Obliage aerial photograph showing castles Girnigoe and Sinclair, and Castle Haven Dyke.

Description Obliage aerial photograph showing castles Girnigoe and Sinclair, and Castle Haven Dyke.

Date 1991

Collection RCAHMS Aerial Photography

Catalogue Number SC 873680

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 47452 CN

Scope and Content Castle Girnigoe and Castle Sinclair, Caithness, Highland The traditional seat of the Sinclair Earls of Caithness, the Castles of Girnigoe and Sinclair occupy the same narrow, rocky promontory some 4.82km north-east of Wick, Caithness. A castle has stood on the site since at least the 15th century. An inheritance dispute led to the castles being besieged and captured in 1690 after which they were abandoned. Castle Girnigoe (centre) dates to the late 15th century and is the earlier and better preserved of the two. The ruins of Castle Sinclair lie in front and to the right of the older building, in what was once the outer ward. A rock cut ditch separates the castles and a second defensive ditch cuts the promontory off from the mainland. Castle Sinclair was built in the early 17th century as an addition, not a replacement. Recent investigations have indicated that the date of 1606, traditionally given to the construction of castle, refers to the date when the 4th Earl Sinclair, obtained an Act of Parliament to change the name from Castle Girnigoe to Castle Sinclair. At the time the castle was being remodelled and only the new tower, over the old gatehouse, became known as Castle Sinclair. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/873680

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap