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CAITHNESS
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CAITHNESS , a See also:county occupying the extreme See also:north-See also:east of See also:Scotland, bounded W. and S. by See also:Sutherlandshire, E. by the North See also:Sea, and N. by the Pentland See also:Firth. Its See also:area is 446,017 acres, or nearly 697 sq. m. The See also:surface generally is See also:flat and tame, consisting for the most See also:part of barren See also:moors, almost destitute of trees. It presents a See also:gradual slope from the north and east up to the heights in the See also:south and See also:west, where the See also:chief mountains are Morven (2313 ft.), Scaraben (2054 ft.) and See also:Maiden Pap (1587 ft.). The See also:principal See also:rivers are the See also:Thurso (" See also:Thor's See also:River "), which, rising in Cnoc Crom Uillt (1199 ft.) near the Sutherlandshire border, pursues a winding course till it reaches the sea in Thurso See also:Bay; the Forss, which, emerging from See also:Loch Shurrery, follows a generally northward direction and enters the sea at Crosskirk, a See also:fine cascade about a mile from its mouth giving the river its name (fors, Scandinavian, " See also:water-fall; " in See also:English the See also:form is force); and See also:Wick Water, which, draining Loch Watten, flows into the sea at Wick. There are many other smaller streams well stocked with See also:fish. Indeed, the county offers fine See also:sport for See also:rod and See also:gun. The lochs are numerous, the largest being Loch Watten, 24 M. by 4 m., and Loch See also:Calder, 21 by x m., and Lochs Colam, Hempriggs, Heilen, Ruard, Scarmclate, St See also: Owing to the See also:rush of the See also:tide, See also:navigation is difficult, and, in rough See also:weather, dangerous. The tidal See also:wave races at a See also:speed which varies from 6 to 12 M. an See also:hour. At the See also:meeting of the western and eastern currents the waves at times rise into the959 See also:air like a See also:waterspout, but the current does not always nor everywhere flow at a See also:uniform See also:rate, being broken up at places into eddies as perilous as itself. The breakers caused by the sunken reefs off Duncansbay Head create the Bores of See also:Duncan-bay, and eddies off St John's Point are the origin of the Merry Men of Mey, while off the See also:island of Stroma occurs the whirlpool of the Swalchie, and off the Orcadian Swona is the vortex of the See also:Wells of Swona. Nevertheless, as the most See also:direct road from Scandinavian ports to the See also:Atlantic the Firth is used by at least 5000 vessels every See also:year. In the eastern entrance to the Firth lies the See also:group of islands known as the Pentland Skerries. They are four in number—Muckle Skerry, Little Skerry, Clettack Skerry and Louther Skerry—and the nearest is 41 M. from the mainland. On Muckle Skerry, the largest (z m. by a m.), stands a lighthouse with twin towers, roo ft. apart. The island of Stroma, r a m. from the mainland (pop. 375), belongs to Caithness and is situated in the See also:parish of Canisbay. It is 24 m. long by ri m. broad. In 1862 a remarkable tide climbed the cliffs (200 ft.) and swept across the island.' See also:Geology.—Along the western margin of the county from Reay on the north coast to the Scaraben Hills there is anarrow See also:belt of See also:country which is occupied by metamorphic rocks of the types found in the east of See also:Sutherland. They consist chiefly of granulitic quartzose See also:schists and felspathic gneisses, permeated in places by strings and See also:veins of See also:pegmatite. On the Scaraben Hills there is a prominent development of See also:quartz-schists the See also:age of which is still uncertain. These rocks are traversed by a See also:mass' of See also:granite sometimes foliated, trending north and south, which is traceable from Reay southwards by Aultnabreac station to Kinbrace and Strath Helmsdale in Sutherland. Excellent sections of this See also:rock, showing segregation veins, are exposed in the railway cuttings between Aultnabreac and Forsinard. A rock of See also:special See also:interest described by See also:Professor See also:Judd occurs on Achvarasdale See also:Moor, near Loch Scye, and hence named Scyelite. It forms a small isolated See also:boss, its relations to the surrounding rocks not being apparent. Under the See also:microscope, the rock consists of See also:biotite, See also:hornblende, serpentinous pseudo-morphs after See also:olivine and possibly after See also:enstatite and See also:magnetite, and may be described as a See also:mica-hornblende-See also:picrite. The See also:remainder of the county is occupied by strata of Old Red Sandstone age, the greater portion being grouped with the See also:Middle or Orcadian See also:division of that See also:system, and a small area on the promontory of Dunnet Head being provisionally placed in the upper division. By means of the fossil fishes, Dr See also:Traquair has arranged the Caithness flagstone See also:series in three See also:groups, the Achanarras beds at the See also:base, the Thurso flagstones in the middle, and the John o' Groats beds at the See also:top. In the extreme south of the county certain See also:minor subdivisions appear which probably underlie the lowest fossiliferous beds containing the Achanarras See also:fauna. These comprise (1) the coarse See also:basement See also:conglomerate, (2) dull See also:chocolate-red sandstones, shales and See also:clays around Braemore in the Berriedale Water, (3) the brecciated conglomerate largely composed of granite detritus'seen at Badbea, (4) red sandstones, shales and conglomeratic bands found in the Berriedale Water and further northwards in the direction of Strathmore. Morven, the highest See also: The flagstones yielding the fishes of the lowest division of the Orcadian series appear on Achanarras Hill about three miles south of Halkirk. The members of the overlying Thurso group have a wide See also:distribution as they extend along the See also:shore on either See also:side of Thurso and spread across the county by See also:Castletown and Halkirk to Sinclairs Bay and Wick. They are thrown into folds which are traversed by faults some of which run in a north and south direction. They consist of dark See also:grey and cream-coloured flagstones, sometimes thick-bedded with grey and See also:blue shales and thin limestones and occasional intercalations of sandstone. In the north-west of the county the members of the Thurso group appear to overlap the Achanarras beds and to See also:rest directly on the platform of crystalline schists. In the extreme north-east there is a passage upwards into the John o' Groats group with its characteristic fishes, the strata consisting of sandstones, flagstones with thin impure limestones. The rocks of Dunnet Head, which are provisionally classed with the upper Old Red Sandstone, are composed of red and yellow sandstones, marls and mudstones. Hitherto no fossils have been obtained from these beds See also:save some obscure plant-like markings, but they are evidently a continuation southwards of the sandstones of See also:Hoy, which there rest unconformably on the flagstone series of See also:Orkney. This patch of Upper Old Red strata is faulted against the Caithness flagstones to the south. For many years the flagstones have been extensively quarried for See also:pavement purposes, as for instance near Thurso, at Castletown and Achanarras. Two instances of volcanic necks occur in Caithness, one piercing the red sandstones at the Ness of Duncansbay and the other the sandstones of Dunnet Head north of See also:Brough. They point to volcanic activity subsequent to the deposition of the John o' Groats beds and of the Dunnet sandstones. The materials filling these vents consist of See also:agglomerate charged with blocks of See also:diabase, sandstone, flagstone and See also:limestone.
An interesting feature connected with the geology of Caithness is the See also:deposit of shelly See also:boulder See also:clay which is distributed over the low ground, being deepest in the valleys and in the cliffs surrounding the bays on the east coast. Apart from the See also:shell fragments, many of which are striated, the deposit contains blocks See also:foreign to the county, as for instance See also:chalk and chalk-flints, fragments of See also:Jurassic rocks with fossils and pieces of See also:jet. The transport of See also:local boulders shows that the See also:ice must have moved from the south-east towards the north-west, which coincides with the direction indicated by the striae. The Jurassic blocks may have been derived from the See also:strip of rocks of that age on the east coast of Sutherland. The shell fragments, many of which are striated, include See also:arctic, boreal and See also:southern forms, only a small number being characteristic of the littoral See also:zone.
See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture:—The climate is variable, and though the See also:winter storms fall with great severity on the coast, yet owing to proximity to a vast expanse of sea the See also:cold is not intense and See also:snow seldom lies many days continuously. In winter and See also:spring the See also:northern shore is subject to frequent and disastrous See also:gales from the N. and N.W. Only about two-fifths of the arable land is See also:good. In spite of this and the cold, wet and windy climate, progressive landlords and tenants keep a considerable part of the acreage of large farms successfully tilled. In 1824 See also: Sheep—chiefly See also:Leicester and Cheviots—of which the See also:wool is in especial See also:request in consequence of its fine quality, See also:cattle, horses and pigs are raised for southern markets. Other See also:Industries.—The great source of profit to the inhabitants is to be found in the See also:fisheries of See also:cod, See also:ling, See also:lobster and See also:herring. The last is the most important, beginning about the end of See also:July and lasting for six See also:weeks, the centre of operations being at Wick. Besides those more immediately engaged in See also:manning the boats, the fisheries give employment to a large number of coopers, curers, packers and helpers. The See also:salmon fisheries on the coast and at the mouths of rivers are let at high prices. The Thurso is one of the best salmon streams in the north. The flagstone quarries, mostly situated in the Thurso, Olrig and Halkirk districts, are another important source of See also:revenue. Of manufactures there is little beyond tweeds, See also:ropes, agricultural implements and See also:whisky, and the principal imports consist of See also:coal, See also:wood, manure, See also:flour and See also:lime. The only railway in the county is the Highland railway, which, from a point some four miles to the south-west of Aultnabreac station, crosses the See also:shire in a rough semicircle, via Halkirk, to Wick, with a See also:branch from Georgemas Junction to Thurso. There is also, however, frequent communication by steamer between Wickand Thurso and the Orkneys and Shetlands, See also:Aberdeen, See also:Leith and other ports. The deficiency of railway See also:accommodation is partly made good by See also:coach services between different places. See also:Population and See also:Government.—The population of Caithness in 1891 was 33,177, and in 1901, 33,870, of whom twenty-four persons spoke Gaelic only, and 2876 Gaelic and English. The chief towns are Wick (pop. in 1901, 7911) and Thurso (3723). The county returns one member to See also:parliament. Wick is the only royal See also:burgh and one of the northern group of See also:parliamentary burghs which includes See also:Cromarty, See also:Dingwall, See also:Dornoch, See also:Kirkwall and See also:Tain. Caithness unites with Orkney and See also:Shetland to form a sheriffdom, and there is a See also:resident See also:sheriff-substitute at Wick, who sits also at Thurso and Lybster. The county is under school-See also:board See also:jurisdiction, and there are See also:academies at Wick and Thurso. The county See also:council subsidizes elementary See also:schools and See also:cookery classes and provides apparatus for technical classes. See also:History.—The See also:early history of Caithness may, to some extent, be traced in the See also:character of its remains and its local nomenclature. Picts' houses, still fairly numerous, See also:Norwegian names and Danish mounds attest that these peoples displaced each other in turn, and the number and strength of the fortified keeps show that its See also:annals include the usual feuds, assaults and See also:reprisals. Circles of See also:standing stones, as at Stemster Loch and See also:Bower, and the ruins of See also:Roman See also:Catholic chapels and places of See also:pilgrimage in almost every See also:district, illustrate the changes which have come over its ecclesiastical See also:condition. The most important remains are those of Bucholie See also:Castle, Girnigo Castle, and the See also:tower of Keiss; and, on the S.E. coast, the castles of Clyth, Swiney, Forse, Laveron, Knockinnon, Berriedale, Achastle and Dunbeath, the last of which is romantically situated on a detached stack of sandstone rock. About six miles from Thurso stand the ruins of Braal Castle, the See also:residence of the See also:ancient bishops of Caithness. On the coast of the Pentland Firth, 1 z miles west of Dunscansbay Head, is the site of John o' See also:Groat's See also:house. See S. See also:Laing, Prehistoric Remains of Caithness (See also:London and See also:Edinburgh, 1866); James T. Calder, History of Caithness (2nd edition, Wick) ; John See also:Horne, In and About Wick (Wick) ; See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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