Tag: Thurso

Thurso (Scots: Thursa, Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Theòrsa) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the northernmost town on the British mainland. At the 2001 Census, Thurso had a population of about 9,000.
The name comes from Old Norse Thjórsá, meaning “Bull’s River”. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness. It lies at the junction of the north-south A9 road and the west-east A836 road, connected to Bridge of Forss in the west and Castletown in the east.
Thurso’s history stretches back to at least the era of Norse Orcadian rule in Caithness, which ended conclusively in 1266. The town was an important Norse port, and has a later history of trade with ports throughout northern Europe until the 19th century. In 1330 Scotland’s standard unit of weight was brought in line with that of Thurso at the decree of King David II of Scotland, a measure of the town’s economic importance. Old St Peter’s Kirk is said to…