; as between twenty and thirty in ster or star, and about twenty in go, as my informer, who had been for some time in the country, did reckon them. Of old, Sutherland, saith the same geographer, was called Cattey, and its ihhabitants Catteigh, and so likewise was Caithness and Strathnaver ; and in the Irish, Sutherland, to this day is called Catey, and its inhabitants Catigh ; so that Catteyness is no other than the promontory or cape of the Cattes, or Sutherland, which promontory is stretched out from the east (or rather the north) side, saith the geographer of the mountain of the Ord, Adeo ut Cattey-ness nihil aliud sit quam Promontorium Cattae seu Sutherlandiœ. quod Promontorium a latere Orientali montis ordi praetenditur. These Cat. taei are thought to be a people who arrived thither from Germany. Who would have more of this may consult the above-mentioned author. Buchanan will have it to be called Caithness, because of it being mountainous, but I know not if this reason will hold, for the countries adjacent to Sutherland and Stranaver are more mountainous, and there are few high hills or mountains in it, except at the south end thereof, where it borders with Sutherland ; but if it should be so called, because it is the ness or promontory of the mountains, the land by north these mountains falling lower and running out in a promontory into the sea, I judge it would hold better, and be said with greater reason. Boethius also saith that this country of old was called Cornana, but the reason thereof he giveth not.
The Earls of Caithness were among the ancientest in ScoUand, and in former times have been very potent in this corner, as appears by the several old castles and places of strength, which then they were in possession of, but now their memory is almost extinct. The late earl George dying without issue, the Laird of Glenorchy, now earl of Breadalbane, married the dowager, who having purchased the earl's estate, the apparent heir judging himself thereby injured, did gather together some of the country people to recover his right, but was defeated by Glenorchy ; from the field they went to the bar, and debated the matter there, whereupon the Lords gave forth this sentence, that Glenorchy should enjoy the estate, but the heir should have the honours, and an aliment allowed him by Glenorchy during his life. The heir having died about a year ago, the heiress his sister succeeds to the honours, and is in a very mean condition ; living in a place where the former earls used to keep their hawks. So to this ancient and honourable family of the earls of Caithness there is almost put in holy providence a period and close : they who had four great houses in this country like palaces for pleasure and convenience, and castles for strength, now in their heirs enjoy none of them, three are ruinous, and one is possessed by a stranger : as likewise there are several other ruinous houses to be seen here, who have spued out their possessors, so confirming that common observation, " That sin, committed by the inhabitants, isas gun powder laid to the foundations of their houses, which quickly overturneth them, when it pleaseth a righteous God to fire the train."
The late earls of Caithness were of the name of Sinclair, of which name also are many gentlemen of the country, who have bought considerable parts of the earl's estate from the earl of Breadalbane : before the Sinclairs, the earls were of the name of Shine, and before them were the Haralds, and before the Haralds were the Olas, as the tradition goeth ; concerning which, and the manner of their succession, and the interruption made therein, the country talk several things which I shall not trouble my reader with : only I shall observe what is related by Camden, a judicious antiquary, " That of old the earls of Caithness were the same with the earls of Orkney, but at length were divided, the eldest daughter of one Mulastus being given in marriage to William de S. Claro, vulgo Sinclair, the King's pantler, his posterity had this honour conferred on them, of being earls of Caithness."
The country is pleasant and very fertile, abounding with grass and corn, hence yearly there is a great quantity of victual exported, as, anno 1695, there were 16,000 bolls embarked and taken out, for which end it is much frequented by barks from the firth,
Clvde, and other places ; for ordinarily, when there is no scarcity or dearth, the meal is sold here at three or four or at most Çve merks per boll. The cattle and fish also areto be had very cheap, as good kine often in the shambles, such as the country doth afford, for three or four shillings sterling, and sometimes they say for two ; so that as I have heard some of the more intelligent inhabitants observe, that here is the cheapest market in the world : and the gentlemen can live better upon 1000 merks, than they can do in the south upon 4000 per annum, who may improve their stocks to as great if not a greater advantage than in any other place in Scotland, for they may save their rents, having within themselves what provision is necessary for their table, and may sell out much store every year, what to the inhabitants in the country for their own use, or for salting and sending abroad, and what to drovers who take them south : and it is observable, that if any buy a piece of land, only what is arable is accounted for, as for what serveth for pasture, they use not to take notice of, though upon that consideration they may value their acres at a greater rate. In the way between Thurso and Dunnot, we saw much low ground overblown with sand, for two miles back from the sea, which formerly not many years since was a pleasant meadow.
There are ten parishes in this country, five of which can be served with ministers not having the Irish language, few of the people there speaking it, but the other five cannot l>e supplied otherwise than by ministers understanding Irish, in some of these parishes there being very few who have any knowledge of our language, and some of the ministers are obliged to preach both in English and Irish for the edification of all : some of the parishes are very wide and populous, which tends to the increase of ignorance among many, the ministers not being able to overtake their work ; some churches also are ruinous, for when heritors are not friends to the work of God, or cannot agree among themselves, as to the concerting of suitable measures, for putting or keeping things which concern the parish in order, it useth to go ill with ministers as to their external accommodation, and with churches as to their repair.
The two principal towns in the country are Wick and Thurso. Wick is a royal burgh, on the east side of the country, washed by the German Ocean at the mouth of Murray Firth, by the side of which runneth a small river; at the month of the river there is a harbour for boats or barks to lie in, which they come into at full sea, but this harbour is not so much frequented as another about a mile to the north-east of Wick, where they judge the boats do lie safer. Opposite to Wick lies Thurso, at twelve miles distance, on the west side of the country, which though it enjoy not the privilege of a royal burgh, yet it is more populous than Wick, and hath better buildings in it ; by the 'east side of the town runneth a small river called the Water of Thurso : they have the best church in the country, well furnished, and kept in good order.
In the water of Thurso there is good salmon fishing, which they take two ways, one is by crues or creels with crossed or barred doors going from the one side of tire water to the other, so framed that they suffer the fishes to go in, but not to go out,' out of which sometimes they will take several horses burdens offish. The other way they take them is by a net, wherewith they fish a pool, which lieth a little below the crues, and is about a pair of butts in length : they having spread the net upon the bank, which is long enough to reach the breadth of the water, they go in with it, and one man on each side drawing it down the pool, it is followed with eighteen or twenty men, going in a breast behind it, with long staves or poles in their hands, wherewith they keep the net to the ground, and loose it when any way entangled ; the pool in some places will rise to the height of the breast of the waders, but there is no danger. So they bring down the net softly and warily to the mouth of an enclosure, which they call a Stem, into which
the fishes are driven, where the fishers standing with this larger net, others take a lesser net, and going therewith into the Stem, catch the fishes so enclosed, that scarce one can escape, for up the water they cannot run, because of the larger net, and neither down can they go, because of the Stem, or stones laid together in form of a wall. We saw as we could conjecture at one draught upwards of three hundred good salmons taken, and these who have this fishing told us, that three years ago they took five hundred at a draught, and going through the pool at the same time with the net again, they caught other two hundred, which salmon for the most part they salt in barrels and send abroad. It is also to be observed that the salmon keep this water of Thurso all the year over, and in the winter season in frost and snow, if you break the ice, they are to be had. The pool is but about half a mile up the water from Thurso.
There are several waters or rivers in the country, as Thurso, Wick, Dumbeth, Rice, Force, and Beradel, but they are all small, and indeed there is no great river all the way from Caithness, till we come to Ness, running by Inverness in Murray, over which is a strong bridge lately built consisting of seven arches ; which river is remarkable for this, that it never freezeth, though the frost be most vehement, yea, if then you bring a horse unto the river, the icicles will melt at his feet in the space of time that he is drinking : the river cometh from a loch called Lochness, which also hath the same property, four or five miles to the west of Inverness. This river I make mention of though not in Caithness, it being the first considerable one, having any thing of a strong and regular bridge, which we passed in our return.
There are some trees here, but they are not so big as these which are further south, even in Sutherland, particularly upon the water of Beradel there is a pleasant straith full of small wood. And there is a garden three or four miles to the south-west of Thurso, very pleasant and well furnished with fruit trees, much commended by the inhabitants.
The rocks by the coasts are much frequented by fowls of various kinds, as eagles, hawks, &c. such as in Orkney and Zetland, of which rocks there are long tracts ; far whereas in Sutherland, Ross, and Murray, the sea for the most part is bounded with the sand, here it is bounded with the rocks, which it washeth and beateth on, and that almost round Caithness from the Ord to Dungisby-head on the east, and so by Dunnot Head, and Hoburn Head, to Stranaver on the west, except a few creeks or bays, several of which are very convenient for anchoring ; especially in Scribister Bay, a little to the north-west of Thurso, there is good anchoring ground, where ships may safely ride, without the fear of hazard by wind or tide, the capes of land there making a still sea, and defending the ships, which, as it were, flee into their arms from raging and angry Pightland Firth : there are here also some rocks lying a little off the land, from which they are broken and disjoined, which they call Clets, the same with the holms in Orkney and Zetland ; these clets are almost covered with sea-fowls. One way they take these fowls is pleasant, though with great danger ; they take a line, upon the end of which they fasten some fish-hooks, above the hooks there is also a pock fastened, and so from the top of the rock they let down the line, thus furnished with pock and hooks, striking the heads of the young fowls in their nests with the pock, upon which the fowls do all gape and cry ; as if it were their dame coming with meat to them, and so lifting the line they let the hooks fall into their mouths, which taking hold of the fowls, they become their prey.
There are likewise several caves going from the sea within the rocks, in which the Waves make a dreadful noise, such caves we had occasion to take notice of in our discourse upon Orkney and Zetland.
Especially there is a kind of fowls called Snowflects, which resort to this country in great numbers in February ; they are about the bigness of a sparrow, but exceeding fat and delicious ; they fly in flocks, thousands of them together, many of which the inhabitants do kill and make use of. They use to go away in April, and are thought to come from the West Highlands. They have also a great plenty of moorfowls, plovers, as much if not more than in any place of Scotland.
The industry of the gentlemen here is to be much commended, for although from Wick to Dumbeth, which is twelve miles long, there be no harbour or bay, but a continued tract of ragged, hard and iron-like rocks, washed by the sea, yet there are several harbours forced there by art, though denied by nature, and passages in many places like steps of stairs made from the top of the rock to the bottom, where their fish-boats do lie, and by passages do bring their fishes up to the top of the rocks, where they salt and dry them in houses made for the purpose, whereby great gain doth redound to the owners, some making as much by their fishes, as they do by their land-rent.
As in Orkney and Zetland there were several old chapels, which superstitious zealots did frequent, so it is likewise in Caithness ; the ministers told me there is one in Dunnot parish, beside which there are about sixty heaps of stones, which the people coming to, take with them a stone and throw it into the heap, bowing themselves also thereunto. Nigh to it likewise there is a loch called St. John's Loch, concerning which there goes a fabulous tradition, that on St. Stephen's Day there was a pleasant meadow in that place, where now the loch is, and on St. John's Day thereafter it was turned into this loch. There is also another in the parish of Rhae, to which some take their children if they be in distress, and make two graves at the side of one another, laying the child between them, and so they try if the child will recover ; but the way how they know, I forbear to mention. But they say there is a chapel in the parish of Konnesbie, the northernmost parish of all this country, opposite to Orkney, which is yet more frequented than any of the former, which some wildly superstitious frequent on some day about Candlemass, going about it on their bare knees, and thence going to a water, they cast some of it in handfuls over their heads, and from the water to an alehouse, where they use to fill themselves drunk ; and when going to these, or at them, they can scarce,even though threatened, be prevailed with to speak. To which hellish rites some are so addicted, that the ministers judge it next to impossible to get them weaned and brought therefrom : but the vigilancy and pains of ministers, especially of late, hath through the blessing of God not been altogether without-success. Which old chapels, both here and in Orkney and Zetland, I think the government should cause to be raised, which might prove as the taking away of the nest egg.
The earls of Caithness, as hinted at before, had several strong and convenient dwellings. One about a short half mile from Thurso, called Thurso by East, now ruinous ; it hath been built in the form of a court, and the gates have been decorated with cut stone work, and the gardens, avenues, and office houses have been conform to the splendour of the house. An honest countryman, observing the many great sins that had been committed about that house, is said to have predicted to one of the late earls its ruin and desolation, saying, " That the cup of sin was filling, and this house would shortly become a den of dragons, (using the scripture phrase) and seeing there are no such creature among us, it shall be of foxes;" and accordingly it was observed that a fox haunted it when ruinous a few years after, which stayed there till about nine or ten years ago, when a part of the house was repaired. This I had from one of the ministers of the country, and another minister told me, that before he bore this character he frequently shot rabbits there within the walls of the house.
There are also other four castles upon one bay, on the east side of the country nigh to Wick, which belonged to these earls. The bay is called Rice-Bay, and is two or three miles broad, the entry vvhereof is to the east, but dangerous for ships to corne into, because of the many blind rocks that lie therein ; upon the south side of the bay next to Wick havc been two strong castles, joined to one another by a draw-bridge, called Castle Sinclair and Girnego, the former hath been tRe strongest house, but the latte? they ordinarily hafl their dwelling in ; their situation is upon a rock disjoined from the land, environed for the most part with the sea, to which castles from the land they passed also by a bridge which was drawn up every night, whence there was no access to thetn. I found the year of God upon the lintle of a window in Casde Sinclair to be 1607 ; which hath been the year wherein this castle was built, or at least repaired. Some account these two castles to be but one, because of their vicinity. They say, there was much sin committed here, as drunkenness, uncleanness, &c. For which a righteous Crod bath turned them into a ruinous heap. (Apposite to Castle Sinclair, and Girnego, on the other side of the bay is Kice another castle, but also ruinous. On the west side of the bay is the castle of Hakergil, a strong house, at present possessed by a gentleman, who hath a great interest in the country, but is not descended of the family of Caithness. There are also the ruins of the old castle of Beradel to be seen, situated on a rock neaf to the sea, at the mouth of a river of that name, to which also they have passed from the land by a draw-bridge : such naturally strong situations for their houses they sought out of old, that they might be the more secure, and safe from all violence, nature as well as art contributing to their fortification.
About a short half mile to the west of Thurso are the ruins of an old castle, where the bishop in the first times of Popery is said to have had his residence, particularly there was one Adam said to be last bishop who lived in that house, who having greatly oppressed the people by his rigourous exacting of the tithes ; the people complained thereof to the earl, who is said in passion to have answered them, "Go and seethe him, and sup him too if you please," whereupon they went to the bishop's lodging and apprehended him, and setting his house on fire, they actually boiled him and supped off the broth : which being known, enquiry was made for the barbarous actors of this tragedy ; and being apprehended were put to death, so suffering condign punishment for this horrid villainy. And this eail is not the only the great person who hath given forth an inconsiderate sentence, upon which barbarous and inhuman actions have ensued. Buchanan writeth this to have been about the year 1222 in the days of Alexander II. king of Scots ; and saith only, "That rhey havir.g killed the monk who attended him and his servant, they wounded himself, and drawing him to the kitchen, they set the house on fire about him." A little to the west of this, is the house of Screbister the residence of the late bishops, where I think their lordships had but a mean accommodation ; the revenues of the bishoprick here are among the smallest in Scotland, which they report thus came to pass, one of the bishops at the reformation sold the church's revenues far below their value [some say at thirteen shilling Scots per boli,] to the earl, knowing that but for a short time he could enjoy the same.
There is a hill in the parish of Wick called Stony.Hill, the reason of which denomination is said to be this ; in the days of William king of Scots 1199, as Buchanan hath it, there was one Harald earl of Orkney and Caithness, who being offended at the bishop, as having insinuated something to the king against him, apprehended the bishop, cutting out his tongue and putting out his eyes, which being represented to the king, he sent his forces into Caithness, and having defeated the earl in several engagements, the earl flying was pursued, and being apprehended, his eyes were first put out, and then he was hanged, and all his male children were emasculated upon this hill, which ever since hath been called Stony-hill.
They told us, there are several high great stones set up through the country and that ordinarily on hills, about which are the rubbish of other stones, which have served for some end there, and probably have been places of Pagan worship, as we observed upon Orkney in the parish of Bower, as we passed, we saw an artificial mount ditched about of a small circumference, it is like for the same purpose. They have likewise the tradition of some Picts houses, which have been here of old, the rubbish whereof is yet to be seen in the parish of Latheran, as a gentleman well acquainted with the country did inform me.
In the parish of Latheran we saw the foundation of a house said to be laid by a bastard son of the earl of Caithness, but never perfected : it is founded upon a rising ground nigh to the sea, where there is a fair prospect of Murray, where it is reported the gentleman had his mistress, who intended to build it there, that so she might have a view of the house from Murray, and he at the house might see Murray.
Dunnot Head stretching out into Pightland-Firth, is about a mile in breadth, and seven miles in circumference, in it are several lochs, and some good pasture for cattle, but no inhabitants ; in it are to be had good mill-stones, and it is thought there is a lead-mine there. In several places in the parish of Dunnot there will no rats live, and if earth be brought out thence to other places molested by them, they will be quickly gone.
The Ord which divideth Caithness from Sutherland, is a high mountain, as the name Ord, which in Irish signifieth an height, doth imply ; down which our way from Caithness to Sutherland doth lie, the road is but narrow, and the descent steep, and if any stumble thereupon, they are in hazard of falling down a precipice into the sea at the bottom of the rock, which is very terrible to behold, but who pass it, for the more security use to lead their horses to the foot of the hill, which is about a short mile in length ; and no other way there is from Sutherland to Caithness, or from Caithness to Sutherland but this, except we go twelve miles about, but it might be made broader and safer with small ex pence.
It is observed in Caithness as an infallible sign almost when they see a mist or cloud lying down upon the foot of the hills, that then a drought will follow ; but if such a mist or cloud be on top thereof, they thence certainly conclude there will be rain that day.
In the parish of Halkirk there is a loch [as there are several lochs in the country], within which loch are the ruins of an old house built, they say, by robbers, that they might be the more safe and secure from the fears of being apprehend ed. That which is most observable concerning this house, is, that there is not one foot of more ground, than what is within the circumference of the foundation, and upon which it standeth, hence either the water of the loch hath washed away the prominent rock, if there hath been any through wasting time, or, if there was no part of the rock without the circumference of the foundation, it is wonderful to consider, how so nigh to the water the foundation hath been got laid, the water about the house being of a considerable depth, and the extreme parts of the rock upon which the foundation standeth, not to give way and fail under the weight of the building, which those who have seen this house, are surprized at. Upon the loch they have boats which come close to the walls of die house, for the taking of fowls of divers kinds, as maws, herons, &c. several thousands of which, do frequent it, having their nests in the ruinous walls.
‹ ›