| Administrative History | Born in Caithness James Traill Calder (1794-1864) was educated at the parish schools of Olrig and Dunnet. He was for a short time tutor to the family of John Sinclair Gunn of Dale. James Calder graduated from Edinburgh University in 1832 and settled at Canisbay. He was a regular contributor to the John O'Groat Journal from its founding in 1836 and during the succeeding years published a number of literary sketches and poems. He retired as school-teacher at Canisbay in 1856 and went to live at Dunnet. In 1858 he commenced writing the work for which he is best known, Sketch of the Civil and Traditional History of Caithness, which was published at Wick in 1861. |