24 April 2024

The Northern Isles and Scotland in the Anglo-Saxon mappa mundi

Online talk by Dr Oisin Plumb

Organised by UHI Institute for Northern Studies. For further details and booking information see their website.

The Anglo Saxon mappa mundi is a fascinating map within a fascinating manuscript- an eleventh century English tome charting the wonders of the world which has been described as a ‘book of elsewhere’. The map itself is notable for a depiction of Britain and Ireland which is at first glance strikingly similar to one we would recognise today. However, a closer look reveals that all is not a simple as it seems. An enormous Orcades dwarfs Scotland, and in part seems to be drawn on top of it. There are strange omissions from the annotations within Britain, and some of them seem to be in the wrong place. This talk will take a close look at the map and the manuscript it appears in. Why was the map created in this way and what was its creator trying to say about the northern world?

24 April 2024

24 April 2024

In 2022, the Yarrows Heritage Trust used money committed by a local windfarm trust for a community project to search for the remains of a “lost” towerhouse, Thurster Tower. There are numerous historical references to this tower, but it was probably destroyed in the early 17th century. Its exact whereabouts are unknown, although local tradition locates it to a field just north of Ulbster.

In April 2023 AOC Archaeology led a preliminary community excavation of a structure in this field, involving community volunteers and local schoolchildren. The excavation was led by Andy Heald of AOC who has extensive knowledge of Caithness. This superficial excavation uncovered part of the structure revealing a complex multi-period building with an earlier more solid structure underpinning later additions. This did not have the appearance of the looked-for towerhouse but did look as if it would provide the opportunity to investigate a Caithnesian vernacular building.

Their aim this year is to return to the site with AOC Archaeology in order to do a longer and more extensive excavation of the structure, with ample opportunity for community involvement and post-ex analysis.

To get involved and for more details, register your interest by emailing heritage@yarrowsheritagetrust.co.uk.

All welcome, no experience required!