Dornoch may be remembered affectionately by visitors for its peace and tranquillity, but its past has been far from uneventful. Prolonged and bloody disputes, political intrigue and family vendettas characterise much of Dornoch's history, from Viking raids in the 9th Century, to a Jacobite orgy of looting and burning the day before Culloden in 1746.

Dornoch and the rich fertile lands around it have always been seen as a prize worth fighting for. The Mackays of Strathnaver, the Sutherlands of Duffus, the earls of Caithness and the Murrays of Dornoch all played their part in Dornoch's turbulent history.