From Gallows Hill to RAF Castletown: Olrig booklet revisits the past
Public hangings, an uprising over a corn shipment and a unique legacy of World War II are just some of the topics that feature in a booklet about the Castletown area in times gone by.
Olrig Observations Volume One, the latest publication from Castletown Heritage Society, is made up of transcripts of 10 podcasts from a series exploring the history and heritage of the village and Olrig parish.
Heritage society volunteer Muriel Murray, one of the contributors, explained: “The booklet originated in the days of Covid when Castlehill Heritage Centre was obliged to close.
“In an attempt to maintain connections with our members, friends and would-be visitors we worked hard on producing a series of stories recounted by committee members and invited guests. The theme of each podcast had a link to this area and its past, be it a character, a physical feature or a momentous event.
“These podcasts could be accessed from our website. We were delighted that they were listened to as far away as Australia and America – so they had done their job, and still do. We try to add to them every month or so.
“It became apparent, however, that many people preferred to have a printed text to re-read, pass on to friends or discuss. This is how Olrig Observations Volume One was born.”
The opening story tells of violent scenes at Castlehill harbour in April 1847 after local landowner William Sinclair of Freswick hired a ship to transport a load of grain for the south market. Feelings were running high after the failure of the potato crop over the previous three years, reducing many to near-starvation.
In the aftermath of the unrest, two Castletown men were handed prison sentences and Sinclair issued eviction orders against six tenant crofters.
A chapter on Olrig Hill points out: “Up to the 1600s the public were invited to witness the hanging of criminals at a spot called Gallows Hill. Those found guilty of robbery, murder, heresy and treason were punished in this way...
“In fact it is thought that there were two hanging sites on Olrig Hill – one on the Olrig side and another overlooking Stemster called Ghoul Law.”
Olrig Hill would be the scene of a full-scale military exercise two years before the start of World War I. It was then used by coastal watchers in World War II and was named Signal Hill by the military.
There are two well-documented legends associated with the area around the Well of Sysa – one concerning the Piper of Windy Ha’, the other about a dozen Valkyries foretelling the Battle of Clontarf in Ireland.
In 1940 Castletown became an operational fighter station of No 13 Group Fighter Command and the heritage centre’s RAF Castletown display area contains a unique tablecloth. The poignant story of how it was created is also told in Olrig Observations.
“One of the navigational beacons for the airfield was on high ground farmed by the Custer family at Durran, a couple of miles west of the airfield. The servicemen that manned the beacon would regularly call in at the farmhouse where good Caithness hospitality, tea and home bakes were on offer.
“Isobel Custer, daughter of the household, had the idea of asking the visiting men to sign their name in a jotter before they left. Afterwards she traced the signatures onto a square tablecloth which she then hand-embroidered in various colours.”
Other sections are devoted to Sheriff Depute James Traill, founder of the local flagstone industry; a Bronze Age burial mound at Birklehill; a mourning outfit; a mail robbery; an RAF Christmas dinner menu; and the connection between a commemorative clock and a serviceman who suffered life-changing wounds in a World War I battle.
The podcasts are available to listen to on the “podcasts and videos page” of the Castletown Heritage Society website.
The individual contributors are Muriel Murray, Neil Buchan, the late Rey Custer, Jayne Blackburn and Lindsay Broomfield.
Copies of Olrig Observations Volume One are available from Castlehill Heritage Centre, priced £5, and can be posted by arrangement. Copies have already been dispatched around the world.
Volume Two of Olrig Observations is nearing completion.
