View of entrances to cattle court and adjacent shed from South West. Digital image of D 23948 CN

Description View of entrances to cattle court and adjacent shed from South West. Digital image of D 23948 CN

Date 16/3/1998

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 742293

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 23948 CN

Scope and Content Cattle court and shed, Sibster Mains Farm, Highland, from south-west Sibster Mains Farm has a large steading arranged around a square courtyard, dating variously from the late 18th century to the mid- to late 19th century and into the 20th century. It is thus a fine example of agricultural development through three centuries and is particularly notable for its 18th-century kiln barn. This shows the entrance of the cattle court (left) and the adjacent shed (right) from the south-west. Both are built of rubble masonry, the cattle court having a slate roof and the shed a corrugated metal one. Following the improvements to the farmland of Caithness, the area around Wick became popular for rearing cattle. In the 13th century the third Bishop of Caithness met an unfortunate end when he organised a tithe for the church. It was a 'span' of butter for every 20 cows, but he insisted in raising the taxes twice in a year from one span for every 20 cows to one span for every 15 cows, and again to one span for every ten cows. Enraged by this, the local populace took charge, and on the evening of 13 September 1222 a mob of ruffians murdered the bishop, burning his body in butter. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/742293

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap