Lybster
Encyclopedia
Lybster is a village on the east coast of Caithness
in northern Scotland
.
It was once a big herring
fishing port, but has declined in recent years, due to problems in the industry.
It hosts the "World Championships of Knotty
"; knotty or cnatag is a variant of shinty
.
The film, The Silver Darlings, from Neil Gunn's book, was shot here.
Julian Bradford KGC OCL, the Laird of Glencairn, has a holding near Lybster.
The Sinclairs
of Lybster have long roots running back to the Sinclair earls who ruled Caithness that was once a much larger area taking in much of Sutherland. Tracing further back the family has connections to the Norwegian earls who controlled the north of Scotland for centuries.
Lybster railway station
was part of the Wick and Lybster Railway
. It opened on 1 July 1903 and closed on 3 April 1944.
Lybster's sister city is Mackinac Island
, U.S.A.
, who joined the Imperial Army and headed to the New World. He served in North America from 1759-1784 with the Black Watch and the 15th Regiment of Foot against the French and Indians and with the Royal Highland Emigrant
Regiment during the American Revolution
when he had the honourable post of Lieutenant-Governor of the post of Michilimackinac
.
However, during the American Revolution, following some victories in the Ohio and Illinois territories, Patrick Sinclair felt it was necessary to move Fort Michilimackinac
from its exposed location on the northernmost point of the lower peninsula of Michigan
to Mackinac Island
. As to not confuse the shipping lines the new fort and town would be re-named Fort Mackinac
.
The construction began in 1779 and was completed in 1781. Patrick Sinclair ordered Michilimackinac razed to the ground to keep it out of the rebel American's hands and the move to Mackinac island was complete. The Officers Stone Quarters was not completed when Sinclair was called back to England to face a court martial for taking 'too many extravagancies' while building Fort Mackinac; he returned to Lybster in disgrace. The disgrace was later reversed and Sinclair was successively promoted in retirement from the rank of major
to the rank of lieutenant-general. Sinclair was no longer on active duty and these promotions were bestowed for pension
purposes.
Sinclair died in 1820 and was buried in Lybster. His grave is still there today as well as a plaque commemorating his command of Michilimackinac and the founding of Fort Mackinac.
Today there is a pub on Mackinac Island that bears his name. Ironically it is an Irish pub.
"I can say in truth that I have not made a nickel here [at Michilimackinac]."
"It is managed by two men, one a scoundrel, the other an avaricious trader."
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
in northern Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
It was once a big herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fishing port, but has declined in recent years, due to problems in the industry.
It hosts the "World Championships of Knotty
Knotty
The game of knotty is a Scottish team sport. It is a variation of the game of shinty as played in the fishing communities of Lybster, Caithness. It used to be played widely in the town, as was shinty in the rest of Caithness, but it ceased to be played around the end of the 19th Century, until 1993...
"; knotty or cnatag is a variant of shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
.
The film, The Silver Darlings, from Neil Gunn's book, was shot here.
Julian Bradford KGC OCL, the Laird of Glencairn, has a holding near Lybster.
The Sinclairs
Clan Sinclair
Clan Sinclair is a Highland Scottish clan of Norman origin who held lands in the north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians which they received from the Kings of Scots...
of Lybster have long roots running back to the Sinclair earls who ruled Caithness that was once a much larger area taking in much of Sutherland. Tracing further back the family has connections to the Norwegian earls who controlled the north of Scotland for centuries.
Lybster railway station
Lybster railway station
Lybster was a railway station located on the Wick and Lybster Railway in the Highland area of Scotland. The station building now serves as the clubhouse for the Lybster golf course- History :...
was part of the Wick and Lybster Railway
Wick and Lybster Railway
The Wick and Lybster Light Railway was a light railway worked by the Highland Railway in Caithness, Scotland following a coastal route south from Wick to Lybster. It was intended to profit from the fishery based in Lybster but the harbour declined not long after the line opened...
. It opened on 1 July 1903 and closed on 3 April 1944.
Lybster's sister city is Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
, U.S.A.
Patrick Sinclair: a famous Lybsterian
One of the more famous of the clan was Patrick SinclairPatrick Sinclair
Lieutenant-General Patrick Sinclair was a British Army officer and governor in North America. He is best remembered for overseeing the construction of Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island in what was to become the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Sinclair was born in Lybster, Scotland, and enlisted...
, who joined the Imperial Army and headed to the New World. He served in North America from 1759-1784 with the Black Watch and the 15th Regiment of Foot against the French and Indians and with the Royal Highland Emigrant
84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)
The 84th Regiment of Foot was a British regiment in the American Revolutionary War that was raised to defend present day Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada from the constant land and sea attacks by American Revolutionaries...
Regiment during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
when he had the honourable post of Lieutenant-Governor of the post of Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac is a name for the region around the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire region along Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Today it is mostly within the boundaries of Michigan, in the United States...
.
However, during the American Revolution, following some victories in the Ohio and Illinois territories, Patrick Sinclair felt it was necessary to move Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th century French, and later British, fort and trading post in the Great Lakes of North America. Built around 1715, it was located along the southern shore of the strategic Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, at the northern tip of the lower...
from its exposed location on the northernmost point of the lower peninsula of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
to Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
. As to not confuse the shipping lines the new fort and town would be re-named Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac
Fort Mackinac is a former American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century near Michilimackinac, Michigan, on Mackinac Island...
.
The construction began in 1779 and was completed in 1781. Patrick Sinclair ordered Michilimackinac razed to the ground to keep it out of the rebel American's hands and the move to Mackinac island was complete. The Officers Stone Quarters was not completed when Sinclair was called back to England to face a court martial for taking 'too many extravagancies' while building Fort Mackinac; he returned to Lybster in disgrace. The disgrace was later reversed and Sinclair was successively promoted in retirement from the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
to the rank of lieutenant-general. Sinclair was no longer on active duty and these promotions were bestowed for pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
purposes.
Sinclair died in 1820 and was buried in Lybster. His grave is still there today as well as a plaque commemorating his command of Michilimackinac and the founding of Fort Mackinac.
Today there is a pub on Mackinac Island that bears his name. Ironically it is an Irish pub.
Patrick Sinclair quotes
"Persistence Wears Down Resistance.""I can say in truth that I have not made a nickel here [at Michilimackinac]."
"It is managed by two men, one a scoundrel, the other an avaricious trader."