Freswick Castle

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Freswick Castle (also called Fraswiln, Frecsyk, Frescewik, Freschwik, Fresch-Wyck, Freshweik, Fresh Wyk, Freswic, Fresik, Freswike, Fressick, Fresyck, as well as Thrasvik, Trasvik or Burnside on Freswick) is a medieval tower house on the east coast of the Scottish county Caithness in the hamlet of Freswick or Skirsa directly on the sea, 8.7 km south of Duncansby Head .

The name is derived from the Old Norse Thrasvík, which means "fresh water bay" and is probably derived from the Gill or Freswick Burn, which flow into Freswick Bay. The first lord of the castle, however, handed down only in a saga, was Hallvardr or "Havard von Freswick", a follower of the Orkney pearl Sigurd Hlodvisson (960-1014 - Sigurd the Stout).

Freswick today

history

In the 12th century one of Svein Asleifsson's "Longhalls" seems to have stood in Freswick. He is considered the builder of the castle in Freswick and comes from the Orkney island of Gairsay , which he used as winter quarters to launch raids on the British Isles from there or his possessions in the Hebrides . Svein Asleifarson died in the siege of Dublin in 1171 and was heir to his son Andrew Sveinsson. The Freswick estate appears to have been bought by his stepson Sigmund öngull Andresarson around 1141 with the money he received from selling his late father's estates on the Isle of Man . Andrew married Frida, a daughter of Kolbein Hrúga , lord of Cubbie Roo's Castle on the Orkney island of Wyre . Their son Gunni Andresarson inherited Andrew and Frida around 1190. He supported Harald ungi Eiriksson, whom the Scottish King William I had made Earl of South Caithness in 1184 . Gunni Andresarson died in 1198 at the Battle of Wick, in which Harald ungi and Harald Maddadarson, Earl of Orkney and North Caithness, fought. William I was so angry at the death of his protégé that he set off with a large army to the north, defeated Harald Maddadarson and made him pay tribute .

Before that, Ragnhild, one of Harald ungi's sisters, married Gunni Andresarson. Their descendants, the Gunn clan , later acquired large estates in Caithness. Gunni was inherited from his son Snaekol Gunnasson. In 1230 Snaekol, who was heir to part of the county of Orkney through his mother , came to Thurso with relatives and friends and had Harald Maddadarson's son and successor, Earl John I, killed. A year later, Snaekoll and his relatives were found guilty of this. Some were beheaded while Snaekol was first imprisoned in Bergen and shortly thereafter given into the care of Skule Bårdsson . Followers of King Hakon IV of Norway , known as the Birkebeiner , captured him in 1239, and in 1240 Snaekol was executed.

There were significant changes in Caithness following the Norwegian defeat by Scotland and the conclusion of the Perth Peace Treaty in 1266. Ownership of the Freswick lands is uncertain until 1361, but it appears to have come under the control of the Earl of Ross. From about 1410 Freswick Castle belonged to the Mowat family (also de Montealto) until it was bought by the Sinclairs in 1661 . They had it redesigned in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the following the complex was also called Freswick Tower and Freswick House .

In 1979, an excavation by Durham University took place on the castle grounds. The finds made in the process did not allow an exact dating.

literature

  • Colleen E. Batey et al .: Freswick, Caithness: excavations and survey at Freswick Links and Freswick Castle, 1979-1980. Summary report . University of Durham, Department of Archeology, Durham 1980.
  • Colleen E. Batey, Christopher D. Morris, D. James Rackham: Freswick Castle, Caithness. Report on rescue excavations carried out in 1979 . In: Glasgow Archaeological Journal . No. 11, 1984, ISSN  1471-5767 , pp. 83-118, doi: 10.3366 / gas . 1984.11.11.83 .
  • Nigel Godwin Tranter: The fortified House in Scotland. Volume 5: North and West Scotland and miscellaneous . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1970, pp. 89-91.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d caithness.org , accessed February 7, 2012.
  2. ↑ Entry on Freswick Castle  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Coordinates: 58 ° 35 ′ 15.7 "  N , 3 ° 4 ′ 17"  W.