Medieval Monastery and Convent - Thurso area??

[onecalledk]

wondering if anyone can help me, I am looking for information about a medieval monastery and a convent that I believe was in the Thurso area. Have tried googling but only get info re vikings.

thanks
K

[gleeber]

Ive never heard of a nunnery but theres a myth about a church at the Kirk Ebb in Thurso which is the bit where all the stones are at low tide beside the breakwater. Donald Grant in his book Old Thurso also suggests it was unlikely to have been there. Ive seen a sketch which claims to be the church at the Kirk Ebb but i hay ma doots.
Try googling Church at the Kirk Ebb.

[Bobinovich]

Excerpt from a brochure for the Caravan Club Certified Location at West Murkle which I print for them...

"In many of the books written about Caithness, Murkle (in Norse - Myrkoll) is mentioned as having a Castle at the end of the 10th. Century. It is said that a Nunnery existed here-abouts at one time and that a Queen of Norway died in it and that an Earl of Caithness was buried there in the year 960.
It is also stated that beside the Nunnery, a Monastery also existed, said to be situated on the south side of Murkle Bay.

The Vikings landed in Murkle Bay, which gives complete shelter from the Pentland Firth, and raided from here to Thurso. A great battle is said to have happened when the Vikings were chased from Thurso and which culminated in the slaughter of the Vikings in 'the hollow of Murkle'."

Maybe that is of interest to you, however I can't cite any references for the books mentioned as I did not provide the information for the brochure.

EDIT: Found a few references by typing in Murkle Monastry into Google...

http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1976/april/murkle_monastery.htm

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/8400/details/mains+of+murkle/&biblio=more


(http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1976/april/murkle_monastery.htm)

[onecalledk]

Thank you both for the information :-)

K