Jack Green's Roup at Calder Quarry

[Dog-eared]

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p143/floiefotos/012.jpg

[kas]

How Bizzare, were the chairs laid out like this already or did you arrange them.

[Deemac]

Sorry for the ignorance, but - Who is Jack Green?
and what is a "Roup?" (what a strange image)

- a quick google came up with these definitions!!

"An infectious disease of poultry and pigeons characterized by inflammation of and mucous discharge from the mouth and eyes"

& "any of various respiratory disorders of poultry"

[Mystical Potato Head]

Well i always thought it could be either an auction of someones belongings or a word used to describe something that is a mess/untidy/.eg "This place is a right roup"
Its pronounced the same way as Americans pronounce route,obviously change the t for a p.

[Scunner]

The action of selling or letting by auction - scottish dictionary - also rowp

[stewart4364]

A roup in Caithness and maybe other places is a sale usually consisting of a mixture of anything and everything. Jack Green worked with the Water Board but also had a small quarry about 3 miles from Halkirk, on the left of the road, from Halkirk as you went towards Calder loch and Scotscalder. I think Jack was possibly the only place in Caithness where you could get roof slates (not concrete tiles but made from Caithness stone) Jack would cut seams of stone into slate thicknesses using a chisel and hammer -- he would work slowly round the big piece of stone using fairly light taps with the hammer -- rushing this work and hitting too hard would nearly always end up with the big piece of stone breaking in pieces. This was a slow and painstaking task but unfortunately at the time this was the only way it could be done. Once Jack had the seam split his next job was to cut this big piece of thin stone into the size of slates -- he did this by using a slate knife tapping the stone gently at the required slate sizes -- this gave a "ragged" edge to the slate and was far more pleasing to the eye than a straight cut with a grinder. The next job was to put a hole in the slate for fixing to the roof, a job which could be done with a drill but Jack did it in the traditional manner using a hammer with a pointed end and again with gentle tapping produced the required size of hole. Jack would be up in the quarry during all kinds of weather and often before going to his wotk with the Water Board -- he could be up there at 5am and then back after finishing work. Jack worked at the quarry until he was well into his eighties -- I think he worked at the quarry nearly right up until he died a few years ago. Many a Caithness fireplace and hearth was built using stone from Jack Green's quarry. Jack was a real worthy and was sorely missed when someone needed a piece of stone.

[Deemac]

Thanks for the information guys. I've learnt something new today.

Been in Caithness for 25 years and not heard this term before. Nice info on jack as well.

[Dog-eared]

Jack was a lovely guy and a really hardworking character.
The chairs and the furniture in the background were like that when I arrived at the roup.

[horsegirl]

Jack was a fantastic man. Always worked hard and would put alot of people to shame these day. Did everthing by hand. Hw was just a kind hearted man and always had time for everyone. Shame that his place lies like that now:(

[snakemaster]

all that stuff you see there came out off the sheds , there was more stuff to , the hearth thats in my house came from jacks he was a very nice man