Murder at Keiss

[Taraxacum]

There was a good talk in Thurso this week about the body that was found in the bog at the Hill of Clayton in 1975. It turned out to be the body of a young man of about 18. He had probably been strangled and his body stripped of his (quite good quality) clothes. The murder took place about 1650. The body was put in the bog. His jacket and another bit of cloth was draped over him (probably too recognisable to be worth stealing) and the body was weighed down with stones. It was found 325 years later.

Does anyone reading this know:

Who found the body and are they still around Keiss(two persons)?
Who was the policeman who came to the site?
Who was the doctor who was called to look at the body?

[northener]

Never knew about this.

Don't have any info myself, but i'll ask around.

[anneoctober]

Come on, Orgers ! The gauntlet has been thrown down............and I 'm curious to know the answers !!

[robynaus]

Come on, Orgers ! The gauntlet has been thrown down............and I 'm curious to know the answers !!

me too Anneoctober family all came from keiss
regards rob yn

[Valerie Campbell]

Hope someone tells us! I'd never head of this either but sounds interesting. Maybe have a look in old newspapers. Bound to be something in the Courier or Journal surely.

[lazytown]

I found this on from the www.caithness.org site:
http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfi...ober/intro.htm

Maybe there is some members of the Caithness Field Club that could provide more information.

Burial at Keiss
During the summer, in the course of peat cutting a body was found at Clayton hill near Keiss.
When the body was exposed it was seen to be clothed in a yellowish-brown coarse woollen doublet, the lower part being apparently uncovered. A length of twisted heather rope lay along the length of the body.
The body was sent to the University of Aberdeen and the clothing later to the National Museum in Edinburgh. From an investigation of the body it was found to be that of a youth about twenty years old with a minor deformity in one arm. The cause of death was uncertain.
The clothing was identified as belonging to the early 17th century and as such, is the earliest of its kind to be found in this area. The absence
of nether garments was not unexpected since if leather breeches had been worn they would probably have decomposed.

[Cinders392]

Wow this is really interesting. All this history right on our door step. Will be looking for the rest of the tale

[Rheghead]

Is it an example of 17th century gay bashing?

[northener]

Is it an example of 17th century gay bashing?

Leather trousers? Definitely!

Or an Austrian murdered for wearing lederhosen and yodelling in a built-up area?

[justine]

since i saw this post i have spent alot of time going into the unnatural deaths listed in caithness since 1595...I have nothing that i can shed light on this mystery, although i have learnt alot about the clans of scotland and the makings of caithness, but i will keep digging as death by unnatural causes is a study that i have been interested in for a long time...


Although i cant come up with for this mystery but i did come up with this...

http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/Book/Caith.html

[Margaret M.]

Leather trousers? Definitely!

Or an Austrian murdered for wearing lederhosen and yodelling in a built-up area?

I am so laughing, Northerner, out loud too. Interesting stuff, it makes one wonder what else is buried in the peat bogs.

[Sporran]

This is all very fascinating! I was still living in Thurso in 1975, and don't remember hearing anything about the body found in the bog at Hill of Clayton. Something like that would have stuck in my mind!

[Cattach]

This is all very fascinating! I was still living in Thurso in 1975, and don't remember hearing anything about the body found in the bog at Hill of Clayton. Something like that would have stuck in my mind!

I am interested in finding out about this so it is back to the top with it in the hope we may get a reply with the anwers.

[Cattach]

I am interested in finding out about this so it is back to the top with it in the hope we may get a reply with the anwers.

Someone must know about this. Don't suppose it is worth asking the police bearing in mind their dismal record on murders. Not great success locally and now I see the Nain Banker Case is being scaled down. Nevertheless, this find did happen and someone must get this strand completed.

[anneoctober]

Does thirsaloon know of anyone who may be able to help throw some light on this fascinating subject? Once the mystery is solved I could maybe use it in the "crimebusters" thread on the games section ..........