Touching the Description of Sutherland
TOUCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF SUTHERLAND.
Our Scottish writers have hitherto erred in describing the situation of Sutherland; for it hath Caithness toward the east and northeast; Strathnaver toward the north; Assint toward the west; Ross toward the south and south-west; and the German Sea toward the south, south-east, and east. Sutherland, in the Irish language, is called Cattey, and the people Cattigh. Cattey did contain sometime all the region lying betwixt Tayne and Dungesby, being divided in the midst by a mountain called Mond, or Ord, which runneth from the south sea to the north sea: and the country which is now called Catteyness, was first so named, as the ness or promontory of Cattey stretching itself eastward from the hill Ord. This is the opinion of one Andrew, Bishop of Catteyness. And in the old English writers (such as Hoveden, Walsinghame,
and others) it is always written Catteynes: so that Boethius faileth in drawing the etymology of Catteyness from Catus (the proper name of a man) and ness; which doubtless proceeded from the ignorance of the Irish language.
