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Article ACCOUNT OF JOHN O'GROAT'S HOUSE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Account Of John O'Groat's House.
ACCOUNT OF JOHN O'GROAT'S HOUSE .
[ From Sir J SINCLAIR ' Statistical Account of the Parish of Canisbay . ]
THIS is the most memorable place in the parish , which has often been visited by travellers from very distant countries , who , it is believed , have rarely been made acquainted with the peculiar circumstance ' which first gave rise to its celebrity ; its fame having been in general erroneousl y attributed to its mere local situation , at the northern extremity of the island ; whereas it originated in an event
not unpleasing to relate , and which furnishes a useful lesson of morality . In the reign of J AMES IV . of Scotland , MALCOLM , GAVIN , and J OHN DE GROAT ( supposed to have been brothers , and originally from Holland ) arrived af Caithness , from the South of Scotland , bringing with them a letter written in Latin by that Prince ,
recommending them to the countenance and protection of his loving subjects in the county of Caithness . They purchased , or got possession of , the lands of Warse and Dungisbay , lying in the parish of Canisbay , on the side of the Pehtland Firth ; and each of them obtained an equal share of the property they acquired . In process of time their families increased , and there came to be eight different proprietors of the name of GROAT , who possessed these lands among them ; but whether the three ori ginal settlers split their property among their children , or whether they purchiased for them small possessions from one another .
does not appear . These eight families , having lived peaceably and comfortabl y In their _ small possessions for a number of years , established an annual meeting to celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of their ancestors on that coast . In the course of their festivity , on one of these occasions , a question arose , respecting the right of taking the door , and sitting at . the head of the table
, and such like points of precedency ( each contending for the seniority and chieftainship of the clan ) , which increased to such a height as would probably have proved fatal in its consequences to some , if not all of them , had not J OHN DE GROAT , who was proprietor of the ferry , interposed . He , having acquired more knowledge of mankind , by his constant intercourse with strangers
passing the Pentland Firth , saw the danger of such disputes ; and : haying had address enough to procure silence , he began with expa-. tiating on the comfort and happiness they had hitherto enjoyed since , their arrival in that remote corner , owing to the harmony which had subsisted among them . He assured them , that so soon as they appeared to split and quarrel among themselves , their nei ghbours , who till then had treated them with respect , would fall upon them , and expel them from the country . He therefore conjured them by the ties of blood
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Account Of John O'Groat's House.
ACCOUNT OF JOHN O'GROAT'S HOUSE .
[ From Sir J SINCLAIR ' Statistical Account of the Parish of Canisbay . ]
THIS is the most memorable place in the parish , which has often been visited by travellers from very distant countries , who , it is believed , have rarely been made acquainted with the peculiar circumstance ' which first gave rise to its celebrity ; its fame having been in general erroneousl y attributed to its mere local situation , at the northern extremity of the island ; whereas it originated in an event
not unpleasing to relate , and which furnishes a useful lesson of morality . In the reign of J AMES IV . of Scotland , MALCOLM , GAVIN , and J OHN DE GROAT ( supposed to have been brothers , and originally from Holland ) arrived af Caithness , from the South of Scotland , bringing with them a letter written in Latin by that Prince ,
recommending them to the countenance and protection of his loving subjects in the county of Caithness . They purchased , or got possession of , the lands of Warse and Dungisbay , lying in the parish of Canisbay , on the side of the Pehtland Firth ; and each of them obtained an equal share of the property they acquired . In process of time their families increased , and there came to be eight different proprietors of the name of GROAT , who possessed these lands among them ; but whether the three ori ginal settlers split their property among their children , or whether they purchiased for them small possessions from one another .
does not appear . These eight families , having lived peaceably and comfortabl y In their _ small possessions for a number of years , established an annual meeting to celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of their ancestors on that coast . In the course of their festivity , on one of these occasions , a question arose , respecting the right of taking the door , and sitting at . the head of the table
, and such like points of precedency ( each contending for the seniority and chieftainship of the clan ) , which increased to such a height as would probably have proved fatal in its consequences to some , if not all of them , had not J OHN DE GROAT , who was proprietor of the ferry , interposed . He , having acquired more knowledge of mankind , by his constant intercourse with strangers
passing the Pentland Firth , saw the danger of such disputes ; and : haying had address enough to procure silence , he began with expa-. tiating on the comfort and happiness they had hitherto enjoyed since , their arrival in that remote corner , owing to the harmony which had subsisted among them . He assured them , that so soon as they appeared to split and quarrel among themselves , their nei ghbours , who till then had treated them with respect , would fall upon them , and expel them from the country . He therefore conjured them by the ties of blood