Caithness History

**ducati** · 13-Nov-10, 00:29

Here is an observation. Caithness has an abundance of 5000 year old monuments; Cairns, standing stones, hill forts, brochs and stone circles and mounds. Facinating, I have visited many of them.

There are few buildings in the landscape older than a couple of hundred years other than the early Churches.

What unique aspect of Caithness history explains this apparent 'missing' period of architecture?

Oh' and the first person to mention Portgower gets a virtual slap....apart from me of course

**teddybear1873** · 13-Nov-10, 00:38

Originally Posted by ducati

Here is an observation. Caithness has an abundance of 5000 year old monuments; Cairns, standing stones, hill forts, brochs and stone circles and mounds. Facinating, I have visited many of them.

There are few buildings in the landscape older than a couple of hundred years other than the early Churches.

What unique aspect of Caithness history explains this apparent 'missing' period of architecture?

Oh' and the first person to mention Portgower gets a virtual slap....apart from me of course

I take it your on about the medieval and tudor period, or other?

**ducati** · 13-Nov-10, 00:44

Originally Posted by teddybear1873

I take it your on about the medieval and tudor period, or other?

Well, yes but more than that is apparently missing. We have castles that date back to before the civil war but not much older. And I know Cromwell was about, knocking stuff down.....

**teddybear1873** · 13-Nov-10, 00:52

Originally Posted by ducati

Well, yes but more than that is apparently missing. We have castles that date back to before the civil war but not much older. And I know Cromwell was about, knocking stuff down.....

From a guess, I would have thought Caithness was very lightly populated before the 1500's. What was up here back then?........................Not alot I bet.

Maybe the Vikings had something to do with little or no architecture.

Need a historian on board here.

**Kevin Milkins** · 13-Nov-10, 07:52

It might have been a long period when things were made of wood and didn't stand the test of time like stone.

**Phill** · 13-Nov-10, 08:22

Oh do keep up.

Once the Vampires arrived from Transylvania they pretty much devoured everybody and no one was brave enough to get up the road.
Then they had the quin millenia conference back in Transylvania so naturally they all returned for that little junket, that then allowed a handful of unwitting peeps to sneak past and start repopulating the county.

See, and I didn't even mention Portgower............

**ducati** · 13-Nov-10, 09:37

Originally Posted by Phill

Oh do keep up.

See, and I didn't even mention Portgower............

DOH!

**gollach** · 13-Nov-10, 10:09

Reay is a mystery.

There is nothing in between the two ends of the village apart from the golf club, a church and a cemetery. Where did the centre of the village go?

**brandy** · 13-Nov-10, 10:40

isnt the old man nearly a 1000 years old?

**dragonfly** · 13-Nov-10, 10:54

thats no way to speak of your OH Brandy!

back on track, could it be that the indiginous Caithnessian's lived for years/centuries in the broch's, cairns and caves and as Kevin suggested in wooden structures? be little in the way of industry up here until the 1800's so doubt not many people would have been living up here, it would only have become more populated when travel became a luxury, not a necessity

**brandy** · 13-Nov-10, 10:58

*giggles* you got me there!

**John Little** · 13-Nov-10, 11:11

"What unique aspect of Caithness history explains this apparent 'missing' period of architecture?'

Easy!

Cos when Caithness people have finished with something they tear it down cos it's of no further use or benefit to the community. Very sensible too - why get mired in the past?
For example............................... Viewfirth

Ha! bet you thought I'd say something else...............

Mina Villa?

**Garnet** · 13-Nov-10, 11:28

Well, Caithness did have an abundance of 'trees' at one time believe it or not, so probably used them for shelter, then there were the 'turf/clod' houses which would appear overnight and disappear just as quick, game and fishing were in abundance so probably people had no need to travel so far afield and life may have been reasonably 'quiet' other than a few skirmishes here and there!!!

.

**upolian** · 13-Nov-10, 12:40

Portgower....

**Sage** · 13-Nov-10, 17:59

serious reply coming up....

The houses are made partly from stone and partly from turf.
The builders would build up the wall using a small amount of stone then continue with turf and finally build a thatched roof.
Because of this there are few buildings exisiting as when no longer in use the turf would just degrade and the stones would finally be reused.

I think the Highlands Museum down near Kingussie had an experiment with this type of building a fair few years back.

Sorry for being boring!

**Phill** · 13-Nov-10, 18:16

Sage's point about reusing stones has reminded me: A neighbour who was building a new house had to get the archaeologist in to check as they were digging out for the foundations etc. Out of this it turns out a lot of cairns & other ruins have been 'ruined' by the people who built the now ruined croft houses we see about the landscape.

See, no mention of Portgower, how mature am I.

**Garnet** · 13-Nov-10, 18:54

I see your lost for words 'upolian' ....what's wrong....cat got your tongue??

thank-you 'sage' exactly what I was meaning..just shorter!!

**ducati** · 13-Nov-10, 21:19

Originally Posted by Garnet

I see your lost for words 'upolian' ....what's wrong....cat got your tongue??

thank-you 'sage' exactly what I was meaning..just shorter!!

Look closer

**Green_not_greed** · 13-Nov-10, 21:59

Around 4500 years ago what is now Caithness was covered in windmills by the Southern Norwegian Plurocrats (SNP). They had vested interests in the infrastructure of Caithness and so wanted to make lots of money out of it, without of course being anywhere near it themselves. The majority of local people left and it was only several thousand years later that people returned after the windmills had decayed and the landscape was restored. That may explain the history gap.

GNG

**theone** · 14-Nov-10, 02:22

Originally Posted by Green_not_greed

Around 4500 years ago what is now Caithness was covered in windmills by the Southern Norwegian Plurocrats (SNP). They had vested interests in the infrastructure of Caithness and so wanted to make lots of money out of it, without of course being anywhere near it themselves. The majority of local people left and it was only several thousand years later that people returned after the windmills had decayed and the landscape was restored. That may explain the history gap.

GNG

You learn something new everyday.

Thank god for the internet.

The humour will probably be lost by those who can't see the truth in it though.