The Anglo-Saxon term shire and the Norman-French county gradually came into use in Scotland during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries to denote the larger administrative areas. Though Ross and Caithness had been formed into bishoprics in the twelfth century neither district had at that time been constituted a shire. The earliest extant list of the Scottish sheriffdoms is contained in an " Ordonnance " of Edward I in 1305 for the government of Scotland. At this period the sheriffdom of Inverness included the whole of Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness. The country north of the Oykell was in Gaelic named " Cataobh," which may be connected with "Catti," Ptolemy's name for the inhabitants in the second century. Hence the northeast corner of this district got from the Norse the name "Catey-nes."
In the tenth century the name Sutherland (N. Sudrland, " Southland ") was given by the Norse to the region lying between the Ord and the Oykell, where a number of Norse settlements had been made. This district towards the close of the twelfth century was granted as a barony by William the Lyon to Hugh son of Freskyn of Moray. After Hugh Freskyn had possessed these lands of " Sudrland" for many years he was succeeded by his son William, who about 1235 was created Earl of Sutherland.
