Aerial photograph showing castles Girnigoe and Sinclair, and Castle Haven Dyke

Description Aerial photograph showing castles Girnigoe and Sinclair, and Castle Haven Dyke

Date 1991

Collection RCAHMS Aerial Photography

Catalogue Number SC 1675153

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 47449 CN

Scope and Content Castle Girnigoe, Caithness, Highland Castles Girnigoe and Sinclair occupy the same narrow, rocky promontory 4.5km north-east of Wick, Caithness. Traditionally given separate names they are in fact part of the same complex and were once the seat of the Sinclair Earls of Caithness. An inheritance dispute led to the castle being besieged and captured in 1690 after which it was abandoned. Castle Girnigoe (centre) dates to the late 15th century and is the earlier and better preserved of two. The ruins of Castle Sinclair lie to the right of the older building, in what was once its outer ward, and incorporated an earlier gatehouse. A ditch separates the two castles and there is a second defensive ditch cutting the promontory off from the mainland. Recent investigations have indicated that the date of 1606, traditionally given to the construction of Castle Sinclair, refers to the date when George Sinclair, the 4th Earl, obtained an Act of Parliament to change the name from Castle Girnigoe to Castle Sinclair. At the time the castle was being remodelled and consequently only the new part, over the old gatehouse, became known as Castle Sinclair. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1675153

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap