Part 1
Transcriber’s Note
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).
Changes that have been made are listed at the end of the book.
Parishes in Shetland:
1 _Unst_ 2 _Fetlar_ 3 _Yell_ 4 _Northmavine_ 5 _Delting_ 6 _Walls_ 7 _Sandsting_ 8 _Nesting_ 9 _Tingwall_ 10 _Lerwick_ 11 _Bressay_ 12 _Dunrossness_
Parishes in Orkney:
1 _Papa Westray_ 1b. _Westray & Papa Westray_ 2 _Cross & Burness_ 3 _Lady_ 4 _Stronsay_ 5 _Rowsay & Egilshay_ 6 _Evie & Rendall_ 7 _Harray & Birsay_ 8 _Sandwick_ 9 _Stromness_ 10 _Firth_ 11 _Orphir_ 12 _Kirkwall & St. Ola_ 13 _Shapinshay_ 14 _Deerness & St. Andrews_ 15 _Holm_ 16 _Hoy & Graemsay_ 17 _Walls & Flotta_ 18 _South Ronaldshay_ 19 _Stenness_ 20 _Eday & Pharay_
_The Cambridge University Press_ _Copyright. George Philip & Son L{td.}_
Cambridge County Geographies Scotland
General Editor: W. Murison, M.A.
ORKNEY AND SHETLAND
Cambridge University Press London: Fetter Lane, E.C.4 C. F. Clay, Manager
Bombay, Calcutta and Madras: Macmillan and Co., Ltd. Toronto: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd. Tokyo: Maruzen-Kabushiki-Kaisha
Cambridge County Geographies
ORKNEY AND SHETLAND
by
J. G. F. MOODIE HEDDLE
and
T. MAINLAND, F.E.I.S.
Headmaster, Bressay Public School
With Maps, Diagrams, and Illustrations
Cambridge At the University Press 1920
Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh
CONTENTS
ORKNEY
PAGE
1. County and Shire 1
2. General Characteristics and Natural Conditions 2
3. Size. Situation. Boundaries 5
4. Streams and Lakes 8
5. Geology and Soil 10
6. Natural History 14
7. The Coast 26
8. Weather and Climate 30
9. The People—Race, Language, Population 35
10. Agriculture 37
11. Industries and Manufactures 39
12. Fisheries and Fishing Station 41
13. History of the County 43
14. Antiquities 59
15. Architecture—(_a_) Ecclesiastical 68
16. Architecture—(_b_) Castellated 74
17. Architecture—(_c_) Municipal and Domestic 79
18. Communications, Past and Present 83
19. Administration and Divisions 85
20. The Roll of Honour 86
21. The Chief Towns and Villages of Orkney 96
ILLUSTRATIONS
ORKNEY
PAGE
Rackwick, Hoy 3
The Home Fleet in Scapa Flow 7
Loch of Kirbuster, in Orphir 9
Berry Head, Hoy 12
The Great Auk 18
Crannie in which last Great Auk lived 19
The Old Man of Hoy 27
Old Melsetter House, in Walls 32
Harvesting at Stenness 38
Orkney Yawl Boats 40
Kirkwall 46
St Magnus’s Cathedral, Kirkwall, from South-East 51
Tankerness House and St Magnus’s Cathedral 54
Ground Plan of Broch of Lingrow, near Kirkwall 60
Stone Circle of Stenness 62
Maeshowe, Section and Ground Plan 63
Incised Dragon, from Maeshowe 66
Norse Brooch, found in Sandwick 67
Silver Ornaments, found in Sandwick 67
St Magnus’s Cathedral, view from N. Transept looking towards Choir 69
St Magnus’s Church, Egilsay 71
Ground Plan of St Magnus’s Cathedral, Kirkwall 72
Apse of ancient Round Church, in Orphir 73
Noltland Castle, Westray (15th century) 75
The Staircase, Noltland Castle 76
The Earl’s Palace at Kirkwall (_c._ A.D. 1600) 78
Town Hall, Kirkwall 80
Balfour Castle, Shapinsay 81
Tankerness House, Kirkwall 82
John Rae 88
David Vedder 89
Sir Robert Strange, the Engraver 92
Malcolm Laing 94
Stromness, Orkney, about the year 1825 97
MAPS
Orographical Maps of Orkney and Shetland _Front Cover_
Geological Maps of Orkney and Shetland _Back Cover_
The illustrations on pp. 3, 7, 9, 12, 27, 38, 46, 54, 62, 80, 81 are reproduced from photographs by Mr T. Kent, Kirkwall; that on p. 32 from a photograph by the Author; that on p. 40 by permission of Messrs J. Spence & Son, St Margaret’s Hope; those on pp. 60 and 72 are from Tudor’s _Orkney and Shetland_, by permission of Edward Stanford, Ltd., that on p. 69 by kind permission of Messrs William Peace & Son, Kirkwall; that on p. 71 from a photograph by Valentine & Sons, Ltd., that on p. 82 by kind permission of Dr Thomas Ross; and that on p. 88 by arrangement with Elliott & Fry, Ltd.
CONTENTS
SHETLAND
PAGE
1. County and Shire. Name and Administration of Shetland 103
2. General Characteristics 104
3. Size. Position. Boundaries 106
4. Surface and General Features 107
5. Geology and Soil 109
6. Natural History 111
7. Round the Coast—(_a_) Along the East from Fair Isle to Unst 116
8. Round the Coast—(_b_) Along the West from Fethaland to Fitful Head 124
9. Climate 127
10. People—Race, Language, Population 133
11. Agriculture and other Industries 134
12. Fishing 139
13. Shipping and Trade 143
14. History 145
15. Antiquities 147
16. Architecture 153
17. Communications 156
18. Roll of Honour 157
19. The Chief Towns and Villages of Shetland 161
ILLUSTRATIONS
SHETLAND
PAGE
Crofter’s Cottage 104
Kittiwakes. Noss Isle 112
Shag on Nest. Noss Isle 113
Sumburgh Head and Lighthouse 117
Bressay Lighthouse and Foghorn 118
Cliff Scenery, Noss. Bressay 119
Mavis Grind, looking south 121
Muckle Flugga Lighthouse 123
The Kame, Foula 126
Wind Roses, showing the prevailing winds at Sumburgh Head 129
Graph showing average Rainfall and Temperature 130
Sunrise at Midsummer, 2.30 a.m. 132
Single-Stilted Shetland Plough 136
Carding and Spinning 137
“Leading” Home the Peats 138
Dutch Fishing Fleet in Lerwick Harbour 140
Steam Drifters and Fish Market, Lerwick 141
Shoal of Whales 143
A Busy Day at Victoria Pier, Lerwick 144
Broch of Mousa 147
Ground Plan, Broch of Mousa 148
Sectional Elevation, Broch of Mousa 149
Gold Armlet (Norse) from Isle of Oxna 150
Bressay Stone. Obverse and Reverse 151
Sandstone Slab with Ogham Inscription from Cunningsburgh 151
Lunnasting Stone 152
Burra Stone 152
Scalloway Castle 153
Muness Castle, Unst 154
Town Hall, Lerwick (Midnight, June) 155
Arthur Anderson 158
Anderson Institute, Lerwick 159
Lerwick, North and South 162
Scalloway 163
Diagrams 164
The illustrations on pp. 104, 112, 113, 118, 119, 162, are from photographs by Mr J. D. Ratter, Lerwick; those on pp. 117, 121, 123, 126, 132, 138, 140, 141, 143, 144, 147, 153, 154, 155, 159, 163, by Mr R. H. Ramsay, Lerwick; that on p. 137 by Valentine & Sons, Ltd., those on pp. 148, 149, 152, are from Tudor’s _Orkney and Shetland_ by permission of Edward Stanford, Ltd., and that on p. 158 by permission of Mr J. Nicolson of Glenmount, Lerwick.
ORKNEY
By J. G. F. MOODIE HEDDLE
PREFACE
I WISH to thank Captain Malcolm Laing of Crook for the photograph from Sir Henry Raeburn’s portrait of Malcolm Laing, the historian; Andrew Wylie, Esquire, Provost of Stromness, for the portraits of Dr Rae and David Vedder; and J. A. Harvie-Brown, Esquire, Dunipace House, Stirlingshire, for the photograph of the Great Auk’s resting-place.
J. G. F. M. H.
ORKNEY
1. County and Shire
The word _shire_ is of Old English origin, and meant charge, administration. The Norman Conquest introduced an alternative designation, the word _county_—through Old French from Latin _comitatus_, which in mediaeval documents stands for shire. _County_ denotes the district under a count, the king’s _comes_, the equivalent of the older English term _earl_. This system of local administration entered Scotland as part of the Anglo-Norman influence that strongly affected our country after 1100.
The exceptional character of the historical nexus between the Orkney Islands and Scotland, makes it somewhat difficult to fix definitely the date at which Orkney can be fairly said to have first constituted a Scottish county. For a period of about one hundred and fifty years after the conditional and, to all intent, temporary cession of the Islands to Scotland in the year 1468, Scottish and Norse law overlapped each other to a large extent in Orkney. And although during that period the Scottish Crown both invested earls, and appointed sheriffs of Orkney, yet so long as Norse law subsisted in the Islands, as it did largely in practice and absolutely in theory until the year 1612, it is hardly possible to consider Orkney a Scottish county. The relation of the Islands towards Scotland during this confused period of fiscal evolution bears more resemblance to that of the Isle of Man towards England at the present day. When, however, in the year 1612 an Act of the Scottish Privy Council applied the general law of Scotland to the Islands, although the proceeding was in defiance of the conditions of their cession, Orkney may be held to have at last entered into the full comity of Scottish civil life, and may thenceforth, without impropriety or cavil, be considered and spoken of as the County or Shire of Orkney.
The Latin name _Orcades_ implies the islands adjacent to Cape Orcas, a promontory first mentioned by Diodorus Siculus about 57 B.C. as one of the northern extremities of Britain, and commonly held to be Dunnet Head.
The Norse name was _Orkneyar_, of which our _Orkney_ is a curtailment. The name _orc_ appears to have been applied by both Celtic and Teutonic races to some half-mythical sea-monster, which according to Ariosto, in _Orlando Furioso_, devoured men and women; but the suggested connection between this animal and the name of the county appears a little far-fetched, although the large number of whales in the surrounding waters is quoted to support it.
2. General Characteristics and Natural Conditions
Orkney occupies the somewhat anomalous position of being a wholly insular shire whose economic interests are overwhelmingly agricultural. Most of the islands are flat or low; and in several, such as Shapinsay, Stronsay, Sanday, and South Ronaldshay, the proportion of cultivated land exceeds 70 per cent. of their total areas. In the Mainland, however, there are large stretches of hill and moorland, while in Hoy and Walls the natural conditions of by far the greater portion of the island closely approximate to those of the Scottish Highlands. Rousay is the only other island which is to a large extent hilly; but Westray and Eday have some hills, and Burray, Flotta, and several other islands considerable stretches of low-lying moor. The general rise of the land is from N.E. to S.W. A height of 334 feet is attained at the Ward Hill at the south end of Eday, 880 feet at the Ward Hill of Orphir, in the S.W. of the Mainland, 1420 at Cuilags, 1564 at Ward Hill, and 1309 at Knap of Trowieglen, the three highest points in Hoy and in the whole group. Exceptionally fine views are obtained from Wideford Hill (741 feet), near Kirkwall, and from the Ward Hill in Hoy, the varied panoramas of islands, sounds, and lakes perhaps gaining in grace of outline more than they lose in richness of detail from the woodless character of the country.
Taken in detail, and viewed from the low ground, however, the general aspect of much of the country is bleak, and only redeemed from baldness by the widely-spread evidence of a vigorous cultivation. Yet for reasons of a somewhat complex texture, involving meteorological conditions, historical and archaeological considerations, and a touch of all-round individuality, the Islands rarely fail to cast a spell upon the visitor. One might quote many distinguished writers to vouch for this fact, but an Orcadian poet has depicted the telling features of his native land, both physical and psychic, with unerring accuracy and skill.
Land of the whirlpool, torrent, foam, Where oceans meet in maddening shock; The beetling cliff, the shelving holm, The dark, insidious rock; Land of the bleak, the treeless moor, The sterile mountain, seared and riven; The shapeless cairn, the ruined tower, Scathed by the bolts of heaven; The yawning gulf, the treacherous sand; I love thee still, my native land!
Land of the dark, the Runic rhyme, The mystic ring, the cavern hoar, The Scandinavian seer, sublime In legendary lore; Land of a thousand sea-kings’ graves— Those tameless spirits of the past, Fierce as their subject Arctic waves, Or hyperborean blast; Though polar billows round thee foam, I love thee!—thou wert once my home.
With glowing heart and island lyre, Ah! would some native bard arise To sing, with all a poet’s fire, Thy stern sublimities— The roaring flood, the rushing stream, The promontory wild and bare, The pyramid where sea-birds scream Aloft in middle air, The Druid temple on the heath, Old even beyond tradition’s breath.
If we allow a little for the softer side of the picture, a side perhaps best typified by the fine old buildings of the little island capital, and the spell of the lightful midsummer night, which is no night, the lines of Vedder form a fair compendium of the natural conditions and general characteristics of the Islands to-day, although much of the “bleak and treeless moor” of the poet’s youth has long since been converted into smiling fields of corn.
3. Size. Situation. Boundaries
The Orkney Islands extend between the parallels 58° 41´ and 59° 24´ of north latitude, and 2° 22´ and 3° 26´ of west longitude. They measure 56 miles from north-east to south-west, and 29 miles from east to west, and cover 240,476 acres or 375.5 square miles, exclusive of fresh water lochs. The group is bounded by the North Sea and the Pentland Firth on the south, the Atlantic on the west, Sumburgh Roost on the north, and the North Sea on the east. Our measurements take no account of the distant Sule Skerry, an islet of 35 acres lying 32½ miles north-west of Hoy Head, and inhabited only by lightkeepers and innumerable birds. The archipelago is naturally divided into three sections: the Mainland in the centre, the South Isles including all islands to the south, and the North Isles all to the north, of the Mainland. The Mainland—the Norse _Meginland_, or _Hrossey_, _i.e._ Horse Island—covers 190 square miles, and is 25 miles long from north-west to south-east, and 15 miles broad from east to west. It is divided into two unequal portions, the East Mainland and the West Mainland, by an isthmus less than two miles across, which connects Kirkwall Bay on its north sea-board with Scapa Flow, a large and picturesque inland sea, now well known as a naval base, which lies between its south coasts and the encircling South Isles. The name Pomona, stamped on the Mainland by George Buchanan’s misapprehension of a Latin text, is never applied to the island by Orcadians; and here be it also said that Hoy and Walls, the largest of the South Isles and the second in size of the whole group (13½ miles long by about 5½ miles broad, and covering 36,674 acres), although one island geographically, is colloquially two. The principal of the other South Isles are South Ronaldshay, 13,080 acres; Burray, 2682 acres; Flotta, 2661 acres; Graemsay, 1151 acres; and Fara, 840 acres. Scapa Flow is connected with the Pentland Firth to the south by Hoxa Sound, with the Atlantic to the west by Hoy Sound, and with the North Sea to the east by Holm Sound. The largest of the North Isles are Sanday, 16,498 acres; Westray, 13,096 acres; Rousay, 11,937 acres; Stronsay, 9839 acres; Eday, 7371 acres; Shapinsay, 7171 acres; Papa Westray, 2403 acres; North Ronaldshay, 2386 acres; and Egilsay, 1636 acres. This section of the archipelago is itself divided into two portions by the waterway formed by the Stronsay and Westray Firths, which runs from south-east to north-west through the islands, and offers an alternative to the Pentland Firth or Sumburgh Roost passages for vessels passing between the North Sea and the Atlantic.
The whole archipelago includes some 67 islands, besides a score or more of islets, but only 30 are inhabited, and four or five of these are occupied solely by lighthouse attendants and their families. Small uninhabited islands, many of which are used as pasturage, are known as “holms.” The largest uninhabited island is the Calf of Eday, of 590 acres, but some 10 of the inhabited islands are of less area than this.
4. Streams and Lakes
The streams of Orkney are, of course, mere burns of a few miles in length, draining the high ground, and save for the cheap motive power which they offer to farmers and millers, of interest only to anglers. Nowhere in Orkney are trees so much missed as along the burnsides, and for that reason the Burn of Berriedale, a branch of the larger Rackwick Burn, in Hoy, whose steep banks are covered with poplar, birch, hazel, and mountain ash, is a sort of Mecca to the aesthetic Orcadian. The broad estuary of the Loch of Stenness, which disembogues into the Bay of Ireland, though of trifling length, is the nearest approach to a river that the Islands can present. It is known as the _Bush_.
From a spectacular point of view the many lakes of Orkney go far to compensate the county for the absence of rivers. So many are they that it is hardly possible to get out of sight of salt or fresh water in the Islands. The great twin lochs of Harray and Stenness, at once joined and separated by the Bridge of Brogar, give a strong dash of picturesqueness to the whole central part of the West Mainland; and still more beautiful are the secluded and hill-surrounded Heldale Water and Hoglinns Water in Walls. Other lochs are Boardhouse, Swannay, Hundland, Isbister, Skaill, Banks, Sabiston, Clumly and Bosquoy in the West Mainland; Kirbuster in Orphir, Tankerness in the East Mainland; Muckle Water, Peerie (_i.e._ little) Water, and Wasbister in Rousay; St Tredwell Loch in Papa Westray; Saintear and Swartmill in Westray; Muckle Water in Stronsay; and Bea, Longmay, and North Loch in Sanday. The total area of Orkney lakes is about 20,000 acres. In most of them fishing is free, in others permission to fish is readily obtainable. The Loch Stenness trout is, according to Gunther, a distinct species, but this is a vexed question among the learned in such matters. Heldale Water contains Norwegian char in addition to trout.
5. Geology and Soil
The geological formation of the Orkney Islands is, in its main features, of a very simple nature. If we except a comparatively small strip of land running northwestward from Stromness to Inganess in the West Mainland, and a still smaller patch in the neighbouring island of Graemsay, practically the whole county is underlain by the Old Red Sandstone formation. The two small areas above-mentioned—practically one, save for the intervening sea—are occupied by older crystalline rocks, consisting of fine-grained granite, and micaceous schist at times running into foliated granite, the whole traversed by veins of pink felsite. These formations are flanked on either side by a narrow band of conglomerate of the Middle Old Red Sandstone period, composed of the rounded pebbles of the underlying schist and granite. Of the Old Red Sandstone two divisions are found in the Islands—the Middle or Orcadian, and the Upper Old Red Sandstone. There are also in various parts but especially in Hoy and Deerness, local outcrops of volcanic material. Orkney thus constitutes practically a continuation of the north-eastern Highlands of Scotland, and, as in Caithness, flagstone is by far the most widely distributed rock.