MHG1181 - Possible hospital site - Latheron
Summary
Possible site of hospital, at which English envoys were accommodated in 1290 whilst travelling to Orkney to meet the Maid of Norway, on the pilgrim route to the shrine of St Magnus, Kirkwall.
Type and Period (1)
- HOSPITAL (Medieval - 1058 AD to 1559 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
There is some evidence for an ecclesiastical foundation at Latheron (info from Geoffrey Stell) (ND 198 335), which might have been one of the stages on the pilgrim route north to the shrine of St Magnus at Kirkwall (HY41SW 10). This may have been the 'hospital' at which English envoys were accommodated on the night of 3rd October 1290 on their way to the Orkneys to attend the reception of the Maid of Norway. Having passed the previous night at Helmsdale, they were apparently still a day's journey from Wick, where they spent the night of the 4th. Assuming they travelled by the coast, this would place the hospital somewhere in the vicinity of Latheron. (See also ND13SE 18.)
Cowan, apparently erroneously, locates the hospital to Ousdale. (See ND02SE 21.)
B E Crawford 1982; I B Cowan and D E Easson 1976.
Included in HS / SUAT Hospitals gazetteer project 2000.
The actual site of the hospital may be at ND198 328 (see MHG1159)
Sources/Archives (3)
- --- SHG2070 Text/Publication/Volume: Cowan and Easson, I B and D E. 1976. Medieval religious houses, Scotland: with an appendix on the houses in the Isle of Man. 2nd ed.. 199.
- --- SHG3130 Text/Publication/Article: Crawford, B E. 1982. Scots and Scandinavians in medieval Caithness: A study of the period 1266-1375. SHG23444. 61-74. 62-3.
- --- SHG3470 Text/Publication/Volume: Watson, G.. 1991. Caithness Chapel Sites.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 1979 3349 (140m by 140m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND13SE |
| Civil Parish | LATHERON |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/8174 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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