London to John O' Groat's. 409 



brothers, Malcolm, Gavin, and John de Groat, natives 

 of Holland, came to this coast of Caithness, with a 

 letter in Latin from that monarch recommending them 

 to the protection and countenance of his subjects 

 hereabout. They got possession of a large district of 

 land and in process of time multiplied and prospered 

 until they numbered eight different proprietors by the 

 name of Groat. On one of the annual dinners 

 instituted to commemorate their arrival in Caithness, 

 a dispute arose as to the right of precedency in taking 

 the door and the head of the table. This waxed very 

 serious and threatened to break up these annual 

 gatherings. But the wisdom and virtue of John 

 prevented this rupture. He made a touching speech 

 to them, soothing their angry spirits with an appeal 

 to the common and precious memories of their native 

 land and to all their joint experiences in this. He 

 entreated them to return to their homes quietly, and 

 he would remedy the current difficulty at the next 

 meeting. Won by his kindly spirit and words, they 

 complied with his request. In the interval John 

 built a house expressly for the purpose, of an octagonal 

 form, with eight doors and windows. He then placed 

 a table of oak, of the same shape, in the middle, and 

 when the next meeting took place, he desired each 

 head of the different Groat families to enter at his 



