Keith Inch
Keith Inch is the easternmost point of mainland Scotland. It is located in Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, forming the north point of Peterhead Bay at 57°30′10″N 1°45′51″W / 57.50278°N 1.76417°W.
Formerly an island, it now forms part of Peterhead Harbour. "Inch" is a common Scottish word for an island, e.g. Inchcolm, Inchkenneth, and na h-Innse Gall (Hebrides) and derives from the Scottish Gaelic, innis.
It was used in the whaling industry, and boil yards were here; the remains of a whale bone arch can be seen.
Castle of Keith Inch
On the island of Keith Inch once stood a castle built by George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal of Scotland. The castle is thought to have been modelled on Kronborg Castle[note 1](immortalised by Shakespeare as Hamlet's castle). In 1644 about 500 of Cromwell's English soldiers rampaged in the Peterhead area. They were encamped on Keith Inch with their headquarters in the castle.
See also
- Dunnet Head - Scotland's most northerly point on the mainland
- Mull of Galloway - Scotland's most southerly point
- Corrachadh Mòr - Scotland's most westerly point on the mainland
Notes
- ↑ The ancient castle of Keith Inch was built by George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal of Scotland. The design based on another castle he saw in Denmark, when he went to bring back princess Anne of Denmark, who was married to James VI. On 20 August 1589, Anne (princess of Denmark) was married by proxy to James VI of Scotland at Kronborg Castle.
External links
Books
- Haswell-Smith, Hamish The Scottish Islands