Ackergill

infobox UK place
country = Scotland
official_name= Ackergill
scots_name=
gaelic_name=
population=
os_grid_reference= ND351530
map_type=Scotland
latitude=58.46113
longitude=-3.11237
unitary_scotland= Highland
lieutenancy_scotland=
constituency_westminster=
constituency_scottish_parliament=
post_town=
postcode_district = KW1 4
postcode_area= KW
dial_code=

Ackergill is a settlement in the Wick, Caithness, in the Highland Council area of Scotland.

In Ackergill is a famous tower/castle named Ackergill Tower. This tower has several historically famous things, but one which is often forgotten is the fate of a young woman by the name of Helen Gunn. In her story, the young woman is abducted by John Keith because he wanted her for her amazing beauty. She flung herself, or fell, from the highest tower to escape her abductors advances.This was in the late 14th or early 15th century and is said to have been the true beginning for all Feuding between the Gunns and Keiths.

Despite being a small village, Ackergill used to have a lifeboat station, which served the increasing volume of shipping that began to pass through the area with the rise of the herring industry at nearby Wick from the mid-19th century; in poor weather, vessels often sought shelter in Sinclair's Bay. The lifeboat station is no longer used. [ [http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/2002/ackergill_lifeboat.htm Overview of the lifeboat] ]

References