Castle Oliphant On Visit To East Coast Of Caithness North Highlands Of Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video clip, with Scottish music, of the Castle of Old Wick also known by sailors as the Old Man of Wick, or Castle Oliphant, on visit to the East Coast of Caithness in the North Highlands. It was probably Norse in origin, thought to have been built by Harald Maddason, the Earl of Caithness, in the 12th century. The first known owner of the property was Reginald Cheyne in the middle of the 14th century. Thereafter it passed by marriage to the Sutherlands in the 14th century, then to the Oliphants in the 15th century. It came to the Sinclairs in 1644, then to Lord Glenorchy, who sold it in 1690 to the Dunbars of Hempriggs. The dramatic ruins of the Castle of Old Wick stand on a spine of rock above cliffs projecting into the North Sea, between two deep, narrow gullies. It is s a plain, rectangular tower keep set near the landward end of a 100 yards long narrow promontory; and is flanked by 100 feet high cliffs and fronted by a ditch. An outer rampart crosses the landward end of the promontory. The rock cut ditch is 30 feet wide and 10 feet deep, it adjoins the keep and may have been crossed by a drawbridge. It is known as Lord Oliphant's Leap. The surname Oliphant was first found in Perthshire, Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt, former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland. The first of the descendants of this Norman, occurring in the public records, was David Olifard, who served in the army of King Stephen in 1141. A conspiracy was formed against the Empress Maud, who escaped from Winchester, England, attended by King David I. Surrounded by the enemy, the Scottish King owed his safety to the exertions of his godson Olifard, who, although in the adverse party, aided his Royal opponent. In recompense, the rescued Monarch gave to his preserver, who settled in North Britain, the Lands of Crailing and Smallham in Roxburghshire, and conferred on him the dignified office of Justiciary. Thus was established the famous family of Oliphant, so distinguished in the annals of Scotland. Spelling variations of this family name include: Oliphant, Olifant, Olifard and others. William Smith Oliphant, aged 28, a shoemaker, arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship Himalaya; William Oliphant, aged 26, a shepherd, arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship Lysander; Mary Ann Oliphant, born 1815, aged 47, was a British settler who travelled from London aboard the ship Edward Thornhill arriving in Nelson, South Island, New Zealand in 1862; Lilly Oliphant, aged 17, a housemaid, arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship Rakaia in 1879; David Oliphant, aged 45, a printer, arrived in Quebec, Canada, aboard the ship Atlas in 1815; Andrew Oliphant, arrived in New England, America, in 1762; James Oliphant, arrived in Georgia, America, in 1775. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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