Laird of John O'Groates

If you like it really wild and legendary, you should buy the noble title Laird of John O'Groates.

Because this title fulfils both requirements. The town of the same name is located in the far northeast of Scotland and forms the northern end of the British Isles. This is also the starting point for the ferry service to the Orkney Islands with the famous Stone Age settlement of Skara Brae. A Laird of John O'Groates is therefore a seasoned Highlander, his Lady an upright Highlander, who roams the barren moors with pride and dignity. If you buy this title of nobility, you represent a steadfast clan, but also a cunning one, as the following story shows.

The name John O'Groates is not traced back to an original Scottish or Celtic origin, but to Dutch roots. A Dutchman named Jan de Groot settled with a group of compatriots in what is now John O'Groates at the request of the Scottish King James IV. A few years earlier, the Orkney Islands had passed from Norwegian possession into the hands of the Scots under James II. King James now desired a regular ferry service to this group of islands, and evidently thought the Dutch fit to undertake the post. These found themselves well at home in the Scottish Highlands, operated the ferry, and formed their own clan, which celebrated the day of landing in their new home with a great festival every year. Since the de Groots had apparently settled perfectly into their new surroundings, they probably also adopted the legendary belligerence of the Scots.

According to tradition, a dispute arose at one of these festivals among the seven descendants of Jan de Groot about the succession as clan head. The latter wanted to avoid a possibly bloody confrontation and resorted to a ruse. He told the members of his family that the succession should go to the one who sat at the head of his table. He then built a house with eight sides and eight doors, in the middle of which he placed an octagonal table. Each member of the clan was led through a different door and to his own place at the table. In this way, no one could dominate because no one sat at the head of the table. This wise action is more than worthy of a Laird of John O'Groates, even if that is not exactly how the story played out. To commemorate the legend, the John O'Groats Hotel has built an octagonal main tower. If you buy a property and a noble title here, you are also part of this legend

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