Brough, Caithness
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Brough /brÉ’x/ is a small village in
Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...
on the far north coast of mainland
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. It is the most northerly village of mainland
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. It is 10 miles (16 km) east of
Thurso Thurso (pronounced ; , ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great Britain. From a latitudinal s ...
, 20 miles (32 km) north-west of
Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...
, 200 miles (320 km) north of
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, and 500 miles (800 km) north of
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. It is on the southern shore of the
Pentland Firth The Pentland Firth (, meaning the Orcadian Strait) is a strait which separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland. Despite the name, it is not a firth. Etymology The name is presumed to be a corruption of the Old Nors ...
, the sea channel between Caithness and the
Orkney Islands Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...
, notorious for strong tidal currents and exceptionally violent sea conditions. Brough is located on the  B855 single-track road, 2.5 miles (4 km) south east of Dunnet Head Lighthouse, the most northerly lighthouse and point on mainland Britain. The neighbouring village of 
Dunnet Dunnet is a village in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is within the Parish of Dunnet. Village The village centres on the A836– B855 road junction. The A836 leads towards John o' Groats in the east and toward Thurso and ...
 and the wide sandy beaches of 
Dunnet Bay Dunnet is a village in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. It is within the Parish of Dunnet. Village The village centres on the A836– B855 road junction. The A836 leads towards John o' Groats in the east and toward Thurso and ...
 lie 1.6 miles (2.6 km) to the south. Brough is within the civil parish of Dunnet.
John o' Groats John o' Groats () is a village 2.5 mi (4 km) north-east of Canisbay, in the historic county of Caithness, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's north-eastern tip and is popular with tourists. The northernmost point of mainland Scotland is ...
, the north-easterly point of the mainland, lies 10 miles (16 km) to the east.Bartholomew's Half Inch to Mile Map of Scotland - Sheet 27 Caithness; publ. John Bartholomew, 1929 Brough is the site of
Brough Castle Brough Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Brough, Cumbria, Brough, Cumbria, England. The castle was built by William Rufus around 1092 within the old Roman Empire, Roman fort of ''Verterae'' to protect a key route through the Pennines ...
, a twelfth-century Norse fortress; the ruins are on the property now known as Heathcliff. In 2011, the village had a population of 72. The village has a bus stop and had a village post office and tea room, now closed. Brough harbour, a small cliff-enclosed shingle bay to the north of the village, faces
Little Clett Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
rock, an islet which shelters the harbour from the north. The slipway was originally built to assist the construction and maintenance of Dunnet Head lighthouse (1831). The harbour is quite sheltered, but is surrounded by the notorious, powerful currents of the
Pentland Firth The Pentland Firth (, meaning the Orcadian Strait) is a strait which separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland. Despite the name, it is not a firth. Etymology The name is presumed to be a corruption of the Old Nors ...
and the rocky cliffs of
Dunnet Head Dunnet Head () is a peninsula on the northern coast of Caithness, Scotland, west of John o' Groats. It terminates at Easter Head, the northernmost point on the island of Great Britain. Geography Dunnet Head forms the western limit of the Pen ...
. A second harbour is located at
Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
, at the eastern end of the village. To the south of the village lies
St. John's Loch St. John's Loch is a loch in the civil parish of Dunnet, in Caithness, Highland, Scotland.Bartholomew's Half Inch to Mile Map of Scotland - Sheet 27 Caithness; publ. John Bartholomew, 1929 Loch Heilen and St. John's Loch are the two largest lo ...
, which supports large, beautifully marked specimen
brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...
. The surrounding countryside is wild, largely treeless and dominated by peat bog and small crofting farmsteads. In 2014, Oscar-winning actress
Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. She is known for playing eccentric and enigmatic characters, often working with auteurs. Her accolades include an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Volpi Cup, in addit ...
was in Brough filming a short film ''Special sets the standard'' for the 2015
Mercedes-Benz S-Class The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, formerly known as "special class" (), is a series of full-sized luxury vehicle, luxury sedans and Coupe, coupés produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz. The S-Class is the designation for top-of-the-line Mercede ...
Coupe. Brough Harbour provided the backdrop for the film, which was noted for its mysterious atmosphere and raw beauty.The campaign was produced by MoMA-featured photographer and director
Roe Ethridge Roe Ethridge is a postmodernist commercial and art photographer, known for exploring the plastic nature of photography – how pictures can be easily replicated and recombined to create new visual experiences. He often adapts images that have alr ...
, designer
Haider Ackermann Haider Ackermann (Arabic: حيدر عكرمان) (born 29 March 1971) is a Colombian-born French designer of ready-to-wear fashion. He lives in Paris, and is currently creative director of Canada Goose and Tom Ford. Early life Born in Bogotá, Co ...
, and cameraman Andre Chemetoff.


Name

The name Brough is pronounced to rhyme with the Scottish word ''loch'' (in contrast to the English town of Brough, which is pronounced to rhyme with ''rough'') Brough is named after the
Broch In archaeology, a broch is an British Iron Age, Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Brochs are round ...
, a type of ancient
Pictish Pictish is an extinct Brittonic Celtic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from late antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geog ...
defensive homestead. Various spellings of the name have been recorded, including Brughe (1546), Bruche (1592), Brugh (1662), and Burgh (1753). The remains of a number of brochs are found in the area around the village.


Landscape and setting

Brough sits on a gently-sloping plain, rising from St Johns Loch in the south to the coastal cliffs in the north. The highest point of the village is around 40m elevation near the cross-roads. The high moorland and peat bog of Dunnet Head are dominant to the west. There is much wild and beautiful (if somewhat sparse) scenery, with views to the south across St John's Loch and Dunnet all the way to the mountains of Morven and
Scaraben Scaraben (626 m) is a hill in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. The ...
, 30 miles to the south, on a clear day. There are fine sea views from the north of the village across the Pentland Firth to the Orkney island of Hoy, Flotta and Stroma, amongst others. One of the most distinctive features of the area is the almost-complete lack of trees and woodland. Storm-force winter winds and wind-carried salt make it a harsh climate for trees to develop; those that do tend to be limited in height. The resulting landscape could be described as "open" although some might find it bleak.


History and archaeology

Caithness has many archaeological sites, of which some have been dated to the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
, and there is evidence of widespread habitation from that era onward. Dunnet Head is documented (as Tarvedrum) in Roman-era maps of the 2nd century
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
and Roman artifacts have been found at
Crosskirk Crosskirk is a small remote hamlet, overlooking Crosskirk Bay, in Caithness, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The hamlet of Crosskirk is situated less than 1 mile north east of Forss and 3 miles west of Thur ...
near Thurso. Dated physical evidence of pre-
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9â ...
settlement in the village is sparse; a number of sites are identified as Pictish, including brochs and the
chambered cairns A chambered cairn is a burial monument, usually constructed during the Neolithic, consisting of a sizeable (usually stone) chamber around and over which a cairn of stones was constructed. Some chambered cairns are also passage-graves. They are fo ...
at Ham. There are few dated artifacts, although articles of
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
or earlier have been found nearby. Human skulls from a chambered cairn near Ham were radiocarbon dated to around 3000BC. There are definite Viking sites at Ham and further east of the village, with silver jewellery dated to 1000AD found at Kirk O'Banks just east of the village. These sites have been linked with events and locations in the 12th century
Orkneyinga Saga The ''Orkneyinga saga'' (Old Norse: ; ; also called the ''History of the Earls of Orkney'' and ''Jarls' Saga'') is a narrative of the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands and their relationship with other local polities, particularly No ...
, mentioning a Viking sea battle off ''Randaborg'' which may refer to Dunnet Head: In the 17th century, the Sinclair family, notable local landholders and nobility, leased out land in and around Brough: The current road to the village (the B855) was only constructed in around 1880, it is absent from the Ordnance Survey maps of 1878. Prior to this time, transit between the village and Dunnet (and further afield) was via a boggy footpath around the western end of the loch. The community would have been very isolated, and transit by boat would have been more convenient (from Brough harbour), but would have meant braving the tidal currents of the Firth. In 1810 the village was noted as "one of the best fishing stations on the coast of Caithness".


Social history

Crofting Crofting (Scottish Gaelic: ') is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production peculiar to the Scottish Highlands, the islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man. Within the 19th-century townships, individual crofts were est ...
and
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
have been the mainstay of livelihoods for the village, probably for its entire history, and continue to be central to the community. Many small farms make up the village, and the architecture is that of the classic Scottish croft-house; land division and usage is that of crofting. Livestock (sheep and cattle) crops (potatoes, turnips, oats), and common peat cuttings are still evident. Turf roofs have been replaced with slate or corrugated steel, but the buildings and their layout are essentially the same since the
Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulted from Scottish Agricultural R ...
. The majority of homes and land-holdings in the village (approximately 47) are officially registered as crofts. Even in the early 20th century, cave-dwelling was noted at Kunk's Hole, a cave in the cliffs near the village.


Geology

Brough lies within the
Orcadian Basin The Orcadian Basin is a sedimentary basin of Devonian age that formed mainly as a result of extensional tectonics in northeastern Scotland after the end of the Caledonian orogeny. During part of its history, the basin was filled by a lake now known ...
geological region, at the boundary between the Upper
Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...
Old Red Sandstone Old Red Sandstone, abbreviated ORS, is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the eastern seaboard of North America. It ...
to the west, which makes up the dramatic red cliffs of Dunnet Head, and the
Caithness Flagstone Group The Caithness Flagstone Group is a Devonian lithostratigraphic group (a sequence of rock strata) in northern Scotland. The name is derived from the traditional county of Caithness where the strata are well exposed, especially in coastal cliffs. ...
to the east and south, which has formed a lower topography. A
geological fault Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...
, the Brough Fault runs south from Brough approximately along the route of the B855 separating the hill and moorland of Dunnet Head from the lower-lying fields and farms to the east. The fault can be seen at Brough harbour, along with volcanic vents from the relic
volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...
at the edge of the village. The Old Red Sandstone is of the Eday Group, and is shared with the island of
Hoy Hoy may refer to: People Given name * Hoy Menear (died 2023), American politician * Hoy Phallin (born 1995), Cambodian footballer * Hoy Wong (1920–2009), American bartender Surname * Hoy (surname), a Scottish and Irish surname * Hà ...
, whereas the Caithness flagstone is of the Ham-Scarfskerry subgroup. This local stone is used in the characteristic Caithness flagstone fencing, which is unusual in its construction in that the stones are erected vertically to form a barrier rather than the more common horizontally-laid construction of drystone walling). It also contributes to the vertically laid construction of
Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
harbour and Castletown harbour.


Natural environment

The coastline to the north of the village comprises exposed cliff and rocky foreshore with numerous small caves and inlets, providing nesting sites for sea birds. The cliffs near the village are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for their unique habitat, coastal flora and nesting seabirds: The village and the area are popular with ornithologists, providing opportunities to see
puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...
s (at Brough harbour) along with
razorbill The razorbill (''Alca torda'') is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus ''Alca (bird), Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinus impennis' ...
s,
guillemot Guillemot is the common name for several species of seabird in the Alcidae or auk family, part of the order Charadriiformes. In Europe, the term covers two genera, '' Uria'' and '' Cepphus''. In North America the ''Uria'' species are called mu ...
s,
fulmar The fulmars are tube-nosed seabirds in the family Procellariidae. The family includes two extant species, and two extinct fossil species from the Miocene. Fulmars superficially resemble gulls, but are readily distinguished by their flight on s ...
s,
kittiwake The kittiwakes (genus ''Rissa'') are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') and the red-legged kittiwake (''Rissa brevirostris''). The epithets "black-legged" and "red- ...
s and
great northern diver The common loon or great northern diver (''Gavia immer'') is a large member of the loon, or diver, family (biology), family of birds. Reproduction, Breeding adults have a plumage that includes a broad black head and neck with a greenish, purpli ...
s.
Grey seal The grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus'') is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or "earless seals". The only species classified in the genus ''Halichoerus'', it is found on both shores of the Nort ...
can regularly be seen at Brough harbour, and
Orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...
and other whales and dolphins are seen in the Pentland Firth beyond the harbour. The village houses a Seal Rescue and Release Sanctuary. The unique habitats in the area support rare and
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
plant species, including Primula Scotica. The rare Narrow small reed Calamagrostis stricta is found on the west bank of St John's Loch, and in 2003 a new species of
Horsetail ''Equisetum'' (; horsetail) is the only living genus in Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds. ''Equisetum'' is a "living fossil", the only living genus of the entire subclass Equisetidae, which ...
was found there.


Community

The community of Brough includes families who have lived in the village and the surrounding area for many generations (as attested by the characteristic Caithness surnames) and "incomers", many of whom moved to the area during the
Dounreay Dounreay (; ) is a small settlement and the site of two large nuclear establishments on the north coast of Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutena ...
era and settled, raising families of their own. Masson describes the challenges facing young adults in Caithness, and the sometimes antagonistic relationship with "incomers". Recently there has been an influx of retirees and tourism has led to an increase in second homes and holiday rentals. The limited employment prospects for young adults has led to a falling young population. Many have moved away for work, or are employed in Thurso or Wick. In the village, a few
Rural crafts Rural crafts refers to the traditional crafts production that is carried on, simply for everyday practical use, in the agricultural countryside. Once widespread and commonplace, the survival of some rural crafts is threatened.Mapping Heritage Craf ...
continue to provide income, amongst them weaving, wood-turning and other crafts. Tourism brings many to the village, to see Dunnet Head as a detour on their way to
John O'Groats John o' Groats () is a village 2.5 mi (4 km) north-east of Canisbay, in the historic county of Caithness, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's north-eastern tip and is popular with tourists. The northernmost point of mainland Scotland is n ...
or touring on the NC500. The Brough Bay Association is a community group which maintains the slipway and other infrastructure at Brough Harbour, holds events, and has created an archives of social history of the village. In the 19th Century, Brough had its own school (the "Free Church School", attached to the Free Church of Scotland, also known as Brough Academy. The village was renowned for its seafarers and had the nickname "Village of Captains" for the number of successful maritime captains it had raised. The village was evacuated on 19 March 1999 as a precaution when the tanker Multitank Ascania, carrying a dangerous cargo of 2700 tonnes of
Vinyl acetate monomer Vinyl acetate is an organic compound with the formula CH3CO2CH=CH2. This colorless liquid is the precursor to polyvinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyvinyl alcohol, and other important industrial polymers. Production The worldw ...
suffered a severe fire and risk of explosion as it drifted out of control in "extraordinarily severe" seas in the Pentland Firth.


Agriculture

Brough has fertile soils with a high peat content, making them somewhat acidic, tending to sandy nearer the coast, and occasionally affected by salinity. High rainfall and a clay pan leads to generally high water content and a predisposition to waterlogging. Many fields have only become cultivatable once improved by drainage. Cattle and sheep are successfully raised in and around the village; Wester farm (the largest in the village) has delivered prizewinning sheep, and prizewinning sheepdogs also. Hardy breeds (of both cattle and sheep)) are preferable; Highland cattle and
Cheviot sheep The Cheviot (Scottish Gaelic: ''A' chaora mhaol'') is a British breed of white-faced sheep. It originated in, and is named for, the Cheviot Hills in north Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. It is still common in this area of the United Kin ...
are common choices. Mey farm (attached to the
Castle of Mey The Castle of Mey (also known for a time as Barrogill Castle) is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, about west of John o' Groats. In fine weather there are views from the castle north to the Orkney Islands. History The lands ...
) supplies prizewinning beef from its pedigree cattle. The previous livestock market at Thurso has now closed, and livestock are transported to the market at Dingwall for sale. Potatoes, oats, cabbage and turnips grow well, some area of land around the village is laid to arable for these crops. Silage and hay are also produced, however drying of hay is challenging some summers given the damp climate, and generally only one cut a year is achievable. Few fruit grow outside greenhouse or polytunnel, of those that do, gooseberries, black currant and raspberry are most successful. The relatively few hours of sunshine can make ripening a problem for some fruit. Winters are relatively mild, but windy.


Education

Primary education is provided at Crossroads Primary School, just to the east of the village. Secondary students travel to
Thurso High School Thurso High School in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, is the most northerly secondary school on mainland Great Britain. The Highland Council employs about 75 staff at the school. The rector is Mrs H Flavell. The school has just under 800 students. ...
daily by bus.


Transport

A direct bus service runs to Thurso three times a day, connecting to
Thurso Railway Station Thurso railway station is a railway station located in Thurso, in the Highland council area in the far north of Scotland. It serves the town and its surrounding areas, along with ferry services linking the mainland with Stromness on the Orkney ...
. Ferries to Orkney operate from
Scrabster Scrabster () is a small settlement on Thurso Bay in Caithness on the north coast of Scotland. It is some from Thurso, from Wick, from Inverness and 271.7 miles (437.2 km) from Edinburgh. Scrabster Harbour is an important port for the ...
by
NorthLink Ferries NorthLink Ferries (also referred to as Serco NorthLink Ferries) is an operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, as well as ferry services, between mainland Scotland and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland. Since July 2012, it has been ope ...
and from
Gills Bay Gills Bay, which is situated about west of John o' Groats with the community of Gills, Caithness, Gills close by, has one of the longest stretches of low-lying rock coast on the northern shores of Caithness. Its main features are a small harbour ...
, by
Pentland Ferries Pentland Ferries is a privately owned, family company which has operated a ferry service between Gills Bay in Caithness, Scotland and St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay in Orkney since May 2001. The company is one of only two major vehicl ...
.


Events and attractions

An annual music festival, "Tunes by the Dunes" is held nearby, in Dunnet. The Mey Highland Games are a nearby annual event, now held at John O'Groats. In previous years,
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...
attended to give prizes, while staying at the
Castle of Mey The Castle of Mey (also known for a time as Barrogill Castle) is located in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland, about west of John o' Groats. In fine weather there are views from the castle north to the Orkney Islands. History The lands ...
.


Notable people

Captain George Johnston George Johnston is recorded in the admission records for Bethlem, the notorious London asylum, admitted on 23 February 1846, received from
Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the pr ...
under sentence for murder by the Central Criminal Court, recorded as "insane". It is noted that 16 March 1864 he was "removed to Broadmoor". He is featured in a portrait by photographer Henry Hering (1814 - 1893), noted as a merchant ship captain. This photograph is part of a series of portraits of patients at Bethlem. It is notable that the photograph is dated 1857 - 1859; George Johnston would have been around 38 years of age, and would already have been incarcerated for around eleven years at the time it was taken.


References

{{reflist Populated places in Caithness