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A mound and flag pole near the John O'Groats House Hotel mark the site where Jan de Groot, a Dutchman, built his famous house in the reign of James IV (1488 - 1513). His seven descendants quarreled about precedence and Jan de Groot solved this problem by building an octagonal house with eight doors, one for each of his seven sons and himself, and an eight sided table so that no one occupied the head of the table. Jan de Groot ran a ferry to Orkney and charged 2p a trip. The coin for this denomination became known as the 'groat'. Jan de Groot is buried in Canisbay churchyard where his tombstone can be seen, now moved to inside the entrance porch for protection against the weather. Over a period of time the name Jan de Groot has subsequently changed to John O'Groats. |
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