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THE CASTLE OF MEY
(R8x32)
John S Walton Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
1- 8
1s+2s+3s dance Inveran Reels, 2s finish facing out
9-16
1s+2s dance double Fig of 8 (1s cross down while 2s dance up)
17-24
1s
lead
down
the
middle
and
back,
finishing
in
centre
with
both
hand joined & 2s step in ready for ……
25-32
1s+2s dance a poussette
The
Castle
of
Mey
is
situated
on
the
north
coast
of
Caithness,
in
the
parish
of
Canisbay,
about
15
miles
east
of
Thurso
and
six
miles
west
of
John
O'Groats.
It
stands
on
rising
ground
about
400
yards
from
the
seashore,
overlooking
the
Pentland
Firth
and
the
Orkney
Islands.
It
is
thought
that
a
fortified
granary
occupied
the
site
originally.
It
was
built
between
1566
and
1572
by
George,
the
4
th
Earl
of
Caithness,
for
his
second
son
William
Sinclair.
When
visiting
the
family
seat,
Girnigoe
Castle,
in
1573,
William
was
murdered
by
his
older
brother
John,
who
had
been
imprisoned
there
for
about
six
years
by
his
cruel
father.
John
had
been
planning
an
escape
but
William
found
out
about
it
and
told
their
father.
John
was,
in
turn,
murdered
and
the
castle
went
to
the
third
son, George Sinclair, who founded the family of the Sinclairs of Mey and succeeded to the Earldom in 1789.
He
changed
the
name
of
the
castle
to
Barrogill
Castle
and
it
became
the
seat
of
the
Earls
of
Caithness
for
the
next 100 years.
In
1819
the
12
th
Earl
commissioned
the
architect,
William
Burn,
to
make
various
ambitious
alterations
to
the
castle,
including
the
grand
entrance
and
the
dining
room.
His
son,
Alexander,
was
responsible
for
erecting
the
monument,
now
known
as
'Lady
Fanny's
Seat’,
as
a
tribute
to
his
friend,
Charles
John
Canning,
who
later
became
the
first
Viceroy
of
India.
George,
the
15
th
Earl
died
at
the
age
of
30;
he
had
never
married
and
having
no
children,
left
the
castle
to
his
friend
F
G
Heathcote,
on
condition
that
he
changed
his
name
to
Sinclair.
His
widow
eventually sold it to Captain F B Imbert-Terry.
Her
Majesty
Queen
Elizabeth
The
Queen
Mother
first
saw
Barrogill
Castle
in
1952,
while
mourning
the
death
of
her
husband,
King
George
VI.
Falling
for
its
isolated
charm
and
hearing
it
was
to
be
abandoned,
she
decided
to
save
it.
Having
acquired
the
most
northerly
inhabited
castle
on
the
British
mainland,
The
Queen
Mother
renovated
and
restored
it
and
created
the
beautiful
gardens.
For
almost
half
a
century
she
spent
many
happy
summers
here
and
shorter
visits
at
other
times
of
the
year,
and
in
1996
she
gifted
it
with
an
endowment
to
the
Castle of Mey Trust and the Castle and its grounds are open to the public.
