Caithness Field Club 

Caithness Field Club Bulletin 1983

Vol 4 No 8 October 1988

WINTER PROGRAMME

The following programme has been arranged for members over the Winter months:

Wednesday 13th November

Lecture "Old St. Peters", by Harry Gordon Slade. Pentland Hotel, Thurso 7.30 p.m.

Monday 23rd January

Conducted tour of the Wick Heritage Centre 7.30 p.m. There will be an entry fee of �1.00

Tuesday 21st February

A series of short talks. Pentland Hotel, Thurso 7.30 p.m.

Thursday 16th March

Illustrated talk. "Caithness at the turn of the century" by Alan Abernethy.

Tuesday 18th April

Lecture in conjunction with the University of Aberdeen "Heaths and Moors" by Professor, Charles Gimingham. Halkirk School 7.30 p.m. There will be an entry fee. The Field Club AGM will follow this meeting.

Annual Dinner

The Annual Dinner was held in the Pentland Hotel on Saturday 29th October and attended by about 40 members. The address was given by Alex. Morrison of Glasgow University.

SUMMER SCHOOL

A one week Summer School will run during 5th-l1th August 1989 with the theme "A Caithness Experience". It is based on Thurso College and is organised jointly by the College and Aberdeen University. Lectures of local interest will be followed each day by outings to local places of interest. The course is non-residential and costs �60.00. Further details and booking forms may be obtained from Leslie Myatt at the College.

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS

The Strange Tales of the Causewaymire: Archie Sinclair: 32pp: illus: Nine short stories by a well known local man who has spent most of his life working in Spittal quarry, Printed by North of Scotland Newspapers. �1.50.

Spittal: Archie Sinclair: 18pp; Illus: This short history of Spittal quarry should be of interest to all students of industial archaeology. Published by Spittal Action Centre. �1.00

Swein Asleifson, a Northern Pirate: Robert P. Gunn: 30pp: illus by Barbara Myatt: The author is a well known Field Club member and is already known for his booklet on Alexander Bain of Watten and numerous articles published elsewhere. This is an interesting account of a notorious local pirate who has associations with Buchollie castle and who most of the Norse Earls would wish to avoid. Whittles Publishing Caithness: �1.50.

Records In Stone: Ed. C. L. N. Ruggles: 519pp: illus: This is a

collection of 21 papers written in memory of the late Professor Alexander Thom: Thom has probably made a greater contribution to the study of megalithic astronomy and metrology than anyone, and his work has been the catalyst for a number of new areas of investigation. A number of papers concern Scottish sites including one on the Stone Rows of Northern Scotland by Leslie Myatt: Cambridge University Press: �50.00.

The Caithness Book is long out of print and now selling for astronomical prices on the secondhand book market. We believe that a completely new book is imminent. Look out at all the best book shops before it becomes a sell-out. Watch this space.

Articles for the Bulletin

We apologise for the late arrival of this edition of the Bulletin.

It has been difficult persuading members to write suitable articles. New writers are needed. There must be many members who could contribute a short (or long) article. What happened in Caithness during the war years? So little has ever been written about it. Were you here then? How about an article for the next Bulletin due out in April 1989? Please forward any contributions to the editor before the end of February 1989.