Halberry Castle (5 of 5)
Ignoring the mountains of southern Caithness in the distance, this view encompasses the dramatic Caithness coastline from Clythness lighthouse on the left, past Stack of Mid Clyth and Upper Clyth, Hill of Mid Clyth and round to East Clyth on the right.  We're in the Clyth locality!

Crowner Gunn!  

A fair bit has been written about Crowner Gunn, because there are a lot of people called Gunn, particularly in Caithness, and Crowner Gunn is the earliest known beyond all doubt bearer of the surname and all Gunns are descended from him.  Well, apparently!  Anyway, according to my old leather bound copy of John Henderson's 'Caithness Family History', George 'Crowner' Gunn lived here at Halberry - or Harberry as it was then known, in the 15th century.  Crowner, or Cruner or Crouner or Coroner was an appointed officer of justice, something akin to a Sheriff.  He is known to have been called &quot;Nin Braistack-more&quot; by the good (and bad) folk of Caithness, from the great silver brooch worn by him as his badge of office.

The Gunns had previously occupied 'Gunn's Castle', built on a rock stack another half mile up the coast, but by George's time, had moved here to Halberry, where he is reputed to have lived in some style!

Crowner Gunn met a violent end.  He lived at the time that Keith (subsequently) of Inverugie in Aberdeenshire, married the heiress of Reginald, the last of the Cheynes, by which he became owner of substantial lands in Caithness and Aberdeenshire.  These newly arrived &quot;white settlers&quot; did not endear themselves to the Gunns, and accordingly disagreements soon led to a major dispute.  Attempts at solving the problem verbally having failed, it was decided that the best solution was a 'battle of champions'.  The following account of the battle was written in the book Conflicts of the Clans, published in 1764 and taken from a 16th century manuscript:

<i>About the year of God 1478, there was some dissention in Caithness betwixt the Keiths and the Clan Gunn. A meeting was appointed for their reconciliation, at the Chapel of St. Tayre, in Caithness, hard by Girnigo, with twelve horse on either side. The Crowner (chieftain of Clan Gunn) with the most part of his sons and chief kinsmen came to the chapel, to the number of twelve; and, as they were within the chapel at their prayers, the Laird of Inverugie and Ackergill arrived there with twelve horse, and two men upon every horse; thinking it no breach of trust to come with twenty-four men, seeing they had but twelve horses as was appointed. 

So the twenty-four gentlemen rushed in at the door of the chapel, and invaded the Crowner and his company unawares; who, nevertheless, made great resistance. In the end eight of the Clan Gunn were slain, with the most of the Keiths. Their blood may be seen to this day upon the walls within the Chapel at St. Tyre, where they were slain. Afterwards William Mackames (the Crowner's grandchild) in revenge of his grandfather, killed George Keith of Ackergill and his son, with ten of their men, at Drummuny in Sutherland, as they were travelling from Inverugie into Caithness.</i>

And that's how these sorts of things were settled in Caithness, until comparatively recently!
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