Murkle
| Murkle | |
|---|---|
  Murkle | |
| Murkle shown within the Caithness area | |
| OS grid reference | ND161682 |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | KW14 8 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
Murkle (Murchill) is a small scattered hamlet, made up of East Murkle and West Murkle located 1 mile east of Thurso, in Caithness, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.
Name
The name Murkle derives from the name Morthill, meaning Field of Death, so called because it was the site of a battle with the Danes in the early medieval period.[1]
Sinclairs of Murkle
Members of Clan Sinclair associated with Murkle are as follows:[2]
- James Sinclair (1567-1642), 1st of Murkle, who was the second son of John, Master of Caithness, and grandson of George, 4th Earl of Caithness. He married Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of Robert Stewart (d. 1533), Earl of Strathearn and Orkney, a natural son of King James V. He was followed by his son:
- Sir James Sinclair (d. 1662), 2nd of Murkle. He was followed by his son:
- John Sinclair (d. 1705), 3rd of Murkle, who succeeded as 8th Earl of Caithness in 1698. He was followed by his son:
- Alexander Sinclair (d. 1765), 9th Earl of Caithness, upon whose death the earldom of Caithness became a matter of controversy and passed from the Sinclairs of Murkle.
Legends
It is said that a mermaid once fell in love with a local fisherman, who to this day holds him captive in a nearby loch.[3]
It is also said in the 9th chapter of the Orkneyingers Saga that "Ragnhilda, king Eric's daughter" had a husband called Arnfinn, the fifth son of Thorfinn the Earl. Arnfinn died at Murkle in Caithness leaving Ragnhilda a widow. [4]
References
- ↑ Groome, Francis H. (1885). Ordnance Gazeteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography. Edinburgh. p. 3:84. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ↑ Henderson, John (1884). Caithness Family History. Edinburgh: David Douglas. pp. 24–30. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ↑ "The jealous mermaid". Hole in My Pocket. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ↑ "Orkneyingers Saga". Retrieved 30 March 2015.