Lybster
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Lybster shown within the Caithness area | |
OS grid reference | ND250360 |
Civil parish | |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LYBSTER |
Postcode district | KW2, KW3 |
Dialling code | 01593 |
Police | Scottish |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
EU Parliament | Scotland |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Lybster (Scottish Gaelic: Liabost) 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.
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.
One of the more famous of the clan was Patrick Sinclair, 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 renamed Fort Mackinac.