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Heard something today about a Wizard. Something to do with buildind a house on a wizards old home... anyone know anything about this?
Angel
Some old couple are having a house built in watten that is supposed to be near the burial site of a supposed wizard. An archaeologist is keeping an eye on it so the grave is not disturbed.
Thanks for the quick response.... Thought it may have been a dream...
Thanks for the quick response.... Thought it may have been a dream...No, you are quite right, he was supposedly beheaded and his body was buried there and his head was being taken south as a trophy when there was a battle of sorts and the head was lost.
JamesMcVean
19-Mar-08, 00:44
Wow great local history!
Is there more about this Wizard dude???
Does he walk the fields when the moon is full??
Are these people insane? I would not build over such a site!!!
Eh The couple aren't old!!! I mean they are older than myself but alot younger than many others!!
Their house is being built in the field next to the one with Murdo Grave. this is a link to the story.
http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1998/murdo_rivachs_grave.htm
archaeologist says there is inconsistencies in the story and it has been obviously been changed through time. Imagine that a Caithness story with arms and legs added on?!
Eh The couple aren't old!!! I mean they are older than myself but alot younger than many others!!
Their house is being built in the field next to the one with Murdo Grave. this is a link to the story.
http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1998/murdo_rivachs_grave.htm (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1998/murdo_rivachs_grave.htm)
archaeologist says there is inconsistencies in the story and it has been obviously been changed through time. Imagine that a Caithness story with arms and legs added on?!I'm older than many and younger than others but I am still an old coot, they are an old couple.
Well if being well under 50 make you old. Perhaps in biblical times
I'm sure there was a bit in last week's Groat about it.
The chap that's building the house well his stories are fill of magic:lol:. Good luck to you both and hope I get an invite to the house warming
No, you are quite right, he was supposedly beheaded and his body was buried there and his head was being taken south as a trophy when there was a battle of sorts and the head was lost.
was 'iss soley 'cause 'e auld guy wis a witch?? :eek:[evil]
was 'iss soley 'cause 'e auld guy wis a witch?? [evil]I think he wis a rent collector, much worse.[lol]
fie herrin' ontil tatties...sorta...
did ye ever hear aboot an guy called corey gilles?
he wis an auld guy in his late 80's, who lived in salem at 'e start o' 'e witch trials.
his wife was accused o' bein a witch by 'e yowng lascies who started 'e trouble in 'e first place, because she spoke oot aboot all 'e accusations that were flyin - claimin they were nonsense.
when her husband stuck up for her, they accused him o' bein a witch too :eek:
he widna admit it either way, if he admitted it they wid o' takin his land fie him, but because he widna admit it he wis sentenced til death by a stoning...
they layed him doon in a hole an put a board o' wood o'er him an kept putin beeg boulders on top o' 'e wood 'til he died....it took 3 days for him til die....:~(
whether he wis a witch or no wil always remain a mystery...probly no tho...
'e lascies later admitted they made it all up...
fie herrin' ontil tatties...sorta...
did ye ever hear aboot an guy called corey gilles?
he wis an auld guy in his late 80's, who lived in salem at 'e start o' 'e witch trials.
his wife was accused o' bein a witch by 'e yowng lascies who started 'e trouble in 'e first place, because she spoke oot aboot all 'e accusations that were flyin - claimin they were nonsense.
when her husband stuck up for her, they accused him o' bein a witch too :eek:
he widna admit it either way, if he admitted it they wid o' takin his land fie him, but because he widna admit it he wis sentenced til death by a stoning...
they layed him doon in a hole an put a board o' wood o'er him an kept putin beeg boulders on top o' 'e wood 'til he died....it took 3 days for him til die....:~(
whether he wis a witch or no wil always remain a mystery...probly no tho...
'e lascies later admitted they made it all up...I watched a story about the salem witch trials about how a scientist reckons that they were poisoned by a parasitic fungus called ergo that was growing on their crops. This supposedly caused the hallucinations and contortions evident in many cases of supposed possession.
In August 1951 (less than 60 years ago), ‘Pont St. Esprit’ a small town in France, was allegedly struck by ergot poisoning, following a local bakery selling rye bread contaminated with ergot. Four people died, and a large number suffered ‘possession’ or ‘bewitchment’
The bakery was actually believed to be possessed by the Devil and was exorcised by the local bishop.
I watched a story about the salem witch trials about how a scientist reckons that they were poisoned by a parasitic fungus called ergo that was growing on their crops. This supposedly caused the hallucinations and contortions evident in many cases of supposed possession.
mmh...possibly but i da think so.....:confused
it wis mostly make believe. 'e pope who wis in charge at 'e time - wis it constanant? cana mind....
anyway, he wis so afraid o' witches that he even chienged 'e bible til somethin lek 'a witch must not be permitted to live'
anyway, by 'e end o'ed, he didna believe in witches but he didna change 'e law so 'e witch hunt carried on, until hun'ers o' years later, 'e pope at 'e time said - 'witches...no such thing' an 'e law wis chienged :roll:
ridiculous when ye think aboot it....all at people killed, cause some auld biddy couldna be bothered chiengin 'e law (shakin heid)
so did he go til heaven or hell? right door or left door?
Salem 1693.
Tituba and her husband John Indian were asked to bake a witch cake - made of rye soaked in the accused’s urine - which was then fed to a dog. The dog became bewitched and died, thus proving the guilt of the accused.
i wid probly die too if a ate a cake that wis soaked in.............[lol][lol]
helenwyler
21-Mar-08, 14:31
Off topic, but talking of Salem, my Caithness-descended great uncle sent a few picture postcards of his new home (Benjamin Abbot Homestead, Andover, Massachussetts) to my grandfather in the 1940s.
When I googled this address, I found it was originally the home of...yes, one Benjamin Abbot, who was one of the accusers in the Salem Witch Trials, and sent at least one woman to the gallows.:eek:
murderer [evil][evil]
ats really facinatin hw...
helenwyler
21-Mar-08, 14:44
murderer
ats really facinatin hw...
Haha trix:)...not my great uncle though! He just lived in the house of the murderer and more than 200 years later. Unless he was a reincarnation...:eek:
Haha trix...not my great uncle though! He just lived in the house of the murderer and more than 200 years later. Unless he was a reincarnation...:eek:
do NOT get me started helen [lol]
im supposed til be doin ma homework......(shakin heid an laughin)
Seems quite a bit of interest in this and as the august publication; The John O Groats Journal was mentioned, had a look and an item by Iain Grant was in the 14th March 08 issue:
Couple's historic headless neighbour
MANY would be horrified if they found that the idyllic site for their new home was right beside the grave of a beheaded murder victim. That local folklore suggested the man was a fan of the dark arts might quickly persuade them to build elsewhere. But far from being put off, husband-and-wife Linda and George Mackay have no qualms about moving in beside their historic headless "neighbour". The couple, from Watten, even plan calling their new home after Mhurcha Riabhaich. Work to develop the plot in a field on the outskirts of the village, overlooking Loch Watten, is due to get under way this weekend. A condition of the planning consent is that an archaeologist keeps a watching brief on the digging as the Highland Council wants to ensure that there is no impact on the nearby grave. Linda said yesterday she is fascinated by the centuries-old grisly tale and views it as an extra attraction as far as their flit is concerned.
But she was disappointed to learn of serious doubts about Mhurcha Riabhaich's alleged status as a wizard. Council officials cite the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map of Watten which shows a dotted circle marking an area known as Uaigh Mhurcha Riabhaich. The corresponding entry in the OS Name Book of 1871 identifies it as "a peculiar feature" about 120 yards south of the south end of Loch Watten, in a field close to the public road. Composed of clay totally different from neighbouring fields, it was speculated that it could be the remains of an ancient Viking camp.
The entry concludes: "Nothing definite is known in the locality respecting it, except that a wizard named Mhurcha Riabhaich was shot and buried here about 150 years ago, hence the name." The respected Caithness historian George Watson, who has researched the issue, yesterday poured cold water on the wizard link. That came as unwelcome news for Linda. "We thought it was genuine that he was a wizard," said the 45-year-old personnel manager at the Tesco store in Wick. "The council told us that the grave was where he was shot and killed in 1720."
She said she and her husband are not in any way put off by the neighbouring grave. "We're not spooked by it," she said. "We're delighted at living beside a bit of history, whether there is a wizard connection or not, "We're going to name our new house Riabhaich after him so that he won't spook us." Linda and 48-year-old Dounreay worker George, who currently live in Achingale Place, have had to pay for the services of archaeologist Cathy Dagg. Ms Dagg is travelling up on Sunday to watch the foundations for the house being laid by Wick contractors M.M. Miller.
She said: "My remit is to keep a watching brief because of the proximity of the building site to the grave. We're not going to do anything intrusive on the burial site – that would have to be the subject of an archaeological dig." Ms Dagg was unable to definitively resolve the conundrum over Riabhaich's background or when he met his end. She said: "It's not unusual to have a collation of different myths and historical records packaged together." Mr Watson, however, is convinced the wizard link is a fabrication. In a piece he wrote for Caithness Field Club, he relies on the account of Riabhaich's demise given in Thomas Sinclair's The Gunns.
It recounts how Riabhaich and an agent of the Earl of Ross were waylaid and slain in Watten after they travelled from their fort base near Bonar Bridge to collect rents in the form of cows. Riabhaich was buried where he fell, though his head was taken south by survivors of the earl's contingent. En route, a squabble broke out amongst them and, according to Sinclair's archive, the gruesome relic was lost on a cliff as they crossed the Ord. Mr Watson dates the dastardly deed to the early 1360s. He yesterday pointed out that removing the head of someone killed in conflict was an acknowledged practice.
Clow Chapel, near the grave, revealed a number of skull-only burials when it was excavated in the 1970s. Mr Watson said yesterday: "It would be very interesting to have Mhurcha Riabhaich's grave excavated. "There's no doubt that he was a historical character and it's clear from the historical accounts that he was killed and buried there. "As far as the wizard thing is concerned, I think that is just something that has been added on."
Fascinating.. Just read the link given in DM07's post, and not wishing to start the 'Caithness aint Gaelic' but mentions; "What is remarkable is that Mhurcha Riabhaich ‘s name, in contemporary Gaelic, has been linked to this spot for over six hundred years".
am sure there wis a witch hung at stanstill wis there no?? :confused
perhaps 'e last witch hangin in caithness....?
The last regular execution for witchcraftis said to have taken place at Dornoch in 1722, when an old woman was condemned by David Ross, Sheriff of Caithness. In 1718 William Montgomery from Caithness claimed to be being harassed by a whole host of witches who gathered around his house at night in the form of cats.
Often hearing the cats talk, one night he rushed out of the house with an axe, killed two and injured several more. The next morning two old women were found dead in their beds and a third had a large cut on one leg she could not explain. This is taken from various websites
Metalattakk
21-Mar-08, 23:02
Surely the two women found dead in their beds would exhibit physical wounds like the one whose leg was injured?
Doesn't make much sense, to be honest. ;)
Surely the two women found dead in their beds would exhibit physical wounds like the one whose leg was injured?
Doesn't make much sense, to be honest. ;)Nothing from the era of witch-hunts makes much sense.
Metalattakk
21-Mar-08, 23:14
Fair point I suppose. :D
Fair point I suppose. :DPeople that live on their own were fair game in those days, much the same as they are now although we have stopped burning them.
Are there any wizards left... and if so, are there any in Caithness
Are there any wizards left... and if so, are there any in Caithness
a wizard is just anither term for a male witch....
of course there are male witches....da ken aboot caithness tho....widna be surprised, mind ye....
A wizard always sounds nicer than a witch don't you think...
a wizard is just anither term for a male witch....
of course there are male witches....da ken aboot caithness tho....widna be surprised, mind ye....
mmh...aine o' ma 'wise men' hes telt me that im wrong :eek:
he says a wizard can be a witch but a witch could never be a wizard.....completely different levels...
must go an do some research...as if i didna hev enough homework til do :roll:
Well met trix-
Conundrum indeed-
Tell us how -your homework goes-
an if ye divna'-ill tell karia;)
Tell us how -your homework goes-
an if ye divna'-ill tell karia;)
Acht she works hard horseman..it's all I can do to get her to take a few hours to have a little fun![lol]
Kxxx
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