Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archive

01/06/2026

David Barrogill Keith is the focus of a new exhibition, ‘The Life and Art of David Barrogill Keith’, on display at the North Coast Visitor Centre in Thurso 6th June - 27th June.

The exhibition brings together wonderful artwork from the collection of Robert Maitland, local knowledge and research by Alan McIvor and the Caithness Archive Team – as well as examples from the Keith Family archives held at Nucleus.
Affectionately known as ‘Barrogill Keith’ or ‘D.B. Keith’, David Barrogill Keith was a well-known figure in Caithness and beyond, with many of his original artworks still hanging in houses around the county today. However, his life and work may not be as familiar to a modern audience.

All this month we’ll be celebrating his life and work, as well as that of his family, through our posts.

31/05/2026

A lot of work can go into preparing a talk for an episode of Learn with Lorna, especially if it is specific to the Caithness Archive, rather than one we contribute to. Research starts well in advance, looking out the records and finding information that can be used. Here are some of the records we’ve gotten out as part of research for a Learn with Lorna topic. (CC/7/5/4/2), (WS/6/11/5/34) and (WS/6/14/17/3 (2)).

29/05/2026

Each year we put together activities for various events or for use in schools and care homes. Here are some Caithness Dialect activities you can do at home. They were made using records like Iain Sutherlands ‘The Caithness Dictionary’.

28/05/2026

Learn with Lorna 260 – Treasures of the Highland Archive Service
Part of a series of events to share the collections of the Highland Archive Service.
This livecast is being brought to you by High Life Highland at no cost to the viewer.
High Life Highland is a charity registered in Scotland.
This event does not require any payment or subscription but we welcome donations.
To donate please visit https://shop.highlifehighland.com/products/archives-choose-your-donation
All previous episodes can be seen at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyxasYGi8kIcL7OThf1QGsHAMACY_1DGE&si=1u6WUF-hBjP7iV1H

27/05/2026

If you grew up in Caithness, there's a chance a Barrogill Keith painting hung on your wall — gifted freely by the man himself. 🎨

Now, for the first time, his remarkable life and artwork are being celebrated in a dedicated exhibition.

✨ The Life and Art of David Barrogill Keith
📍 North Coast Visitor Centre, Thurso
📅 6–27 June | Daily 10am–5pm

From studying painting in Paris to serving on the Western Front, practising law and painting prolifically into his 80s — Keith's story is extraordinary. This exhibition brings it to life through artwork and archival material, many pieces never before shown publicly.

Read the full story and plan your visit 👇
https://hlh.scot/d-b-keith

26/05/2026

Learn with Lorna no. 120 focuses on the Caithness Dialect. Although there are not as many broad speakers of the dialect these days, you still hear the words used frequently around Caithness. There is also a section on Caithness Dialect poetry as part of the Music Festival’s syllabus, open to school children and adults alike.

This excerpt from the Gersa School Logbook (CC/5/3/55/4) of 1874 shows them using the Caithness Dialect as part of their composition exercises:

“June 8th 1874
Usual work. Royal Reader No.5 appear to relish their composition exercises very much.
Generally an anecdote is read to them. Occasionally the ideas are reproduced in the Caithness vernacular in very amusing terms. A Newfoundland dog was said ‘to have taken ample satisfaction for an insult offered by the little dogs.’ The work on slates represented the curs as having been thumped, thrashed, settled, because they fettled on the Newfoundlander and he could not thole such cheek.”

25/05/2026

Not all of the outreach or exhibition work is for events we host ourselves; some involve assisting groups or members of the public to find information or gather pictures for specific events.

Recently we’ve been assisting Castletown School find material for an exhibition to celebrate 150 years of the school. This included looking for photographs, finding plans of the school and any alterations done, and looking through the historic school records to find any interesting stories – the school log books were of particular value in this endeavour. The following records are shown (CC/5/3/39/7), (SM/1920/74/2/4) and an article from the John O’ Groat Journal on 23rd September 1875.

23/05/2026

In July 1931 the Danish steamer Pennsylvania, carrying wheat and general cargo from New York to Copenhagen, ran aground in dense fog at Swona, north of Stroma. The captain refused local assistance, waiting instead for tugs from Copenhagen. This proved a costly delay as by the time the Danish vessels had arrived the ship was beyond refloating and had broken her back and was declared a total loss.
Over the next few days around half the cargo of valuable copper was recovered and included in the approximately 1,000 tons of cargo salvaged. Goods were stored in secured local warehouses and guarded due to fears of theft. Despite precautions, attempted break-ins occurred, and rumours of widespread plundering—particularly on Stroma—were reported to Customs. Items allegedly taken included flour, machinery, motors, vehicles, navigation instruments and ship fittings. Attempts to investigate were hampered by lack of warrants, local sympathy for “wrecking”, and advance warning of official visits.
Customs officers believed effective recovery or prosecution was unlikely, describing Stroma as largely lawless. In September 1931, two Stroma men purchased the wreck and its remaining cargo for £60. Local legend holds that salvaged items included cars, household goods, machinery, luxury items, and even a piano.

22/05/2026

21/05/2026

Customs and Excise CE113
The vast range of paperwork to be completed before a voyage and carried on board was essential to smooth passage whether in local waters or abroad. The certificate of transire, a customs document describing cargo for clearance, makes for an interesting read.
The collection also includes specimens of the Certificates of Competency of various countries for Merchant service. The certificates themselves would have been hard earned and are beautifully designed.