fiD E S O R I P T I O N’

OF T H E

SH ETLAND SLANDSCOMPRISING AN ACCOUNT OF TH EIR

S C E N ERY ,A N T IQU IT IE S ,

A N D

S U PE R S T I T I O N S,

’

MWSA MUEL g IBBERT , M .D . , 81C .

D z’specfa est et TH UL E .

— TAC ITUS .

PRINTED FOR ARCHIBAL D CONSTABL E A ND co . EDINBURGH ;

AND H URS’I‘

,ROBINSON AND CO . L ONDON .

E binbutgb, 1822 .

REPRINTED BY T . J . MANSON ,

I erwick, 1891.

0 0 5

PR [NTFD RY

NEWS

T . MAN'

SON,

O FF ICE.

TO TH E

WERNERIA N SO CIETY

O F ED I N BURGH

T H E PRESENT VO LUME IS,W

'

ITH MUCH RESPECT ,

I N SCR IBED,

A S A N ACKNOWLEDGMENT O F T H E H IGH EST I M AT ION

EN'

I‘

ERTA INEI) BY TH E WR ITER REGA RD ING TH E OBJECTS O F

TH AT I N ST ITUT ION

A ND TH E Z EA L OF ITS MEMBERS I N I L LU STRAT I NG

T H E

NATURAL H ISTORY

OF T H E

BRIT ISH IS LANDS .

PREFA CE TO T H E REPR I NT

IBBERT’S valuable work on Shet land havi ng become very sca rce

,

and acce ss ib l e on ly to a l im i ted few,the more in terest i ng part s

of the book, (th e geologi cal secti on be ing om i tted), were repri n ted i n the

“ Shetland New s i n th e course of 1 890-

9 1 . A very general des i re was

expressed,when th e proposal to repri n t the work i n th e newspaper was

announced,that at the same t ime an opportun i ty Should be afforded to

the publ i c of procuri ng i t i n book form . Hence the i ssue Of th i s volume .

As i t was not i n tended to reproduce the book i n an expen s ive form,

arrangemen ts were not made for i nclud i ng the plates and maps wh i ch

are given in the orig inal , bu t as a specimen of the former, one page of

the engrav ings has been reproduced i n fac s im i le ; and the mus i c of two

native a i rs has been added . The Spel l i ng of the origi nal has b een

adhered to th roughout, and i n oth er respects every effort has been made

to reproduce an accurate repri n t of the orig i na l volume .

T . a J. MANSON .

C O N T E N T S .

IT I NERA RY T H ROUGH T H E I SLES O F S HETLA N D

ITER I.

L EITH TO DUNROSSNESS IN SH ETLAND

D i stan t View of Fai r Isle , 4 .

—Tradi tion ary Narrative of th e Sh ipw reck of th e Span i sh A rmada

i n 1588, 4.-A pproach to D u n r ossn e ss , 8.

—G r u tn ess Voe to Qu en dal , 12.—Remarks on th e

Dark Pe r iod of th e H istory of Sh e tlan d an d O rkn ey , 13.—Quen dal Bay , 19.

NOTES TO ITEB I .

ITER II.

SOUTH -EA ST D ISTRICT OF SH ETLAND 33 11

H istory of th e Udalle rs of Sh e tlan d , Sli m—A ppen di x to th e H istory , 65.—Holm s of Qu en dal B ay ,

69.

—F itfi e l H ead , 70.— Gar th sn ess , 72. Sumb u rg h , 73.

~ S umb u rgh to San dw ick, SL — A n tzie n t

Weapon s of War d i scove red i n Sh e tlan d , 82.

—B u rgh of Mou sa, 86.—B u r r olan d , 89f- San d

lodg e , 90.— Con in g sb u r gh , 91.

—F lad ib ister to Scalloway, 92.- Scal loway , 93 .

—Ti n gwa'

ll,98.

A n c i en t S tate of th e J u r i sd ic tion of Sh etlan d , 99.— Ti n gwal l to L e rwi ck , 106.

—L e rw ick,107

,

—Islan ds of B r essay an d Noss , 109.

— L erwi ck to Catfi r th , 111.—Esw i ck to L u n n a

, 114.—Islan d

ofWhalsey an d th e O u t-Ske rr ies , 116.

I llu strat ion s of th e L aw of Udal Su cce ssion .Mil —Ill u stration s of th e Fe udal Ten u res of Sh e tlan d ,

132.—A n ci en t Re n tal of She tlan d ,

133.

NOTES TO ITEB II. 138-146

ITER III.

NORTH ISLES OF SH ETLAND ,MID D ISTRICT OF MA INLAND

,IS LES IN

BA Y OF SOA L L OWA Y 147

Islan d of Fe tlar , 148.

—A ccou n t of D av id G i lb e r t Tai t , a lad b orn d eaf and b l in d ,—Be lmon t

to Woodw i ck , 155.

—K i rk of B al iasta, 157 .— H e rman an e ss to Haroldsw ick , 158.

—Cr u c i tie l d ,

160.— Bal ta So u n d , 163.

—~ Cas t l e of M ou n ess, l ti4 .—~Uyea Sou n d , 165.

-Uyea Sou n d to th e

Is lan d of H ase o sea, 167 .-Islan d of Ye l l , 169. Ye ll Sou n d , l 7

‘2.— L u n n a to A ithsvoe ,

A n e i en t an i Prese n t S tate o f Sh e e p Pas tu res , 182.

—T r o lh on lan d , 189.

—Cu llsw iek to th e Voe

of San d , 193.

—Bay of Scalloway , 196 .—Scal loway to B ig setter Voe ,

NOTES TO ITER III. 200-2 10

ITER IV.

WEST OF SHETLAND 213 276

Is lan d o f M e ikle Roe , 213 .

-D n tch H e r r in g F i sh e ry of Sh e tlan I, 214.—Mavi s G rin d to Fe ide lan d ,

216.

—Th e Haaf, —San d "00 to Roe n e ss Voe ,—~Fi sh i n g Te n n r e s of Sh e t lan d ,

226 .

H i l lsw ick,928.

—Reg en ts’F i sh i n g Ban k , ‘230.- He lgaWate r, ‘232.

—Tan gw iek to Roe n ess Voe ,234 .

-H i l l sw ick to Mavis G r i n d , 238 .— A ith svoe to Clou se tte r , 241. Fi rth to Norbay ,

243.—Papa S tou r , 249.

— Fe s t ivi tie s of Sh e tlan d ,252.

— Sword Dan ce , &c . ,ih .

—Ve Ske rrie s ,200.

— San d n e ss to Valley ,264 . 265.

—Islan d of Fou la , 274 .— Fou la to B r essay

Sou n d , 276 .

NOTES TO ITER IV. 280—288

IENERA L APPENDIX.

B r e ssay , Coal fi sh , Wh ales , Popu lat ion , &c . ,

‘289 -I\In s ic of Sh e t lan d , w ith Spe c im e n s , 291.

INDEX To TH E ITINERAR IES 292 294

PREFA CE

H E general plan of th i s work i s by no mean s what was at fi rs t i n tended ; wi thout ,

T therefore, th i s explanat i on , i t may be l iable to an imadvers ion . My origi nal obj ec twas to publ i sh noth i ng more than the resu l t of certai n geolog ical researches conducted i nShet land, wi th an Essay on Strat ificat ion , i l lu s trat ive of th e v iews on wh ich an explanat ionof the compl icated di str ibu ti on of th e rocks of these i s land s would be attempted . Underth i s arrangemen t, many pages had been prin ted off, when , on the suppos i t i on that a workof th i s k i nd, pure ly m ineralogical, could on ly bear reference to a very l im i ted class ofreaders , i t was recommended to me to extend my plan , by includ ing a popu lar accoun t ofthe Scenery and Manners Of th e coun try

,and a part icu lar not ice of i ts An t iqu i t ies . I was

even tual ly i nduced to comply wi th th i s request,notwi th standing the pecu liar

'

awkwardn ess

of allowing matter of a l igh ter k ind to m ingle wi th i nves t igat ion s purely sc i en t ific bu t i norder to obviate

,i n some degree

,the i nconven ience of the arrangemen t that resu l ted

from an al tered system,the m iscel laneous accoun t of the coun try i s pri n ted in a larger

type,and being completely separated from the Geology

,each departmen t of the book

may be eas i ly read as a detached work .

Respect i ng the var i ou s subj ects t reated of, a few words may be said . O f the Ant iqu it ies wh i ch were to be i nvest igated

,none are so s i ngular as those that relate to the Udal

System,and to the process of Feudal izat i on whi ch took place i n Shetland and O rkney .

I n to th i s cu ri ou s research I i nadverten tly plunged, and the task of reconci l i ng opposi testatemen ts, and of arranging the material s that came i n to my possess ion , has been infin i telybeyon d what cou ld be calculated upon , havi ng been such as to i nduce a consumpti on oft ime , that, being total ly ou t of the sphere Of my proper pursu i ts, noth i ng can repay . I may

,

i ndeed,t ru ly s tate my case to be that of an i l lu stri ou s townsman of my own

,who

,i n a work

execu ted wi th a learn i ng to whi ch I can have n o pretens i on s,however great may have been

my trouble,has remarked

,that

,

“ had he foreseen the fu l l exten t of h i s scheme atfirst, he shou ld never have had the hardin ess to form i t had he foreseen i n any part of the

V l PREFACE

execu ti on the t ime and the labour wh ich the res t wou ld have cost h im,he had certa in ly

shrunk back from the at tempt,and had c losed the whol e work immed i ately bu t he pro

c eeded on the model before h im,ever flatteri ng h imself

,that a few month s more would

d i sm iss h im from the employ,an d rem i t h im again to those profess ional s tudi es wh ich he

had very u nwi tt i nglyWi th the e xcept ion of my accoun t of the Geology Of Shetland

,and the anc ien t Udal

System Of th e coun try , al l t he other matter may be cons idered as of a popular character .A view i s given of the manners and state of a country

,wh ich

,i n the i r s impl ic i ty

,do not a

l i t tl e resemble what the most improved d ist ric ts of England and Scotland must have beenmany cen tu ri es ago .

‘

Thus,i n respect to th e Agri cu l tu re of these i s lands

,I have rather

dwel t upon the curiou s features att end i ng i t,than im i tated pri or vi s i tors by poi nt i ng out al l

th e improvemen ts of wh ich i t i s suscept ibl e . The nat ives,i ndeed

,as h usbandmen

,differ

l i ttl e from that hum b le state of advancemen t,which has been so wel l described i n a

Teu ton ic poem of the e igh th cen tury,the origi nal of wh ich

,al ong wi th a L at i n tran slat ion

,

appears i n a recen t work,i l lus trat ive of ancren t Scand i nav i an manners .

Su i s rebus con ten t iDomos edifi car u n t et l i beros gen u e run t,Saepibu s segetes c in geban t,Agros Ob limaban t

,

Sues n u tr ieban t,

Capras cu stodieban t,

Et cespites effodieban t.

Song of King Eflat

There has i n fact,been scarcely any exerti on made un t il very recen tly

,to improve

the cond i t ion of th e coun try . I t i s true,that

,i n the year 1 74 2 , th e Earl of MORTON

had i n teres t Sufficien t to bri ng i n a b i l l , whereby he obtai ned a d i scharge of the revers ionof O rkney an d . She tlan d to the Crown , for th e sum on accoun t of wh ich he held th emi n pledge

,plead ing that the emolumen ts were not suffic ien t to pay the i n teres t of th e

mortgage,an d prom is ing to amel iorate the state of these i slands

,by drain i ng lochs

,

an d establ i sh ing fi sheri es an d manufactori es . These ch imer ical schemes,however

,i t i s

need less to add,w ere never pu t i n to execu t ion . But abou t seven years ago

,the A gr icu l

tural Soc ie ty of Shetland was formed,the in st i tu t ion of wh i ch ough t deserved ly to be

cons idered as an epoch i n the an nals of th i s coun try . The effect of a number of wel leducated i nd iv iduals of rank an d property meet ing together to con sul t on th e s tate an d

c i rcumstances of the several d i stri cts i n which they res ide, can not bu t be favourable to thei n terest of th e whole of the commun i ty . At the same t ime . th e i n troduct ion of a betterstate of husbandry

,wh ich i s connected wi th many compl icated relat ion s under wh i ch the

landholders s tand,not on ly to the Super io r of the country

,but to the Governmen t of

Great Bri ta in,must necessari ly be a very S low process . Yet

,under al l these u ntoward

c i rcumstances,the i ndustry evi nced by the Society i s scarcely less than that wh ich has

M r Wh i ttake r of Man che ste r,in the Pr e face to his H istory , & c . , 4 to, vol. i .

1 I l lu stration s of Nor the rn An tiqu i tie s , pr in ted at Ed in bu rgh , A .D . 1 814 , p . 449.

PREFACE

been attribu ted to an early c iv i l izer of the Northmen a thousand years ago

Boves d id ic it man su eface reAtatra fabricare

,

domos aedi fi care,

horrea stru e re,

c u rru s parare ,e t aratro te rram vertere .

Song of King E 7722

-Respect ing the Fi sheri es of Sh etland,l i t tle more than a popu lar v iew i s g iven of them

but to the Superst i t i on s Of th e coun try,a greater degree of importance has been attached

than may be conce ived necessary ; the mot ive for wh ich has been to preserve opi n i on s ,that i n th i s sequestered group of i slands seem to approach much nearer to the origi nalPagan tenets of the Scandi nav ian s

,than are to be found i n severa l di str ict s of Norway i t sel f.

The subj ects to wh ich I have l i tt le adverted are con nected wi th Zoology . Th i som i ss ion has been ch i efly owi ng to the unexpected exten t to wh ich othe r matter t reatedof has swel led th e volume . For the same reason

,no accoun t i s given of the Botany an d

Meteorology of the country .

The Geolog y of Shet land cost me great pain s to draw u p ; my labour was also muchimpeded

,by the w retched charts of these i slands th at have been publ i shed , so that I was

obl iged,w i th the aid of noth i ng more than a pocket compass

,to cl imb almos t every poi n t

of h igh land in th e coun try, In order to obtai n a n ew draugh t fi t for my purpose . The

map, th erefore , that i s n ow produced, appears so total ly d i fferen t to any that has ever beenbefore engraved

,as to have every cla im to the t i tle of a New Survey . That i t con ta i n s

many imperfect ion s i s to be expec ted,bu t I bel ieve they do not affec t i t i n the least

,i n a

geological po in t of v iew .

*

I t i s to myself a sou rce of regret,that my i nvest igat ion s have been confined to a class

of rocks (th e prim i t ive), of wh ich WERNER appears to have en terta i ned very imperfec tn ot ion s . Bu t that n o erroneous V i ew may be en tertai ned of what I have said w i th regardto th i s tru ly great natural i s t

,I Shal l s tate my conv ic t ion

,that al th ough h i s system i s

,i n

several respects,open to many s tri c tures

,yet

,taken as a w hole

,there has been noth i ng

proposed by any other theori s t , that has comprehended so many i nducti on s that appearperfec tly unobj ect ionable ; an d th e mode of prosecu ti ng th e study of rocks that he fi rsttaugh t

,has given to th e h i s tory of geological sc i ence a n ew era .

An abstrac t of that part of the presen t work,wh ich relates to th e d i str i bu t ion of

the rocks of Shetland was fi rs t read to the Werneri an Natural H i story Soc i ety,and i t was

to th ei r act ive Pres iden t,Professor JAMESON

,that I produced, as th e fru i ts of my

The r ocks of She t lan d , w h ich I have u nde r take n to i l lu s trate , w e r e fi r s t e xam in ed par t ial l y by Profe ssor Jame son, an d th

Work he p rodu ced is a h ig h l y c red i table m emor ia l of th e ear l y atte n tion that h e paid to G e o log y . S in ce th is G e n t leman 's vis i t ,D r T ra i l l and D r Flem in g have vis i te d th e cou n try , each of w hom has g iven a ve ry g ood desc r ip tion of the d is tr ic ts wh ich b ee xam in ed . I have made seve ral al lu s ion s to the i r r e sear che s , w h e n eve r I had n o oppor tu n i ty of d i re c t in g my ow n pe rsona l obse rvarion s to th e obje c ts that attrac ted th e i r atte n t ion an d have me n tion ed , in a par t icu lar man n e r , th e mor e impor tan t r emarks tha tthe y made . Pr ofe ssor jameson

’s accou n t of She t land ,

w as pu bl ished above tw e n ty years ag o ,be in g afte rw ards r epr in ted in h is

M i n e ralog ical T rave l s th rou g h Sco tland . D r T raill'

s shor t n ot ice of She tland w i l l be fou nd in M r Ne i l l's Tou r , and D r Flem ing's

in M r Sh ir re ff’s Ag r icu l tu ra l Su rvey of She t lan d , and in the pape r on the Rocks ofPapa Stou r , g i\ e n in vol. i . of the We r n e r ian

T ransac tions .

v fi i PREFACE

voyage to Shetland , Chromate of I ron . Th i s resul t of my fi rst j ourney hav ing been comm u n icated to one who was w el l able to j udge of i ts importance, he was , upon exami n ing th emetal , so struck wi th the qual i ty an d magn i tude of the masses wh ich I had brough t overw i th me

,that , at h i s earnest request, I consented to u ndertake a second voyage to Shetland ,

for the purpose of renderi ng th e d i scovery conduc ive to i ts i n terests,and

,at the same t ime ,

of complet i ng a Geologica l Survey of that cou n try . I n th e h i story,then

,of my labours

,I

have no sl igh t menti on to make of the encouragemen t that they met wi th from ProfessorJAMESON , who, i n con stan tly st imulat ing h i s pupi l s to persevere i n invest igat ing th eM ineralogy of Scotland , shew s i n al l such i n stances a zeal that i s wel l calculated to provethe Nat ional u t i l i ty of the Sci ence that h e teaches wi th such success .

I may now,perhaps

,be al lowed to remark

,t hat I had long

,for severa l reason s

,

abandoned th e idea of givi ng any farther accoun t of my i nvest igati on s i n Shetland,than

were made publ i c th rough the means of a Sc ien t ific Jou rnal bu t the honorary token ofapprobati on that I recei ved from the Society of Arts and Commerce in L ondon

,as a reward

of my d i scovery of the Chromate Of I ron,urged me to offer to the publ ic the detai l s of al l

my researches,to wh ich the c i rcumstance that they were pl eased to stamp wi th the i r

approval,was merely i nc idental . Accordi ngly

,th e presen t volume comprehends th e

ac coun t of an arduous exam inat i on of the nature and d i stribu t ion of the rocks of Shetland,

carr ied on i n th e autumn of the year 1 8 1 7, and cont i nued i n th e ensu ing summer, duri ng aperiod of s ix month s

,th e ch ief obstacle to i t ar i s i ng from the imperfect maps that have

h i th erto been rendered of th e coun try . I n the proces s of such a mi nute su rvey,i t can

rarely fai l to happen that some con tri but i on to th e resou rces Of th e country Should notfol low an d i t i s a pleasing reflecti on

,that a tru ly patri ot i c Soc iety ex i sts

,whose approbat ion

Is th e best s t imu lus that can be given to the renewal of exert ion s,th e obj ect of wh ich i s to

encrease our knowledge of the m ineralogical product i on s of the Bri t i sh ki ngdom .

During the progress of th i s work,I have fel t parti cu larly obl iged to Dr BREWSTE R for

th e ready assi s tance that he has always afforded me, whenever, from the uncerta in ty thattoo frequen tly preva i l s i n iden t i fy ing mineral s from the i r external characters alone

,I should

have been unable to d i scover the i r nature wi thout a chem ical analysi s . I t i s,i ndeed

,from

Optical researche s such as those wh ich he i s now pursu ing,that we mus t expect to see

m i neralogy advanced to a rank among th e sc iences that i t has h i therto fai led i n atta in ing.

A S a cons iderable part of th i s work i s h i stori cal,i t was necessary to consu l t many

scarce works , for the loan of several of wh ich , I have been great ly i ndebted to Mr DAV IDL AING of Ed i nburgh . Much i nformat ion has been given me by the gen tl emen of Shetland

,

part icularly by W I LLIAM HENDERSON , Esq. of Bardiste r , to whom I would retu rn mywarmest acknowledgmen t s for the i n terest and zeal he has taken i n procuring me material sfor th i s work . From h i s superior i n tel l igen ce

,relat ive to the earl i er manners of the

coun try , I have derived much valuable i nformat ion . SO many , i ndeed, have been myObl igat ion s to th i s gentleman , that I should be ungrateful i n not men t i on ing them in apart i cular-manner .

The attent ion s paid me during my v isi t to Shet land,I shal l often feel mvse lf cal led

upon to acknowledge . I may i ndeed safely aver,that the grateful sense I entertai ned of

PREFACE 1X

them after a fi rst v i s i t to th i s coun try,had no smal l share i n i nfluencing al l my conduct sub

sequen t to my d i scovery of the ch romate of i ron . Upon the result of my j ourney be ingpubl ished

,several i nqu i r ie s were made after th i s m ineral on v iews of speculat ion but as i ts

s i te was known to no on e but mysel f, I was unwi ll i ng to afford any clue to th e knowledgeof i t

,un ti l the proprietors of the ground , whoever they m igh t be , had been appri sed of an

even t so important to thei r i n terest s . Th i s was theobj ect of my second vi s i t to Shetlandan d i n commun icati ng every i nstructi on i n my power relat ive to th e nature and value of th eore that was d iffused in large masses th roughout th e h i l l s n ear Balta Sound

,as wel l as in

urging the importance of a mi nute examinati on of the rocks i n wh ich i t abounded, I soughtfor noth i ng more than to leave beh i nd me some memorial of th e v i s i t of a strange r, happyto acknowledge the hospi tal i ty of th i s remote extrem i ty of th e B ri t i sh I slands .

N O T I C E

O n accoun t of th i s publ icat ion swel l i ng to a s ize far beyond what I could have an t i c ipated,

i n con sequence of i ts en larged plan,I have been obl iged

,for th i s reason alone

,to

w i thhold,under the form of notes

,many references and authori t i es

,and

,i n a few

i n stances,th e acknowledgmen ts due to authors from whom I have deri ved ass i s tan ce i n

my descript i on s . I may there fore now observe,that the modern stat i s t ical accoun t s

wh ich I have ch iefly consu lted,i n order to correct my observati ons on th e subj ect of

the husbandry and fisheri es of the coun try,have been those wri t ten by THOMAS

MOUAT, Esq ,and by the Reverend Messrs MORR ISON and BARCLAY havi ng avai led

myself more part icu larly of the i r remarks i n my descript ion of some of the implemen tsand operat ion s of agricu l ture . I have also exam ined the observat i on s on general sub

jects wh ich are to be found in Mr NEI LL’S Tour

,i n D r EDMONSTONE’S History of

Shet land,and i n Mr SH IRREFF’S Agricu ltural Survey . I n revert i ng to the earl i er state

of manners i n Shetland,th e anc ien t Coun try Acts publ i shed by Mr L EISK of Uyea

have suggested many i nqu ir ies .Much in format ion on the superst i t ion s of the coun try

,I Obtain ed wh i le ramb l ing among th e

w i ld,sequestered d i s tr ic ts of the west of Shet land and many of them have

,s i nce my

return to Scotland,been commun icated to me by some Of my friends .

I Shal l last ly observe,that a volume of Mr L ow’s MS . Tour having fal len i n to my posses

s ion,i t w i l l be found that I have frequen tly adverted to i t . The work was drawn up

w ith great care,but from some unexpla ined cause

,was never publ i shed

,wh i le the mos t

importan t observat ion s were selec ted from i t (eviden tly wi th the author’s con sen t), an d

appeared i n Mr PENNANT’S Arct ic Zoology . After poor L ow’s MSS . had been thu sfree ly drawn upon

,l i t t le more remained meri t ing a d i st i nc t publ icat i on

,and the Tour

,

along with the author’s Fauna O rcaden sis, even tual ly fel l i n to the hands of h i s fr iendMr PATON

,when they w ere aga in

,by other w ri ters

,more or le ss ransacked for in for

mat ion . O n th e occas ion of Mr PATON’S decease,Mr L ow’s MSS . were brough t to

the hammer, when the Fauna O rcaden sis fortunately came in to the possess ion of DrL EACH

,who publ i shed i t, wi th a wel l deserved tr ibute to th e au thor’s memory . The

PREFACE

Tour afterwards appeared in the sale catalogue of Mr L AING of Ed i nbu rgh , when i t waspurchased by myself ; bu t there was l i tt le matter left that had not, i n some Shape orother

,been long before the publ ic

,the drawings be i ng th e most valuable part of th e

w hole . Some i n for mat ion,however

,respect ing the earl ier cu s toms of Shetland

,st i l l r e

mained that had escaped th e not i ce of th ose who had seen th e work, an d i t i s n ow forthe fi rs t t ime

,pre sented to the publ i c ; and i f I have been more part icu lar i n referr in g

to any one i nd ividual that has been consu l ted than to anoth er, i t has been to th i sexcel l en t yet unfortunate author

,having i ndeed no other w i sh than to render every

t ribute i n my power to departed meri t .The numerous plates that are given i n the body of th e work , w ere for th e most part from

sl ight sketches that I made,wh ich were not ori gi nal ly i ntended for th e publ i c eye ,

otherwi se they wou ld have been produced wi th more care an d sel ecti on . Newd rawings

,how eve r

,w ere made from these , whi le I was i n England , by an i ngen ious

young art i s t of Manchester,Mr PARRY . For an orig i nal v iew I am indebted to a fr ien d

,

an d I have been favoured wi th another by a gen tleman of Ed i nbu rgh . A smal l v iewof Foula

,an d a figu re of the Torsk fish

,are by Mr L ow

,an d th ree sketches

,v iz .

,of the

Crad le of Noss,th e Fort of L erwick

,and the Burgh of Cu lsw ick , have before appeared

i n a Magaz ine of the presen t publ i shers .

If ouglzt lo be par ticu lar ly r emar ked, tlzai‘

,on accou n t of t/zc n ecessity of observing a

ccr i‘ain or der in tlzc geolo g ical descr iption of "li e var iou s places examin ed, 1 fou n d it impossible,

in descr ibing an itin er ary tlzr oug lz S/zcllan d, condu cted w ith Me view of n oticing tlzc mis

col/an cou s objects occu r r ing in cock su ccessive distr ict, to r egu late i l by l lio str ict r u les Mat

(2 r eg u lar diary of my tr avels mtg/i t deman d. B u t lzaving visited almost every cor n er ofSbctland, I am per /zaps cn l itlcd

, for t/zis r eason on ly ,to assume the f un ction s of a g u ide,

an d to lead the r eader l lzr oug/z tlze cou n try in Me m u le t/zat is most conven ien t for examin a

tion,

r al lzcr than in the order in w /ziclz passed tk r oug/i it myself . In pu r su an ce oftlzis plan ,

tlze Itin er ary is divided in to disfin cl I ters , —a w or d lately A ng licised , and in

common acccp lazion among an tiou ar ics, to expr ess a distr ict l lzr oug lz w lziclz a g radu al pr og r ess

lzas been made. In tk is sen se i t has been u sed by many an t/tor s, among w lzom is Mr FENTON ,in lzis [ f istor ical Tou r t/zrong li Pcmbr okcslzi r c.

I may also be permitted to observ e,tlzat wk ilc i ll is Work was in fke p r ess, a n ew

vn ovel by tllo Gr eat Un kn ow n w as an n ou n ced

,w i l l: tlze n ol icc t/zat l/ze scen e w as laid in

S li clland. A mong t/zc many r eason s tlzat I lzavc bad for r cg r ci ting tlze pr esen t publica

l ion,in i/s en larg ed plan , it is assu redly n ot [ li e least of l/i cm

,t/zal l lzis volume mu st

appear cotempor an eou s w it/z T H E P I RATE for , in advcr l ing to tkc scen ery an d man n er s

of th is cou n try , I am sen sible Mat 1 can n ot fail to pr ovoke a compar ison w lzic/z mu s" be

lug/zly to my disadvan tage. Sti ll , w e ow e so many ol l igaz‘ion s to til e A l l i/107 of lfVavcr/cy ,

for Ike pleasu r e li e lzas af or dcd u s in per u sing li is w or ks,that an an t/zor oug li f n ot lo

complain if lze lzas in cau ziou sly br oug lzt k imsclf in to su ch a dilemma as to stand as a

mer e foil to tkc g r eatest of all moder n master s of dcscr zpl ion .

IT INERA RY

TH ROUGH TH E

I L ES OF S H ETL A ND.

LE ITH TO D UNRO SSNESS IN SHETLAND

Pont i profundi s c lausa recessibu s,

Strepen s proce llis, rupibu s obsita,Quam grata defesso v iren tem

,

”

[Thu le] s i n um nebu losa pandisJOHNSON

,D e Skia In sula.

H E cluster of I slands and Rocks,wh ich

,under the name of SHETLAND

,form th e

n orthern barr ie r of the Br i t i sh K ingdom,are

,wi th the except i on of two of them on ly

,

con t iguous to each other. I f these be excluded from the number,the res t may be placed

between 59°

4 8' and 60°

52'North lat i tude

,and between 52

' and 1°

57' of West

longi tude from L ondon . Th e two remote i slands are named Fai r I s le and Foula . Fai rI sle i s s i tuated about twen ty-fou r m i les to the south of the Main land i n Shet land

,and

Fou la abou t twen ty m i les to th e west— See Note I .The pr i nc ipal commun icat ion that Shetland has w i th Scotland i s main tai ned by

the Port of L e i th,from wh ich i t i s d i stan t abou t 96 leagues. During the summer

season,one or more vessel s go and return from ‘ th i s harbour ve ry frequen tly ;

2 LEITH TO D UNROSSNESS .

[ ITER 1,

fi sh i ng material s,grai n

,wool len and l i nen goods , and spi ri t s , are sen t from Scotland ,

w h i l s t th i s coun try receives i n return dri ed fi sh , hosiery, oi l , an d some l i ttl e kelp . I none of these vesse l s

,a conven ien t passage i s afforded for th e Shetland Arch i pelago .

These i s lands, i n a Geologi cal poi n t of V i ew , afford , perhaps , one of the bestspecimen s that can be found i n any coun try of a Primi t i ve d istri ct

,al l th e known

moun tain tniasfses pecul iar to i t be i ng presen t . A few rocks also occu r of a newer k i nd,

con si s ti ng of We rner’s oldest Sandstone , associated w i th secondary Porphyries .'

:To the: th erefore, who may be i nduced to fol low th e route I am nowtaki ng , i n order to i nvesti gate the relat i on s of a class of rocks that are too l i t tle known ,I wou ld offer the experi ence of a summer’s i t i nerary among these i slands , i n the hope sthat

,as a guide through th e country

,i t may prove of some assi stance to h is future

researches .He, al so, to whom the study of Geology i s yet new, may be i n formed , that th ere i s ,

perhaps,no greater advantage to be derived than from traci ng , i n thei r actual progress ,

th e research es wh i ch are pursued i n order to decide the Geological character of adi stri ct . There i s, l ikewi se , no i ncipien t object to wh i ch the attenti on of the Studen tcan be more profi tably d i rected , than to the exami nat i on of th e nature and relat ivepos i t i on of Prim i t ive Rocks

,for wh ich th e strata of England and Wales presen t i n feri or

opportun i t i es . To faci l i tate, th erefore , the stud i es of the aspi rant , I shal l occasi onal lydwel l much longer, than may by some be deemed necessary , on ci rcumstances thatare perfectly fam i l i ar to th e adept .

I t i s to be confessed,however, that Geology would be a pursu i t of i n ferior

attract i on , i f i t d id not i nvolve a tolerabl e share of hypothes i s , Wi thout wh i ch , as Ihave heard i t seriou sly con tended

,th e character of the Geologi st would be reduced

t o that of the most i n feri or men ia l of Sci ence , and, i n comparision w i th the u n

daun ted th eori s t, whose v ivid imagi nat i on can read i ly apply the facts col lected byothers to th e

,explanati on of the Earth’s structure , he would become a mere h ewer

of wood an d drawer of water. These sen timen ts ought not, perhaps , to be admi ttedwi thout considerabl e qual i fi cat ion and yet i n endeavouri ng to est imate the characterof a mere coll ector of m ineralogical specimens, or of a mere topograph ical recorderof th e names of rocks , i t i s scarcely possible to descend much lower i n th e scaleof sci en t ific con tributors . I t i s t rue that we conti nu e to h ear th e fastid i ous Natural i s tra i l agai n st Theory ; but i t may be fai rly quest ioned, i f, amidst th i s prudi sh declamat ion ,th ere does not st i l l remai n some lu rking hypothes i s or other, that imparts to h im the ardourwi th wh ic h he i s observed to scal e the preci pi tous cl i ff ; for i t i s d ifficu l t to supposethat such an uncommon alacri ty can have been exci ted by no other mot ive than thatof be ing the humble recorder of some few external characters of Nature . Far be i t , then ,from the candid Geologi st

,to d i sown the importance an d i nfluence of theory ; and wi th

regard to the di stribut i on of the st rata of Shetland , th ere i s every necessi ty for i ncor

porating as much of hypothesi s i n our researches , as may be necessary for wield i ngwi th v igour the heavy hammer that i s d i rected to the resolut i on of prim i t ive rocks .But what parti cular v i ews to adopt for the purpose i s a di st i nct question : so many

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4 L EITH TO DUNROSSNESS .

[ ITER 1,

by the ingenu i ty of Mr Steven son —afterwards appear i n success ion Mon trose,Aberdeen

,

and Peterhead . On pass i ng Kinna ird’s Head, l eav ing in course of t ime the coun t ies ofBanff an d Moray to the sou th-wes t

,and the coasts of Cai thness and O rkney remotely to the

west,we lose al l s igh t of land for several hours .

D ISTANT V IEW O F FA IR-ISLE.

The earl ies t i n t imat ion of our approach to Shetland i s afforded by the d istan tappearance of Fai r-I s l e

,wh ich

,i n our d irec t course

,we leave to the westward

a few leagues . Th i s i s a smal l i s land,said to be composed of sandstone

,wh ich presen ts

i n i ts e levat ion someth i ng of an e llipitical outl i n e . I t i s scarcely more than two mi les i nl ength

,and perhaps one i n breadth

,bei ng s i tuated about twenty-fi ve miles SSW . from

the southern extrem i ty of Main land, the largest of the Shetland I slands—See Note ,No . 2 .

TRAD IT IONARY NARRAT IVE or TH E SH IPWRECK or T H E DUKE DE MED INA S IDON I A,COM

MANDER o r T H E SPAN ISH ARMADA,IN TH E YEAR 1588 .

Fai r I sl e i s,to an Engl i shman

,assoc iated wi th an event of no common i n terest i n th e

annals of h i s coun try,s ince i t i s connected wi th the personal d i sas te r of the Commander

h imsel f of the I nv inc ible Armada of Spai n .

When,by the valou r of the Engl i sh Navy

,i n the memorable year 1588, the Spani sh

fleet had been di spersed with i n calcu lable loss,the Duke de Medi na S idon ia

,to whom the

command of th e Armada had been i ntrusted,resolved to sai l northward

,an d

,by maki ng

th e tour of the Bri t i sh I slands,to reach the Span i sh harbours of th e Western O cean . He

was pursued by the Engl i sh Admiral as far north as th e Fri th of Forth,when

,owing to bad

weather,and an i l l supply of provi s i ons, the chace was given up . Meanwhi l e the Armada

,

i n i ts n orthern desti nat i on,had passed the O rkneys ; i t was then overtaken by a v iolen t

tempest . O f th e sh ips wh ich had been engaged wi th the Engl i sh Navy , many had los tthei r anchors

,and these

,for the most part

,peri shed i n the i r endeavours to keep out at sea .

The gall eons, whi ch composed two-th i rds of the Span ish fleet , were, from the i r u nwi eldys ize

,l eft to the mercy of an ocean over wh ich they had l i ttl e or no controu l, whence

numerous wrecks of them took place on the shores of Scot land and I reland . Thus,of an

armada conce ived to be I nv inc i ble,which had cons i sted of 150 sai l , carry ing 2 600 bras s

guns,and sold i ers

,mari nes and slaves

,scarcely one-hal f returned to the haugh ty

monarch of Spai n wi th the d i sastrous news, that the sceptre of England was s ti l l unwrestedfrom the Protestan t grasp . Whi le General H istory i s

,however

,s i len t regard i ng the per

sonal adventures of th e Duke de Med i na, wh ich be fe l h im i n the Scott i sh seas,th e

deficiency i s amply suppl i ed by t rad i t i onary accoun ts yet extan t among the i sle s ofSheflan d .

I n the tempest wh ich completed the d iscom fi tu re of the Span i sh Navy,th e Admira l

saw h i s own vesse l driv i ng fast to the prec ip i tous rocks of Fai r-I sle : he was successfu l i nmaking for a smal l creek on the eastern s ide of the i sland

,when h i s unw i e ldy

,anchorless

ITER L EITH TO DUNROSSNESS . 5

sh ip s truck an d wen t to p ieces,th e comman der and 200 of h i s men effect i ng a land i ng i n

thei r boats wi th the greatest d iffi cul ty .

The Duke n ow found h imself i nclosed i n a smal l i s land, the exten t and fert i l i ty ofwh ich could afford l i t tle more suppor t than was necessary for the few fam i l ies wh ich wereaccustomed to derive from i t a precar ious subs i s tence ; wh i ls t the populat ion of the placewas

,by the add i t i on of h i s sh ipwrecked crew

,con s iderably more than doubled . The

autumnal gales had also set i n,wh ich

,by keepi ng the fi shermen on shore

,th reatened to cu t

off al l suppl i es of food from the sea : from the same cause,also

,the l igh t boats of the i s land

were precluded from cross i ng a dangerou s chan nel of nearly n i ne leagues,ever d i s turbed by

im petuous cu rren ts an d t ides, for the purpose of procuri ng from the Main land of Shetland aves sel

,i n wh ich the Span i sh sold iers m igh t be e i ther conveyed to a place capable of afford

i ng adequate provi s i on s,or m igh t be transported early i n the spri ng to some fri endly port

on the Con t i nen t . I t al so appears,that the D uke had long hes i tated whether he shou ld

make any en treaty whatever for succou r to the i n hab i tan ts of Shetland,be i ng doubtfu l of

the recept ion he shou ld find among them . He was n ot ignoran t that these i sland s w ereunder the d irec t i nfluence of a Protes tan t k ing

,whose sen t imen ts on the subj ect of t h e

Span i sh i nvas ion of England were far from ambiguous . The Scott i sh Monarch had i ndeedcon s idered

,that the danger wh ich so lately th reatened England

,had al so th reatened Scot

land,and the sen t imen ts he was known to u tter were the echo of El izabeth’s cau t ion

,That

i f th e Span ish en terpri se had succeeded,he could have on ly hoped for the i ndu lgence

wh ich Polyphemus had prom ised U lysses,

-To be the las t devoured .

Whi ls t med i tat i ng on what measures ough t to be adopted,i t does not appear that the

Duke had avai led h imself,so soon as he ough t to have done

,of the mean s i n h is power to

extr icate h imself from an i s land,th e scan ty resources of wh ich menaced h i s sold iers

w ith al l th e horrors of a win ter’s fam ine . But,i f the alarm ing prospect was late

i n mak ing any forc ible impress ion on the m ind of the Span i sh Commander,i t was

i n stan tly seen by the nat ives of Fair-I sl e i n al l i ts h ideous colou ri ng ; an d they , therefore

,became anxious to secure for the use of themselves an d th ei r own fami l i es th e scanty

stock of prov is i on s and catt le wh ich remai ned i n the i sland . An ample opportun i tywasnow given to the Duke for shewing to a defenceless peopl e

,whose compl i ance wi th h i s

requ i s i t ion for provi s ion s h e could have eas i ly commanded by force , that generous sp i ri ti nseparable from true ch ival ry

,wh ich had long tempered wi th some of the most am iable

feel i ngs of human nature,the m i l i tary hab it s of sou thern Europe : for h e gave the s tric tes t

orders to h i s soldi ers,an d i n these he was supported by h i s officers

,that n o provi s ion s

should be rece ived from th e i nhabi tan ts of Fair-I sle,without a bount i ful pecun iary re

mu n e ration . Accord i ngly,th e voice of tradi t ion st i l l reports . that the unfortunate v i s i tors of

Fai r-I s le paid nobly i n Span i sh ryalls for th e provi s ion s wh ich they migh t so eas i ly haveob ta i ned wi thout the least compen sati on .

The Span iards had con sumed nearly all th e v ictuals of the i sland ; th ey had eaten upeveryth i ng they could col lect, such as horned catt le, sheep, fi sh

,fowl

,an d even horses, when

the nat ives were tempted,i n sel f-defence

,to evade the del ivery of any farther con tributi on .

To avoid, however, the least appearance of host i l i ty to the i r vi s i tors, they avai led themselves

6 L EITH To D UNRO SSNESS .

[m m 1.

of th e darkness of the n igh t,for the purpose of secret i ng among the recesses of the cl i ffs

known only to th emselves,th e prov i s ion s wh i ch appeared i nd i spensable for the i r own

ex i s tence .

All the horrors of fam ine now began to rage i n the i sland . Many of th e Span iards hadprovident ial ly saved from the wreck a reserve of bread ; to wh ich was added fi sh—oi l

,i n

whi ch i t was d ipped . Bu t others who were dest i tu te of thi s coarse nouri shment,peri shed

for hunger.

I t wou ld have been wel l for th e memory of th e transact i on s of Fai r-I sle,that the same

voi ce of trad i t i on wh ich has recorded i n honourable terms the magnanimi ty of the wretchedSpan iards

,shou ld , at the same t ime, have suppressed a rec i tal of the t reachery of the nat ives

among whom they had been thrown . The Span iards were suppl ican ts for the food wh ich,

from the i r superi or force,th ey m igh t have commanded ; but the bei ngs to whom th i s con

cess ion was made,only returned the obl igat i on by an over-anxi ety for sel f-preservat ion

,and

by a desi re to r id the i s land,i n the bases t mode

,of th e u nfortunate causes of th e fam i ne .

When any Span iards,deb i l i tated by hunger

,were found to be detached from the res t

of the i r compan ion s,th e barbarous i s landers are said to have avai led themse lves of

th i s i ncapaci ty to resi s tance,by secretly th rowi ng them over th e banks i nto the sea . I t i s

even sa id , that the roofs of th e houses used i n th e i sl and for d ryi ng fish,were so con trived

as to be let fal l upon the u nsuspecti ng strangers,who were for th i s purpose in vi ted to seek

beneath them a shel ter from the weather .*

At length,al l su stenance appeared to fa i l

,not on ly the Span iards

,bu t th e nat ives of

Fa i r-I sle themselves and the Duke was determ ined to encoun ter every ri sk of host i l i ty fromthe ne ighbouri ng i slands

,which he knew to be under th e governmen t of a Protes tan t k i ng

,

by sendi ng out a boat or yawl to make known h is s i tuat i on,and to implore that a su i table

vesse l m igh t be prov ided to release h i s fam ished crew from the horrors wh ich they wereth en suffer i ng.

The boat was d ispatched i n the fi rs t place to Andrew Umph rey of Berry , who was thensaid to have farmed the i sl e . I t i s not added

,at the same t ime

,whether the appeal was

made to one who was wi th i n or wi thout the pale of the Rom ish Church but of th i s fact wemay be assured

,that the i n stan taneou s rel ief wh ich the case requ ired was ne i ther converted

i n to a Cathol ic nor a Protestan t quest ion .

Andrew Umphrey set off for Fai r-I s le wi th al l d i spatch , and i n the approach of a sai lto the i sland

,the imaginat ion may

,wi thout any ass i s tance from trad i t ion , t ruly pa in t to i tsel f

the anx iou s faces of the Span iards , exh ib i t i ng al ternate emot i on s of hope and fear, as theyconce ived the vi s i t to be fri endly or host i le .

The missi on was, however, soon declared to be propi t i ou s, and the fam ished Span iardsbe i ng assi s ted on board

,were cheered wi th the immed i ate hopes of food, w i th the furthe r

assu rance that the i r suffer ings w ould obtai n for them ,every w here throughout Shet land

,th e

most hospi table recept ion , —wi th the prom ise, that the sh ip which n ow bore them shouldattempt the i r escape to some conven ien t port on the Con t i nent , from whence they migh t

Sh e r r i fi'

s Ag r icu l tu ral Su rvey of She t land , p . 7 .

ITER I. ]LEITH TO D UNROSSNESS . 7

once more hope to embrace the fri ends they had le ft i n the fert i le val leys of O ld Spai n .

The vessel appears to have touched at Qu endal Bay, th e neares t po in t i n the Mai nl and of Shetland . Th is was w i th a v iew to the superior accommodat ion due to thei llu str i ous rank of the Duke

,wh ich the house of a worthy Scott i sh gen t leman afforded

,of

the name of Malcolm Si ncla i r .The Duke de Med i na landed i n the complete costume of a Span ish nobleman

,w i th a

vi ew to impress on the s imple i slanders some not ion of the rank wh ich he held i n h i s owncoun try . O n bei ng i n troduced to h i s host, he was rece ived with the un fe igned welcomethat was due to an i l l ustr ious and an un fortunate s tranger . Th i s feel i ng was not

,however

,

wholly unmixed wi th Malcolm’s con sci en ti ous d i sapproval of the cause wh ich led even tuallyto th e Duke’s di sas ter

,though h e w i sh ed

,at the same t ime, that emot ions of th i s nature

should i ntrude themselves as l i ttl e as poss ible,so as to i n terfere w i th th e r i tes of hosp i tal i ty .

An i n ten t i on so laudable was soon pu t to a trial,— parti cu larly when the Duke

,i n order to

sat i sfy h imsel f of th e impos ing effec t wh ich h i s appearance migh t have cau sed i n th ecoun try

,bade h i s i n terpreter i nqu i re

,I f h i s host had seen before a person of h i s rank and

m ien . Malcolm Si ncla i r,who , i n est imat ing the con sequence of h i s guest had ever con

s idered h im as the redoub ted champ ion of Great Babylon,blun tly repl i ed i n broad Scots

,

Farc i e i n that face I have seen many prett i e r men hangi ng on the Burrow-Mui r.’ I twas wel l for the fee l i ngs of the Span i sh Commander , that h i s i n te rpre ter

’s knowledge of theEngl i sh tongue had not ye t extended to i t s prov i nc ial i t i es

,and that i t was imposs ib le to

t rans late th i s coarse reply.

The Duke de Med i na i s sai d to have l i ngered at Qu endal, as the guest of MalcolmS i nclai r

,un ti l the vesse l could be equipped i n a manner suffic ien tly effect ive for the convey

ance of h imself and h i s party to the Cont i nen t . Meanwh i le the Span iards,i n order to re

mai n n ear the person of thei r commander,had en trenched themselves i n the vic in i ty . The

wal l s and earthworks wh ich they hast i ly con structed may be yet t raced, along with th efou ndati on s of temporary bu i ld ings .

There i s,bes ides

,a smal l fort ificat ion to be seen

,about th i rty m i les to the n orth of

Qu en dal, i n the smal l i s le t of K i rkholm ,wh ich i s al so ascribed to the Span iards but th i s

i s sat i sfactori ly expla i ned by the trad i t i on,that there was another un fortunate gal l eon be

longing to the Armada,wh ich suffered sh ipwreck on the coast of Shetland ; an d that th e

c rew were long deta i ned i n th i s more northerly part of th e coun try, un t i l th ey could be conveyed to the i r di stan t h omes . The mural defence wh ich this

’

second party th rew up,to

add securi ty to thei r i nsu lar pos i t ion , may be sti l l detected , together w i th a wel l of water forthe u se of the smal l garr i son . Not far remote from Ki rkholm may be l ikewi se seen theru in s of a neat chapel

,ded icated to the Holy Virgi n i t was erected by the same gratefu l

s trangers , to begu i le the i r vacan t hours , i n memory of thei r preservat ion on the hosp i tablesh ores of Shet land .

A month or more had elapsed ere the equ ipment of the vessel dest i ned to tran sport theDuke de Med i na’s party was completed . At length the foreign guests took a final leave of

Sir Robe r t Sibbald's Accou n t of She tland. Fa rcz'

c in that face ,"

i . e . , u n s ig lztlin css is in that face , or , it is an z'

l l ~

favou r ed face ,"—ah u n cou th te rm of opprob ium , ve ry prope r l y obso le te . B u r r ow-l ll u i r ,

"

the anc ien t Tybu rn of Ed in bu rg h .

8 LEITH TO D UNROSSNESS .

[ ITER 1,

th e i s landers among whom they had last resided . I n a few days the Span i sh Commanderwas landed safely a t the Port of Dunk irk , for wh ich serv ice he rewarded h i s del iverer wi th apresen t of th ree thousand marks .

Such are the tradi t i on s relat i ng to the tempest of th e Scot t i sh seas,i n ciden tal to th e

h istory of the leader h imself of the ce lebrated Armada of Spai n . Th e pass ing trave l ler,to

whom the rocks of Fai r-I sle approach i n V i ew, and to whom may be n arrated th e i n terest ingeven ts w i th wh ich they are assoc iated

,may poss ib ly belong to that coun try where rel igious

freedom has long been secured again st the i nvas ion of

Band i t t i sa i n t s d i stu rb ing di stan t lands .1

I s he then author i sed to suppose that special i n terposi tion s of Prov idence have averted the

danger wh ich th reatened to blas t the hopes of Engl i sh Protestan t i sm ? I s h e al lowed toimagi n e

,as others have done before h im ,

that the remai n s of the powerfu l fleet wh ich hade luded the thunder of Engl i sh gun s , were on ly preserved in thei r fl igh t for the purpose ofbe ing nob ler v ic t im s of th e more powerfu l art i l lery of the sk i es

,wh ich was heard i n the

n orthern seas P— I s he j u st ified i n pre sum ing, that th e escape of the i nfatuated slaves ofSpai n

,who had e luded the v igi lance of the i r Protestan t foes, was on ly perm it ted, i n order

that a s ignal occas ion might be afforded for the unequ ivocal voice of Heaven i tselfi n i t s denunc iat i on of th e unhal lowed cause of the Span i sh crusade ? Be i t so . Butthere are even ts n ow tran sact ing i n th e c iv i l and rel igiou s commun i t ies of th e world,wh ich lead to a less con tracted vi ew of the laws of the D iv i n e Governmen t . These even tsare far from instruc t ing u s

,that such laws

,when d i rected aga ins t superst i t i on , armed w i t h

pol i t ical au th ori ty,are man ifested by th e con t ingenc ie s of atmospheric phenomena

,or by

th e inc iden ts of war . No . These decrees of Heaven are more s i len t ly revealed i n aprocess that i s moral i n a process tha t i s correct ive, n ot vi nd ict ive i n a process that i ss low

,yet un iversal i n i t s exten t

,and i nfluenc ing as wel l the vict im s as the agen ts of perse

cu tion .Alread y are we presen ted wi th the subl ime spectacle of the l i neal descenden ts of

those an cien t foes of the Reformed Rel igi on of Europe, that i n days of yore would havel igh ted on Engl i sh ground the torch of i nfuriated bigotry, em ployed on the i r own soi l i n i t sfinal ext i nct ion i n repa i ri ng on Iberian land the desolat i on s which i t s flames had spread,an d i n erect ing on the fert i le banks of the Guadelqu iver , the peacefu l s tandard of c iv i l an drel igi ous l iberty— Note I I I .

APPROACH TO DUNRO SSNESS IN SHETLAND.

No soon er do the rocks of Fai r-I sle recede from observat ion , than Fitfi el Head, acon s iderable h i l l to the sou th of the Mainland , fi rs t r i ses to view. I n the anc ien t northernlanguage of the coun try

,Fitfi el i s sa id to s ign ify the I/Vli ite M ou n tain*. To th i s promon

tory succeeds a con t iguous one to the east of i t,less elevated

,but stretch ing more to the

sou th th i s i s named Sumburgh Head .

As we approach towards th e shores of D u n rossn ess i n Shetland, th e general features of

Se e Chalme rs's Caledon ia ,

vol. i. , p . 2 62 .

11‘

n LEITH TO D UNRO SSNESS . 9

a large tract of the pr i nc ipal i s land,named the Mai nland

,are gradually developed i n per

spective . The coun try seems to be character i sed rathe r by the number than by the heigh tof i ts h i l ls : bu t the nakedness of the i r su rface

,which not a tree or sh rub in terposes to

conceal , recal ls every c h i l l i ng idea that may have been preconce ived in th e m ind of Hyperborean deso lat i on . The stranger can scarce ly avoid con trast ing the s teri l i ty tha t appearsbefore h i s eyes

,wi th the ri chness of the val leys that h e may have so lately qu i t ted on th e

banks of the Forth . Shetland t ruly appears to be wha t was long ago sa id of i t by a St i rl i ngsh i re v i s i tor

,th e skele ton of a departed

O u r proxnn ity to land i s an nounced, i n good weath er, by the appearance of n umerou sboats , fi sh i ng by mean s of hand-l i nes for see the an d cod . The Scandi navia n character ofth e nat ives fi rs t becomes ev iden t i n th e form and l igh tness of the i r boats or yawls

,th e

planks of wh i ch are st i l l imported from Norway,so model led by the hands of th e carpen ter

,

that,when they arrive i n Shetland

,l i t tl e more labour i s requ i red than to pu t them togethe r ,

These boats are general ly abou t e igh teen feet i n keel,an d about s ix i n beam they carry

s ix oars, and are furn i sh ed wi th a square-sa i l . Thei r ex treme buoyancy,and the ease w i th

wh ich they a l l the waves,are the c i rcumstances i n s i s ted upon by th e fi shermen

,as render

i ng thei r construct i on part icu larly adapted to th e s tormy seas upon wh ich they are

launched . Many of the boats are,however

,l ess i n s ize

,bei ng adapted on ly for fou r oars .

The boat-dress of the fi shermen i s i n many respects s trik i ng . A wors ted covering forthe head

,s im i lar i n form to the common Engl i sh or Scotch n igh tcap

,i s dyed wi th so many

colours,that i ts bold t i n ts are recogn i sed at a con s iderable d istance

,l ike th e stripes of a

s igna l flag . The boatmen are al so i nvested , as wi th a coat of mai l , by a su rtou t of tannedsheep sk in

,wh ich covers the i r arms

,an d descends from below th e i r ch in to the i r knees

wh i ls t , l ike an apron or k i l t,i t overlaps th e i r wool len femor alia —~ for wi th the latter art ic l e

,

i t i s need le ss to obse rve,th e Shetlander i s bette r prov ided than the Gael ic H igh lander .

Th i s sheepsk in garb has general ly an,exqu i s i te fin i sh given to i t by boots of neat-ski n

mater ial s,not sparing i n w idth

,reach ing up to the knees

,and

,al together

,vy ing in the ir

ample d imens ion s wi th the notabl e l eathe r gal l igask in s , wi th wh ich pa in ters have long beenwon t to encompass the royal calves of Charles XII. when they have represented h im asplann ing the trenches of Frede r icshal. A nobleman

,who vi s i ted Shetland a few years ago

,

was,i ndeed

,so struck wi th the fi sh in g-garb of the nati ves of th e place, that he took away

wi th h im a perfec t spec imen of the same,for the Spec ial pu rpose of ass ign ing to i t a place

i n‘ h i s museum,at no remote d i s tance from k indred i l l u strat ion s of the hab i ts of the Esqu i

maux or of th e New Zealanders .To ant iquarian eyes

,however

,the trim of the Shetland boat—dress may presen t no in

ac curate mode l of the calfski n costume of th e anc i en t Engl i sh mummers, who looked sofierce i n the i r gu ise

,that one of th e pe rsonae of an old drama was made to say,

“ I’l l wrap me i n a rous i ng cal f-sk i n su i t,

A n d come l ike some hobgobl i n .

”

O ld Play of I/Vzly B egu iled.

Ne i l l's Tou r tlz ro ug lz O r k n ey a n d S hetla n d , p . 159.

i Th is dr e ss has bee n de sc r ibed by D r K emp as pu t on w i th the w oollen s ide inw a r ds . Doe s the e xpre ss ion imply that the

w oo l is pr e se rved I have n ot myse lf se e n i t r e tain ed.

O L EITH T-O DUNROSSNESS .

[ITER I .

In all u s ion also to these welcome promoters of the sports of Chr i s tmas,who may

,i n

the honest boatmen of Shetland,

find paralle l represen tat ive s i n every th i ng save wi t ,Constance an d Faulconbridge , i n Shakespeare

’s P lay of Ki ng John,most poi n ted ly “

smoke

tlze sk in -coat” of the Archduke of Austr ia

Thou w ear’st a l ion’s h ide I doff i t for shame,

And hang a calf-sk i n on those rec rean t l imbs .Ki ng JOHN

,A ct 3 . Scen e I .

There can be n o doubt that th e leathern dres s of Shetland i s of Scand i nav ia n origi na s im i lar one i s s t i l l worn i n th e I s les of Faroe

,an d B i shop Pontoppidan describes the same

as be ing common i n h i s t ime among the peasantry of Norway . I t must al so be of greatan ti qu i ty

,but whethe r the name of L odbrog was added to the t i tl es of th e Dan i sh K ing

Regner,from some importan t improvemen t on th i s garb

,by wh ich they w ere converted

i n to regular B raccce,I shal l leave for an t iquaries

,deeper versed than mvse lf i n Scand i nav ian

lore,to de term in e .

“ Meth i nks,

” says that paragon of A rchaiologists, Aylett Samme s ofCh ri s t’s Col lege i n Cambridge , “ I see the Dan i sh King L othbrock

,i n h i s ju r -leatlzer

br eeclzes, (for so h i s name importe th ,) i n as good verses as al e could i n sp i re, hugging

h imself i n the hopes of fu l l pot s i n the world to come

We have s tood t ru e to sn ick an d sneeA n d n ow I laugh to th i n k

,

I n Woden’s Hal l there benc hes be ,Where w e may s i t an d drink .

There we shal l tope ou r bell ie s ful lO f nappy ale i n fu ll-br imm’d sku l l .

See a fr ee tr an slation f rom t/ze Ru n ic of Reg n er L ot/zbr ocb’s

retell—kn ow n B eat/z IS'

ong , in Ay lett Sammes’s B r i tan

n ica Edition 1 676 , pag e 43 6.

But of th i s enough —The t rue an t ique cu t of the Sh etland boat—dress requ i res noornamen t that any superfluou s hemm ings or fri nge s can give i t

,under the learned name of

“ Annotat ion s ” an d Post i l s .” I may briefly add,that the weigh t of th is coreaceou s garb,

wh ich i s almost as ponderou s as the chai n -armour,that

,i n the n iche of some sacred fane ,

i nvests the l imbs of th e bold cru sader, i s often d i sdai ned by th e younger nat ives , who leavethe warm th wh ich i t y i e lds to be enj oyed by those who are more advanc ed i n years . Theythem selves are con ten ted wi th a common seaman’s j acket an d trowsers of the u sual form ,

an d,i n th e p lace of the worsted cap

,wi th a plai n hat of st raw .

Here i t may be proper to observe,that the Packet wh ich conveys passengers from

L e i th to Shetland i s general ly des t i ned to l .erwick ,— n early th i rty m i le s d i s tan t from themost sou th erly po in t of the Mai n land . For reasons

,therefore

,that wi l l be explai ned on a

future oc cas ion , i t w i l l be of con s iderable advan tage , that our geological re searches shou ldcommence e i ther from the most sou therly or northerly extrem i ty of the coun try and i f th ew eathe r perm i t , i t wi l l be advisable to be put on shore at the neares t poi n t of D u n rossn ess.

Tak ing leave of ou r atten t ive master of the L e r wick Packet, and enter ing a Shetland

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 2 D UNROSSNESS .

[m m i

found in the L owland Pastoral s of Al lan Ramsay .

I t i s,however

,a separate obj ec t of inqu i ry

,i f the accen t of a coun try bear any corres

pond i ng re lat ion to i ts nat i ona l character . Spu rz he im ,when i n Ed i nburgh

,took some

pa i n s to prove to h i s pupi ls , that the organ of Cauti ousness was a general developement ofthe Scott i sh cerebrum . Yet i t i s perhaps quest i onable

,i f,from l ess ambiguous sourc es

some happi er man i fes tat i on m igh t not have been deri ved . Why not , i n est imat i ng nat iona lcharacter

,extend the fash ionable lu cubrat ion s of Phrenology to the l i ngual a s wel l as to the

c erebral organ s ? The le ss vari ed an d measured accents of Caledon i a’s son s , which appearto be i n un i son wi th “ a m ien more grave ,” offer a str ik i ng con tras t

To th e blun t speech wh ich bursts wi th out a pause,

or to the acu teness an d rap id i ty of Engl i sh u tte rance,— or to the st i l l more impass i on edart iculat ion s of the Green I sl e of the O cean , —or to the m i lde r, yet equal ly modulatedaccen ts of n eglected H ialtland ia.

GRUTNESS VOE TO QUEND A L , DUNRO SSNESS .

As our boat draws n ear to th e shore, a landing-place appears a l i tt le to the north ofthe steep cl iffs of Sumburgh-Head . The fi rst prospect that encoun ters the atten tion of thetravel ler i s dreary enough . An immense accumulat ion of blowing-sand appears before h im

,

wh ich has ravaged one of the most fert i l e es tates o f the i s land . I t i s we l l known,that when

very smal l breaches are made i n the superficial tu rf that covers an exten s ive depos i t of finesand

,an escape of the levigated part i cles of the subsoi l immed i ately takes place

,and al l th e

ravages of a sand-flood en su e . Professor Jameson, i n h i s v i s i t many years ago to Shetland,j udi c i ously recommended

,for th e recovery of the land

,th e growth of such plan ts as the

Gal ium c ruc iatum and verum ,th e Elymus arenarius, th e T ri t i cum j unceum , or the Arundo

a renar ia. But th i s advice has long passed by unheeded an d the latest v i s i tor,Dr Flem ing

,

found , that the seeds wh ich grew among the sand were, for the laudable purpose of maki ngbesoms

,st i l l dug up by th e roots

,— that numerous herds of swin e were st i l l al lowed to roam

at large and,d ig in th e sand

,and that rabbi ts even appeared to meet wi th a hosp i tabl e

protect ion .

*

A sandy tract leads to Qu en dal Bay, where, for some l i ttl e d i s tance, the eye obtai ns n o- rel i ef from an exten s ive waste of sand , save from small i n su lated tufts of verdu re , ‘ that areid ly supposed to mock , rather than to encourage, the redeem ing hopes of the

'

hu sbandman .

The v iew, i s , i ndeed as unvaried as that wh ich S i ster Anne saw when,from the loft ies t

t urret of B lue-Beard s gloomy mans ion , sh e anx iously looked out for the expected horse:

men ; and, wi th a sl igh t deviat ion from the text of th i s del igh tful tal e of our i nfancy, the .

d isappoi n ted t ravell e r may exclaim , I see noth i ng bu t th e sand blowing,an d the grass

l”growi ng

Jameson's M in e ralog y of the Scottish I s le s , vol. II. , p . 1 99. App. to Sh ir r efl

'

s Ag r icu l tu r e of O rkn e y and She tlan d , p . x34.

J

REMARKS ON TH E DAR K PER IOD O F TH E H ISTORY O F SH E'

I'L A ND AND ORKNEY

,SUG

GESTED BY TH E D ISCOVERY O F ROMAN RELICS IN TH E PARISH O F DUNROSSNESS .

The dreari n ess of the scene i s soon i n terrupted by a ferti le green sward,s tudded wi th

co ttages , that i s con ti nued to West Voe an d Sumburgh Head , which we leave to the south .

Th i s ground i s rendered somew hat i n terest i ng by the evidence wh i ch i t has afforded of aRoman v is i t to Shet land . About forty years ago

,a copper medal of Vespas ian

,the reverse

Iudaea Victa,i s recorded to have been turned up by the plough . I have exam ined severa l

of the co in s that are said to have been found i n d ifferen t parts of Shetland, which werethose of Galba

,/Eliu s Caesar and T rajan . I n one d i stri c t

,Northmavin e , a Pugio was re

ported to have been d i scovered . There are also small fort ificati on s, occurri ng i n di fferen tparts of the coun try

,that w i l l be not iced i n th e course of th i s i t i nerary

,wh ich man ifes t

s t rik ing marks of a Roman cons truct i on — See Note IV. tb‘M K:

The presence of remai n s l ike these found i n the pari sh of D u n rossn ess* and elsewhere ,

may exc i te some l i tt le curi os i ty to learn th e occas i on s wh ich migh t have i nduced th eRoman s to vi s i t the seas to the north of Scot land

,as wel l as to know the race of people by

whom Shet land migh t have been i nhab i ted duri ng so remote a period . Th i s i nqu iry i s,at

the same t ime,so connected wi th the earl i es t s tate of O rkney as wel l as of Shet land, that i t

w i l l be imposs ible to i nve st igate the h i story of the one coun t ry to the exc lus ion of th eearl i es t annal s of the other.

Ag r ico la v i s i ted O rkney i n the e igh ty-fourth year of the Chri st ian Era. But th i s groupof i sland s seems to have been kn own to the anc ien ts before th i s period, s i nce D iodoru sS icu lu s al lude s to a promon tory i n the north of Scot land

,supposed to be some headland i n

the Pen tland Fi rth,under the name of Cape O rcas, wh i l s t Pompon iu s Mela states the

n umber of the i s lands of O rkney to be abou t th i rty .

But,i f the s i tuat i on of O rkney was known to the anc ien ts before the t ime of Agricola,

Shet land was m uch less d ist i nc tly recogn i sed,unless under the vague name of Thule, i t was

occas ional ly glanced at by Pompon iu s Mela or Plinyfr T hu le was long a term of genera lappl i cat ion

,to denote a place e i th er i n Bri ta i n

,I re land

,the north of Scot land , or i n region s

even st i l li

farther north,wh ich was supposed to be i nvolved i n darkness , wh i l s t i t s shores

were washed by a boi ste rou s ocean ; i t s s i tuati on , therefore, always var i ed wi th th e u ncerta i n geograph ica l i nformat ion Roman wri ters possessed of the B ri t i sh or Caledon ia nSeas . I t i s

,however

,certa i n

,that Shetland was the Thule wh ich was actual ly seen by

Agricola, i n h i s c i rcumnavi‘gat ion of the Bri t i sh I s lands .

I fi nd that the prope r n ame of D u n rossn e ss , as it appears in Norw eg ian an nals , is Dy n r a ns t Ne ss , so named from r a u st,

r oost, or con fl ict of t ide of? Sumbu rg h Head , w h ich , in the year 1 242 , proved fata l to King Haro ld , of the Is le of Man , in sai l in g

to Norw ay. Inte rea n u ptiae Reg is H araldi, cum fi lia Reg is [Norv eg iae] in s ig n i apparatu con fec tas, inde Rex ad con ve n tum cum

S ve c iae Roz-7 c in stitu tum mag na c lasse com itatuq ; p rofe ctu s , in Elldeyar Su nda, se u s in u Elldeye n si Jon em D u n gad i fi llium

Re gem pron u n c iav it, qv i tan to honor e au c tu s , in aqv ilonare s Norveg iae par tes D ugale comitan te red iit, u te rq ; in H azbu das

Man n iae Reg i H araldo,itin e r is soc i i fu tu r i , ve rum propos i to de s is te n tes Jon Be rg is , D u gall ad Reg em H acon em in au str is moram

tem profec tu s hiemav it , Rex au tem H araldu s cum uxor e , sple ndidoqu e comitatu , u n ica n ave Be rg is so lv it, inqu e i tin e re cum

omn i bu s vector ibu s ve ctu raqu e pe r iit in vor t ice Dy n r a u st, qv i H ialtlan diam ab au stro spec tat, u t vu lg o conjec tan t, eo qvod

fragme n ta navis,in au stra l is is tiu s in su lae par tes e stu s de vexe r it.

"—Torfa:u s , p . 164.

1 For a compe nd iou s view of the var iou s opin ion s of the an c ie n ts on the s i tuation of Thu le , see S ir Robe r t Sibbald’s Thu le

o f the An c ie n ts ,”

as g ive n in G ibson 's Camde n , pag e 1089 to 1 100 and par t icu lar l y A n In qu iry in to the O r ig inal I nhabi tan ts of

Br ita in , " by Sir James Fou lis , in the Tran sac tion s of the Soc ie ty of the An tiqu ar ie s of Sco tland , Vo l. i . , pag e 155to 169.

4 D UNRO SSNESS .

[ ITER I .

When Agricola,i n th e year 84 , v is i ted O rkney, he i s sa id n ot only to have d i scovered ,

but to have subj ugated these i slands . Hence the importan t i n ference,that th ey were a t

so early a peri od actual ly i n habi ted . The express i on of Tac i tu s i s,

“ i nven i t domu z'

tqu e .

”

It i s,consequen tly

,wi th much su rpri se

,that I have seen a suppos i t i on late ly hazarded

,

i n a volume of Scott i sh Ant iqu i t i es,that O rkney was i n the t ime of Agricola unpeopled .

I t i s,i ndeed

,possi ble to conce ive

,that when Agricola i s sa id to have subdued the O rkneys ,

h i s b iographer meant no more than that h e was v ictor ious i n th e se n se i n wh i ch Drydenappl ied the term to the hero of one of h i s T raged ie s

A lman r er i s v i ctor iou s wi thout figh t 5

O r; i n wh ich Field i ng’s n o less t riumphant hero L ord Grizzle, wi th eqL al fe l i c i ty , en largedupon the idea

“Thus far our arms w i th victory are c rown’dFor

,though we have not fought

,yet we have fou n d

No enemy to fight wi thal . ”

L ife and D eaf/z of T0772 Tizzmzb t/ze Gr eat,Act i i i . Scene 7 .

I t i s to be remarked,that two of the i slands of Shetland

,Foula and Fai r-I sle

,are to be

seen from O rkney ; accord i ngly, i t has been wi th every reason su pposedr‘

t'

hat the Th ul ew h ich Agr icola saw from thence could be no o ther country than Shet land . D ispecta este t Thule quam hacten u s n ix e t h iem s abdebat.

Th us,i t wou ld appear

,that in the t ime of Agricola

,wh i l s t Shetland was on ly d i stan tly

observed,and was unexplored

, O rkney was actual ly i nhabi ted . The next quest i on i s,Of

w hat race were descended the Abor ig i nes of O rkney or as the Archaeologi s ts of a cen turyago were won t to express themselves

,From what foun ta i n and or igi nal source was derived

un to u s these pu i ssant O rcad i an s ? See ing,th erefore

,that al l good h i stor iographers have

thu s han dledi

the ir chron i cles , an i nqu i ry i n to nat iona l descent wi l l be ou r fi rst obj ect forth i s i s no le ss exped ien t i n treat ing of humb le provi nc ia l an nals , than a l in eal ped igree i s tothe con sequence of some homely coun try gen t leman

,who

, depr ived of i ts emblazon i ng

s upport, m igh t n ever have been recorded i n any other terms , than that he was “ a mar

vel lon s good neighbour, i n sooth , an d a very good bowler.” For very suffic ien t reasons,

t herefore,the aboriginal i nhab i tan ts of O rkney may be announced as having been derived

from a Cel t ic stock as havi ng been descended from a people who have been traced fromth e Euxi ne to the Atlant i c, occupying at one t ime the whole of Europe, sou th of the Bal t ic ,and probably even farther n orth ; whose tribes were subsequen tly l im i ted to the west of

Europe , who, from fou r to five cen tu ries before the Ch ri st ian e ra,se ized the coun try on th e

Po,sett led i n Germany

,overran

,under Bren n u s and Cami l lu s

,th e whole of I taly

,~ - the i r

last depredat ion s be i ng committed i n Greece , an d even i n As ia . Most of the Cel ti c tribesappear to have been lost in thei r i n te rm ixture w i th the inbab itan ts of the coun tri es wh ich

,

from predatory mot ives,they had vi s i ted

,whi l s t the remainder were eventual ly compe lled t o

Love’s Labou r Lost, act v .

ITER DUNRO SSNESS . 15

c onfine themse lves to the coun try of Gau l,i n wh ich was compri sed

,during th e t ime of

Caesar,France

,part of Germany

, an d th e Bri t i sh I s lands .But the Celt i c Emigrat ion from the Eux ine to Bri tai n i s more d i s t i n ctly (I dare no t

add more au then t ical ly)described i n the anc ien t Tr iades of Wales , an d i n the curious commen ts upon them wh ich are to be found i n the oldes t manuscripts of that coun try . O f

th e th ree p i l lars o f th e I sland of B ri ta i n,th e fi rs t i s H u Gadaru

,who fi rs t brought th e race

of the Cymry in to the I s land of Bri ta i n ; an d th ey came from the land of Hav cal l edD efroban i, Con stan tin ople stan a

’s, says th e anc ien t commen tator,) an d th ey

passed over Mor Taweh (t/ze German Ocean,) to th e I sland of Bri ta i n , to L lydan

(t/ze coast of Gau t,) where they remai ned .

”The Cel t ic race of Scotland i s aga i n referable

to the tribes who are said to have come i n to the I sland of B ri ta i n by the con sen t of th enat ion of the Cymry

,wi thou t weapon and w ithout assau l t .” O f the se , one was th e t ribe

of th e Caledon ian s,and another was the Gwydde lian race i n Alban

The Cel t ic t ribe of the Caledon ian s m igh t probably have i nhab i ted,duri n g th e

campaigns of Cmsar , certa i n woods near the banks of the Thames "

l , exchanging soon afterwards the rich plai n s of th e sou th of England for the more i nacces s ible regions of the north

,

where,amids t wi lds an d n atura l fastnesses

,th ey m igh t m ore successfu l ly res i s t th e Roman

eagle . iThe Gwydde lian race i n Alban (Scotland ,) are the proper Aborigi nes of North Bri tai n

an d they have been for cen turi e s desc ri bed by Welch bards , and other wri ters of thatcoun try

,under the n ame of Gwyddyl, Pichti, or Fichti, the (P) of the Bri t i sh be ing

frequen tly changed to (F ) The term Piehti denotes a tr ibe of the open cou n try ,or of fi re

w aste or a’esar t § ; an d i t may be iden t i fied wi th th e name Picti, wh ich was u sed by the

Romans to denote the same Celt ic people who i nhab i ted Scotland . The near resemblancei n sou nd of the Cel t ic Pichti to the L at i n expres s i on for a pa i n ted people

,cau sed th e

Roman s to assoc iate u nder th i s appel la t ion th e we l l known hab i t of tattooz'

ng ,

‘

to wh ich th eAborigi n es of Bri ta i n

,l i ke the savage American tr ibes of the presen t day, were origi nal ly

add icted . H The use , th erefore , of th e term Picti became part icu larly s ign ifican t i n i t sp e rverted acceptat ion , of the wi ld hordes of anci en t Caledon ia, who cou ld n ot be prevai ledu pon to renounce the hab i t of pai n t in g th e i r bod i e s, i n favou r of the refinemen ts of c ivi l izat i on w h ich th e Roman s had early i n troduced among the Bri ton s of the sou th .

I t i s n ow t ime to ava i l ou rse lves of th ese pre l im i nary remarks i n the hypothe s i s we may

e n terta i n regard ing the fi rs t peopl ing of O rkney , and i n the u lt imate conj ectures of a s im i la rn ature wh ich we may form regard i ng Shet land .

O n. th e assumpt i on , th en , that the express ion of Taci tus , relat ing to Agricola

’s v i s i t toO rkney, “ i nven i t natural ly impl ie s that the i slands were then inhabi ted

,th e

D av ie s’s Ce l t ic R e sear che s , pag e s 154 and 155.

i Eosdem ru rsu s B r itan nos sequ tu s in Caledon ias sylvas. L. An na: F lor i e pi tome, Re r . , Rom . , l i b. i i i . , cap . 10.

I I am aw are , that an opin ion ve ry d iffe re n t to th is is u su al l y e n te r tain ed by an t iqu ar ie s.

Chalme r s's Ca ledon ia ,

vol. i. , p . 204 .

ll N ee/a lso n om z‘

n e Pz'

c tos edom u z'

t."

Cl . Cla u d iam'

de 11I. C l i on . A ug . Pan rg .

I6 D UNRO SSNESS .

[ ITER 1.

Aborigi nes must have been Celt i c , s ince th e Goth ic tr ibes , who succeeded to the Cel ts i n thepossess ion of Europe

,are not recorded as encroach i ng so far westward as th e Bri t i sh

I s land un t i l th e 4 th cen tu ry .

O n the natural probab i l i ty,also

,that th e fi rst peopl i ng of O rkney took place from the

con t i guou s shores of the'

north of Scotland , th e Aborigi n es of th ese i s lands must have beenP ic t i sh i n the L at i n

,rather than in the Cel t i c sense of the term for wi th the Romans th e

des ignat i on was generic,an d n ot on ly i ncluded the proper Cel t ic Pichti

,as w el l as the

Caledon ians,who had m igrated from the south

,bu t every other contemporary tri be

,under

whatever name i t m igh t be spec ifically d i s t i ngu i shed , that i nhab i ted the northern wi lds ofBri ta i n . I n th i s comprehen s ive sense Eumenes th e O rator appl ies the word Pic ti i n th e 4 thcen tury : “ Non d ico Caledon um aliorumqu e Pictorum .

”Thus a lso Ammianus Mar

c e llin u s Picti i n duas gen tes div i s i D icaledon es etMost probably

,then

,a Celt i c race

,known at a later period of the Roman campaign s i n

B ri ta i n,under the generi c name of Pi cts

,w ere the Aborigi nes of O rkney . T here i s

,

however, another c i rcumstance to be taken i n to cons iderat ion . The languagethat i s common to Cel t i c tr ibes i s wel l known to have been transm i tted to modern t ime si n the Cymraeg or Welch tongue

,i n the Armorican

,the I ri sh

,and the Scoto-I ri sh

or Gael ic of the Scotch H igh lands . O rkney i tse lf i s recorded i n the T riades of Wales, asone of th e pri n cipal i slands of Grea t Bri ta i n ; and the most sat i sfactory e tymology of thename i s referable to the Celt i c word orc

,s ign i fy i ng what i s ou t ward

,extr eme or border ing ,

and yn is, en i s, an d i n i s , express ive of an island. But to the noti on th at a Cel t i c raceo ig in ally i nhabi ted O rkney, th i s deri vat i on impart s a feeble degree of support . A conc lu sion to th i s effect would have been much more sati sfactori ly deduced from theknowledge

,that Celt i c names are st i l l appl i ed to the specific local i t i es of the country that

Celt i c names are st i l l reta i ned i n descri bi ng the i sland s , h i ll s, val leys , lakes or bays bywh i ch th i s terri tory i s d ivers ified . Such evidence

,however

,i s total ly wi thheld from us for

wi thout a s i ngle excepti on,al l th e topograph ical names

,of O rkney as w el l as of Shetland, are

preserved i n th e Scand i nav ian ton gue . No hypothes i s,therefore , of the fi rst peopl i ng of

e i ther coun try by a Celt i c race can be defended,that does not

,at th e same t ime , adm i t

from subsequen t cau ses,so complete a removal of the aborigi nal colon i sts

,as to imply

,t hat

the fi rst appel lat ion s wh ich had been imposed upon the local i t ies of the coun try , must havebecome i rrecoverably los t . L e t us then endeavour to asce rta i n i f such an admissi on meetw i th any sanct ion from the test imony of Roman wri ters .

For abou t a centu ry and a half subsequen t to Agricola’s c i rcumnavigati on aroundBri ta i n

,there i s not to be obtai n ed

,from any authent i c source

,the least i n t imati on te

gard i ng the state of O rkney . Th i s s i lence i s a t length broken , by the short, yet empath ic

Th is is the on l y occas ion in th e cou r se of th e pr e se n t i tin e rary , in w h ich I shal l invo lve myse lf in th e Pic tish qu e st ion , w i thth e e xce ption , pe rhaps , of a few br ie f r emark s . that may be made in tr eatin g of th e Scand in avian Bu rg h ,—~ imprope r ly e n ou g h

named Pict ish . From the n ume rou s d isqu is i tions t ) w h ich th e Pic tish in qu iry has g ive n r ise , it is now be come the s tale st and me s t

ted iou s of An t iqu ar ian su bjec ts . I con s ide r that the ve ry be s t view that has ye t be e n take n of the qu e s tion , is to be fou nd in th e

Fi rs t Vo lume of D r Chalme rs's Ca l edon ia , u nde r the head of the Pic t ish Pe r iod of Nor th-B r itain . A summary of th e c lass ica l

au thor i t ie s from w h ich the op in ion s that had be e n g ive n in th is w o rk are ch ie fly de r ived , may be fou n d in an e xc e l le n t pape r of S irJame s Fou lis , pu bl ished in the An tiquar ian T ran sac tion s of Scot lan d , vo l. i. , p. 155, & c . Se e also Wh i ttake r’s H is tory of Man

Ch es te r , 4 to , vol. i. , p. 4 15and 4 1 6.

I’I

‘

ER D UNROSSNESS . 1 7

i n tel l igence on th e subject that i s commun icated to u s by Solin u s Numero tres , vacan thom ine , non haben t s i lvas , tan tum ju n ce is h e rb is in hor rescu n t, caete ra earum nudae arenaeet rupes tenen t . Th i s i nformat ion must have bee n procured about the m iddle of theth i rd centu ry ; and , real ly , l i t t le i s wan t ing to comple te th e ch i l l i ng p ic tu re i t presen ts ofarct ic sol i tude : O rkney was seem— but n o human i nhab i tan t s, —n o trees ; no obj ectsv i s i bl e bu t marshes, ster i l sands and rocks . Solin u s has i naccurate ly computed thesei s lands at no more than three — a poss ible error. I n order to determ i ne thei r real n umbe r,O rcadian sounds and creeks must be explored . But what i nducemen t could the re be forthe vi s i tors of th i s deserted Arch ipelago to undertake a research so devo id of i n terest ,so frui t less i n i ts u l timate obj ec t ?

Si nce the peri od when O rkney was pronounced to be un i nhab i ted , more than acen tury had elapsed ere th i s coun try came agai n to be recorded i n Roman annals . AGoth ic or Teu ton ic people

,of a ve ry d i fferen t origi n to that of the Cel ts , may be regarded

as the second descr ipt i on of colon i sts,by whom O rkney was peopled . The language wh i ch

th ey spoke i s perpe tuated i n such d ial ec ts as the Engl i sh of the presen t day , th e L ow landScotch

,the Belgic or L ow—Dutch proper

,th e Ge rman

,th e Norwegian

,th e Dan i sh , th e

Swed ish,and several others . With great p robab i l i ty

,i t h as been supposed

,that the Goth s ,

th e Getae of Thrace an d th e Scyth ian s of L i t tl e Tartary,w ere of the same race of people .

The Goth s appear to have been long se tt led near th e north ern embouchure of the Danubeand at the Chri st ian Era

,a few of these tr ibes were scan t i ly i n terspersed among the Celt i c

A borigi n es,dwel l i ng between the Eux in e and th e Atlan t i c . Abou t the th i rd cen tury , th e

Goths fi rs t became formidable to Europe they ravaged Moesia,and destroyed the c i ty of

Istropolis,‘ re turn ing from the i r predatory excurs ion beyond th e Danube . They afterwards

extended th e conquests i n var ious d irec t ion s ; bu t the i r encroachments on th e Romanboundar ies were firs t fel t i n the fourth cen tury . I t was then that th e Saxon rovers, whowere of Goth ic descent

,proved of cons iderable annoyance to navigat i on , and that th e coast s

an d i s lands of the north ern seas were conven ien tly resorted to i n the cou rse of the i r p i rat i calexcurs i ons . So audacious

,at length

,became the i r. depredation s , that the Romans found i t

n ecessary to exert themselves i n a special manner aga ins t th ese marauders . I t was on th i soccas ion , therefore , that Theodos iu s chased them i nto the i r most secret and remote haun t s,and that O rkney , an d probably Shetland also, were bedewed with Saxon blood

Madu e ru n t Savone fusoO reades .

CLAUD . Car /n . D e 3 Con su l . H on or i z’.

Th i s s ignal chast i semen t was on ly of temporary advan tage . The power of th e Goth ict ribes sti l l gradual ly i ncreased

,an d when the decl i n i ng government of I taly was obl iged ,

for the defence of i t s own immed ia te fron t i ers , to recal l i t s t roops from every di stan t prov i n ce , a Saxon sceptre succeeded to the Roman eagle i n th e sovere ign ty of Br ita i n .

Subsequen t to th e vi s i t of Theodos iu s to th e O reades, al l accounts of th i s cou n try,from the testimony of L at i n authors , are found to cease and

,un t i l i t s Scandi navian h i s tory

I 8 D UNRO SSNESS .

[ ITER 1.

commences,the vacancy i s only suppl i ed by Monk ish fables , to wh ich i t i s not necessary

for a moment to advert .By anci en t Scand i navia. from wh ich coun try the progen i tors of the present race of

i nhabi tants i n O rkney and Shetland were origi nally derived , may be understood th e terr itories ly i ng to the north of the Bal t ic Sea, namely, Denmark , Norway , Sweden , L apland andFi nland . Ant iquari es are d i sposed to bel i eve that a Scand i navian peopl e occupi ed O rkneybefore the s ixth cen tury ; found i ng the i r op in ion on the cred i ted h i s tory of Columba , th eChri s t ian Mi ss i onary

,who

,i n the year 565, met at the res idence of Br ide i, th e Pic t i sh K ing,

a Scand i nav ian ch ief of O rkney .

*

We have at length endeavoured, from the test imony of au thent ic w ri ters,to render

probable the suppos i t i on,that the success ive colon i sts of O rkn ey were composed of Ce lti c

,

Saxon,an d Scand i navian tri bes . But i t may be now asked

,Are we

,from the same desc r ip

t i on of evidence , en t i tled to i n fer, that s imi lar t ri bes succeeded i n l ike manner to th e

possess i on of the con tiguous i s lands of Shetland ? Certai n ly not . That the same peoplewho i nhabi ted O rkney m igh t have passed over i n to the adj oi n i ng i s lands more northerlys i t uated

,i s a very probable c i rcumstance . An encouragemen t i s , th erefore, given to the

i nqu i ry,Whether certa i n anc ien t re l i cs or monuments general ly ascr ibed to the Ce ltae ,

Saxons, or early Scand i navian s , are not to be found as abundan t i n O rkney as i n Shetland ?Th i s i nvest igat i on wi l l be prosecu ted i n the course of ou r i t i nerary .

Such are the few occasi onal gl impses of l igh t wh ich shed the i r d im l ustre over the earlyannals of O rkney an d Shetland, renderi ng, i n the words of M i lton , “ darkness v i si ble .

” Asthe general resul t

,however

,of th i s research , th ree periods i n the h i story of these i slands

may be kept i n v iew .

I n the first period,when Agricola v i s i ted O rkney , a Cel t ic race very probably i nhabi ted

th e coun try,who appear to have completely forsaken i t a cen tury and a half afte rwards ,

s i nce i t was described by Solin u s i n the m idd le of the th i rd centu ry as a complete desart.I n the s econd period

,O rkney, and probab ly Shetland also, were i nfested by a Goth ic

t ribe of Saxon rovers : these were routed A .D . 368 , by Theodos iu s .

I n the th i rd per iod,probably at or before th e s ixth cen tury

,succeeded i n the posses

si on of these i slands the Scand inavians , who w ere the progen i tors of the p resent race ofi nhabi tants i n O rkney and Shet land .

Inc idental to th i s i nvest igat ion , we may now advert to the Roman coi n s wh ich werefound at D u n rossn ess

,and e lsewhere i n Shet land . The date of one of them i s of the reign

of Adri an , or a few years prev ious to the L i eutenantsh ip of the i n tel l igen t L ol l i us Urb ic u s,

by whom North B rtiain was wel l explored,—by whom n ew roads were con structed

,new

s tat ion s were fixed, an d new i ters were set tl ed . D id th i s act ive governor,then

,explore th e

coasts and i slands of Caledon ia , as far n orth as the U l t ima Thule , wh ich was seen byAgri cola from the shores of O rkney ? O r are the Roman coi n s found i n Shet land

,to be

rather cons idered as hav ing been left by the sold i ers of Theodos i us,when chacing the

Saxon pirates to the i r remotes t an d most secre t haun ts A reply to th ese quest i on s mus t,

Se e Chalm e r s's Ca ledon ia ,

vol. i . , p . 2 62 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

20 DUNRO SSNESS .

[ITER I .

wh ich ‘

n ow arrests h i s atten t ion — in comple t i ng the ideal p ic ture,he may conce ive of the

Commander h imself i n th e act of land i n g, att i red i n the costly and imposi ng d ress of theSpan ish nobleman

,fol lowed i n th e rear by th e remain s of h i s fam ish ed sold i e rs

,wh i ls t to

g ree t the i r arrival , a numerou s concourse of s imple i slanders, headed by the hosp i tableMalcolm S incla i r

,are col lec ted on th e beach

,express i ng i n thei r s i len t countenances th e

m ixed feel i ngs of awe and comm iserati on .

Thus engaged,th e deep tracts of sand wh ich impede the course of th e travel le r

occas ion l i t tle or no fatigue . At th e head of th e Bay,the sl igh t remain s of a wal l

,together

w i th two or th ree erect monumen ts,procla im the si te of the an c ien t church of Qu en dal,

w h ich,about half a cen tu ry

‘

ago , was one of the n eatest rel igious ed ifices i n the coun try .

The ravages of th e b lowing sand had th en commenced , an d whenever the wi nd came fromthe sea

,th e sa nd was d i s lodged , an d an i nundat ion took place present ing i n m in iature the

appearance of an Arabian desar t. Then m igh t the p ious n at ives of D u n rossn ess be ob

served i n the i r weekly pi lgrimage to th e pari sh-ki rk,to pursue a to i l some peregri n at i on

through deep lodgemen ts of sand,overwhe lmed

,at the same t ime

,i n c louds of drifted

parti c le s that obscured th e horizon,th rough wh ich h orsemen and footmen were d im ly

descr ied at a d i stance,l ike the ghos ts of O ss ian through the du n c louds of rocky Morven .

Even when i ncluded with i n the prec inc ts of the church,i ts sanctuary could afford l itt le

sh el ter from the general pervas ion of the sand-shower,th e fine ingred ien ts of wh ich eas i ly

i n s i nuated themselves th rough the m inutes t crann ies,an d were d i ffused over al l th e pew s fi "

At length,th e wal ls were n o longer able to res i s t th e cau ses

,wh ich

,i n remov ing the sand t o

a d i s tance,underm ined th ei r foundat ion s ; melancholy exposu res , at the same t ime , took

place of th e bod i e s of the recen t dead , t he remembrance of wh ich even t i s s t i l l perpetuatedby numerous skull s an d other rel ic s of mortal i ty

,wh i ch being left to bleach upon the sandy

pla i n,have acqu i red a wh i teness so in comparable

,as to arrest the atten t i on of the mos t

h eedle ss passenger . The erec t i on of a new par i sh church was eventua lly found necessary ,i n a s i tuat ion secure from the agency of s im i lar cau ses of destruct i on .

The monumen ts of th e old k i rk of Qu en dal wh ich st i l l remai n , belong to the Scott i shfami l i es of S i ncla i r , Stewart, an d Bruc e , wh ich sett led i n D u n rossn ess about two cen turiesago . The i n script ions upon them are very pla in

,not mater ial ly d i ffering from mult i tudes

of a s im i lar date,to be fou nd i n North Bri tai n

,where they were doubtless ca rved, an d

from thence imported .

The wh i te farm-house wh i ch,w i th i ts fert i le corn - fi elds and pastu res, so en l iven s th e

westerly v iew of Qu e n dal, i s tenan ted by Mr Ogi lv i e . to whose hosp i tal i ty , wh i lst remai n i ngi n th i s coun try

,I was much i ndebted . Th i s gen tleman i s wel l acqua i n ted with the farm i ng

improvemen ts of North Bri ta i n,and he has meri tor iou sly i n troduced as many of them as

w ere appl icable to th e more uncerta i n cl imate of the B ri t i sh Thule . Tu rn ips , bear or b ig,clover an d oats

,are ra i sed i n regular rotat i on s . He has reclaimed some part of the sandy

waste,immed i ately cont iguous to h i s farm ,

by plant ing potatoes upon i t,wh ich was not

taken up for the fi rst year,but su ffered to rot among the so i l , so as to form a tenaci ou s

Low 's MS . Tou r th rou gh She tland , A .D . 1 774.

ITER DUNROSSNESS. 2 I

med i um for the blow in g ~ san d,by wh ich means

,i n a subsequen t year

,i t was rendered cap

able of yi e ld i n g a crop of oats,or fi t fo r the recepti on of proper grass seeds . The sand

inundat ions of D u n rossn ess are,however

, eviden tly p n the dec l i ne,s i nce the i r or igi n was

le ss referable to repeated accumulat ion s of sand th row n up by th e sea dur ing heavy gales,

an d afterwards d i spersed,than to the ex i st i ng nature of the subsoi l of the coun try

,wh ich

,by

improviden t removals of the b ind i ng herbage that had long res tra in ed i t s escape,was

al lowed to devastate al l th e es tates to wh ich i t was blown i n any con s iderabl e quan t i ty .

Mr Ogi lv ie’s excel len t managemen t of h i s farm has had a powerfu l effect among th esmal ler tenan ts

,i n st imu lat ing them to sim ilar exert ion s . I n th e year 1 8 1 8

,when the

Agricu l tu ral Soc iety of Sh e tland offered to th ree pari shes a prem ium for . sowi ng tu rn ips, allthe compet i tors were of D u n rossn ess. O n e smal l tenan t had a fifth of an acre of goodtu rn ips

,dri l led an d very w el l c l eaned another had a fu l l quarte r of an acre covered i n the

same manner,th e ground hav ing been thri ce ploughed over ; bu t the crop of the th i rd

compet i tor fa i led . Severa l smal l patch e s of ground,be longing to i nd iv idual s who had not

con tended for the pri ze,a ttracted th e part i cu lar at ten t i on of the Commi ttee who adj udged

the rewards .Th e n umerous cottages occu rri ng i n th e v ic i n i ty of Qu en dal are of a better const ruct ion

than is to be generally found i n Shetland,al th ough th ey st i l l re ta i n much of the i r anc ien t

Scandinav ian cha racter . The oldest Shet land dwel l ings are bu i l t of rude ston es , wi th acemen t of clay

,or they are s t i l l more coarse ly formed of s tones an d c lods . After th e

wooden rafters have been la id , they are roofed wi th what are p rov i n c ial ly ca l ledflaas, or,i n th e absence of these

,wi th pon es . Flaas are compact vegetable layers , con s i s t i ng of th e

s hort fibres of mossy or heathy roots closely i n terwoven wi th each other. The removal of al ayer of th i s descript i on from the surface of dry moss land , i s neve r accompl ished bycutt ing

,bu t by tear ing away and th i s manual operat ion i s so l ike what Dean Swift

,i n h i s

descr ipt ion of the mode of col lect ing Ir is/z st r aws, cal l s Flay ing off th e green s urface of theground

,

” that i t i s probably to the Scandi nav ian word flaa or flae, we must look for theetymology of the Shetland wordflaas .

* When layers composed of flaas are doubled,th ey

are con s idered to be imperv iou s to ra in,an d i n th i s state are placed upon the rafters of th e

houses . I t has been also remarked,that

,i n stead of fi aas

,the Shetlande rs frequently su bsti

tu te what they cal l pon es . These las t men t ion ed material s for roofing are noth i ng morethan swards of earth cu t very th i n , upon the surface of wh ich grows a short grass . Theyd i ffer from another spec ies of tu rf

,recogn i sed i n Shet land as w e l l as i n Scotland , under the

name of Fai ls,i n the fol lowi ng respec t Fa il s are the th ickes t port ion s of tu rf that are cu t

,

bei ng u sed for the cons truct i on of wal l s an d d i kes : Pones have always a cover ing ofgrass th ey are th in ner than fai l s

,an d they are never used for the construct ion of d ikes

,bu t

for th e sole purpose of roo fi ng .

’r A roof formed of th i n turf has long been cons idered a s

Se e Joh n son’s D ic tionary fo r the word F lay .

l Fa i ls is sa id to be a Su io—Go th ic w ord , s ig n ify ing a s word , (so lum h e rb idum). The de r ivation ofPan es is obscu re it doe s

n o t occu r in D r jam ie son's Etymo log ica l D ic t ion ary bu t th is lear n ed an tiquary de fin e s a Poz'n e r (Q . deale r in Pain s or Pam'

s7)

to be on e w ho g ain s a l ive l ihood by dig g in g/eat, d z'z rots or clay ,an d s e l l ing them for cove r i ng hou ses and o th e r pu rpose s . It is

n e ed le ss to obse r ve , that th e tru e She tlan d or Scand inavian w ord F lu as can scarce ly be con fou nded w i th the Scotch F law orF low

pea t, as de sc r ibed by D r jam ie son , the d istin c t ion be tw e e n th em be in g so ve ry evide n t.

2 2 DUNROSSNESS .

[ ITER I .

th e pecul iar characteri s t i c of th e Scand i n av ian cottage . B i shop Pontopp idan says,that the

Norwegian peasan ts lay over the rafters of the i r dwel l i ngs the sappy bark of b irch trees,

wh ich they cover agai n wi th tu rf three or four i nches i n w id th . Probably,then

,i n a

coun try dest i tu te of w ood,l ike Shetland

,th e nat ives migh t have been first induced

,

i n the place of a supply of other mater ial s for roofing, to have adopted th eScotch method of thatch ing bL t th ey appear to have st i l l re ta i ned the use ofpones or flaas

,s i nce over these th ey lay the s traw

,an d afterw ards secure the whole

wi th sz'

n zmona’s or bands formed also of s traw . I n most of the Shetland

cottages the fi re-place i s i n th e m iddle of the room,and the smoke ascends

th rough a large aperture i n the roof,after the u sual manner of the hovel s of the Scotch

High lands . Windows are become much more general than they were some years ago ;for

,among some of the oldest habi tat ion s , no other l igh t i s rece ived than th rough the

aperture,wh ich al lows an egress to the smoke . To th i s open ing i s given the Scott i sh name

of lamb,but i n the obsolete language of Shetland

,i t was cal led the lz

'

zn a,— a word resem

bl i ng the anci en t Zz'

n-r en or l igh t—hole o f th e Norwegian s . Yet many old Shetland houses

are not dest i tu te of that notable improvemen t of domest i c arch i tecture known by the nameof ch imney for by the Scand in avi an s i ts i nven t ion was ascribed to royalty i tself

,wh i ch had

prev iously condescended to h old i ts courts w i th i n the sable,fu l igi nou s wall s of Rog—Stu e rn e

,

or smoke rooms . I t i s recorded i n Norwegian annal s , that so early as the e leven th cen tury,King O lu f Kyrre was the fi rs t who removed fi re -places from the m iddle of rooms

,an d

ordered ch imneys and stoves to be erected .

* The byre or cow-house generally adj o i n s th edwel l i ng, an d i s frequen tly entered by a common door, that in troduces the stranger fi rst t othe cattle

,an d afterwards to th e apartmen t devoted to the use of the fam i ly . I n most of

the Shetland hab i tat i ons a part i t i on of tu rf run s acros s the room ,wh ich i s occas i onal ly

carried up to the he igh t of the house, be ing i n tended as wel l for the purpose of stori ng upv ictuals as for a separate dorm i tory . But general ly the beds

,wh ich con si st of a few coarse

blankets or straw,are placed i n any conveni ent angle of the cottage . O n e or two cumbrous

wooden chai rs, designed for the beads of. th e fam i ly, w i th the add i t i on of a few benchescon st i tu te th e heavy part of th e furn i tu re . Such i s a spec imen of th e anc ien t cottage ofShetland but i n the vic i n i ty of Qu en dal dwell i ngs of th i s ki nd are more rarely found thani n other parts of the coun try and th e an t iquary w i l l be often chagri ned i n obse rvingsuch provoking modern improvements as slate roofs

,regular wi ndows

, an d detached cow

houses,al l of wh ich have been in troduced i n to the coun try by that foe to archaeologica l

sourc es of pleasure , ever st imu lat i ng to i n novati on ,— a sen se and des i re of encreased comfort . Qui tt ing

,therefore

,for th e presen t , the hab i tati on s of the Shetland peasan ts, we may

briefly glance at the n umerous rude dykes wh ich are constructed around th em —Theseobserve great i rregulari ty i n the i r d i rect i on

,somet imes inc los ing on ly one cottage

,an d

sometimes un i t i ng many wh ich are d i stan t from each other .

Such are the general remarks . that may suffice for the present,regardi ng th e humble

dwel l i ngs of these i slanders : ample opportu n i t ies wi l l be afforded i n th e course of th i s

See Pon toppidan’s H isto ry of Norway, Tr an s la tion , vol. i i . , p . 2 78.

I’I‘

ER DUNROSSNESS . 2 3

i t i nerary,for exam in ing more i n deta i l th ei r rural economy . O u r at ten t i on may n ow be

tu rned fromth e con templat ion of Shetland cottages to the i nhab i tant s w i th i n them,whose

general phys iognomy may by th i s t ime have become suffic i en tly fam i l i ar to us .The natives of the se i s lands are rarely very tal l ; they are of the m idd le s ize, remark

ably wel l proport ioned,l igh t an d n imble . I t i s t rue

,that al l th ese characters are

less observable among th e females of th e coun try for th e male sex,i n rel i nqu i sh i ng most

spec ies of domest ic drudgery for the adven turous occupat ion of fi sh i ng, cau se a more thanord i nary port i on of labour

,fatal to the preservat ion of a del i cate and symmetri cal form

,to

devolve upon the poor females . The featu res of th e Sh etlanders are rather smal l,and

have noth ing of th e harshness that so pecul iarly d i st ingu i shes many of the Anglo-Saxonprovinc ia ls i n th e north of England

,or i n some of the lowland d ist ri c t s of Scotland .

The con st i tut ional temperament of the Scand i nav ian s i s genera lly conce ived to besangu i ne

,and s i n ce i ts characteri s t ic s are supposed to cons i st i n a flor id complex ion

,a

smooth sk in,and ha i r b rown

,wh i te

,or sl ight ly auburn , th e nat ives of Shetland give

sat i sfactory token s of the i r nat ional descen t . The elder L i n naeu s’s descript i on of theNorthern European s well appl i es to them Goth i corpore proce r ior e , capillis albid is

rectis,oc u lorum ir idibu s c i nereo-coeru lesc en tibu s .

” But Pr i nc ipal Gordon de tected apecul iari ty among the Scand i navian nat ives of O rk ney , who are of the same race asthose of Shetland

,that i s too cur i ou s to pass u nnot iced

,s i nce i t mu st have whol ly

escaped the penetrat i ng glance of the great Swed i sh n atu ral i s t . Th i s an t iquary d is

covered that there was not a h uman eye to be found i n O rkney that was not of th ecolour of sea-green . These are h i s word s “ The i n habi tan ts are general ly strongbod i ed , an d remarkable for the flava caesar ies

,an d the ocul i , caesii

,ass igned by Tac i tu s

as d i st i n ct ive pecul iar i t i e s of German nat i on s . T hat sea-gree n colou r of the eye , wh ichI take to be the mean ing of the word eeesz

'

z'

,i s so common i n O rkn ey, that I n ever met

w i t/z any per son ref/lose eyes w er e of a a’zfi r en t Th is i s a sweeping assert ion ,

that ough t to go far towards removi ng the scept ic i sm of a French w riter, Monsi eu rL e Grand

,who

,bei ng as l i ttl e aware of the modern ex i s tence of green eyes , as that

they were fam ilar marks of d i scrim i nat ion among the anc ien ts,endeavoured to amend th e

read i ng of the “ yeux 716 7’s,or g r een eyes of the early French poets , by convert i ng them ,

w i th a sl igh t change of one or two vowe ls,i n to “ yeux oaz

’

r s,

” or g r ey eyes . Hanmer also,equal ly un in formed

,proposed

,bv the subst i tu t ion of a letter, to change th e

“

g r een eye,” of

Ju l i et , wh ich be conceived to be a typograph ical error, i n to a leeen

But Mr Franci s D ou e e,i n obj ect ing to such overst ra i ned al terat i on s of Shakespeare’s

text, has po in ted out th e anc ien t fami l iar i ty of the express i on , by d i rec t ing th e atten t ion tothe “ ocul i al luded to by Plau tu si , to “ the great eyes w i th a g r een c i rc le,

” wh ich

Jou r n ey to the O rk n ey Is lands , by Pr in c ipal Gordon of the'Scots Co l leg e of Par is , Tr an sac tion s of the S cotts A n ti

qu a r ies , vol. i . , p . 256.

i N u r se. an eag l e , Madam ,

Hath not so g r een , so qu ick , 50 fa ir an eye .

”

Romeo an d Ju l ie t, A ct i i i . , S cen e v .

1 Qu i h ic e st homo

Cum co l lativo ve n tr e , atqu e ocu lis he rbe is ?

Cu rcu l io of Plau tu s.

2 4 D UNROSSNESS .

[ ITER 1.

L ord Bacon affirmed to be s ign ifican t of long l i fe and to a T reat i se of Vi l la Real,a

Portuguese,who sel ected “ Green eyes for h i s th eme

,i n wh ich they were most mar

vellou sly lauded . Th i s able commen tator of Shakespeare then arrives at the conclusi on,

That i t i s certai n green eyes were found among the anc i en ts , though there i s a scarc i ty, i fnot total absen ce

,of such vi sual organ s i n modern t imes —add i ng w i th a sneer

,For th i s

le t natu ral i s ts accoun t zf they Surely Mr Dou r‘e could not have been acquai n tedwi th Pri nc ipal Gordon s su rpr is.ng d i scovery i n O rkney, that a Bri t i sh prov i nce was en t i relypeopled wi th g r een -

eyed natives " I t i s true,that the res iden ts of these i slands may be“

wi ll i ng to confess to any descr ipt ion of eyes rather than the ocul i caesii of Tac i tu s ; andi t wi l l be no wonder

,i f,by these i ndividuals

,a suspi ci on may ari se of some defect i n th e

learned t ravel ler’s own vi s ion,whereby the blue

,black or hazel eyes of the i nhabi tan ts have

been tran smuted i n to the outré t i n t of sea-g re en .

’r I f such an affect ion there reall y be , i t

must have frequen tly attacked th e scholars of “ olden t imes,

” being perpetuated at the presen t day among a few modern an t iquarie s . I ts symptoms mus t have been analogous tothose wh ich a ce lebrated natural ph i losopher recently detected i n h i s own s igh t the t i n t ofp i nk being found to impres s the ret i na l ike the sen sati on of sky-b l ue

,an d t he colour of red

seal i ng-wax l ike that of a green fie ld . I f any d i sease,then

,can be wel l made out

,capab le

of impart i ng to a sc i en t ific m ind the i ll u s ion of a green-eyed race of Scand in av ian s dwel l i ngi n the U l t ima Thu le of the B ri t i sh I sl es

,it well deserves a place in Nosologi cal Systems

,

under the name of the Parops i s A rchaeologica. Certes,there m ust be some d i stemper

,the

ban e of learned cle rk s,

wh ich o’er the realms of senseO ft spreads that murky , an tiquar ian cloud,

Which blots ou r tru th,ecl ipses ev idence

,

A n d taste and j udgment ve i ls i n sable cloud .

CHATTERTON’S Epz'

stelte to D oetou r e M'y l/es .

The dress of the Shetland peasan ts d i ffers l i t tle from that of the i nhabi tan ts of th esea-coast of Scotland . To men whose ch ie f occupat ion i s fish i ng

,th e common sa i lor’s

j acket i s a favouri te att i re . Th e red cap , wh i ch i s a d i s t i nc t ive badge of the master of afam i ly

,meri ts part icular at ten ti on . I t i s made of wors ted

,somewhat resembl i ng i n form a

common double n igh t-cap , but much larger, an d gradually taperi ng to a poi n t,wh i lst i t

hangs down the back , after the fash ion of the head d ress of a German hussar . I t i s a lsodyed wi th numerous colours . Frequently th e men wear on the i r feet wh ich are asort of sandals

,m ade of un tan ned seal -sk i n , be ing worn wi th the hai r-s ide outwards and

l aced on the foot w i th s tri ngs or thongs of leather. The i r l igh tness i s part icu larly adaptedfor t rampi ng wi th veloc i ty over the soft heaths or scattholds of th e country . The dress ofth e women meri t s l i tt le atten t ion , s i nce i t does not d i ffe r material ly from the fash ion of th e

Dou ce’s i l l u strat ion s of Shak e spear e , vol. i i . , p . 193 .

i In a marg in al posti l , appended to Pr in c ipa l Gordon’s Jou r n ey to O rkn ey , n ow be fore m e , are the fo l low in g obse rvat ion s ,w r i tte n by a g e n t l eman , a n ati\ e of th ese is le s . B lack , blu e , and haz e l eye s , ar e to be me t w i th in O rkn ey as e lsew he r e ; theeye s of the nat ives ar e , i n tr u t/z , a ny w lou r bu t g r een .

”

lTER DUNRO SSNESS . 25

Scotch peasan try . The wool len s w h ich are worn are gene ral ly imported from L ancash i re or Yorksh i re , wh i le some few are the manufacture of the coun try.

We have now l i ngered sufficien tly long among the cottages i n the v ic i n i ty of Q u en dal

for,as the Bard of Morven wou ld in t imate to u s .

—Nigh t comes rol l i ng down,an d wreath s

of m is t begi n to robe th e whi te c l i ffs of Fitfi e l . —The annunc iat i on of a fine Shet landeven ing i s always expressed by numerous boats coveri ng the surface of the bay

,the crew s

of wh i ch are engaged i n angl i ng for the smal l fry of the coal—fi sh,or Gadus carbonar iu s.

These swarm i n myriads wi th i n the numerous creeks an d sounds of the Shet land Arch ipe lago . They fi rst appear i n May

,scarcely more than an i n ch long

,an d i n comp aratively

smal l quan ti t ies, but gradually encrease as the summer season advances, when abou t August th ey become very abundan t

,measuring from 6 to 8 i n ches i n length . Du ri ng th i s t ime

the fry are d i s t i ngu ished by the name of S i l locks .* About the month of May ensu ing,they are found to have grown from 8 to 15 i nches, acqu i ri ng duri ng th i s period of the i rgrowth th e name of Piltocks f Afterwards they thrive very fast

,at tai n i ng the ordinary si ze

of th e cod—fi sh ; a profi table fishery then takes place of them in deep t ideways,under the

name of Set/res .

Al though the fry of the coal- fi sh frequen t al l parts of bays,yet the fi shermen have in

formed me,that the i r favou ri te resort i s among the cons tan t floods and edd i e s wh ich occu r

near sunken rocks an d bars,that are al ternately covered an d la id bare by the waves . The

fi shery for S i l locks or Piltock s i s,therefore

,occasi onal ly fata l to the more adven turous boats ,

wh ich , i n quest of them ,angle i n such peri lous s i tuati on s . But

,bes ides frequen t i ng t ide

ways,an d . cu rren ts of al l k i nds

,these smal l fry appear to covet the securi ty of th i ck plan ta

t ions of sea—ware,wi th i n th e shel ter of wh ich they are protected from the keen look-out of

the i r natu ral enem ies of th e feathered race .

There i s,probably

,no sigh t more impress ive to the stranger who firs t v i s i ts th e shores

of Shetland,than to observe

,on a serene day, when th e waters are perfectly t ransparen t and

und i stu rbed,the mul t i tudes of busy shoal s

,whol ly con s i st i ng of th e fry of the coal-fi sh that

Nature’s ful l an d unsparing hand has d i rec ted to every harbour and in let },As the even i ng advance s

,i n numerable boats are launched

,crowd i ng th e surface of th e

Kn ow n at Ed in bu rgh , (says M r N e i l l,) u n de r th e nam e ofPod leys , and at Scarborou gh ofPa r s .

i Synon imou s w i th th e f ol lock , of the H e br ide s ; the g lassock of Su n de r land ; the cn a’a'z'

e of the Moray Fi r th ; th e g orypod ley of Ed in bu rg h and the bi l let of Scar bor ou gh . Se e N e l l's Tou r , p . 209 . The Pi l tock of She tlan d is the k u tlz of O rk n eyw h ich th e fo l low ing year is d ist ing u ished in th e latte r p lace by the nam e of lza r bin es , or tw o year-o ld ku ths , bu t th ey ar e larg eand coarse , and n o t mu ch sou g h t afte r . Acqu i r ing the i r g rea te st bu lk , they are ca l led S e t/res . Low '

s Fa u n a O r cadens is , p . 1 94 .

M r N e i l l r emarks , that th e fu l l g row n fi sh is also in d i fi e re n t place s te rmed a S ey ,a g r ey l ing ,

a g r ey lor d , & c . M r Noe l de laM or in ie r e , In spec tor -G e n e ral of th e Fr e n ch Fish er ie s , obse rve s , that th e name Sey or Se th e is fr equ e n tl y g ive n by Scand inavianfi she rme n to the fu l l g row n Gadu s vi r e n s .

1 Gaw in Doug las , the beau tifu l ear ly Poe t of Sco tland , has desc r ibed a scen e somewh e r e s im i lar .

For to beho ld it was a g lo i r e" to se e

The stabled w in d is , and the ca lmed s ea,

Th e soft season , the fi rmame n t se r e n e ,

The loa n ? i llum in'd air , and fi r t/t am en d ,

Th e s i lve r -scalded fishes on the g r it,O e r thw ar t c l ear stream s sp r z

'

nk i l lan d ll for the heat

W i th fin n is sh inand brow n as C in nabar,

A nd ch i z z e l tailis s tir rand he r e an d the r e .

Glory. 2 Ca lm . 1 Pleasan t p lain . ll Dar ting w i th a tremu lou s motion .

6 DUNROSSNESS . [ ITER 1.

bays,and fi l led w i th hardy nat ives of al l ages . The fi sherman i s seated i n h i s l igh t sk i ff,

wi th an angl i ng rod i n h i s hand, and a supply of boi led l impets near h im ,i n tended for bai t .

A few of these are carefu l ly stored i n h i s mouth , for immed ia te u se . The bai ted l in e i sth rown in to the wa ter

,an d a fi sh i s almost i n stan taneously brough t up . The fi n n y capt ive

i s then secu red ; and wh i le one hand i s devoted to w i eld i ng th e rod,another i s u sed for

carry ing th e hook to th e mou th,where a fresh bai t i s ready for i t , i n the appl icat ion of

wh ich th e fingers are ass i sted by the l ips . The same manual and labial rou ti ne goes onwi th remarkable adroi tness an d celeri ty

,un t i l a sufficien t number of s i l locks are secured for

the fi she rman’s repast . But , i n any season of the year the l impe t bai t may be supersededby the more al luri ng temptat ion of an art ificial fly . The rod and l i n e -are then hand ledw i t h a dexter ity not u nworthy the freshwater talen ts of a Walton or a Cotton .

* Frequen tly ,al so

,i n stead of launch ing h is l igh t yaw l on the ruffled surface of the bay

,a smal l baske t i s

st rung across the shou lders,and securely on shore ,

Some rock the fi sh er cl imbs,whose hangi ng brow

Threatens the waves tha t lash i ts base below .

A slender twig h i s trembl i ng hand extends,

The waving horse-hai r from the top descendsI t s fraud imme rst w i th equal joy s e late

,

The shoals pursue , an d snatch the lu rk ing fate . l

So eas i ly are captures made of these smal l fry, that wh i l s t act ive manhood i s l eft a tl iberty to fol low the

‘

more labori ou s occupat ion s of the deep wate r fishery,or to navigate the

Green land Seas,i t i s to the s i newless arm of youth

,or to the relaxed fibres of old age

,that

th e l ight task i s res igned of w ie lding the s i l lock-rod .

The lavi sh abundance i n wh i ch the fry of th e c oal- fi sh v i s i t th e i n let s of Shetland,

afford suffici en t matte r for c ontemplati on to the reflect i ng m ind . Among i s lands,th e severe

cl imate of wh ich i s too often fatal to the labours of h usbandry , where the reduced rate oflabour

,resu l t ing from the debased pol i t i cal state of the coun try , prec l udes the purchase of

meal at a cost much above the usual pri ce i n c ommerc ial d i s tr ic ts,—under such c i rcum

stances , what i s there, that can poss ibly render a few i nsulated rocks capabl e of support i nga populat i on of more than sou ls ? The reply i s n ot d ifficul t . That kind Prov ide n c e

,

who pou rs h i s boun ti e s forthsuch a ful l an d unw i thdraw i ng hand

,

Thronging the seas wi th spawn i n numerable ,

It may be of some in te r e s t to bro the rs o f the an g le , as I saac Wa l ton calls h is compan ion s , to lear n that the She tlan d fly .

to w h ich S i l lo cks r ise , is rare l y in te nded to r e pre s e n t any par t ic u lar s pe c ie s obs e rve d in Natu r e . The She t lande r as s u re s u s con

fi de n tly , that tw o w in g s are n e cess ary fo r the in s e c t , -the fi sh d is ting u ish i n g n o th ing mo r e . The in fe r e n ce is , that the re is ani n te l le c tu al g radation amon g th e fi n nv tr i be , and that the fry o f th e coa l-fi sh ar e n ot so c lear -s ig h ted a.s the mo r e wary an d k nowin g inhabitan ts of pe l lu c id trou t-s tr e am s . Fo r th e co n s tr u c t ion of the bai t , th e w h i te feathe r of the common g u l l , o r of th e g oos e ,i s som e time s Us ed . B u t th e fibr e s o f the tai l o r back fi n of th e dog fi sh , w h ich ,

w he n c lean e d ,s h in e s l ike s i lve r , is pre fe r red to an y

o th e r k ind o f mate r ia l , be ing con s ide r ed by the fishe rme n as par ticu lar ly e n tic ing . The fly is attache d to a w h i te ha i r l in e , an dvs he n th is can n o t be proc u r ed , to a brass w i re .

1 T ran s lat ion of O ppian’s H alie u tick s , by j on e s , & c . ,p . 1 38. O x fo rd , 1 72 2 .

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2 8 NOTES TO ITER 1.

th e group,and from i ts remoteness , I had n o Opportun i ty of v i s i t i ng . I n order , th erefore ,

to complete my account of Shet land , I must’ be i ndebted for i n formati on regard i ng Fair

I s le to the tes t imony of o ther v i s i tors .Fair-I sle

,wh ich i s about twen ty- fi ve mi les S .SW . of D u n rossn e ss

,has been stated to

be about two mi les i n length , an d about th ree quarters i n bread th . A very i n te l l igen tnatural i s t

,Dr Flem ing

,who visi ted th i s i s land in the year 1 808 , found that i t con s i s ted

c h iefly of sands tone . He remarked that “ i n a mi nera l precip ice of th i s rock,upward s of

300 feet i n heigh t to the northward of Nave rsg ill, and d i rec tly exposed to the westwardocean

,i s a ve i n of copper . I t i n tersects the s trata i n a perpend icu lar d i rec t ion

,and i t s l i n e

of bearing i s n ear lf from north to sou th . Both s ides of the ve i n seem to be composed ofgreen stone . Between these layers of greenstone , and in the m idd l e of the ve i n , there i s as tratum of soft decomposed rock , co i rtain in g much clay, an d fragmen ts of compact heavyspar. The princ i pal ore i s the copper-glanc e , or v i treous copper-ore . There i s also a smal lquant i ty of copper-green

,an d malach ite d i ssem i nated th rough th e copper-glance . The ve in

of ore appeared to be on ly about s ix i nches i n bread th .

” Dr Flem ing again observes,tha t

si n ce copper—glance i s known to afford from 60 to 80 per cen t. of metal,i t i s an obj ec t of

con siderable importance to ascertai n the true size an d exten t of th i s ve i n .

*

The followi ng accoun t of Fai r-I s le , i s an abstract from a MS . Journal,i n my possess i on

,

of a Mr James Robertson , (I bel ieve of Ed i nburgh ,) who, about the year 1 770, vis i ted th i splace . Fair-I s le r ises i n three h igh lands

,known by the fol lowing names : The Coasthill

to the north-west, Sheepc raig to th e sou th-east , an d Se tte rn ess to the north-east . The whol e

i sland i s natural ly fenced wi th perpend i cu lar rocks , except on the north-east end, wherethere are two bays

,where boats can conven ien tly land ; the on e on the n orth s ide, bei ng a

tolerable harbour for vessel s n ot exceed ing 60 tons . I t i s,however

,to be observed

,that

two or th ree on ly can l i e here wi th safety . Th e anchori ng ground i s i n the i ns ide of a smal lrock cal led th e Sfack

,wh ich l ies nearly i n th e m idd l e of the en try . Ships a lways go i n an d

ou t by the w es t s ide of that rock an d i f i t chance to blow hard from the north,wh ich leads

st raigh t i n to the harbour,i t w i l l be proper to make fast a rope to a stake

,and ride under i ts

lee . The number of i nhab i tan ts i s abou t 1 70. The men are employed i n catch ing fish,

wh ich they sal t and se l l to the i r land lord . The women kn i t s tocki ngs and gloves,or sp in

l i n t an d wool len yarn . The nat ive s speak th e Engl i sh language wi th the Norse accen t .The i r food i s mostly m i lk , fish

,w i ld-fow l an d w i ld-fowl eggs

,which th ey take from among

the prec ipices,by cl imbi ng , or go ing dow n th e rocks by the ass i s tance of a rope .

”

I n th e next place,Mr Sherri ff, who, i n h i s survey of Shetland i n the year 1 808 , vi s i ted

Fai r-I sl e i n company with Dr Flem ing , remarks , that the arable land i s s i tuated on thesou th-east s ide , an d i s of moderate fert i l i ty . There i s a good deal of meadow

,tolerably pro

du ctive of herbage . The h igh grounds are i n general grassy,and y ield to lerabl e pasture for

the sheep an d l i t t le horses . The latter a re kept solely for carry i ng home peat , wh ich is du gi n a vale towards the north e n d of th e i sland . The i n habi tants depend much upon fi sh ing

,

and catch annual ly abou t cod an d coal fi sh,wi th a few li ng an d tu sk . 1

L

B rand,i n 1 701 , found abou t ten or twe lve fami l i es i n the i sland, bu t he observed ,

thatthe smal l-pox had swept away two—th i rd s of the in hab itan ts i

I n Si r Robert Sibbald’s t ime, the i nhabi tants were noted for thei r baldness, i nduced nodoubt by T i n ea capi t i s . I t was a c ommon express ion when speak ing of these i s landers, tosay

,That th ere was not a hai r between them an d heaven .§I n 1 700, Fai r-I sl e was un i ted to the pari sh of D u n rossn e ss, th e m in i ster of wh ich r e

ma ined w i th them annual ly for s i x weeks . There was also a l i t t le church,w i th a person

appoi n ted every Sabbath-day to read the Sc riptures ; an d i t was sa id to be regularly an d

orderly atten ded .

“A nd i t i s worth the mark i ng,

” adds Si r Robert Sibbald,

“ that forn ica

D r Flem in g's R e po r t in She r ri fi ’s Ag r icu l tu ra l Su rvey of She tland , p . 1 28.

l She rr iff s Ag r icu l tu ral Su rvey of She tland , p. 7 .

1 B rand's Br ie f De sc r iption of O rkn ey and Ze tland Ed in bu rg h , 1 701 .

Sir Robe r t S ibbald’s De scr iption of Z e t land , fo l. p . 25.

NoTEs To ITER 1. 2 9

t ion,an d othe r such escapes, (frequen t i n other place s), are very rare here . But

,more

lately,th e I slands of Fou la

,Fai r- I sle

,and Skerrie s

,were un i ted i n a separate m in i stry under

one clergyman . From the remoteness of these places from each other, th i s was found ani nc onven ien t arrangemen t . Fai r-I s le was therefore agai n at tached to D u n rossn e ss. Divi n eservic e i s n ow performed by a schoo lmaster, and the i slan d i s v i s i ted by the m in i ster annual ly for a week only .

1

I t may be last ly observed,that Fa ir-I sl e i s ce lebra ted for th e immense number of th e

feathered tr ibe,wh ich abound on i ts rocks . Mr Bul lock of L ondon vi s i ted th i s i sland a

few years ago, an d added some rare specimen s Of b i rd s to h i s mu seum . I n Brand 's t ime,

A .D . 1 700, Fai r-I sl e was noted fo r hawks,afli rm ed to be the best i n Bri ta i n . These

feathered marauders were sa id to have v i s i ted O rkney an d Shetland for th e i r prey, carryi ngaway from the former place moor-fowls , an d fly ing wi th them over forty or fi fty m i les of sea

,

to bring th em to the i r n e sts .

NOTE 111. Page 8 .

TRAD IT IONARY NARRAT IVE O F TH E DUKE DE MED INA’S SH IPWRECK,COMMANDER

O F TH E SPAN ISH ARMADA,A .D . 1588 .

The Duke de Med i na,who figures away so admirably i n the Shetland trad i t i on

,i s

described after the fol lowi ng manner by S trada,the Jesui t Igi tu r A lphon sum Pe resium

Gu sman um,Medin ae Sidon iae D u cem ,

m ilitiae qu idem haud i ta pe ritum sed c larum genered ivitiisqu e per H ispan iae regna praepollen tem ,

pro San c tacru c io rex substitu it, c lasse nonaspe rn an te , ferreo Duc i aureum su ffectum : quod e t pr imar ii mi l i te s ampliorem su i u suma n ovo in expe rtoqu e imperatore s ib i prom itte ren t e t re liqu i pecu n iosum D u cem tanquamObsidem acc ipe ren t stipen di i non defu tu r i .

”

I t i s proper al so to s tate,that on exam in ing Strada’s account of th e d i saster of th e

Span i sh Armada, I had , a t fi rs t v i ew,conce ived that th e narrat ive of th e Jesu i t was fatal to

the au then ti ci ty of th e Shetland trad i t i on s i nce he ment ion s,that afte r the tempest of th e

Scot ti sh Seas , th e Duke was driven to St Andero i n Spai n . These are the h i s torian’swords Medin ae Sidon iae Dux ad San c tandrean um ve te r is Caste llae portum appu lsu s cumpauci s n av ibu s

,iisqu e sau c iis mu tilatisqu e et ve lu t i n magno naufragio collectis

.

malecohaere n tibu s tabu l i s

,u t erat an imo aeger pari ter e t corpore , domum pe rm issu regi s , cu ra

tion is causa An attent ive exam i nat ion,how ever

,of th i s passage may shew ,

that no th ing more m igh t have bee n mean t,than that St Andero was a mere rendezvous

,for

the purpose of col lect ing togethe r the d i spersed rema in s of the Armada . To th i s port,

th erefore,th e Duke

,on be ing landed a t Dunkirk

,migh t have immed iately speeded

,where

th e purpose for wh ich he chose th i s sta t i on wou ld have j u st ified Strada’s general narrat ive .

Besides,i t wa s no t th e h is torian’s obj ec t to i nqu i re i n to personal adven tu res

,bu t i nto

gen eral h i s tor ical even ts . O n th i s accoun t,w e are not en ti t led to expect, that the Duke

’spart icu lar hardsh ips at Fa ir-I sl e would appear i n a summary vi ew of the Wars Of th e Netherland s . The t rad i t i on of Shetland

,bes ides bei ng so cu rrent at the presen t day as to have

afforded me much of the matter wh ich I have related,was collected by Si r Robert S ibbald

a cen tury ago, from the wri t ten commun icat ion of Mr Umphrey, a descendan t of the w orthyShetlander who landed th e Duke de Med i na at Dunk i rk . Brand

,i n 1 70 1 , rece ived the

trad i t i on “ from an old gen tlewoman,

” as i t was commun icated to her when a ch i ld,by th e

c ountry people who saw the Duke .

I n page 5 some explanat ion may be perhaps requ i red , for attri but i ng to QueenEl i zabe th an expressi on usual ly ascr ibed to k ing James of Scotland . O ldm ixon , for i n stance ,remarks . “ That the Scots nat ion were very sen s ible that the danger wh ich threatenedEngland concerned them very nearly and that

,as King James said h im self

,i f th e Span i sh

Fam ian i S trada: Roman i , e Soc , Je s . de Be l lo Be lg ico ; D e c . Se c . Ed 1648, p . 559.

30 NOTES To ITER 1.

en terpri se succeeded , he cou ld on ly hope for the fate Polyphemes menaced U lysses w i th , tobe the las t devou red .

” Strado, however, i n h i s usual eloquen t style , gives a d i ffe ren taccoun t of th e matter . “ Non ce ssabat i l la [El i zabetha] lite r is, legation ibu squ e placareju ven em regem [Jacobum], e t commu n ion e pe r icu li i n partes attrahe re , su b in de admon e n s

,

cave ret s ibi a con siliis Hispanorum , qu ibu s decretum esset,post dev ieram A ngliam ,

con

tin en ti opera Scotiam subjuga t e , nec maj us ab H ispano be n e fi c ium Scoto expe ctan dum .

quam quod Ulyssi prom ississe dic itu r Polyphemus , nempe u t caete ris devoratis,

u l t imusi pse deglu tir e tu r .

”— Bu t i f James was rel uctan t i n embark ing i n th e Protes tan t cause,i t was

eviden t that such lukewarm sen t imen ts prevai led nowhere i n Scotland bu t i n HolyroodHouse .

“The rumour of the great Span i sh Armada

,

” says an O ld au thor, “ bei ng blazedabroad, frequen t w ere the prayers of the godl y i n Scotland , powerfu l an d pierc i ng w erethe sermons of preachers,

”etc . The Span iards who w e re cast away u pon the Scott i sh

coasts , are al so sa id , i n the spi ri t o f the t imes , to “ have begged from door to door,

procla im i ng aloud the glory of God’s j u st ice and pow er .

NOTE IV . p . 1 3 .

ROMAN ANT IQU IT IES FOUND A T D UNROSSNEss.

Mr Ross, (late Of L erwick ,) was at con s iderable pai ns to col lect al l th e remai n s of

an t iqu i ty wh ich fel l i n h i s way, that w ere found i n Shetland . I n h i s possess ion I have seen,

among othe r coi n s,a copper medal

,beari ng the i nscript ion of Se r. Galba

’

Imp . Caes . Aug.

anoth er Of Vespas ian,and a s i lver coi n of T rajan . Mr Pennan t

,i n h i s Arcti c Zoology

,has

s tated , On th e authori ty of th e late Reverend George L ow ,tha t a medal of Vespasian had

been former ly found at D u n rossn e ss . I possess a note to the same effect i n Mr L ow’shandw ri t i ng .

“ I n D u n rossn e ss pari sh was some t ime ago found a copper medal of Vespas ian , th e reverse J udaea Vic ta. I t was tu rned up i n plowing the ground .

”

I n the Plate of An t iqu i t i es given i n the Append i x,marked Fig. 2

,a copper meda l

fou nd i n Shetland,bears on one s ide the name Of L . zEliu s Caesar

,and on the reverse

Pan n on iae Curia A E L i n wh ich [Eliu s i s figured as rece iv i ng from a nat ive of Pannon iaa cornucopiae an d a household-god . Below are the letters S . C . (senatus consul to . ) A i l i n swas the Roman whom Adrian i n h i s old age adopted as h i s successor, bei ng better knownby th e name wh ich he bore prior to h i s e levat i on

,— that of L . Aurel ius Verus . He was

created Prze tor,and sen t to govern the prov i ne of Pannon ia , i n wh i ch employment he

acqu i t ted h imsel f w i th a reputat i on . He was sprung from a n oble fam i ly , was w el l versedi n most b ranches of learn i ng

,part i cu larly i n poetry

,and i s described as preservi ng a d ign i

fi ed manner amidst habi t s of extreme d i s s ipat i on . Hi s con st i tu ti on was w eak an d i nfi rm ,

and he d id n ot l ive to atta in the h igh d i gn i ty wh ich was i n tended him as Ad rian’s successor .See Un iv . His .

,vol . xv .

,p . 1 74 to 1 76 .

NOTE V. p . 1 9 .

REMARKS ON T H E DARK PER IOD O F T H E H ISTORY O F SHETLAND .

I have stated that i t i s imposs ibl e to i nvest igate the earl ies t an nal s of Shetland to theexc l u s i on of those O f O rkn ey . I n givi ng a conci se vi ew of what is recorded on th e subj ect ,I have avo ided much of the apocryphal matte r wh ich has been col lected on the occas i on byTo rfae u s . Any an t iquary who may possess a rel i sh for the occupat ion of si ft i ng truth fromfal sehood

,w i l l fi n d abundan t mater ia l s for h i s purpose i n Buchanan’s Accoun t of King

Belus O f O rkney,i n th e

'

i n format ion of Bede and Boeth iu s that Claud iu s carri ed to RomeKing Gaiu s of O rkney for th e purpose of grac i ng h i s tri umph , or i n Geoffry of Monmouth

’sassert i on that K ing Gu n fas iu s Of th e O rkneys pa id a tribute to King Arthu r. The sameant iquary may also , l ike the learned Whittaker i n h i s H i story of Gian t Tarqu i n of

ADD IT IO N TO ITER I . 3 1

Manchester,plunge a t once i n to th e regions of pu re romance

,wh ere , i n “ L a Morte

d’A rthu r

,

” pri n ted by Caxton , he w i l l fi nd“ how L ot

,Ryuge of L owthean and of

O rkney w edded th e s i s ter of Kyng Arthur —how Pe llin ore smote bym a gre te strokethorow th e helme an d hede un to the b rowcs

,and then al l th e hooste of O rkney fled for th e

deth of Kynge L ot, an d th ere were slayn many moders sones .”

O n th e subj ect of the dark period of the h i story of Shetland and O rkney , I have onlyto add

,tha t the accoun t of Claud i u s havi ng

,A . D . 4 3 , added O rkney to h i s governmen t,

rests on the authori ty Of Eu tropiu s (lib . Th e s tatemen t i s not corroborated by thetes t imony of other Roman authors

,al though i t impl ies the common bel i ef

,t hat abou t the

Chri st ian Era O rkney was i nhabi ted . The narra t ive of Eu tropiu s i s i ndeed d i rec tly Opposedto the assert i on of Taci tu s

,who affirms that the O reades were u nknown to th e Romans

un ti l th e vi s i t of Agricola . See Taci tu s,i n Vi t . Agric . c . 10.

ADDIT ION TO ITER I .

neglected to state i n page 2 7 that the l ivers of the s i l locks are convertedto an importan t use ; be ing collec ted i n a tub, they are bo i led for O il, w h i le the overplussold . Thus

,

” says a female w ri ter of Thu le (Miss Campbel l)w i th much eloquence,“ the

two art icles most requ i red i n a cl imate l ike that of Shetland,have been abundan tly provided

by the eternal an d ever-wi se Governor of the Un iverse,— these are fi re an d l igh t . The

nat ives have,for thei r labour

,as much fue l as they can con sume . Whatever wan ts may be

i n a Zetland hu t,there i s seldom or never a good fire wan t i ng . The fi sh wh ich they catch ,

almost at the i r doors, supply th em wi th the mean s of l igh t . The c old an d darkness of the i rl ong wi n ters are thus merc i ful ly robbed of thei r te rror ; and i n the mu d-wal led cot tage ofth e Z e tlan de r , th e providence of God i s as conspicuou s, an d as surely fel t, as i n thosefavoured land s wh ic h flow w i th m i lk an d honey

,an d where the sun sh in es i n all i t s glory .

”

31m 5131.

SOUTH EAST D I ST R ICT O F S HETLAND

A n d al l th e Chamber fi l l ed was w ith flyes,Which buzzed al l about

,and made such sound

That they en combe red al l men’s eares an d eyesL ike many swarmes of bees assembled round,After th e i r h ives w i th bonny do abound .

All those were [Geognost ic] fantasi e s ,Devices

,drean i es, Opin i ons un sound .

”

Whorn Alma havi ng shewed to her gu estes,Thence brough t them to the Second Rowme, whoseWere pai n ted fai re w ith memorabl e gestesO f famous w i sards

,and wrth p ic tural s

O f magis trates, of courts, of tribunals ,O f common wealth es

,of states

,of pol icy ,

O f lawes,of ju dgmen tes, an d of decreta ls .

SPENSER’S Fai ry Qu een e, Can to 9 .

fi rst landing on th e shores of Shetland,we were i nduced to cons ider

,as objects

of no l i t tle i nteres t,th e hab i t s of the people w i th whom we were to m ingle

,as wel l as

the memorial s wh ich serve to eluc idate th e early h i story of th e country . I t was i ndeedrequ i si te that there shou ld be some rel ie f of th i s k i nd from the monotonous labours of thehammer . For i t would be the most i rksome of avocat ion s to be condemned for a length oft ime to to i l u n rem i tt in gly among prim i t ive rocks

,—to pore i ncessan tly over m ineralogica l

spec imen s,—or rath e r , l i ke Shakespeare

’s du l l solemn foresters,to seek for “ sermons i n

A nd th is ou r l ife , e xempt from pu bl ic hau n t,Finds tong u e s in tr e es , books in the ru n n in g brooks ,S ermons in S ton es .

"

Duke , in A s you l ike it.”

34 UDA L L ERS .

[ITER 11.

I n th e exami nat ion of th e sou th-east d i str ic t of Shetland , th e obj ects i nvi t i ng part icu laratte n t ion

,are th e Burgh of Mousa

,wh ich forms n o i n s ign ifican t monument of th e m i l i tary

arts of th e Northmen by whom the p i le was reared the Castle of Scal loway,bu i l t by Ear l

Patrick Stewart,wh ich recal l s t o m ind th e peri od when H ialtlan d fi rst became a Scott i sh

provi nce ; and the modern town of L er wick , sufl‘ic ien tly ind i cat ive of the commerc ial sp i ri t

that has been imbibed from the ki ngdom to wh ich Shetland was las t annexed . Theseobj ects

,wh ich

,in th e route we are tak ing

,arres t the n oti ce of the trave lle r i n a sort of h i s

tor ical successi on , sugges t, a t the same t im e, an i nqu i ry i n to the cau ses that have led to th epresen t pol i t ical state of the coun try . But th i s h i s tory wou ld be imperfect ly understood

,

wi thout an accurate concept i on of the s tate of landed property duri ng the peri od whenShetland was subj ect to Norway

,and of the changes wh ich Scand i nav ian tenures under

w en t,from the i n troducti on i n to the coun try of Scot t i sh feudal i sm . Th i s prel im inary in for

mat ion,th erefore

,I now propose to give .

HISTORY OF TH E UDAL L ERS OF SHETL AND .

Norwegian poets relate,that i n the 9th cen tury, Harold H arfagre , or the Fai r-hai red,

hearing of the t ran scendan t beau ti es of the Pri ncess Gida,cred i ted th e rumour to i ts ful l

exten t,and, wi th ou t ever see i ng th e damsel , commi ss i on ed a L ord to make her an O ffer of

h i s hand .

“ The name of Harold i s not su ffici en tly renowned, sa id th e ambi t iou s fai r one,never wi l l G ida esteem the noble su i tor worthy of her love

,un t i l h e has reduced al l Nor

7way under h i s power .’ The hero was not d i sh eartened by these severe cond i t i on s, bu tvowed to heglect h i s fine golden locks un ti l the subj ugat i on was accompl i sh ed .

*

Harold was successfu l . Most of the petty pri n ces of Norway y i elded to h im absolutesubm iss ion others

,lesspat i en t of th e yoke

,sough t wi th thei r re ta i ners a voluntary ex il e i n

Iceland,Fe roe

,or the i slands con t iguous to the north of Scotland . Among the remote and

ster i l t rac ts Of O rkney an d of Shetland , val ian t Norwegian s, whose deeds of arms had been solately sung i n t he i r own coun try

,were on ly solaced by th e opportun i t ies of revenge wh ich

th e earl ies t breezes of the spri ng afforded to the i r pi rat ica l barks . Thus d id n umeroussummers attest the devastat ion an d s laugh te r w i th wh ich th e coasts of Harold were vi s i ted .

The monarch was a t length roused from h is con temptuous d i sregard of these daringh ordes

,an d, having col lected a fleet

,immediately put to sea . Shetland , O rkney, an d th e

Hebrides,wh ich had ever afforded shelte r for the obj ects of p i racy

,fel l before h im . The

l iberat ion of the seas be ing thus accompl i shed,Harold offered the provinces of Cai th ness

,

O rkn ey , and Shetland , as one earldom , to Ronald, Coun t of Merca . But th i s noblemanbe ing more attached to a Norwegian res idence , res igned the donat ion i n favou r of h i s

Tor faeu s , Ren a/z O r cad . H ist , c . 6. Mal le t's Nar i/z . A n tiq. (Tran s lation by Pe rcy), vol. i .

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36 UDA L LERS .

[m m 11,

Such i s the s impl e detai l of even ts,over wh ich an a i r of mystery has ever un necessari ly

hu ng,relat ive to the d i str ibut ion of terr i tory among the early Norwegian posse ssors of

Shetland ; al l the lead i ng c i rcumstances attend i ng the part i t i on amounti ng to no morethan th i s b ri ef s tatemen t — that the s tandard of valuat ion to which each d iv ided al lotmen tor mark of land bore reference

,was a s imple mark of wadmel

,cons i s t i ng of forty-e igh t el ls

that i n l im i ti ng the area of equ ivalen t al lotmen ts of ground,an d i n adj ust i ng to th i s s imple

s tandard each var i ous qual i ty of soi l,every mark of land th roughou t Shetland would man i

fest correspondi ng d i fferences of extent al so, that i n the course. of t ime, each mark of land ,whatever m igh t have been i ts area

,was supposed to be divi s ible i n to equal port i on s

,named

ar es,th e term bei ng arb i trari ly derived from the e igh th part of some i nfer ior metal .Before th e re ign of Harold, Scandi nav ian lands had been held un fettered by any tax

or impost . The hardy Northman,after d i scoveri ng that a soi l cou ld be so improved by

labou r as to afford to the cul t ivator a subs i s tence less precari ous than that wh ich depend supon th e resources of fi sh i ng or h un ti ng, would i nclose a p iece of ground around the cabi nhe had erected

,to wh ich he wou ld affix some unl im i ted notions of property . Harold i s

supposed to have been th e fi rs t monarch of Norway who oppressed h i s subj ects by levy i nga tax or shat upon land .

* But i n whatever mode the tax migh t have been exacted i n Norway

,i t appears , that, i n th e colony of Shetlan

‘

d,th e i n closures des igned for cul t ivat ion were

eve r con s idered as property that was sacred to the free u se of th e possessor ; these werenever v i olated by th e unwelcome i ntrus i on of a col lector of scat Each mark of landbounded by mark-ston es or mez

’

t/zes,natural ly con ta i ned very l it t le so i l fi t for t i l lage . I t was

,

therefore,from pastures

,and from the produce of th e flocks wh ich grazed upon them , that

th e seat,or contribut ion for th e exigenc ie s of th e state of Norway

,was origi nal ly levied ]L

The patch of ground which the possessor had i n cl osed,be i ng rendered exempt from every

impos i t i on to wh ich graz ing-lands were l iable,i t i s poss ibl e that the uncontrolled enjoyment

of the soi l des t in ed for cul tu re,fi rst suggested to the early col on i sts of Shetland such a term

as odhal or udal,express ive i n th e northern language offr eep roper ty or possession I whi l s t

occas ion to qu ar te r h is m e n on th e inhabi tan ts of O rkn ey. That th ey m igh t be bi l le ted w ith a r eg u lar i ty w or thy of mode r n t ime s,

h e d ivided th e is lands in to E u r elaml s or O u n ce lamt's , each of w h ich w as th e e ig h th part of a mark . To rfa ms thu s de sc r ibe s th e

fac t : I pse r ex (H acon) in su pe r io r ib u s aad ibu s accu bu it , in su lasqu e in u nc ias de sc r ib i cu rav it (Ey r is la h d habetu r , con tim't a u

tcm ou a l z’be t m e r ca tor ra'octo ey r e r s u e u n cias ,) sa tr apis et n obi l i ta ti , e or umqu e tu rm is , pe r s in g u los u n c iar ios ag ros su s te ndan

d is .

” —Torfa:u s, Re r u m O r cad . H ist ,

p . 1 69 .

“ Whe n Kin g Haro ld had su ppre ssed all the pe tty k in g s , h is pow e r e xte nded i tse lf l ikew ise to th e Ode l s-bonde n , (fre e

landho lde rs ,) and th ey w e re obl ig ed to pay him a tax, w h ich w as w i thou t dou bt the or ig in of the Ode ls-skat or tax ,w h ich is sti l l

imposed u pon them , thou gh Kin g Hag e n A dals te e n afte rwards p rom ised that i t shou ld be take n off .

"

Pon topp . N'

a t l f ist. ofA’or way ,

vol. i i . , p. 290.

i The S ca t w a s or ig in a l ly the tax or r en tj a z’dfor pas tu r ing -g r ou n d . Th is scat was the on l y land-r e n t payable to the

Crow n ou t of Ze tland at fi rs t ; b u t in proce ss of t ime,som e of the a r able-land w h ich w as a tfi r st the p r ope r ty of the I

'

m/ r owe r ,came also to the C row n by fo rfe i tu re s and donation s .

” —Gi fi'ord’s D esc r zlotion o etlana

', p . 54 .

To be in pe r fe ct cor r e spon de n ce w ith th e fo r eg o in g in format ion , the mark of land ou gh t to have or ig ina l ly in c l u de d bo tharable an d pastu re g rou nd . The fo l low in g is th e re ply to a Q u e ry s u bm i tted by M ) Sh i r r efi

'

to R . H zm tm , Esq. o/ L u m za

Wh en m e rks of lands'

ar e spoke n of, is it th e lan d w i th in the Ii ll-d ike s on l y that is me an t to be ide n t ified , or is th e Scattald or

h i l l -g raz in g s in c lu ded —~ A n sw e r : In the l eg it imate se n se,in sale s and in cha r te r s , it is th e w hole a r able an d pas tu r e-la n d ,

sea-w e eds , m in e ra ls , & c . u n l e ss p ar t icu lar e xcept ions be made .

”—Sh ir re ff’s A g r ic . S u r vey , p . A /pen

-l ix .

I Th is is th e e tymo logy pr oposed by Schefl'

e r and san ction ed by Pon topp idan . B lackston e , the En g l ish J udg e , al so con ce ivesit to b e the be st w h ich has be e n g ive n . Sche ffe r u s au tumat ab Ade l e t O de l , o r iu ndum e ss e , qu od prop r ie tatem omn imodam ,

sc i l ice t ab odh p rop r ietas , e t all totum omn e de n otav it —(Pon topp. lVor'way ,vol. i i . , p . L as tly ,

\Vi th r eg ard to the te rm ,

odha l or u da l , it has be e n imag in ed , that, by a tran spos i tion of th e se syl lable s , the te rm a l lozih w ou ld convey th e tr u e e tymo log yof a l lod i um or abso l u te p rope r ty . Se e B lackston e 's Comm en t , Ed . 1 803 , vol. i i . , p . 44 .

ITER I I . ] UDA L L ERS . 37

to pasture-land wh ich was h eld by the paymen t of a tax or seat, th e d i s t i nct ive, appel lati onwas awarded of Scattald .

*

Thus the Shetland mark of land orig i nal ly i nc luded pasture or scattald, as wel l as inclosed cu l t i vated ground free from seat

,and hence named udal . Accord i ngly, when a mark

of land was tran sferred by sale or bequest from one i nd iv idual to another, or was even le t toa tenan t

,the proport ion of scattald remain i ng after the patch of free arable grou nd had been

separated from i t,was always c learly expressed l

I t i s d ifficul t to form an accurate j udgmen t respec t ing the amoun t of the seat wh ichwas paid by Shetland to the Crown of Norway . When arabl e ground was i nclosed , andsubtracted from scattald

,becoming by th i s means u dal

,or free from th e impost of seat

,

vari ous assessmen ts,for th e purpose of equal i z in g the tax

,would be requ ired ; an d th e

populat i on of th e coun try encreas ing,land would become more i n demand , and couse

quen tly more valuable . I n reference,th erefore

,to a fixed s tandard of value

,marks of land

would be mu lt i pl i ed . At the t ime when Shetland was separated from th e Kingdom ofNorway, th ere are reasons for suppos i ng that th e number of marks m ight be abou tor be ing the same that i s recogni sed at the presen t day i , these havi ng bee n ratedfor the i r proport ion of the seat due to the Ki ng, accord ing to the exten t of pastu re-groundor scattald wh ich they respect ively conta in ed . §

I n the days of Harold,the seat was paid i n wadme l .” I n a late r peri od an

equ ivalen t of butter or oi l was acceptedfl There i s also reason for suppos ing, tha t,i n stead of scattald havi ng been cons idered as l iable to an impost of one or more el l sof wadmel , the assessmen t was made i n some rude descr ipt ion of co i n , bearing th ename of Pe n n ings or The re lat ive value of the penny acknowledged i n th i s

Th is d is t in ct ion is eviden tly imp l ied by M r G ifford of Bu sta,in h is e xc e l le n t Memo i r of She t lan d , draw n u p e ig hty years

ag o , w h ich d isp lays a de g r e e of r esea rch that w ou ld do cr ed it to the topog raphy of any provinc e . H e e xpr e s s l y says , that it w asthe a r able-g r ou n d (w h ich he had e lse w he re shew n to be n ot l iable to the levy of a scat ,) that bor e the n ame of Uda l . The fo l lowing ar e h is w o rds The a r able g r ou n d bei ng a l l a t fi r st the p r ope r ty of the imm ed ia te possessor s the r eof , w e n t to the i r su cce ssor s by a ve r bal t i t le ca l led Ude l l Su cce ss ion .

”

(G if’ford’s Zetlan d ,p . From th is and o the r passag e s in M r Gifford's w ork , it

is appare n t that the w ord u da l was me re l y mean t in She tland to d is t ing u ish fr ee a r able lan d from pas tu r e-la nd ,w h ich las t w as

l iable to a scat-du ty , and w as he n ce n amed sca tta ld . Thu s w e r e th e te rms sca tta ld and u da l-la n ds or ig inal l y opposed to each

o the r, how eve r con fou nded the s e d is t in ction s m ig h t have be e n in la te r t ime s , ow in g to the in novat ion s of a fe udal n atu r e that had

be e n in trodu ced in to th e cou n try , wh e n it be came an n e xed to the Crow n of Scot land .

7 Th is w i l l be fu l ly i l lu strated w he n I have to treat of the law of Udal Su cce ss ion .

1 S in ce th e t ime that Sh e tland w as an n e xed to the C r ow n of Scotland ,seve ral cau ses have con sp ir ed to pr eve n t th e in trodu c

t ion of any in n ovat ion in the measu r eme n t of th e lands of the cou n try and the an c ie n t lan d-marks , as the y have e x is ted fromt ime immemor ial , are s t i l l r e cog n ised in all tran sfe rs of prope r ty . A s far as I can co l le c t from the de scr ip t ion of the d iffe r e n tpar i she s of She tland g ive n in M r G iffo rd's De sc r ip tion of She tland , th e n umbe r ofmarks ar e su pposed by h im to be M r

H u n te r of Lu n n a has re ce n t ly su pposed them to b e abou t “p oo —A pp . to Sh i r r efi’s S u r v ey of Shetla n d , p . 32 .

The amou n t of th e tax paid to the Crow n of Scotland , be for e the oppre ss ive g ove rnme n t of Ear l Robe r t Stewar t, is su pposedto have be e n th e same that had p reviou s l y be en e xac ted by th e Kin g of De nmar k and No rway . M r G ifford says , that be fore th e

acces sion of th is Ear l , “th e C row n r e n t of Ze t lan d was farm ed at 500 marks a-year .

”—Gifi’or d’s Ze tlan d , p . 63 . Bu t n o in forma

t ion of the C r ow n’s r eve n u e s is conveyed from th is c i rcum s tan ce . Tacks of O rkn ey and She tland w e r e eve r e njoyed by cou r t

favou r ite s , w ho paid for th em an an n ua l con s ide rat ion , m u ch be n eath the r eal amou n t of th e profi t w h ich th ey de r ived from the se

is lan ds .

Mon ey w as th e n u n kn ow n . In Pink e r ton's H is tory of M edal s, (vol. 11. p . may be fou nd the fo l low ing qu otation from

C ran tz, r e gard ing the -tate of Scan d inavia n comme rce p r ior to the n th c e n tu ry.

“ I l la ve ro tempe s tate n u l la e rat in te r ra

mon e ta ; sed r ebu s r e s commu tan te s , ve tu s tissimo mor e me rcaban tu r ."

fll G ifford's Ze tland , p . 62 .

Fou r pe n n y , s ix pe n n y land, & c . , or ig inal l y den oted the propor t ion of scattald con tain ed w i th in the mark . In e l u c idat ion

38 UDAL L ERS .

[ ITER 11.

c oun try,when compared w i th s i lver

,appears i n the cou rse of t ime to have varied material ly .

Bu t whatever encrease of va lue the coi n m igh t have sustai ned , e i ther by an add i t i on t o theweigh t

,or from causes not purely artific ial

,fou r of these penn ies were ever demanded as

th e equ ivalen t of an el l of wadmel,t he cloth never havi ng been exacted accord i ng to th e

rat i o of i ts qual i ty,but always i n a fixed measurable quan t i ty .

* The i nev itable cou se

qu en ce was, that, i n course of t ime, th e equ ivalent of an el l of wadme l for every fourpenc echarged on a mark of land

,was tran sm i tted to th e governmen t of Denmark in materia ls of

the very coarsest descr iption JL I t may be also observed, that th e amount of the sca t

exacted from each mark was w i th i n th e l im it s of four and twelve pen n in gs . Hence thedes ignat ion of four penny

,s ix penny

,e igh t penny land

,& c .

,recogn i sed i n Shet land at the

p resen t day,no mark hav ing been rated under four pence

,or more than twelve pence .

Duri ng the peri od i n wh ich Shetland was subj ect to th e crown of Norway , th e G randFoude , or Governor, s tri ct ly forbade al l commerc ial i n tercourse wi th oth er nat ions . The

poverty resu l t ing no less from th i s proh ib it ion than from the d i sproport i onate amoun t of thetax to wh ich land was subject , ever i nduced a cons iderable em igrat ion from these i sl ands }

Thus oppressed,i t i s n o wonder that Shet land an d O rkney should have always y i elded

an unwi l l i ng submi ss i on to the Crown of Norway . Pecun ia ry mulc ts were a t various t imesimposed upon the i nhabi tan ts for the i r d i sobedi ence ; but these, as they i ncreased thepoverty of the coun try

,on ly served to mul t iply the causes of i rri tati on .

I t wi l l n ow be proper to take a conci se v i ew of th e relat i on s i n wh ich the d i fferen tranks of men belongi ng to the Scandi navian colony stood to each other.

Shetland being by natu re const i tu ted a provi nce di st i nc t from the oth er d i v i s i on s ofterri tory belonging to th e Earldom of O rkney , had a separate governor appoi n ted by th eKi ng of Denmark

,as j udge of al l c iv i l a ffa i rs , th e coun try at the same time acqui r ing the

of the or ig in of th is and othe r te rms of th e l ike n atu re , D r jam i e son has brou g h t fo r ward two qu otat ion s from Ih r e , w h ich at l eas tsh e w the fam i l iar ity of th e te rm amon g the n or th e r n nation s . Th e se ar e

,how eve r , mor e appl icabl e to the d ivis ion of the lan d s o f

O rkn ey than to those of Sh e tland , s in ce the latte r cou n try , in the r e te n t ion of man y p r imeva l cu stoms,lon g afte r th ey w e re

abo l ished in an c ie n t Scand inavia, and even in O rkn e y , has n eve r ye t ackn ow l edg ed su ch an in n ovation as a r eg u lar land me as u r e

m e n t. O ld me ithes or mark-s ton e s are s t i l l by the She tlande rs r e l ig iou s ly pr e se rved and the mark of land is at th e p r e s e n tmome n t as indefin ite as eve r i t w as in th e days of Haro ld H ar fag re .

The an c ie n t Pen n ing of th e n o r the r n nation s was le ss tha n an ae r e , an d , accord in g to on e au thor , an ae r e w as le s s than a

far th ing ; w h i l st ano the r w r i te r main ta in s , that a far th ing w as cal led Ita l/We’r e . The valu e , the re for e , of th e pe n n ing , m u s t hav e

be e n smal l inde ed .—(Se e [ a n z z

'

eson’s Etym . D iet ,

w ord m e rk). Bu t in the cou rse of t ime,so m u ch had th e va lu e of the pe n n y

i n c reased , that a g r oat, or fou r pe n n ie s (the fixed pr ice of an e ll of w adme l) was , in the o ld r e n ta ls that w e r e e xam i n e d by M r

G iffo rd , rated at the s ix th par t of a Ze a land z u l len , or two sh i l l in g s S te r l ing .~ Zetland ,

p . It has be e n be fo reob se rved , that, in the ear l y an n als of No r way , fo r ty-e igh t e l l s of w adm e l w e re equ a l to an ou n c e of s i lve r . (S e e Note , p .

B u t in the old r e n tals ofM r Giff ord it appear s , that th is commod ity had so m u ch in cr eased in va lu e, that th e same quan t i ty of

s i lve r w as con s ide red as an e qu ivale n t for no mor e than tw e lve e l ls so that th e She tlan de rs , w ho had be e n in ear ly t ime s assessed

for th e i r scattalds in a de fin i te n umbe r of pe n n ie s , th e e qu ivalen t fo r w h ich w as arbi trar i ly demand ed in an u nvarying n umbe r of

e l ls of wadme l,w e re by th is and o the r s im i lar oppre s s ion s , r e nde red m ise rably poo r .

9 Tradit ion has n ot be e n w ho l l y s i le n t w i th r e gard to th e fabr ic of the wadm e l . Th e She tlande r s w e re w on t , says D r

S i bbald , to make ve ry coar se c loth , (cal l ed w adm iln), th e th r e eds whe re of, w e re as th ick as fi she rs l in e s,and th is th ey pai d to

th e Dan e s as a par t of th e i r su pe r iou r du t ie s ; bu t n ow they spin it smal l e n ou gh .

"—S z’bba lrf s Sh etlan d

,p . 2 1 .

I The poor Ude lle rs w e r e u n ive rsal l y oppre ss ed by the Gove r n or o r Fow d, and kept u nde r , be in g fo r bidde n all sor ts o f

comme rce w i th for e ig n e rs , as the su bje cts of that k ing are to th is day in Fa i ro an d I ce land so th e r e w as n o s u ch th i n g as mon e y

amon g st th em ; and w hat th ey had of th e cou n try produ c t , more than paid th e C row n r e n t, th ey w e r e obl ig ed to br in g to the

Gove r n or , w ho g ave them for it su ch n e cessar ie s as they cou ld not be w ithou t, and at w hat p r ice s h e had a m in d,w he r e w i th they

w e r e obl ig ed to r e st con te n t , havin g n o w ay to be r ed r e ssed. Kept u nde r th is s lave ry , they w e r e m is e rably poo r, car e l e ss , a nd

in do l e n t , and most of the ir you n g m e n ,whe n g row n u p , fi nd ing the poor l iving the i r n ative cou n tryw as l ike to afford them ,

w e n t

abroad an d se rved in for e ig n cou n tr ie s for the ir br ead , and se ldom or n eve r r e tu r n ed ; so that the s e is lands w e r e bu t th i n l y lnhabi ted.

” G ifford's Zetlan d , p. 37.

ITER I I .) UDAL L ERS . 39

name of a Forefo’r ie .

* The Fowdrie of Shetland was d iv ided i n to five , and subsequen tlyi n to a s t i l l greater number

,of d i s tr i cts

,to each of wh i ch was a llo tt ed an in fer ior foude or

magi strate . The fonde of a d istr ic t had only the power of dec id ing i n smal l matters,h i s

office being i n tended for th e preservation of good neighbourhood : he was ass i s ted i n th eexecu t i on of h i s du ty by ten or twe lve acti ve o fficers under the name of Rand/men , and bya lazcr-r ig/ztman ,

who was en tru sted wi th the regulat ion of weigh ts an d measures . Casesof importan ce w ere, at stated periods , t ried by the Grand Foude, and at an ann ual cou rt,a t wh ich al l udal lers were obl iged to attend

,new legis la t ive measures were enacted appeal s

were heard aga in s t the dec i s ion s of the subo rd i nate fon des and cau ses i nvolv i ng the l i fe ordeath of an accu sed i nd iv idual

,were determ ined by the vo ice o f the people .

The colon i st s of Shetland never acknowledged any legal c iv i l auth ori ty but that wi thwh ich the Grand Fou de or L awman was arrayed , who was the K ing of Norway

’s represen tat ive . To th e Earl of O rkney was gran ted the power of a m i l i tary commander, bu t tha t i twas neve r to be exerted i n wresting from th e udal le r th e free possess i on of h i s nati ona llaws

,r igh ts and pr iv ileges l

' When th e nat ive force of th e coun try was requ i red for th eprotecti on of i t s own coasts

,or when

,for the purpose of embark i ng i n some pi rat ical excu r

s ion to the coasts of Scotland,th e Earl u nfurled the black ban ner of th e raven , crowds of

eager warr i ors repa i red to the s ignal . That the Scand i n avian ch ief had frequen tly th epower of con trol l i ng th e legi slat ive deci s ion s of th e commun i ty

,i s u nden iable ; bu t th i s

i nfl uence was ever cons idered as i l l egal . From h i s greate r weal th,he was dai ly enabled t o ,

spread ou t a plenteous table,by wh ich means a numerous band of retai n ers became attached

to h i s hou sehold,who knew no other st i pend than the l i berty of carous ing at the banquet s

o f th e grea t hal l : Rendered th us powerfu l,he was frequen tly tempted

,from unworthy

m ot ives of ambi t ion,sel f-i n terest

,or resen tment

,to commi t unj us t aggress ions on the civ i l

l iberty of the commun i ty .

Ch ri st ian i ty was in trodu ced’

by King O lau s of Norway i n to th e earldom of O rkney i nthe year 101 4 , when the colon i sts became l iable to new burden s . I n add i t i on to th e sca tof wadmel obtai n ed from the produce of th e flocks wh ich grazed upon th e pastu res , t i th esof wool were requ i red for the Pope .§ The freedom of the soi l

,wh ich the Shetlander had

i n closed for cu l tu re, became, for th e fi rst t ime,i nvaded by the un i ted authori ty of the b i sh op

and the pries t of the pari sh . These d ign i tari es d ivided between them i n equal shares thetenth part of the corn that was i nclosed wi th i n th e udal fen ce. For the purpose of part i t i on ,the land s of the pari sh were asse ssed wi th the u tmos t exactness

,an d th e domi n ion over th e

It is so named in all old char te r s , as , for i n s tan ce , in the g ran t of the Ear ldom of O rkn ey , A .D . 1 381 , to Lord Robe r tStew ar t Totas e t in teg ras te r ras de O rkn ey e t She t land ac cum offi c io vice-com itatu s de lie Fowd r ie de She tland , " & c .

[ Mem or ia l ag a in st S i r L am en ce D u n das , S ign ed [ lay Camp/rol l .

i That a re spon s i b i l i ty of th is natu re was attach ed to the r e lat ion in w h ich th e Ear l stood to the Udal le r s , is evide n t from the

w ho le of th e H is tory ofTor faeu s ; and w he n Lord S in c lai r of Scotland r e ce ived the Ear ldom of O rk n ey from the Crow n of D e n

mark , it formed a lead ing ar tic le in h is inve s t i tu re .

I Ma l le t’s Nor th . An tiq. ,vol. i . , p. 303.

The Pope’s ten ths in Sh e tland , w e re, in the year 1328, ve ry con s ide rable , and sa id to amou n t to 2 2 cw t. of w oo l l e ss than

1 6 pou nds , accord in g to the s tan dard of H ialtland, be ing 36 span H ia ltland w e ig h t of woo l .

"

The g row th of She tlan d w oo l , as

w e l l as of the Pope's pow e r , se em to have d im in ished abou t the same pe r iod —For th e or ig inal au thor i ty r e gard ing the Pe pe 'stythe s , se e th e s l iot/z. Topogr . B r i ttan n . D r Edmonds ton has tran scr i bed the docume n t in h is H istory of Ze tland .

40 UDAL L ERS .

[ ITER 11,

ten th part of the produce of ‘th e husban dman’s labour was reduced,bya demarcat ion of

so i l,to equal shares . I n orde r al so to effect w i th a s t i l l greater n i cety

,a fa i r al lotmen t of

these temporal i t i es,an d to obviate th e poss ib i l i ty that the parti t i on wh ich fel l to on e mem

ber of th e h ierarchy, migh t not be more lucrat ive than that wh ich was enjoyed by the other,i t was resolved that an an nual i n terchange shou ld take place i n th e respective shares of theti th e-lands

,and that th e same ground wh ich belonged in one year to the pr ies t

,should be

t ransferred i n th e fol lowing year to the bi shop ; hence the term umboth,that was given to

th e corn-ti th es,i n tended to express , i n th e northern language, such an al ternate posse ss io n .

*

Three d i st ri cts of Shet land , namely , T i ngwal l , Wh itn ess, an d Weesdale , were formed i n t oan Archdeaconry , th e t i thes be ing th e exclu s ive emolumen ts of the ecclesiast i c to whosecare i t was comm i tted . But bes ides these compulsory con tribu t ion s

,superst i t i on d i c tated

one burden on the lands that was gratu itou s i‘ A venerable female was i n troduced i n t o

Shetland,recommended by the B i shop as a personage of extraord i nary sancti ty

,tha t i f sh e

s lept but one n igh t i n a pari sh,th e i nhabi tan ts wou ld ever afterwards be blessed w i th plen ti

fu l harvest s and fi sher ies . But th e ori son s of the matron cou ld scarcely be expec ted w i thout some pecun iary acknowledgement . Accord ingly

,th e s imple natives were eas i ly induced

to al low the holy dame,as an ann u i ty for l i fe

,a penny for each mark of land .

Notwi th stand i ng al l th e encroachmen ts of the Church on th e free ten ure of udal lands ,they were prevented from growi ng i n to excess

,owing to the j ealousy w i th wh ich th ey were

regarded by th e Crown of Denmark an d Norway . A wri te r,eviden tly wel l versed i n Scand i

nav ian l i terature,has recen tly observed

,that th e h ierarchy never became so deeply engrafted

i n th e northern commonweal th as i n th e other coun tr i es of Ch risten domj,A proof of the

m i strus t wi th wh ich the Bi shop of O rkney was v i ewed by the Dan i sh monarch , i s to be foundamong th e cond i t i on s under wh ich L ord S incla i r of Scotland received h i s i nvest i ture i n th eearldom . There was a special s t i pu la t ion , that h e should en ter i n to n o engagemen ts to thek i ng’s prej ud ice wi th th e B ishop of O rkney, nor sh ould he be a party i n any contract wi ththe Church , that was n ot rat ified by the royal con sen t .§

During the peri od when Shetland was a Norwegian provi nce,th ere was no i nciden t of

udal tenures more remarkable than the law ascribed to K ing O laus, known by the name ofUdal Success i on , to wh ich the lands of the coun try w ere subj ect . By th i s law

,th e arabl e

ground,wh ich

,hav ing been separated by inclosu re from the scattald

,was the free property

of the cu l t ivator,wen t to al l th e ch i ldren of the proprietor

,male or female

,i n equal shares .

I n order to obviate any evasi on of th i s rul e of i nheri tance, no one could d i spose of anestate wi thou t the publ i c con sen t of h i s he i rs . Even the property of the Earl s ofO rkney was often part i t i oned ou t i n nearly equal shares among descendan ts. The

annal s of the country presen t a cop iou s deta i l of confl i ct i ng i nterests ari s ing from th i scau se

,together wi th the civ i l d i scords whi ch they occas ioned . I t appears that the kingdom

Se e Gifl'

ord’s D isc r iption of Ze tland , p. 64. Um botk is a Dan ish word , s ig n ifying to chang e abou t.

i Th is bu r the n w as or ig ina l l y bu t a tempo rary on e fe u dal in j u st ice su bsequ e n tl y r e nde red it pe rman e n t.

I Se e Ed in . Review , Ar tic le on th e An c ie n t Laws of Scand inavia, No . v 11.

Torfze u s , Re r um O rcad. H ist. , p . 1 75.

mm UDA L L ERS . 4 1

of Harold H arfagre was d iv ided i n the 9th cen tury among male successors, i n n early equa lproporti on s .

Before that part of our narrat ive be c losed wh ich appertai n s to the early state of udaltenu res i n Shet land , th e i nqu i ry, Wheth er or not the landed property of th i s coun try wasever fe tte red wi th any k ind of feudal res tr ict i ons

,cannot be devo id of i n teres t . I t i s well

known , that the feudal system of Europe arose from a migratory people , who, i n the courseof the i r con t inued i nvas ion s

,cou ld not re ta i n land

,and therefore re t u rned i t to the use of

th e vanqu i shed,an nex ing to the tenure th e service of arm s . Bu t when the m i l i tary tribes of

Europe chose to se tt l e i n the coun try wh ich th ey had subdued,th e ch iefs parcel led out th e

lands among the i r favou ri te s or re ta i n ers,under the obl igat i on of a warri or’s oath of feal ty .

These orig inal possessors deal t ou t i n l ike manner thei r lands i n lesser d iv i s ion s,requ i r ing

from sub-feudatories the same al legiance wh ich they th emselves had been pledged to give tothe l iege-lord . L ands were thu s made accessory to m i l i tary subordi nat i on . But i n Scand inavia and i t s colon ies , ten ures of th i s nature were unknown . O n th e so i l o f th e Northman ,“ Feudal i ty , ” as a w r i ter has elegantly remarked

,

“ n ever expanded beyond theWhen sold iers were requ i red to be rai sed, a popular convocat ion was held , and th e levy wasmade by fixing the number of men wh ich each vi l lage

’

or town cou ld conven ien tly fu rn ish .

’r

Accord i ngly,when one of the Earl s of O rkney, by impress i ng sold iers and forcibly carry i ng

them off,had assumed an i l legal au thor i ty , a meet ing of the Udal lers was held, and a re

mon strance,th ough i n effectual at the time

,was pronounced aga in s t the unj us t proceed ing

”

;

Abundan t proofs may,i ndeed

,be adduced, that the Earls of O rkney never possessed th e

uncon trol led power of a feudal l ord over the personal servi ces of th e commun i ty . WhenHarold H arfagre was i nd ignan t at Ei nar Earl (if O rkney and h i s adheren t s for the s laugh terof h is son

,he imposed upon th e coun try a fine of s ix ty marks of gold . The Chief fu rn i shed

th e sum from h i s own coffers,and i n securi ty for that part of the amount wh i ch was th e pro

port i on due from the Udal lers,rece ived i n p ledge al l th e lands of the coun try .

, But h i s torysancti on s not the suppos i t ion

,that the Earl was enabled to conver t the al ienated property

i n to feudal tenures ; for i n a late r peri od , when Earl S igurd, a descendan t of Ei nar, wasdesi rous to levy troops

,i n order to ward off a Scott i sh i nvas ion

,he was compel led , before

the nat i ves wou ld take up arms in h i s defence,to offer a free res torat i on of the impignorated

lands .§ Th i s h i st or ical even t su fficien t ly prove s,that th e so i l for wh i ch the udal le r fough t

was d i scharged of al l personal obl igati ons i nc iden tal to feudal tenu res . I n short, th e Earlstood i n no other re lat ion to th e people

,than that of a m i l i tary ch ie f, who was respon sib le

at the same t ime to the k i ng,that h i s i nfluence shou ld be exerted i n such a manner as

was ca lcu lated to preserve to the country i ts accustomed righ ts an d priv i leges .

At length i t ha s been shewn,that the land s enjoyed by the udal ler origi nally owed

n oth i ng but a con tribu t ion to the commonwealth,exigible from the produce of the fiocks

Ed in . Review , No . lxvu . , p . 1 7 7 .

i Mal le t’s Nor th . An tiq . ,vol. i . , p . 2 34.

I Torfee u s , Re rum O rcad . H ist. , p . 47 .

Tor fazu s , Re rum O rcad . H ist. , c . 7 . 1 o . John son 's An tiq . Ce ltoS candicae, p . 1 1 .

4 2 UDA L LERS .

UTE}, u .

that grazed on th e w i ld and un i nclosed pastures of the coun try that the soi l dest i ned forcul tu re

,was for a long time sac red to the free u se of the encloser,— th e udal fence be in g

fi rs t b roken by the hold hands of the t i th er, del egated w i th i rres i s t ib le pow er from the Pope ,th e B i shop , or th e Vicar. The causes may now be invest igated wh ich led to the annexat ionof th e earldom of O rkney to the Crow n of Scot land , and even tual ly to such a change i n th estate of udal property , that i t became i n the course of t ime almost completely feudal i sed .

I n th e fou rteen th cen tu ry ,* th ere was a fai lu re of the male l i ne of the Earl s of O rkney,when Hen ry S i ncla i r of Scotland , who, from an all iance by marriage, had th e best righ t t oth e earldom

,rece ived an i nvest i ture of i t from the King of Denmark

,on cond i t i ons that le ft

und i stu rbed the anc ien t laws of the Scand i nav ian colony,and preserved en ti re the al l e

g ian ce du e t o the mother cou n try.

’r The earldom of O rkney for a cen tu ry afterwards con

t i n ned i n the hands of the Si ncla i rs , when certa i n even ts took place , by wh ich i t devolved a san appendage to the Scotti sh Crown .

The Crown of Denmark an d Norway had endeavoured to en force w i th th reats theannual paymen t of 100 marks

,wh ich Scotland had agreed to gi ve for the cess i on of t h e

Western I sle s . The penal t i es accru ing from th e non -fu l fi lmen t of the con tract,had at th e

same t ime amou n ted to a sum l i t t le les s than ten m il l ion s S terl i ng . A long con trove rsyen sued

,th e resu lt of wh ich was

,that the claim m igh t be conven iently cancel led

,by a mar

r iage between the Scott i sh monarch and th e Pri n cess of Denmark . The al l iance took p lacewh en O rkney and Shetland were p l edged to james I I I . for fi or in s

,as part of

the maiden’s dowe r z— a lead i ng cond i t i on of th e treaty be ing,that the nat ives of t he

I slands should reta i n thei r anc i en t laws an d cu stoms .The righ t of redemption has n o t s in ce been resigned by the Crown of Denmark . The

h i storian s of Scotland mai n ta i n,that th e Ki ng of Denmark waved h i s c laim to O rkney an d

Shetland,i n joy for the b ir th of a grandson

,th e deed of gi ft be i ng subsequen tly confirmed

by the monarch’s successor . The Danes,however

,shew that the righ t of redempti on was

never surrendered,be ing formal ly u rged at several d i st i nct period s , the last of wh ich w as n o

longer ago than th e year 1 66 7 ;1 but i t i s often an unsati sfactory labour to reconc i le the

d i plomat ic con tracts an d secret understand i ngs of h igh—con tract ing parti e s .A few years after the impignorat ion of O rkney an d Shet land

,L ord S i ncla i r bartered to

James I I I . h i s whole righ t an d t i t le to the earldom ,i n exchange for the castle an d lands of

Rave n sc raig i n Scotland when the fi rs t proceed ing of the k ing was,by a formal s tatute

,to

annex these i slands to th e Crown .

We now enter upon the Scott i sh period of the h i s tory of udal tenure s . From the year1 4 70 to 1530, th e estate an d revenues of the earldom of O rkney , that had devolved by exchange to th e Crown , were l e t ou t to lease : th e c iv i l government was commi tted to l ieutenants and vic eroys an d to th e Archb i shop of S t And rew’s was assigned the j uri sd i c t ionof the chu rch . The es tates were now possessed by the King of Scotland , th e h ierarchy,and th e udall e rs, when , for the fi rst t ime

,feudal ten u res became known to the i slands .

A . D . 1 379 .

i Tor fze u s , R e r um O rcad. H ist. , p . 1 76.

I Se e Sir Thomas Craig , on th e on e hand , w ho advocate s the Sco ttish r igh t and , on the othe r hand , Torfaeu s .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

44 UDA L LERS .

[ ITER 11,

period, therefore , the udal lers began to di st i ngu i sh themselves by the name of Rothmen o rRoythmen ,

th e import of wh ich term has been mos t emphat ically expla i ned by one of the i rd escendants “

The heri tage of the udalman,

” boast s th i s O rcad i an , “ i s so en ti rely h i s own,

that n ei ther h omage,nor ren t

,nor serv ice

,i s due for i t . And the reason i s

,he own s n o

se ign eu ral superior, but holds de D eo et sole,— of God an d heaven on ly . For th i s reason

,

th e udalm en were l ikewi se cal led Rothmen or Roythmen that i s,se lf-holders

,or men hold

i ng i n the i r own righ t,by way of con trad i s t i nct i on to feudator ies

,who hold derivat ively

,o r

by a dependance on others . A n d hence the i r udals,at th i s day, are not t ransm itted l ike

o ther lands,bu t with the Roi/z always

,or Royt/z, and the R031, Aym

’m an d Saym z

'

n that i s,

with the very or sole r ight an d domin ion,the very or compleat proprie ty and demesne of

the subj ect .”

We now find,that i n the earl i es t peri od

,when th e Norwe gian colon i es of O rkney an d

Shetland were pledged to the Scot ti sh Governmen t,th ree descript i on s of tenan ts occupied

the lands of the latter coun try . O f the fi rs t were the udal lers,nam ing themselves Rothm e n

,

whose enclosure s des t i ned for cu l ture were free from civi l imposts,no authori tat i ve i n truder

having ye t en tered th em,save the haugh ty churchman .

'

For the i r pas tures or scathold,they

paid to the Scot t i sh Government a scat or t ribute . The second desc r ipt i on of landedpossessors

,con s i s ted of tr ienn i al tenan ts, who , for thei r i nheri tance, paid scat , church—dues ,

annual land-mai l s,and

,along with these , a con tribu t ion on entry . O f th e th i rd were the

feuars,in whose favour the grassum was rem i tted .

A number of weal thy Scott i sh nat i ves were now i nduced to sett le among th e udallers ,from whom they found no d i fficulty i n purchas i ng lands . For

,al though udal possess ion

was secured to fam i l i es,by sale s be i ng rendered i l legal that d id n ot obtai n the consent of

he i rs,and although th e power of redeem i ng paternal lands was a l lowed to descendan ts even

to the second and th i rd generat i on , yet , from pol i t i cal cau ses , th e poverty of the i nhabi tan tswas often i rret ri evable, so as to preclude for ever th e chance of udal redempt i on . The fi rs tendeavour of these s trangers was to set as ide the old law of descent, ascribed to S t O laus ,by wh ich an estate was d ivided among al l th e ch i ldren of the possessor

,male or female

,i n

equal shares,th e house of the parent excepted, wh ich was added to the share of the young

est . S ince it was i nd ispensable , by‘vi rtue of th e nat ional treaty subsi s t i ng between Denmark

and Scot land, that the laws of the country shou ld be purely Scand i navian , th e Scot t i shsettlers were enab led

,whenever they chose, to supersede th e old law of udal success i on , i n

favour of another,derived from Norway, and probably of a more recen t date . The newer

rule of i nher i tance was less revolt i ng to Scot t i sh feudal i ty,s inc e it afforded the mean s of

perpetuati ng fam i ly weal th and power , by concen trat i ng them i n one i nd i v idual . I t a ss igned the pri ncipal man s ion and estate of the paren t to an elder son ; wh i ls t to th eyoungest ch i ldren equ ivalents from other es tates were given . As for th e port ion of the poorneglected daugh ter

,i t was peremptori ly orda i ned, that she should have her lot i n th e mos t

remote and uncon t iguous lands . I f equ ivalen ts for the younger ch i ldren cou ld not be thu sfurn i shed

,l esser shares were awarded e i th er from soi l

,from moveables

,or from some yearly

Ge n eral G r ievan ces , & c .,of O rkn ey and She tland (by M r Jam es Fea), p . 105.

ITER UDA L L ERS . 45

i ncome,secured on th e es tates of th e ch i ef he i r. Such was the late r precept of success ion

that was i n troduced among the udal lers : i t was en forced by th e Scott i sh se tt ler ; bu tamong the Scand i navia n nat ives never became genera l .*

I n th e year 1530, King James V . was induced to make an heredi tary gran t of th e es tateof th e Crown i n O rkney and Shetland to h i s natura l b rother James, Earl o f Moray . Whenthe i slanders saw that a feudal supe ri or was i n tended to be in terposed between them an d

the sovere ign,they were alarmed that the ancien t laws of the coun try were about to suffer a

correspond i ng change . Headed by S i r James S in clai r,the Governor of O rkney , th ey arose

i n arms,to res i s t th e arb i trary i nnovat i on . The Earl of Ca i th ness , and h i s k i n sman L ord

S inclai r,were sent ou t aga i n s t them : the udal lers met the i r opponents on the confines of

S tenn i s,an d , .n a sangu inary engagemen t

,defeated them wi th grea t s laugh ter. The Earl of

Cai thness,an d 500 of h i s fol lowers , were sla i n th e res t were taken pri soners . When th e

King heard of the resul t of the contest,so far from taki ng vengeance on the udal lers

,h e

appeared,i n h i s subsequen t conduct

,to be sen s ible of the j us t i ce of the i r cause

,and that

they had only res i sted the i n tended dom in ion of a mesne lord,and the undue attempt to

transfer them from the hands of th e Sovere ign of Scot land,to whose immed iate protecti on

they had been committed by the i r former k ing . Accordi ngly,the promoters of th e in su rrec

t ion were pardoned ; th e Governor of O rkney was n ot on ly re stored to the royal favou r,b u t he also rece ived variou s gi fts and honou rs and at length a complete reconc i l iat i on tookplace be tween the K ing an d th e u dallers f

I t appears that the Sovere ign s of Scotland,as wel l as th e B i shops

,gran ted vari ou s feu s

of the i r lands ; and s i nce the tenan ts of th e K ing were, by th e Scott i sh law ,subject to

taxa t ion,th ey had opportun i t i es

,wh ich i t i s probable they did not at fi rs t embrace , of be i ng

represen ted i n Parl iamen t . Kirkwal l i n O rkney was also erected i n to a Royal Burgh };We now arrive at the per iod when a new and great change was beginn i ng to take place

i n the s tate of th e landed property of O rkney and Shetland . I n the year 1565,

Queen Mary made an heredi tary gran t of the Crown’s pat rimony i n these i s lands; an d of th esuperi ori ty over th e free tenan ts

,to h er natura l brother L ord Robert S tewart

,th e Abbot of

Holyrood,in con s iderat ion of an annual paymen t of ;6 2006 1 3 4 Scots . The Reformed

Rel igi on had th en been i n troduced i n to the i s lands,and a Scott i sh ac t of Parl iamen t had

passed,declari ng that the th i rd of al l Pop i sh ben e fi ces should be set apart for th e support of

paroch ial m i n i sters,who had been always i l l remunerated for the i r du t ies . L ord Robert ,

therefore, was en trusted with th e con trou l over the churches of the b i shopri c .§ But i t doe s

The au thor ities regard ing the old laws of in he r itan ce , w i l l be g ive n on anothe r occas ion .

1’The cau se of th is in su r re ction is n ar rated by some w r i te r s in ve ry myste r iou s te rms. I am inde bted for the p re se n t e xp lanat ion of the fray , '

.o the ve ry lear n ed M emor ia l ag ain st S ir Lau re nce Du ndas , in 1 776 , s ig n ed I lay Campbe l l , (afte rwards Lord Pres ide n t of the Cou r t of Se ss ion .)

t Whe n O rkn ey and Sh e tland w e re u nde r the immed iate g ove rnmen t of the Kin g , the e state s and r eve n u e s of th e Crow n w e r e

farm ed ou t for the fo l low ing sums, v iz . ,

From A . D . 1478 to 1502 , for £486 1 3s 4d Scots ; fr om A . O . 1502 to A . D . 1540, for £433 é s

8d an d in 1541 , the du t ie s of the King's r en tal w e re le t for £2000 Scots , w i th th e r igh ts of Adm iral ty in add i t ion .

—Se e Sh i n -af t?A g r ic. S u r vey of O r k ney ,

A pp . p . 29.

The words of th e g ran t are Omn e s e t sin g u las te r ras de O rk n ey e t Ze tland , cum tota supe r ior itate l i be r ete ne n tium ,

advocat ion e , don ation e e cclesiar um , ac cum offi c io v ice com itatu s de O rkn ey , e t v icecomitatu s de lie Foudr ie de Ze t landte n e n . , r eddendo inde an n uatim summam 3010 me rcar um.

" —See Ill emor z'

a lfb r D u nn/as , A .D . ,1 776 , p. 7 .

46 UDAL LERS .

[ ITER 11.

not appear that th i s d ivi s ion of eccles iast i cal power met w i th the cord i al approbati on of theB ishop of O rkney .

We may n ow con sider the exact relat i on i n wh ich the Scott i sh Government s tood toDenmark at th i s per iod

,w i th regard to the possess ion of th ese i slands . I t must be k ept i n

v iew,that

,by vi rtue of the nat i ona l treaty betw i xt th ese two k i ngdoms the ancien t laws of

Norway,by wh ich udal lands were then held

,were to remai n u nd i s tu rbed .

* But whenK ing James I I I . by a subsequen t treaty w i th L ord S incla i r

,had acqu i red the landed pro

perty of th i s nobleman,he assumed th e prerogat ive of c reat i ng

,on the n ew estates of th e

Crown,a number of immed iate vassals

,who should hold the i r lands accord i ng to the usage

of Scotland . O n th i s occasi on,th e law of udal success ion was waved i n favou r of th e

Scott i sh cond i t i on s of pr imogen itu re iL

an d s i nce Ki rkwal l was erected i n to a Royal Burgh ,by wh ich mean s an opportu ni ty was afforded of sending representat ives to the Scott i shParl i amen t

,an i nd i rec t declarat ion was i n tended to be made

,that the Crown-vassal s c f

O rkney an d Shetland w ere i n every respec t to be cons idered as hold i ng the i r lands agreeably to the tenor of Scott i sh laws . These proceed ings were i n eviden t cont rad ic ti on to thegeneral terms of th e nat i onal t reaty w i th Denmark

,by wh ich no new cond i t ion s of landed

ten ure could be i n troduced i n to the Norwegian colony, that were i n opposi t i on to i ts anc ien ts tatu tes . But the D an i sh Government havi ng been precluded by i t s poverty from doingmore than declari ng the righ t of redeem ing the i slands as the pledge of a royal marri agedowe r

, i i t was perfectly u seless to i ns i s t upon the subord i nate poi n ts of a t reaty, th e essent ia l art icle of wh ich

-

cou ld not be en forced . For,on the supposi t i on that the redemption by

Denmark had been success fu l ly u rged , Scot land must e i ther have abandoned her righ t ofcon sidering the Crown - tenan ts of O rkney an d Shetland as main tai ned i n thei r possess i on sexc lu s ive ly by Scott i sh laws

,or the coun try would have reverted i n to the hand s of Denmark ,

w i th the st range anomaly presen ted,of a populat i on composed i n part of Scott i sh an d of

Dan i sh subj ects . But i t i s su ffic i en tly eviden t,that a resignat ion of the sovere ign ty of these

i slands was very remote from the con templat ion of th e power i n to whose ban ds th ey hadfal len . The sent imen ts of Scotland on th i s poi n t became gradual ly unfolded an d when

,i n

th e year 156 7, Queen Mary , w i th her usual caprice, chose to revoke the gran t w h ic h she hadmade to her natural brother of th e Crown-estates of O rkney an d Shet land, i n order to erectthem i nto a Scott i sh dukedom for the use of the Earl of Bothwel l , i t was imposs ible an yl onger to doubt

,that the u l t imate i n ten ti on s of the Scott i sh Governmen t were u nfavour

able to Denmark’s j ust cla im of redempt i on .

The at ta in ture of the Earl of Bothwel l lim i ng occurred soon after the gran t,L ord

Robert appears to have been immed iately afterwards re i ns tated i n the enj oym e n t of the

D e n u ptu s‘ fac i le c um Dano tran sac tum om n i ju re

,q uod in omn e s c i rca Sco tiam in su las', majore s eju s s i bi ar rogaran t , do t is

n om in e rem isso ; tan tum u t pr iva tis ag ror um posse ss or i bu s cave re tu r , u t ag ros , qu os i bi habe r e n t u ti an te pO Ss e de ran t, ita te n e r

e n t. —B u chanan , His t. , SIC . Se e a lso Torfee u s,Re rum O rcad . H is . , p . 195, 196 .

l An n o 1566 , King H e n ry and Qu e e n Mary g ran t an e s tate in the O rkn eys to Gi l be r t Balfou r of \Ve s tra, an d h is h e i r s -ma le,

S ic qu od omn i tempo re affu tu ro , u n icu s hae r e s mascu lu s s u cce sso r p0s t al ium qu amd i u v ixe r i t , pos's'ideat e t gau de n t has

'c e te r ras

se c u ndu m con s u e tu din em Scotiae , n on obs tan tibu s leg ibu s pa tr ia: O rcade n . eandem g av is io n em .s'e u po s s'e s s'ion em r e c u s

'an tibu s .

Se e Fea’s G r ievan ce s , & c . , of O rk n ey an d She tland , p . 5, w he r e two o th e r i ll u s tration s of s im i lar g ran ts appe ar of the date of 1 q87

an d 159 1 .

I Se e Torfaeu s , Re r um O rcad . H is t. , c . 3 .

ITER UDA L LERS . 4 7

Crown -lands of the revoked dukedom . Hi s fi rs t obj ect was to obviate th e necess i ty of partic ipating w i th anyone i n th e domi n ion over th e i s lands of wh ich he was abou t to takepossessi on for th i s pu rpose h e effected an exchange of h i s Abbey of Holyrood for the temporal es tates of the bi shopric of O rkney . The Church of Scotland was then unde r aPresbyter ian form of Governmen t . L ord Robert

,th erefore

,left to a Superi ntendan t th e

spi ri tual concerns wi th wh ich he was en trusted,be ing h imsel f con ten t wi th the immense

temporal i nfl uence wh ich th e estates of th e Crown an d of th e b i shopric gave h im,when

subsi st i ng under on e und iv ided feu .

The free tenan ts of th e Crown w ere now i ntended to be under the sway of a mesn elord

,from whom they were to recei ve i nvest i tu res . The superi or i ty over th em was di s t i nc t

ly expressed i n the royal gran t but that such a des ign was i l legal,there can be no doubt

for i t i s properly argued,

“ that n o act of th e Crown could,i n law

,be e ffectual to ra i se up an

immed i ate superiori ty,wh ich had n o exi s tence pri or to the gran t ; that th e i ssues and profi ts

of the a’z’r ectzmz m igh t i ndeed be ass igned , bu t that th e righ t i tse lf must rema i n

w i th the Crown,as i ncapable of al i enat ion , —it not be ing i n th e power of any superi or to

place an i n termediate person over the vassa l w i thout h i s con sen t .” L ord Robert,however

,

fou nd no d ifficu l ty i n assum ing the superi or i ty over the free tenan ts , which was awarded bythe Crow n ; and , by i ssu i ng out at th e same t ime n ew i nves t i tu res of th e crown-lands , h ematerial ly i ncreased h i s revenue . But the ch i ef des ign of th i s tyran t was

,to w res t

,by

oppress i on an d forfe i tu res,th e udal lands from th e hands of th e i r possessors ; to retai n th e

poor nat ives who m igh t be forced ou t of the i r ten ements as vassal s on h i s es tates,an d to

en ta i l upon them the feudal m i seri e s of v i l le i n-serv i c e . Th i s he was enabled to accompl i sh ;by establ ish i ng a m i l i tary government th roughou t the i slands

,wh ich was i n tended to impede

al l avenues to j ud i c ia l redress . The complai n t,drawn up by a L owland i nd i te r

,wh ich

even tual ly reached the ear of th e Scott i sh Governmen t,was

,that the udalle rs were heavi ly

trou blit,Izer ez

'

l [robbed] and oppressit be compan i es of sua’a’m 'fls [sold i ers], and others

,

broken men [vagabonds], now remain i ng i n th e coun tr ies , depen dars upon L ord Rober tStewart . They are so halden under th raldom an d tyran ny

,that they can have n a passage

,

n ei ther be sea nor land, to repai r to th i r part i s , to complai n he irupon ,an d su te redress an d

reme id be th e course of j ust i ce, nor yet to do others the i r le fu ll e r ran d is and bu si ness .

The ferr i s and al l o ther common passages are stoppi t be the suddartis [soldiers] and

others,b earan d charge of L ord Robert, quhair th row th e coun tri es an d i nh ab i tan ts thairof i s

able to be al l u tterly w rak it an d bere i t for eve r . iAfter hav ing establ i sh ed a m i l i tary force of th i s k i nd

,L ord Robert

,by th e good aid of

h i s su ddar tis an d others, broken men , found i t to be a labour of l i t t le d i fficul ty to ru le i nal l matters

,c iv i l an d eccles iast i c . To remove every source of i n format i on that m igh t

benefi t the ends of stri ct j ust i ce , he stormed th e charter-chest of the good town of Ki rkwal l ,an d did away put

,cancel

,burn

,and destroy

,al l the sa id town’s papers and eviden ts .” He

rece ived h i s rents i n produce : an d th e w eigh t named a mark,very conven i en tly mult ipl i ed

M emor ial aga in s t Sir Lau re n c e Du n das , A . D . 1 776 , p . 1 7 .

i Pe ti tion to th e Pr ivy Cou n c i l of Sco tland , dated Jan u ary 3 1 , 1575, qu oted in Fea’s G r ievan ce s , & c . , of th e Is le s of O rkn eyand She t land , p. 35.

48 UDA L LERS .

[m m 11,

under h i s hands from 8 to 10 ounces ; whi ls t th e l i spund i ncreased from 1 2 lb . to 15lb .

He learned that the compl iment of an 0x and twelve sheep from every pari sh had a fewyears before been granted to the Earl of Bothwel l , i n h i s vi s i t to Shetland . Surely , th en , ashe marvelled

,there could be no very sound reason why th i s handsome token of respec t

should not be con ti nued for the support of h imsel f, h i s su ddartis and broken men . I t wastherefore eas i ly converted i n to a perpetual tri bu te under the name of ex an d sheep s ilver .

Th i s rule r,aided by h i s broken men , was perfectly convi nced of the salu tary effects to be

derived from the Reformed rel igi on,and therefore i nt roduced

,wi th few prel im i nary argu ~

ments on th e occas ion,what he cal led tire Pr esbyter ian form . But

,that the nat ives m igh t

not al together forge t the i r old Cathol ic attachments,he revi ved an ancien t annu i ty

,tha t had

been paid to a holy matron for the benefi t of her prayers,an d i n sert ing i t i n to h i s ren tal con

verted i t i n to a perpetual oblat ion to her manes . Yet the most i l legal of al l these oppress i on s was to i ncrease the amount of the seat or tax wh ich was levi ed from pasture lands orscatholds. Th i s measure was i n open defiance of th e promi se of Norway

,wi th wh ich the

i slanders had been lu lled , that when the i r coun try was pledged .to Scotland, there should beno al terat ion of the te rms u nder wh ich the i r lands had been enj oyed .

I t i s n ow t ime to i nqu i re i n to the more immed iate obj ect wh ich L ord Robert appearsto have had i n view

,by th e ex traord i nary pai n s wh ich he took i n desolat i ng the coun try

placed under h i s rule . By the latest law of udal success i on derived from Norway,lands

cou ld not be al i enated from the i r possessors , wi thou t the con sen t of th e udal-born , orneares t of k i n

,who had long afterwards the power of redeem ing an i nheri tance a t th e price

for wh ich i t had been pl igh ted ne i th er could lands be sold,but on proof successfu l ly ad

van ced i n the Fonde’s cou rt of extreme poverty . I t had been,therefore

,th e flagi t iou s

pol i cy of L ord Robert to create such an u n iversal d i stress th roughou t the i slands, that, byoverwhelm ing the udal lers i n on e common state of ru in

,th e poor landed possessor m igh t

be qual ified,by the urgency of fam in e

,to d ispose of h i s i nheri tance ; whi l s t h i s nearest

k i nd red,equal ly i nvolved i n m i sery, migh t be preven ted from pu rchas i ng i ts redempt ion .

Th i s rapac iou s sch eme was em inen tly successfu l th e open v iolence wh ich was comm it tedon the property of the i nhab i tants

,—th e i nord inate advance wh i ch took place of seat

du ti e s , together w i th th e audac iou s mean s to wh i ch L ord Robert resorted,of forst i ng

creatu res of h i s own i n to the L aw tin g, as j ud ic ial offi cers , caused an exten s ive tract ofterr i tory to fal l wi th i n h i s grasp .

These flagran t abuses became at length so n otorious , as to attract the atten t ion of theScott i sh Governmen t . An inve stigat i on took place, th e resu l t of wh ich was , that L ordRobert was confined i n the Palace of L i n l i thgow . After remain i ng a pri soner for s i xmon th s

,he was released, upon cond i t i on of giv i ng a large pledge, to en sure h i s engagemen t

that h e would plead at any t ime to the crime for wh ich h e was charged . O n th e excusethat th e accu sat ion again s t h im contai ned proofs of rebel l i ou s des ign s

,th e estates of Shet

land and O rkn ey reverted to th e Crown .

L ord Robert was wi thhe ld from the power of tyrann iz ing over the natives of O rkneyan d Shetland for th ree years

,an d th e ren ts were pa id i n to th e Exchequer. But hi s i n teres t

at the Scott i sh palace,where h i s fol l ies or v ices were always forgiven

,procured for h im

,i n

ITER I I . ] UDA L L ERS .

the year 158 1 , a re i n s tatement i n h i s former possess i on s the feu be ing subj ec t to th e sameannual paymen t to the Crown wh ich had been spec ified i n the prev ious gran t . I t had notescaped the atten t i on of th i s cou rt-favouri te

,that i n h i s la te domin i on ove r the i slands , on e

charge tha t had been succe ss fu l ly preferred agai n s t h im was,for corrupti ng the j ud i c ia l

members of the L awting , in h i s des ign aga i ns t th e lands of N icol Randall , an udal le rw homhe had ousted ou t of the I sland of Gersa . That he m igh t be enabled, therefore , tocontrou l the decrees of j u st ice wi th less chance of de tec ti on

,he had th e addres s to procure

for h imsel f the heri table appoi n tmen t of Just ic iar,

* by wh ich he was not on ly ent i t led toconvoke and adj ou rn the L awtin gs, to admi n i s te r j u s t i ce i n h i s ow n person , and to pun i shmalefactors , bu t he m igh t selec t any i nd ividuals to fi l l th e vari ous offices of the cou rt, whocould be prevai led upon to m in i ster, by corrupt decrees, to the n ew plots wh ich h e was s t i l lhatch ing again s t the property of the i nj ured udal lers .

Along wi th th e office of Just ic iar,Ki ng James VI . conferred upon L ord Robert the

hered i tary t i t les of Earl of O rkney and L ord of Zetland . But i t does not appear, that th enew Earl

,i n the resumption of the Crown estates

,was equally i ndu lged wi th the temporal i

t ies of the bi sh opric . The cause of th i s exclus i on from them has not been expla i n ed . AScott i sh ac t of Par l iamen t had passed

,di rec t ing the d ivi s ion of chu rch-lands

,for th e purpose

of secu ri ng on a th i rd part of them the revenues wh ich,by evas i on s and false ren tals , had

been too often w i thheld from th e Paroch ial clergy . But i n a coun try l ike O rk ney and

Zetland,where a regular land—measu rem en t was unknown

,and where the lands of the ch urch

were i n termixed i n th e most con fused m anner w i th those of the Crown,the purport of the

act could not wel l be carri ed i n to e ffect . I t i s probab le,therefore

,that the t i tu lar of th e

ch u rch-land s of O rkn ey and Shetland had readi ly fal l en i n to th e common pract i ce of th eday, by conceal i ng th e amoun t of h i s ch urch ren tal , i n order to evade the ful l demand of ath i rd wh ich was due to the clergy of pari shes . I f Earl Robert, from some such cause asth is , was at fi rs t only en trus ted wi th the appo in tmen t of m in i sters , an d th e donat io n ofben e fi ces

,i t was not long before h e resumed h i s domin ion over al l or most of the tem

poralities of the b ishopric . I t was then that h e began a new career of i njust i ce, and thath i s command over th e levy of the t i thes was rendered subservien t ’to a fresh scheme ofoperat ion s wh ich he med i ta ted

,wi th th e purpose of wres ti ng th e righ t of soi l from th e

anci ent udal le r . The t i ther was i ns tructed to exact th e dues of the church to the last ten th ,an d i n a mode suffici en tly harass i ng to i nduce the poor udaller

,for the sake of a temporary

subs i s tence offered h im by h i s des ign ing an d merc i less lord, to appear at the Fou de’s cou rt,

an d, wi th n o

'

fi ctitiou s tale of woe,to confirm

,"by such a plea

,th e val id i ty of h i s oppressor’s

purchase r I t i s even quest ionabl e i f the laws of udal success ion were not occas i onal lysuperseded altogether, by Earl Robert’s i n terpretati on of th e royal gran t, where i n al l lands,wi thout l im i tat i on , were u nju sti fi ab ly i nc luded wi th i n th e domin ion of the earldom of O rkneyand lordsh ip of Zet land . The Earl m igh t con s ider h im self

,from th is general clause , as gifted

wi th th e authori ty of a feudal superior ; as en t i tled to rece ive res ignat i on s of udal lands,

Se e Char te r of James VI . , dated O ctobe r 2 8 , 1581 .

i It is affi rmed , that w he n landho lde rs fe l l u nder the cen su r e of the Chu rch , par t of the ir prope r ty, by way of pena nce , wasadded to the lands of th e bishopr ic .

50 UDA LL ERS .

[ITER I,

with the super i or ity over wh ich,from the very natu re of udal tenures

,h e never could have

been i nvested .

Rei te rated compla in ts agai ns t Earl Robert’s n ew act s of tyranny once more reach edth e Royal ear, upon wh ich he wa s, for the th i rd t ime , recal led from the . exe rc ise of a dom in ion that he had so gr eat ly abused .

King James VI .

,however

, did not al together lose h i s at tachmen t to h is natural uncl e ,s i nce b e granted th e ea rldom in joi n t shares to the L ord Chancell or of Scot land and to th eL ord Jus t i ce-Clerk ,* on some secre t understand i ng

,t hat th e whole wou ld be g iven up

whenever requ i red,i n order to be agai n tran sferred

,on some more favourable opportun i ty

,

t o i ts las t L ord . Accordi ngly,the old oppressor was soon afterwards rei ns tated i n h i s

former possess ion s , an d he lost n o t ime i n ren ewi ng h i s attempts to wrest the righ t of soi lfrom the poor udal le r . But learn i ng from experience the futi l i ty of open vi olence

,he was

now prepared to u se more covert means , and to i l legal ly support, by a n ew prerogat ive,th e

purchase of udal lands,i n oppos i t ion to the con sen t of he i rs .

The design s of Earl Robert to gai n the posses si on of th e lands of th e udal le rs , hadbeen always impeded by th e obl i gat ion imposed upon h im to obtai n a ti tl e for h i s acqu i s it ion s i n what was cal led a S/zyfld-bz

'

ll . Respect ing the n atu re of th i s document , i t may beproper to offer a brief explanat ion . The udal lands of O rkney an d Shetland were origi nal lycons idered as belonging to the commun i ty of Scand inavian colon ists

,among whom they

were part i t i oned in vari ous proport i ons . I t was therefore to the,

support of the commonweal th alone

,of wh ich th e King of Norway was supposed to be the head

,that th e seat or

con t ribu t ion ex ig ib l e from pasture-land was pa id as a tr ibute and i t was by th e commonlaws wh ich governed th e commun i ty

,that i nd iv idual posse ss ion was secured . The r igh t of

soi l was confirmed by th e decree of those to whom the pow er of enforci ng the laws of th ecommun i ty was entrus ted . Wheneve r

,the re fore

,an udal ler was des i rous to make h i s wi l l

,

or whenever h e d i ed i n testate,th e Foude convened a regu lar court of j ud i cature , for th e

purpose of part i t i on ing the property among hei rs,agreeably to th e ru les of udal success ion .

A court was al so he ld,when

,wi th the con sent of he i rs

,any purchase of land was i n tended

t o be confi rmed . Upon al l these occas ions,th e part i es apply ing for j udgmen t produced

sat i sfactory evi dence of the legal i ty of the i r c laim s . Th e decree of the cou rt was then re

corded,an d the au thori ty for en ter ing on th e possess i on of lands conveyed i n a shyn d-bi l l

th e term S/zy rza’,bei ng said to s ign ify i n the Norwegian language a cou r t

,and the fam i l ia r

word bill,implyi ng a documen t . Th i s record of the court’s decree

,when signed an d sealed

by the fou de , const i tu ted the on ly legal t i t le by wh ich udal lands could be bequeathed toh ei rs

,or could be di sposed of by sale . )

L Such being th e nature of the Shyn d-b i l l , i t i s probable that the formali t ie s by wh ich itwas obtai n ed

,would not be agreeable to Earl Robert

’sv iews

,s i nce h i s con tracts for land were not such as were calculated to bear th e test of a s tri c t

scrut i ny . But n umerous complai n ts h aving found the i r way to the throne of James, again st

The n ew r e n ta l amou n ted to 1535me ils of cos t, 3001 me ils of bear , 2 2 81 me ils of fle sh , 72 bar re ls 1 2 l ispu n ds of bu tter , 2 4

bar r e ls 6 l ispu n ds of oil, an d £109 of mon ey-r en t, bes ide s a se parate r e n tal for She t land , w h i ch the Exchequ e r compou nded at

Scots .

”

O r k n ey , p . 32 .

1 See G if’ford’s Ze tland , p. 54.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

52 UDAL LERS .

um H .

n ew se l f-elected superior of udal lands . I f a purchaser of udal property could not confi rmh i s possess i on by th e mean s o f a shyn d

-bi l l , wh ich t i tle depended on the con sen t of th eneares t k i ndred of the i n heri tor

,he cou ld

,by m in i s teri ng to the Ear l’s avari ce , obta i n a

charter of the lands,whereby they became converted i n to proper feudal hold ings.

As another con sequence of these fa l se pre ten s i on s to th e super i ori ty over udal landswh ich Earl Robert arrogated to h imself

,natural ly followed th e at tempt to convert th e

L awtin g i n to a tribunal of h i s own , whereby the fai thfulness wi th wh ich h i s n ew ly createdvassal s

,th e udal lers

,had done th e i r duty

,was to be determ i ned by the juri sd i ct i on of a

l ord’s court . Hence the power wi th wh ich he immed i ately arrayed h imself,of con fi scatin g

lands for crim i nal offences .Fresh complain ts agai n st Earl Robert’s tyranny st i l l reach i ng the th ron e

,i t was though t

necessary to make h i s son a part i c ipator wi th h im i n th e earldom . Th i s experimen t d idn ot succeed th e jo in t gran t was recal led

,and the Earl was agai n s i ngly invested wi th th e

possessi on of the Crown—esta tes of O rkney and She tland , th e managemen t of wh ich was,however

,subj ec t to the immed i ate con trou l of th e Scott i sh Governmen t . But th i s

unwearied persecu tor of th e udal lers soon afterward s dying,th e fru i t s of h i s i n iqu i ty on ly

became fu l ly ripened i n th e m isru le of h i s succ essor . Such a scen e of un iversal tu rmoi land di smay then en sued

,as i s perhaps unpara lle led i n the h is tory of any other Bri t i sh

prov i nce .

Earl Robert Stewart was succeeded i n h i s estates an d t i tl e by h i s son Patri ck,

*

A fel low by th e hand of Nature mark’d,

Quoted an d sign’d , to do a deed of shame . T

When Earl Patrick was i nvested w i th th e earldom,h i s own patr imony had been much

wasted by riotous expen ces, an d these h e sough t to redeem by fraud an d violence . Hi sfi rst obj ect was to supersede the anc ien t laws of the coun try

,which Scotland had engaged

to preserve i nv iola te,and to hold a court of h i s own

,th e s tatutes of wh ich could

be easi ly pol luted by th e i nfluence wh ich a feudal lord natural ly possessed . The

anci en t law-book of Shetland,beheld by th e Scand in avian colon i s t wi t h awe an d

reverence,soon d i sappeared . The ty ran t’s newer code of pun i shment embraced con

fi scation of lands and property . The loss of so i l awai ted th e cr ime of qu i tt in g th ei sles w i th ou t the con sen t of th e superi or

,or

,i n any oth er cou rts except h i s

,of su ing for

legal j u st ice . But th e forfei tu re of both lands and goods was attached to the unpardonabl em isdemean our of conceal ing th e amoun t of personal property, i n order to evade or m it igatean impend i ng pecun iary mu lc t . The feel ings of human i ty wh ich

,at the peri l of l i fe

,migh t

at tempt th e salvat i on of a vessel d i stressed by tempest,were con s idered i n n o other l igh t

than as an endeavour to frus trate the chance of lucre from the i nc ident of a wreck on th e

I fi nd som e d iffi cu l ty in lea r n in g th e e xact year w hen Ear l Patr ick comme n ced h is au thor i ty in th e Is lands . It is probablyabou t the year 1595. A char te r in his favou r w as date d in th e year 1600,

by w h ich the forme r g ran ts w e re r evoked , an d a n ew on e

made , g ivin g h im the,

t i tl e s of h is fath e r , an d th e o ffice of She r iff, J us t ic iar , & c . h is fu n c t ion s to be e xe rc ised accord in g to the

law s an d con su e tu de of the cou n try. The fe u is su bj e c t to an an n u a l payme n t of 3 1 10 me rks. The Ear l doe s n ot appear to haveposse ssed the lands of the bishopr ic u n ti l A . D . 1 600.

1 Shak e speare's King /01m.

ITER I L ] UDAL L ERS . 53

coast . The act was, th erefore , vi s i ted , not only w i th a personal pun i shmen t, but w i th afine tha t was of an un l im i ted amount . The Earl d id not even l ike his father scorn th e low ,

fraudulen t act of clandest i nely al teri ng the standard we ights and measures , in order toi nc rease the revenues of th e earldom that w e re paid i n k i nd . The mark of ten ouncesreceived an addi t i on of a fi fth ; and the l i spu nd was advanced from fifteen to e igh teenpounds . Another act of the Earl was to i ncrease th e ren ts i n Shetland , i n order to defraythe expen ses of th e n ew cast le wh ic h he was erecti ng at Sca l loway . For th i s purpose th ewhol e coun try was asses sed i n money

,provi s i on s

,and personal la bou r.

During th i s domin ion of terror,weal thy Scand i nav ian s are reported to have hast i ly sold

to Scott i sh i nhabi tan ts th ei r es tates an d i n terest s i n th e coun try, seek i ng a re fuge i n themore k indly bosom of the paren t reg i on , from wh ich the i r ancestors had origi nal lyem igrated wh i ls t the recen t occupants , who had acqui red a sett lemen t by purchas i ng udallands from the nat i ves

,were fa i n to secu re even a pracar iou s assurance of protect ion , by ad

m in i ste ri ng to th e revenue of the Earl,i n the convers i on of thei r e state s i n to regular

feudal i nvest i tu res . As free tenan ts they now paid to the L ord composi t i on s on en try andannual land-mai ls . But the poor cot tager

,who cou ld make feeb le res i s tance agai n st th e

vi ews of th e superi or,eas i ly fel l a v ict im to h i s deep la id des igns . Summoned to a

court,th e arb i ters of wh ich were the mere c reatures of h i s w i l l

,va in was the plea

aga in st the secre t plots prepared to en snare h im,or agai n s t charges h i therto u nregi stered as

cr im i na l i n the revered pages of the los t law-book of H ialtlan d .

* The remonstranceavai led no t : noth ing could arres t the doom of con fi scat i on

,that exi led the udall er for eve r

from th e anci en t soi l of h i s fathers,that rendered h i s fam i ly ou tcas ts among th e barren

tracts of the coun try,or an nexed them to the d iscon ten ted l i s t of men ials belon gi ng to th e

demesnes of the cast le . Equ ity was a s tranger i n the land . The udal le r l ooked for j udgmen t

,bu t behold oppress ion for r igh teousness

,bu t behold a cry .

At length,the lamen tat i on s of O rkney and Shetlan d deeply p i e rced the ears of a

Government,wh ich had been eve r too ind i fferen t to the concerns of th i s remote extrem i ty

o f the k i ngdom . Earl Patrick was summoned by open proclamat i on,

“ to compear uponthe 2d of March 1 608

,to answer to the compla in ts of th e distressit peopl e of O rkney .

”

The charges were fu lly proved ; th e Earl had been authori sed wi th the Royal power an dcomm iss ion , and , under colour of h i s Maj es ty

’s au thori ty,had comm itted many great

enorm i t ie s and i n solences “ upon h is Maj esty’s poor people . Certa i n acts had th echaracter ass igned to them of rebel l i on on wh ich accoun t the estates of th e Earl becamel iable to forfei tu re . The Secret Counc i l th e n d i rec ted that the aggressor should be comm itted i n sure ward

,un ti l th e royal pleasure regard i ng him should be sign ified . They also

professed th e h umane in tent ion of maki ng such new enac tments i n favour of the su ffer ingi slanders

,as were calculated to preven t a repeti t i on of s im i lar abuses . I n the mean t ime

,

the governmen t of Shetland and O rkney was en trusted to the humane B i shop of th e

The Reve re nd Pe te r Barc lay commu n icate s the fo l low ing cu r iou s in formation , wh ich h e de r ived from an in spe ction of some

an c ie n t r e co rds in She tlan d Patr ick , Ear l of O rkn ey , in a d ispos i tion of the lands of Sand to Je rom Umph ray , nar rate s , that he

had evicte d seve n me rks of that land from Fow l N ico lson in Cu llsw ick ,fo r s tea l ing a sw in e and that h e had evic te d s ix me rks

be e n draw n in to Cu llsw ick .—Sc e S ta tz

'

s t. A ccou n t of Scotlan d , vol. vu . ,p. 584 .

54 UDA L L ERS .

[ITER I I .

Provi nce,by whose act ive means th e charges agai n s t the Earl had been matured and

successful ly preferred.

The Scott ish Government d id not immed i ately declar e th e es tates of Earl Patr i ck forfe ited , for reasons apparen tly c red i table to i ts l iberal i ty . An anc ient treason-law of Scotlandwas then i n fu ll

/force

,th e r igours of wh ich had been origi nal ly d i rected to th i s importan t

obj ect : i t was i n tended,that . i n add i t i on to theal legiance wh ic h sub-vassals owed for thei r

l ands to a mesne lord,th e tenan t sh ould b e always rem inded that th ere was a permanen t

obl igati on of th e same natu re,that was d u e to the l iege Sovere ign . I n order

,th erefore

,to

enfeeble that un l im i ted attachm e n t of sub -vassal s to a mesn e -lord,by wh ich

,at th e mere

w i l l of a subj ect,th ey had been often i nduced to as semble i n arms agai n s t the Ki ng

,i t was

enacted,that upon the d i scovery of a t reasonable con spi racy

,al l the lands of sub—vassal s

,

th e tenures of wh ich had not been prev iou sly rat ified bv th e Crown,shou ld

,along w i th the

sequestrated es tates of the mesne-lord,be i nvolved i n one common forfe i ture . A n d to

obviate any evasi on of the penal ty,condemned estates devolved to th e Crown

,free from

every i ncumbrance ; no fict i t i ou s claim cou ld be advanced , s i nce the prayer of the cred i t o rwas ever condemned unheard .

* I t was probably i n an ti c ipat ion of some i l legal act wh ichEarl Patr ick m igh t commit

,wh i l s t pu rsu ing th e same oppress ive cou rse for wh ich h i s

father was call ed to accoun t,that S i r Joh n Arnot

,to whom the tyran t had pledged h i s

basely—acqu ired udal lands,1' was n ot sa t i sfied wi th a charter or d i spos i t i on from theEarl of O rkney, bu t also procured from the Crown a confi rmat ion of h i s righ t, so as toenable h im to hold of the King in raffles : But however con struable i n to treason m igh thave been th e i l legal proceed ings of the Earl

,i t appears tha t from th i s imputat ion h i s

immed i ate tenan ts were perfectly exempt . An ample opportun i ty was,therefore

,al lowed

th em of becom ing the Crown’s vassal s,by wh ich mean s the i r ten ures would be preserved

from the forfe i tu re of th e superi or. O f th i s in du lgen e e some ava i l ed them se lves befo re theconfiscat i on was pronounced ; others had not th e i r subal tern in feftmen ts confi rmed un t i ll ong afte r i i ards. § But i t was doubtful i f th i s was the on ly reason for not en forc i ng th et reason law of Scotland . I t mu s t be remembered

,that i n th e royal gran t to Earl Patri ck

an d h i s father of th e superior i ty over the free tenan ts of the crown-lands , a feudal pri nc iplehad been v iolated , wh ich den ies th e righ t of any superi or, whether the King or a subject , toi n terpose a person between h imself and h i s immed i ate vassal . O n th i s account

,any

subal tern i n feftmen ts wh ich migh t have been gran ted by Earl Patrick to Crown -tenan ts,

w e re nul l and void ; an d th ey who m igh t have been compelled to accept th em,s t i l l

remai ned the immed i ate vassals of th e Ki ng,whom the treason law of Scotland could

It is r emarked o f late r t ime s , that th is law w as con s ide r ed a g reat g r ievan c e , and the re fore it w as remed ied afte r the Re

vo l u t ion by ac t 1 690, cap. 33 , by w h ich the r i ght and in te r e st of c red i tor s , vassal s , and h e i r s of e n tai l of fo r fe it ing pe rsons , w e r e

saved .

”ag a i n s t D u n das

,1 776 , p . 20.

f G ifford’s Ze tland , p . 4 1 .

2 In impleme n t of a con trac t e n te red in to by Ar n ot and th e Ear l of O rkn ey , dated A . D . 1601 , the re is a char te r g ran ted byth e latte r , dated 1 603 , in w h ich c e r ta in lands ar e he ld from h is Lordsh ip , h is h e i r s and s u cce s sors , 0/ Ms M aj esty , h is royal h e i r sand su cc e sso rs , in fe u

-farm , for payme n t to h is Maje s ty of the fe u -du t ie s an d o th e r s con tain ed in th e Ear l’s i n fe ftme n t. Th ischar te r was con firmed u n de r the G reat S eal , Mar ch 5, 1 605.

—Se e Al cm . ag a in st D zm das , dated 1 7 76 , p. 18.

M emor ia l again st Du ndas , dated 1 776 , p . 19 8c 20.

n ot i n j ust i ce affect . i f But the d i scuss ion of th i s quest i on was very pruden tly avoided th eGovernmen t d id noth ing more than declare , that th ose lands for wh ich no charters fromthe Crown could be produced

,were l iable to forfe i tu re

,bu t that u nder al l c i rcum stances

,

the King,i n h i s c lemency

,was unwi l l i ng to enforce the execu t ion of th e law . i

'

Three years had n ow elapsed,when the i s landers

,who w ere l i tt le acqua in ted with

the del iberat i on an d de lay inc iden tal to state affai rs,began to man i fest, by the i r impat i en t

c lamour,a strong suspic ion of the s inceri ty of th e prom ises wi th wh i ch they had been

soothed . I t n ow became necessary that these doubts shou ld be removed : th e B i shopwas d i rected to exhort the people “ to g ive n o ear to the id l e reports wh ich they had heardof al terat i on s an d c hanges to the former cond i t i on of m i sru le , trouble an d oppress ion an d

soon afterwards the King and Counc i l i ssued a proc lamat ion,that the lands and earldom of

O rkney an d Shetland were ann exed to the Crown,to remai n perpetual ly an d i n separably

therewi th i n t ime com ing .

”

1After th e act of Parl iamen t had passed i n the year 1 6 1 2

,by wh ich O rkney and

Shetland were annexed to the Crown of Scot land,and erected i n to a stewartry, th e

Government released from mor tage Si r Joh n Arnot’s secu ri ty upon the udal lands

,tha t had

been so wrongfu lly acqu i red by Earl Pat ri ck . The next step was to provide some remedyfor th e frays and even bloodshed that had resu lted from the lands of the bi shopri c be ing inte rmixed wi th these of th e Crown

,i n every i sland , pari sh , an d even town sh ip . Bi shop

L aw, th erefore, th e new epi scopal d ign i tary of the i slands, rece ived from the K ing

’s Commi ss ioners certa i n c rown -lands i n O rkney . the exten t of whi ch was wel l de fi ned , i n l i eu ofthe scattered possess i on s from which the church had previously derived emolumen t . In

consequence of th i s exchange,th e B i shop of O rkney no longer possessed any con tro l over

the eccle siast ical revenues of Shet land,h i s share of them devolvi ng to th e Crown ; at th e

same t ime he succeeded to the King i n the righ t of presen t i ng qual ified min i sters to al l th ev icarages .

It is pla in , that su ch g ran t of in te rmed iate su pe r ior i ty ove r th e Crow n’s vassa ls was of an i l leg a l natu r e , and cou ld not havee ffect and th e r afo re , su ppos ing the fac t to be , that th e se g ran te es d id take u pon th em to e xe rc ise th e r ig h ts of su pe r io r i ty , an d

that the Crow n vassa l s w e r e preva i l ed on to acc e pt th e i r char te r s from them,w h ich mu s t have happe n ed th rou g h u ndu e in flu en ce

and con cu ss ion , ye t th e in fe re n c e w i l l by n o mean s fo l low , that the pe rson s acce pt ing of su ch char te rs , and the ir he i r s an d

su cce sso r s in all t ime com in g . ar e to be con s ide red me r e l y in th e state of su bvassa ls . The in te rmed iate au thor i ty thu s c r eated , was

n u l l an d vo id from the be g in n in g , and cou ld not be re nde red be tte r by the act an d de ed of th e in te rposed su pe r io r in g ran t in g a

char te r , or of the vassa l in acce pt ing of it, th is no t be in g the prope r fe u dal form by wh ich a su pe r ior ity and a su bvassalag e cou ld b econ s titu ted for , as the pre te nded su pe r ior w as n ot h imse lf se ised in the lands , he cou ld no t have a vassa l in th em .

"

No ac t

of the C row n cou ld in law be e ffe ctu al to ra ise u p an i n te rmed iate su pe r ior i ty , wh ich had n o e x iste n c e pr ior to the g ran t. The

on ly mode in w h ich th is can pos s ibl y be don e , is by the C row n vassa l's r e s ig n in g'

h is lands in th e hands of h is Maje s ty , or h isBaron s of Exchequ e r , for n ew in fe ftme n t in favou r of a th i rd par ty , and afte rwards acc eptin g a su bal te r n r ig h t from su ch par ty .

It is man ife s t , that a g ran t by th e Crow n in favou r of a th ird par ty can car ry n oth ing . The fu l l prope r ty of th e land is in the

C row n’s vassal , m in u s that r ig ht of su pe r ior i ty w h ich is in the C row n ju r e car om and as that r ig h t mu s t n e cessar i l y r ema in

w i th th e C row n , so , it is pla in , that any conveyan ce g ran ted by the C row n to a th i rd par ty , is a m e re shadow , and can car ryn oth in g r ea l . The C row n may inde ed ass ig n the issu e s and profi ts of the dom z

'

m'

u m d z'

r ectu m , bu t the r ig h t i tse lf mu st r emainw i th the C row n

,as in capable of al ie nation ,

it n ot be in g in th e pow e r of any s u pe r io r to p lace an in te rmed iate pe r son ove r th e

vassa l , w ithou t h is con se n t. "—Se e M emor ia l ag a ins t D u n das , dated 1 776 , p . 18 1 6.

i A char te r of con fi rmat ion u nde r th e G reat Sea l , dated Mar ch 1 3 , 16 16 , proce eds on the nar rat ive of Edward S tew ar t and

h is bro the r be in g he r i tabl e vassals and te n an ts to Ear l Patr ick an d h is predec e sso rs , in all and haill the e ig h te e n pe n ny land of

Se llibu s te r that th ey w e r e n ow in h is Maje s ty’s hands by th e fo r fe itu r e of Ear l Patr ick and that h is Maje s ty w as n ot de s irou sto hu r t Edw ard S tew ar t

'

s r ig h t an d t i tle to sa id lands,bu t w i l l ing to g ran t a mo r e amp le se cu r i ty . The char te r con tain s a

nmrodam u s in favou r ofEdward Stew ar t, to be ho lde n of h is Maj e s ty and roya l su c ce ssors,in fe u and he r i tag e for e ve r , pay in g

the r e fo r the scat an d o the r du tie s th e re in me n t ion ed.

”—M emor z'

a l ag a ins t D u n das , (dated 1 776 , p.

1 Ex trac t from Re g iste rs ofPar l iam en t 161 2 , qu oted in the Memor ia l against Du ndas , dated 1776 , p. 4 .

56 UDA LL ERS .

[m m n .

On e of th e last objects of th e Governmen t was to erect a cour t of s tewartry,and to

confine the c iv i l j ud i c ial power of the church wi th i n the c i rcui t of i ts own proper estate .The B ishop , i n the j uri sd i c t i on of Commi ssar i es , had the priv i lege of appo i n ti ng clerks an dothe r members of court . The form of j ud i catu re thus organ ized, bore st i l l l ess resemblanceto th e uncompl icated tribunal of the Foude . Cau ses were now tri ed i n some hal l of thecastles of Ki rkwa ll and Scal loway wh il s t the open space of th e Scand i navian L awtin g wasdevoted to legislat i ve convocat i on s . Here a l i tt le Parl iamen t of udal lers again began tom eet

,i n orde r to replace wi th a fresh code of pandects the anc ien t law-book wh ich Earl

Pat ri ck had destroyed .

When,by the Earl’s fo rfe i tu re

,al l th e udal lands wh ich had been wres ted from the i r

anc ien t possessors,by the fraud or open violen ce of the petty ty rants that had been undu ly

i n terposed between the Sovere ign and the udal le rs,came i n to th e posse ss ion of th e Crown

,

i t would have been an act of c lemency worthy the exa l ted rank of th e monarch who thenheld sway over the un i ted realms of England an d Scotland

,to have i ns t i tu ted a commi ss ion

,

for the purpose of res tori ng the lands wh ich had been the fru i ts of evaded laws,an d of open

rapin e . But va in ly d id human i ty i n tercede i n the behalf of the poor udal lers — vai n ly d idj u st i ce u rge th e proprie ty of rest i tu t i on .

The King had now made a gran t of the i slands to S i r James Stewart,i n the qual i ty

o f a farmer-general . Earl Patrick’s ren tal was recorded i n the Court of Exchequer,

and di rect ion s had been given , that i t was to be the rule of eve ry future exact ion of therevenues of the Crown’s esta te . O f th i s cartu la ry, wh ich i s st i l l extan t, a late wri ter hasremarked

,

“ that i t exh ib i ts,i n a st rong poin t of v i ew

,th e enormous quan ti ty of gross and

manufac tured produce pa id by the count ry,an d affords a suffici en t proof of th e Oppressive

means that had been empl oyed to i ncrease the The money paid was l i tt le moret han £200 Scots

,th e res t be ing de live i ed i n the several spec ies of bear, mal t, meal, flesh ,

o i l,or butte r. A n d when the demands cou ld not be an swered i n k i nd

,th e udal lers and

Crown vassal s were subject to the payment of a price depend i ng on the mere wi l l of arapacious exacter . Th i s perpetuat ion of Earl Patr ick’s ren tal

,has

,i n combi nat i on wi th

paroch ial t i thes,en ta i led upon th e landed proprietors of O rkney and Shetland a bu rden , th e

oppress ive nature of wh ich the resources of the i s lands have not,for the last two cen turies,

been able to cou n te ract.

”i‘

I t may be now remarked, that , i n con sequence of the resolu t ion of th e B ri t i sh governm en t not to sacrifice the smal les t abatemen t of the amount of the scat-duty wh ich had beenpa id to Earl Pat rick , a deci s ive change took place i n the nature of udal possess ion s The

Sh ir r e ff’s Ag r ic u l tu ra l Su rvey of O rk n ey

,p . 3 2 .

1 M r Sh ir r e fi'

r emarks , in r e fe r e n ce to that par t of Ear l Patr ick’s r e n tal , w h ich con c e r n s the ear ldom and bishopr ic of O rk n ey ,that the scat-d u t ie s w e re mor e co n s ide rable than w as g e n e ral l y imag in ed , con s is t in g a l tog e the r of £1 1 7 1 45 7d Scots of s i lve r ,6 2 7 l is pu n ds of bu tte r , 53 l ispu nds ofo i l , 954 me ils of mal t , 1903 me ils

, or n ear l y 54 chalde r s of bear , 9 2 2 m e i ls of fle sh , 134 me ils o f

c 0s t, an d 60 of oatm ea l : bu t the re is r eason to be l ieve , from some in stan ce s in the r e n tal , that the scat i tse lf had i n some cas e s

b e e n late l y au gme n te d . The e n tir e r e n ts of th e ea r ldom and bishop r ic amou n ted to £32 2 Scots of mon e y , 1 32 bar re ls an d 634l is pu nds of bu tte r , 3806 me ils of cos t, 4 251 me ils of be ar , 3504 me ils of fl e s h , 6 bar r e ls and 1 2 7 l ispou nds of oil , 2 15m e i l sof oatmea lmu l tu re , be s id e s pou l t ry and oyste r s to a larg e amou n t.—S/u

’r r cf s A g r ic. S u r v ey ,

p. 3 2 , 33 . It is also r emark ed in a Memo r ialfo r the Ear l ofMor ton , dated 1 758, that w h e n the to ta l quan t ity of the se r e spe c t ive ar t ic les [of th e re n tal ] are conve r ted at the

p r e s e n t cu r re n t pr ice s , [of A. D the prod u ce of th e who le , in c lud ing the r e n t of Ze tland as it is n ow le t, w i l l e xte nd to

Scots.

l'

l‘

lCR UD AL LERS . 57

same amoun t of seat that was paid for a mark of land , was doomed to perpetuat ion ,whatever d im i n i shed proport i on of arable ground the scathold or pasture-land . by n ewi nc l osures m igh t con ta i n . Th e udal fence that was n ow reared , no longer rendered the soi lwh ich i t i nclosed free from the burden of a tax, and sacred to the un fette red u se of th ecu lt ivator.* At the same t ime

,t he Crown reta i ned th e privi lege firs t u surped by Earl

Robert S tuart,to confirm the purchaser of udal lands i n h i s possessi on s

,i ndependen tly of

the laws of udal succe ss i on ; so that , by th e operat ion of a charter from th e Crown , th eforce of a shyn d-b i l l , which sanct i oned no con tract that was n ot made w i th the consent ofthe udal-born

,was eas i ly evaded .

When al l these arrangemen ts,so part i cu larly connec ted wi th th e future pol i t ical con

d i t ion of O rkney and Shetl and , had been conc luded , th e Ki ng comm i ss i oned S i r JamesS tewart to take a formal possess i on of th e i slands . Earl Patr ick was then a pri soner i nDumbart'on Cast le

,an d hear i ng of these i n ten t i on s

,be persuaded Robert Stuart

,h i s natural

son,to undertake th e w i ld an d despe rate sch eme of rai s i ng a party i n O rkney, for th e

purpose of wrest i ng the i slands from the power of th e Crown . The attempt, as m igh t beexpected

,completely fai led . The brave you th , who to th e u tmost of h i s mean s fu lfi l led h i s

father’s commands,was overpowered

,carri ed a pri soner to Scot land

,and underwen t a

capi tal pun i shmen t . Afterwards,the Earl h imse lf was brough t to tr ial

,and be ing conv ic ted

of h igh t reason,pa id th e las t forfe i t of h i s cr imes on a publ ic scaffold at Ed inburgh .

But the su fferings of O rkney and Shetland d id not cease w i th Earl Patri ck . The

tyran ni cal privi lege fi rs t assumed by th e Earl s of O rkn ey of condemn ing lands , was per

pe tuated by the tacksmen of the crown revenues . The forfei ture of udal property was th epenal ty for non-payment of th e K ing’s dut i e s . I t i s even affi rmed that th e lands thu sforfe i ted were not always appl i ed to the u se of the Crown

,bu t const i tu ted part of th e private

emolumen t of th e fortunate i nd iv idual who had obtai ned a tack of the crown-reven ues i nthese islands i' The Oppress i on s wh ich S i r James Stewart, th e n ew farmer, commit ted ,was th e occas i on i n ten years afterwards of h i s recall . The crown—es tates were thensuccess ively let out to a number of court-favouri tes

,who fe l t l i t t le compunct i on i n

flagrantly abusi ng th e i r t rus t. For th i s reason , th ere was a frequen t revoca t ion of the i r

g ran ts i By mean s of escheats,— of th e exorb i tan t amoun t of scat-dut i es , land-mai l s, t i thes ,

an d th e clandest i n e i ncrease of the s tandard weigh ts and measures , th e resource s of th ec ountry were dra i ne d to the las t extrem i ty . The udal le rs of O rkney and Shet land weren ow reduced by the i r overwhelm ing authori ty

,to th e most d i spi ri ted state of hum i l iat ion ;

T hei r udal righ ts were fled ,— th e las t re l ic of them

,th e Shynd-b i l l

,wh ich anc ien tly pro

It may be p rope r to r emark,w i th r egard to O rkn ey , that be for e the time of Ear l Patr ick

,the land w h ich , by be in g in c losed

fo r c u l tu re , be came fr e e from scat,was named Q u ay lan d . Th is is a Goth ic w o rd , th e pr imary idea of w h ich is , accord i n g to D r

Jam ieso n ,s imply an i n clos u r e . Qu ay , at th e pre se n t day , de n o te s in O rkn ey a p ie c e of g ro u nd take n in from a common . Whe n

a patch of qu oy-land be came re conve r ted in to pastu r e -g rou nd , by w h ich mean s it w as r e nde red ag ain l iable to a payme n t of seat

,

i t w as n amed a Tu ma z’l . O f the e tymo log y of th is w ord I profe s s myse lf ig noran t.—See Petcr k in

’s Ren ta ls of O r kn ey , No.

2,p . 2 .

1 See Gr ievan ce s of O rkn e y , & c . , p . 1 10.

1 The Lord Chan ce l lor H ay had the is lands for th e re n t of me rks Scots , w i th the h e r i table offi ce of S tew ard . Th isg ran t w as 11 the cou r se of th re e year s su r re nde red to the C rown . Var iou s o the r farme rs had su bsequ en t g ran ts, whose n ame s it is

of n o con sequ e n ce to re cord.

58 UDA L L ERS .

[H ER I,

te cted from the wealthy hand of power th e i nh eri tance of the i r fath ers,could now be

evaded b y a royal charter an d i n feftmen t . They now saw no oth er al te rna t ive than torenounce at once the i r anc i en t i ndep endence of feudal ob l igati on s

,and

,i n rem ind i ng the

monarch of Scotland that they were properly under the i nfluence of Dan i sh laws,to wave

th i s claim,— to sty le th emselves th e immed iate dependen ts of the King

,— to suppl i cate a

feudal protecti on , —an d to implore that the proud arm of oppress ion wh ich was i n terposedbetween th e royal superi ori ty an d thei r newly acknowledged sta te of vassalage , m ight be forever removed .

* But th e Sh et landers conceived that the i r gri evances requ i red a d i st i n c tpeti t i on ; an d , as i t i s recorded by the genealogis t of th e Sutherland Fam i ly , “ they complain ed heavi ly upon oppress ion s an d d i sorders commit ted i n that i s land

,far remote from

jn stice , an d from th e laws of the k i ngdom .

” I t i s then added,tha t S i r Robert Go r don was

se lec ted “ to goe th i th er to red resse and to suppresse th ese in sole n c ies. I n th e meant ime

,the ' King h imself appri sed h i s counc i l i n Ed i nburgh , of the gen eral obj ect of S i r

Robert’s voyage : He was to proceed i n al l t h i ngs that may tend to the publ i c good,an d

the in cr ease of ou r r even u es . S ir Robert accord ingly set out from L ondon on h i s m i ssi on,

bu t be ing commanded to prev iously rece ive i n s tructi on s on the subject from the King’scounc i l a t Ed i nbu rgh

,he l i ngered th ere for two months

,these m in i sters n ot hav in g th en

th e le i sure to peruse and con s ider these i n format ion s wh ich h i s Maj esty sent un to th emconcern ing Zetland .

”A n d now th e wi n te r had commenced. an d

“ then wen t S i r RobertGordon i n to Su the rlan de to v i s i te h i s fri ends ; upon wh ich the King’s counc i l excu sedthemselves to h i s Maj es ty

,that

,

“ i n regard to the la te season of the year , th e diffi cu ltie ofthe passage

,and th e presen t estate of that cou n trey, which i s V i s i ted wi th great penur ie and

wan t,th ey had con t i n ued h i s voyage th i ther un t i l a more opportun‘e t ime .

”They had, i n

the mean t ime,estab l i shed J u st i ces of the Peace in these parts

,an d had given order for

such th i ngs as th e state of the country did requi re .

” I t i s n or remarked whether th e poorShetlanders were sat i sfied wi th th e w isdom of the counc i l on th i s occas i on

,or whether they

w ere al together convinced that a supply of Peace-offi ce rs was the most su i table remedy thatcould be dev i sed for th e rel ie f of th e penury of th i s prov in ce . But i t i s safer to pu t afavourabl e con struction on the measures of these s tatesmen , s ince i t i s added , that whenthe i r l et te r was received by h i s Maj esty , “ th e K ing rested very wel l

The suppl icat i on s from the nat ives of O rkney an d Shet land had , however, th i s e ffec t ,that a genera l ac t was passed in the ensu i ng Parl iamen t

,annexing the King’s property anew

to the Crown,by wh ich measure the i slanders were

,for a few years , saved from the

rapac iou s farmers of the royal re i e n u e s. But th i s respi te las ted for a short time onlyexacters of th e same desc ript i on agai n made the i r appearance

,an d oppressi on was aga in the

lot of the udal lers .I t may be now remarked, that s i nc e the forfe i tu re of Earl Patrick , new settlers from

Th e Pe t i t ion se n t to the Kin g in A.

‘

D . 1 633 con ta in ed the fo l low ing r emarkabl e c lau se Item ,It is c la imed by th e

Udal le rs of O rkn ey and She tland ,w ho have for the se many ag e s , c on fo rm to th e Dan ish law ,

posse ssed the ir lands for paym e n t of

skat and te ind, that n o man b e in te rpon ed be tw e e n h is M aj e s t ic and th em

,to mo le s t th em bu t that th ey rema in h is Maje s tie

immed ia te vas sa l s,fo r payme n t of skat an d o the r du ties , con fo rm to the i r r e n tal s , aye and w h i le his Maje s t ic con form the ir r ig h ts

to the law s of th is k in gdom .

"

i G e n ealog y of the Ear l s of Su th e r land , p . 468 to p . 47 1 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

60 UDA L LERS .

[m an I,

i slanders to a new change of masters . I n the year 1 64 1 , th e ren ts of the B ishoprick ofO rkney had

,upon th e establ i shmen t of a Presbytery i n the i slands, been granted to the

Ci ty of Ed i nburgh 3 an d two years afterward s , King Charles th e Fi rst, on the fict i t i ous pleaof a loan affirmed t o have been made to h im by th e Earl of Morton

,procured from Parl ia

m en t th e confi rmat i on of a gran t to th i s favouri te of the lands of the earldom of O rkneyan d l ordsh ip of Zetland

,subj ect to redempti on by the paymen t of Sterl i ng.

The Earl of Morton had n ow power,duri ng th e mortgage of the i s lands

,to en ter an d

receive th e he ri table vas sals an d tenan ts of the land,an d he had command over al l th e

casual t ie s of th e superiori ty . But i t i s not eviden t,from the general tenor of the gran t

,that

the Crown regarded th e udal lers as hold i ng the i r land s by feudal tenures udal lands werespec ial ly i ncl uded i n th e earldom of O rkney an d lordsh ip of Zetland

,on accoun t of th e

seat an d oth er dut ie s wh ich they paid .

Soon after th i s con tract th e Earl of Morton d i ed,an d h is son

,on com ing in to posses

s ion of th e I s lands,i mmed iately endeavoured to sweep away every re l ic of udal tenures .

He acted upon th e prin c iple that th e Shyn d—bi l l was an . i l legal i n fri ngement of the un iversalrigh t of superi ori ty wh ic h he cla imed over the lands of th e Provi nce . Th i s was a proceedi ng that even outs tepped al l that Earl Patr ick had ach ieved in s im i l iar des ign s to subvert th elaws of the coun try for al though the last Earl s of O rkney had always acted as i f they hadan undub i table righ t of super ior i ty over Udal- lands, yet the Crown had n ever reta i ned thesepreten s ion s to any greater exten t than by admitt i ng the pri nc ip le

,that the val id i ty of a

Crown -charter was equal to that of a Shyn d-bi l l,an d that i t was opt i onal to wh ich of these

two t i t les the purchaser or he i r of Udal- lands m igh t resort . But Robert,Earl of Morton

,

now held out the unjustifiable language,that the anc ient laws of the country

,wh ich Scot

land had n ever verbal ly resc i nded, imparted to udal possess i on s an imperfect tenure . The

word s that he u sed i n h i s charters , when he converted udal lands i n to heri table fe n -farm s,

w ere,

“ That h e u nderstood the party had r igh t an d possess ion of the udal land,—of

[wh ich] he noways was wi l l i ng to prej udge h im , but rath er to gran t to h im an d h i s hei rsa more perfect r igh t an d securi ty .

” He then,by a fe n -c harter

,confirmed th e

udal ler i n h i s possessi on s, tak ing spec ial care that for th i s i ndulgence there should be anaugmentat i on of rental .* Owi ng to language such as th i s, wh ich was promulgated as th etenor of the gran t from the B ri t i sh Parl iament

,th e Shyn d-bi l l of th e , Fonde’s Court began

to be regarded wi th contempt by the wealthy set tler, al though i t was st i l l held i n reverenceby the anci en t udal le r

,who was natural ly tenaci ous of the laws by wh ich h is ancestors had

for cen turi es held the i r lands u nd i s turbed .

The Earl of Morton,i n order to ra i se a sum of money for th e support of the u n

fortunate Charles,n ow subj ected

_

O rkney to a subal tern an d r eal mortage an d at th i s t imea scene of great confus ion

,from wh ich

,i ndeed

,n o part of Great Bri tai n was free

,began to

take place i n th e I slands . O rkney an d Shetland were se ized upon by Cromwel l,who sen t

ove r Deputi es i n to the prov i nce . These new rulers committed many i rregular i t ies,

particu larly i n the clandest i ne al te rat ion of the we igh ts but i t i s doubtful i f they exceeded

A n ex trac t fr om th e Char te r o f the Fe u-farm , g ran ted to J e rome Fothe r in g hame, dated Septembe r 5, 1640, is th e ch ief

au thor i ty from w h ich th is in fo rmat ion is de r ived . It i s to be fou nd in the M emor ia l ag ain s t Du ndas , A .D . 1 776 , p . 2 2 .

m m UDAL L ERS . 6 1

i n oppress i on the i r predecessors i n the Governmen t. At th i s period,when th e Earl of

Morton was n o longer enabled to gran t fe n -charters,when i t was doubtfu l to whom the

righ ts of super ior i ty were du e,when the superi or i ty ove r udal lands was, as a quest ion ,

s t i l l u ndec ided,an d when the origi nal udal t i t le of a Shyn d

—bi l l was , by th e newsettlers

,regarded n ot on ly wi th d i s trus t

,but w i th d i sl ike

,th e udal ler gran ted to th e

w ea lthy purchaser,under the form of a Scott i sh d i spos i t ion and sas i n e, a cha rter for h i s

lands,by wh ich they were h eld immed i ate ly from the d i spon er h imself. “Whether,

” sa ida wel l i n formed h i stor ian of Shet land abou t a century ago

,wi th much s impl ic i ty

,

“ th e

pu rchases of these i ncomers were not always such as cou ld admi t of a j udic ia l confirmati on ,or i f they wanted to i n troduce th e Scots laws and customs

,or partly both

,I know not

,

but they began to lay as ide the Shyn d-b i l l , and to u se d ispos i t i on s and sas i nes . And th ereupon fol lowed that long tra i n of conveyances , fi l led wi th al l th e c lau ses an d qu i rks that thelawyer and noter cou ld i nven t , for length en ing th e wri t ing, and mak i ng it so i n tr icate , thatthe true sense and mean ing thereof m igh t on ly be kn own to themselves . So that i t came topass

,i n a short proce ss of t ime

,that

,i ns tead of the honest

,easy

,and simple Shyn d-b i l l

,

Zetland was s tocked wi th rights and conveyances upon the lands , suffi c i en t to find thelawyers and noters as much busi n ess as any place of i t s value i n Scotland . VVhereby th eanc ient s impl e udal lers were turned out of the i r old i nheri tances , and obl iged to improvethat ground for others that they had fool i sh ly neglected to do for themselves .”

Upon the acce ss i on of Charle s I I . to th e B ri ti sh Thron e,i n the year 1 66 2

,th i s

monarch’s fi rst ac t w i th regard to these i slands,was to restore Epi scopacy

,an d to command

that the ren ts of the chu rch- lands should be paid to the B i shops . He was next i ncl i ned tores tore the fam i ly of Morton to the i r posses s i on of the Crown esta tes of O rkney an d

Shetland,subject to the same terms of redempti on as had been spec ified i n the former

con tract . Th i s gran t hav ing been annul led by th e general act o f revocat i on that had beenpassed i n th e same year

,a new mortgage was obta ined i n the name of George, Viscoun t

Grand i son,as trustee for th e fam i ly of Morton

,who were then in embarrassed c i rcum

stances . The charter empowered th e gran t of her i table feus of any part of th e Earldom ,

to be he ld of the t rustees un t i l the ext i nct i on of th e mortgage,an d afterwards of the Crow n .

L ord Grand i son,therefore

,appoin ted Alexande r Douglas of Spyn ie, as fac tor to rece ive

the Crown-ren ts of th e I slands,an d to gran t fe n-charters . The m iss i on of th i s i nd iv idual

proved an importan t era i n t he h i story of O rkney and Shet land .

Douglas of Spyn ie was i n structed to d i spute the val id i ty of al l th e tenures i n th eI slands , wh ich could not produce for th em confirmati on s from th e Crown . Most of th elands of the country were th en i n possess i on of the n ew settl ers

,who

,i n the i r av id i ty to

purchase up the l i tt le patr imon ial possessi on s of the impoveri shed udal lers , had supersededth e anc ien t securi ty of a shyn d

-b i l l for a private deed of transfer,under the form of a

Scott i sh d i spos i t i on and sasi ne . Th i s mode of conveyance was,i n th e fi rs t place

,obj ec t i on

able , ou the pri nciple that an udal i nh eri tance was spec ial ly pro tected by the laws of th epart icular commun i ty among wh ich udal lands had been origi nal ly part i t i oned ; and , that,

G ifford's Zetland , p . 57 .

6 2 UDA L LERS . m m m

therefore,no t i tle bu t a j ud ic ial decree of th e Fon de’s cou rt cou ld properly tran sm i t an

udal righ t . The second obj ect i on to wh i ch a private deed of tran sfer was l iable,bore

reference t o the fact,that pri or to the protectorate of Cromwel l

,n o Scott i sh forms of t i t l e

for udal lands had ever been given but by the Earl s of O rkney or by the K ing . When,

therefore,th e t i t l e of the Shyn d-bi l l had

,by th e u n i ted i nfluence of the new se t tlers i n the

country and the Earl of Morton , gradual ly fall en i nto d i suse or con tempt, th e erroneou snot i on became more eas i ly i ncu lcated , that the King was the proper superior of udal l ands ,an d that, th erefore, no property purchased from an udal l er could be legally held by a deedfrom the d i sponer, un les s a prior one had been obta ined from the gran ter

’s superi or. But,

as i t has been before observed , al though th e Crown , i n vi olat ion of the treaty wi thNorway by wh ich th e laws of O rkn ey an d Shetland were to remai n und i s tu rbed

,bad

con sen ted to perpetuate the privi leges fi rs t u surped by Earl s Roberts an d PatrickStewart

,of feudal i z i ng udal lands , th e absolu te obl igat i on of the udal lers to hold in mpz

'

r‘

e

from the Crown,had never yet received a d i rect Royal sancti on . The Scott i sh Govern

men t had not acted as i f th e King w as th e real superi or of udal lands,but as i f he mzlgr fi z

‘

become th e superi or of them,whenever an i nh eri tor was des i rous to hold h i s lands by a

charter,rath er than by v i rtue of a decree from the Fou de’s court . But i t i s doubtfu l i f any

d i st i nct i on of th i s k ind was made by the poor udal ler, who could see noth i ng more thanthat n ew landed tenures an d n ew te rm s of possess ion

,unknown to the los t statu tes of th e

L aw-t i ng,were i n tended to be i n troduced i n to th e coun try, which i t was i n vai n to resi s t .

The udal le r was eas i ly i n t im idated wi th the h in ts wh i ch were promulgated, that he h eld h islands on a doubtfu l r igh t, but that , i n cons iderati on of an augmen tat ion of the sums he pa idto the K ing for seat an d wattle

,he m igh t rece ive a charter of confirmat ion

,by wh ich h e

wou ld become , when th e Ki ng had paid off the mortgage on O rkney an d Shetland,an

even tual Crown-vassal . Th i s securi ty the udal le r glad ly purchased,find i ng in i t the sooth

i ng words of promi se wh ich had been employed th i rteen years before , but w i th less success ,on the same purpose of feudal iz ati on . that Alexander Douglas of Spyn ie was no way wi l l i ngto prej udge h im for h i s udal lands

,bu t to gran t u n to h im

,h i s he i rs an d ass ignees

,a more

perfect r igh t and secu ri ty of the same . As for th e new se ttl ers,whose purchases

,as Mr

Gi fford has remarked , we re‘

n ot always such as wou ld admit of a jud ic ial confirmat ion ,th ey readi ly as sen ted to the pr i nc iple that the King was the superi or of udal lands , an dglad ly embraced the opportun i ty of secur ing the possess ion s wh ich they had obtai ned, i nopposi t ion to the stric t terms of udal success ion

,by obtain i ng for them charters

'

of countmati on from the Crow n .

From th i s period,al so

,may be da ted th e comple te subvers ion of the anc ien t law s of

the coun try . The j u ri sd i ct i on of th e I slands had been given to the Earl of Morton’strustee

,and the udall ers now abandoned for ever th e open space of the L aw-t i ng

,where

,

ben eath no other canopy than the sky,the i r fathers had met to legi s late for at least

cen tu r iesfi f They w ere n ow requ i red,as new vassal s of the Crown

,to give th ei r su i t an d

presence to the courts wh ich were held wi th i n some covered hal l a t Ki rkwal l an d Scal loway .

1.

The p rac t ice of mak in g law s in th e L aw -t in g , su bs isted t i l l the year 1670.—G r i e'zfan ces of O r kn ey , p . 4.

ITER I L ] UDA L L ERS . 6 3

The causes have at length been expla i ned,to wh ich th e great succe ss that at tended

Douglas of Spyn ie’s mi ss i on to O rkney an d Shetland may be attri bu table . When th e

Shynd-b i l l , th e anc i en t secur i ty of udal property , had grown i nto d i suse , th e feudal izat i on

o f nearly al l th e lands of the country became an easy process . There ‘were very fewlanded i n heri tors

,wi th th e except i on of th ose wh o had formerly obtai n ed charters of con fi r

mat ion from the Crown,th at d id not now hold from the Earl of Morton’s t rustee .

“ By gran t ing of these charters from the Crown,remarks Mr Gi fford

,

“ Spyn ie ra i seda cons iderable sum of money of th e heri tors and feuars of O rkney an d Zetl and

,as

appeared by a part icular accoun t thereof for Zet land,amoun t ing to the sum of

I Scots,wh ich was very heavy upon many of them . But the compos i t io n—money

paid for the charters , and th e great feu-dut ies payable yearly ou t of the lands , d id , i n ashort t ime thereafter

,s i nk many of the heri tors so far i n debt

,that th ey were obl iged to se l l

th e land s for payment th ereof. They w ere u tterly i ncapable of be ing at the charge of thepubl ic sec uri ti es an d frequent confi rmat i on s requ i red by

Douglas of Spyn ie was al so comm i ss io ned to make long tacks of the Crown lands ;but, as h e d id not approve of the old coun try pract ice of enclosures pay ing no land-mai l swhen not laboured

,he requ i red an an nual ren t for them whatever m igh t be thei r cond i t i on .

At the same time,be d i sposed i n feu , of most of the Ki ng

’s moie ti e s of th e umboth or cornt i th es .

O rkney and She tland now began to presen t a new aspect . Numerou s allotmen ts ofte rr i tory

,wh ich had been the resu l t of i nheri tances equal ly d iv ided amon g the nearest

k i ndred of possessors,were laid togeth er so as to form an ample es tate . I n every part of the

i slands n ew se tt lers were to be found,who began to assume w i th i n thei r smal l demesnes

,al l

the proud funct i on s of the baron ial lord . Each l i t t l e manor afforded an epi tome of th estate of the Feudal System

,when aided i n i ts c iv i l e s tabl i shmen t -by th e neces s i ty imposed

upon feudatori es,of resign i ng to a l im i ted n umbe r of th e i r dependen t s th e care

_

of cu lt ivat ing the so i l . The l i t tl e land lord of O rkn ey o r Shet land demanded , alon g with h i s rent, th eacknowledgemen t of a grassum or en try

,and many of the men ia l services that were

rendered to baron ial lands,such as an nual presen ts

,cast i ng the lord’s peats

,or labouring

for h im a certai n number of days .I t i s remarkable

,that when the la st act of feudal i s ing the udal lands of O rkney and

Shetland took place,Denmark appeared to be more serious ly ben t than ever upon en ter ing

i nto an expl ic i t u nderstand i ng w i th Bri ta i n regard ing her r igh t of redeem ing these i slands,as

the anc ien t pledge of a royal marriage-dower . But i n what state cou ld th i s anc ien tScand i nav ian settlemen t have been then restored ? The laws wh ich Bri tai n had engaged toprotect

,were totally subverted — udal lands were transmuted i n to regular feuda l ten ures ,

an d were oppressed with the heavy duti es , wh ich had fi rs t found a place i n th e wicked rentalof the Earl s of O rkney , but were perpetuated by the Government to whose care the’udal ler’s righ ts had been entrusted —the anci en t Scand i nav ian in heri torwas ej ected fromh is l i ttle patrimony

,an d was become a men ial vassal to some wealth i er sett ler

,— some

Giflo rd's Z e tlan d , p . 43 8: 58.

64 UDA L LERS .

[ITER 11,

s tranger i n the land — th i s suffer i ng col ony of Norway had been goaded to th e qu ick,—i t s

wounds were yet open . The Bri t i sh Governmen t,therefore

,seems to have acted wi th

much less v i ol ence to i ts fee l i ngs,i n agai n evad i ng a defin i te explanat i on regard ing

Denmark’s claim of redempti on,than i n restori ng th e colony i n th i s lacerated state to i t s

moth er coun try . Denmark,not w i th ou t marks of chagri n

,has n ever s i nce th e treaty of

Breda pers i sted in the claim,ch i efly from th e dread of being impl icated on i ts account i n

an expens ive war she has been con ten t wi th tran sm i tt i ng to posteri ty,th rough th e med i um

of her nati onal h i s torian Torfaeu s,th e d i scu ss i on s tha t have at vari ou s times taken place

w i th the Bri t i sh Governmen t on the subjec t of the impignorated colony,together wi th the

poignan t d i sappoi n tmen t she has fel t a t th e i r un sat i sfactory term inat ion .

* I n tan ta igi tu rh istor iarum lu ce

,

” concludes Torfaeu s, e tiamsi per tot obstacu la rerum,cum versat i simu s

,

n i h i l orhem late re potes t , quod regum Dan iae,Norvegiaequ e j us i n praedictas in sulas ex

n atu rze ge n tiumqu e cor robore t pan dectis, qu ibus A n glor um tot i es i nj ecta,mora pen itu s

adve rsatu r . Ne cve r itas u squam glor iosiu s tu e tu r locum,quam in re tam luc ida e t con

testata . omn i um ocu lis e t ju dic iis exposita. Cau sam ideo coram ampl i ss imo orb i s te rrarumt ri bunal i u lte r iu s disceptare supe rsedemu s, et con fi si aequ itati remedia a tempore

Soon after th e conference w i th Denmark,th e Engl i sh Governmen t was i nduced to

i nqu i re very part i cu larly i n to the ci rcumstances wh ich led to the d i ssolu ti on of O rkney andShetland from the immed iate protect ion of th e Crown . Th e mode i n wh i ch these i s landswere mortgaged by Charles I . to th e Earl of Morton

,became an obj ect of s tr i ct i nvest iga

t ion , th e resu l t of wh ich was, that the tran sact i on was formally declared to be obtai ned byimportun i ty and obrept ion

,i n the face of many acts of perpetual annexat i on

,an d wi thout

any previ ou s d i ssolut i on of Parl iamen t . A reduct i on of the gran t immed iately en sued ;but al though the sum all eged to have been advanced to Charles I . for wh ich the i slandsw ere mortgaged

,was su spected to be a fic t i t iou s loan

,th e Morton fami ly were sat isfied for

thei r c la im,as i f they had been real cred i tors of the Crown . These arrangemen ts be ing

comple ted,a new an nexat i on of O rkney and Shet land took place , accompan i ed wi th the

profess ion,that the i s lands were to remai n i n separably w i th the Crown i n al l t ime

com ing .

With the change of landed tenu res i n troduced i n to O rkney an d Shetland by th eMor ton fam i ly

,and w i th the subsequen t an nexat i on of these i slands to the Crown i n the

year 1 669, the h i story of the udal le rs properly termi nates . Some few of th i s anc ien t desc r ipt ion of landholders s t i l l remai ned unfeudal i sed ; an d the i r descendan ts may now have th esati s facti on of th i nki ng

,tha t

,i n the i r respect ive fam ili es

,the hered i tary transm i ss i on of udal

r igh ts has been for cen turi e s successful ly opposed to al l th e feudal obl igat ion s of charters , ofprecepts of i nfeftmen t

,of casualt ie s of superi ori ty , of compos i t ion s for the entry of he i rs an d

s i ngular successors,or of renewals of i nves t i tu re . The ancien t udal ler may at th e presen t

Re rum O rcad . H ist. , l i be r i i i . D e indefe ss is pote n tiss imo r um Reg um Dan iele, Nor veg iaequ e stu du s ju s su um in O read es,

adjec e n temqu e H e tland iam pac ifi ce r e tin e nd i."

A t the e nd of the 2d Book of To r fw u s , th e asse r t ion s of Bu chanan and Boe th iu s ,that the c la im of r edemp t ion w as s u r re n de r ed , are ably comme n ted u pon .

f Tonfazu s, Re r um O rcad . H is t. , p . 2 28.

“B R APPEND IX To TH E H I STORY OF TH E UDAL LERS . 5

day con template h i s l i t tle patr imony w i th pride, al though , alas h i s nat ive land ,

bound in w i th th e tri umphan t sea,

Whose rocky shore beats back th e envi ou s surgeO f watery Neptune , i s n ow bound i n w i th shameWith i nky spots and ro tten parchmen t

Th i s n arrat ive i s n ot closed withou t the impress i on , that i t i s d iffi cul t to conce ive, howa tra i n of even ts such as has been recorded, could have ever taken place i n a prov inceplaced u nder th e protect ion of th e popular governmen t of B ri tai n . Bu t th e Bri t i sh L egi slatu re i tse lf, i n the man i fes to that was publ i shed i n th e year 1 669 on the occas i on of th efresh an nexat ion of these i s lands to th e Crown

,has given so complete a summary of th e

causes of the m isrule,that i t may

,with th e greates t proprie ty, form th e conc lus i on to th e

presen t narrat ive . The ac t of annexat ion reci tes , “ That the i s lands of O rkney andShetland were so cons iderable a part of h i s Maj es ty’s anc ien t k ingdom

,that, for d ivers ages ,

th ey had been th e occas i on of much trouble and expence of blood and money : That , bei ngof great and large exten t of bounds , an d so remote from the ord i nary seat of j u st ice andj ud i ca tures

,th e i n hab i tan ts could not repai r to th e said j ud i catu re s wi thout great troubl e

an d expen ce , to complai n when they were oppre ssed and grieved That i t i s no t on ly fi tfor h i s Maj e sty’s i n teres t

,bu t w i l l be for th e great advantage of h i s Maj es ty’s subj ects dwel l

i n g th ere, that, wi thou t i n terpos ing any other lord or superi or between h i s Maj esty andthem

,they should have an immediate dependence upon h i s Maj es ty and h i s officers, bein g

th e i r greates t securi ty aga i n s t a l l foreign attempts,and oppress ion s at home.

That notwi th s tand ing divers former Acts of annexati on , yet , importun i ty prevai l i ngwi th h i s Majesty and h i s royal fathe r

,th e i r goodness and i ncl i nat i on to grat i fy the i r subj ects

,

they had been induced to give away and part wi th so great a j ewel of the i r crown , and tod i spon e and gran t r igh ts of the earldom of O rkney and lordsh ip of She tland

,to th e great

prej udice of h i s Majes ty,h i s crown and subjects

,and con trary to law .

A PPEND IX To TH E H ISTORY OF TH E UDAL L ERS .

A sl igh t ske tch of the pol i t ica l state of O rkney and She tland from 1 669 to the presen tper iod

,may be properly appended to th i s h i s tory.

After th e act of an nexat ion , th e revenues of these i slands were let ou t to d ifferen tfarmers

,upon leases not exceed i ng five years . These tacksmen are said to have been not

l ess scrupulou s than thei r predecessors i n the offi ce of con tr ibut in g to the d i stresses of th ei s landers .

I n 1 697, th e Presbyter ian form of church-governmen t was i n troduced i n to O rkney andShetland . Al l lands belon ging to the Church then returned to the Crown bu t s i nce they

Shake spea re’s Richard I I .

6 6 A PPENDIX TO TH E H I STORY[ ITER n ,

were not ann exed to i t,they cou ld be di sposed of by the Sovere ign at pleasure . Three

years afterwards,i n con sequence of a commi ss ion be ing d i spatched to these i slands by th e

General Assembly i n Scotland,nearly th e whole of th e m in i sters conformed to Presby

te r ian ism . The Bi shop’s ren ts i n O rkney were retai ned by the Crown , but the st ipends t om i n i sters were paid out of the ch urch funds

,though i n a less proport ion .

I n A .D . 1 707, Queen Anne, notwi th standing the former solemn annexat i on s of O rkneyand Shet land to the Crown , y ielded to the importun i ty of James, Earl of Morton , whohad been one of the Commissi oners for the treaty of Un ion

,and made a new grant of

the i slands i n h i s favou r, bu t s t i l l i n the form of a mortgage, redeemable on th e paymen tof S terl ing

,and subject to an annual feu-duty of £500 Sterl i ng. The Earl

had “ ful l power,” as the charter specified , “ to en ter and rece ive the heri table vassal s whonow actual ly hold of her Maj esty an d Crown , and thei r h e irs , and to gran t charters an di nfeftmen ts . He also obtai ned a lease of th e u nappropriated part

.

of the lands of theChurch

,as wel l as of those te i nds wh ich had devolved to the Crown

,by v i rtue of the

exchange , a cen tury before , of certa i n land s of th e King for O th ers of the bi shopric . The

Earl of Morton was at the same t ime elec ted heri table Steward an d Just ic iar Of O rkneyand Shetland h e was authori sed to appoi n t deput i es for the adm in istrat i on of j us t ice

,

accord i ng to the pract ice of Scotland ; and i t appears that h e re ta in ed a few of th esubord i nate forms of the anc ien t legislatu re of the country . He was made Vice-Admi ral ofO rkn ey and Shetland, wi th al l th e powers of j udicatu re i n the mari t ime affa i rs of thecoun try

,and wi th a donat ion of the righ ts of adm iral ty . L astly , the Earl had con ferred

u pon h im the righ t of patronage to th e k i rks of Shetland and O rkney, wh ich priv i lege wastaken from the Presbytery

,and reckoned a great gri evance . A Commissary was retain ed,

who was a j udge i n con s i s tor ial affa i rs . The revenue accru ing from every sou rce of emolu

m en t enumerated was about 3000 Sterl ing per amzz mz .I n th e year 1 74 2 , th e Earl of Morton , on the ficti t i ous plea that the emolumen ts of h i s

concern s i n O rkney and Shetland, were not sufficien t to pay the i n teres t of the mortgagedsum

,had i nfluence enough wi th Parl iamen t to Obtain a d i scharge of th e revers i on an act

was therefore passed,making the whole of the estates of wh ich he was i n possess ion

,

heri table and i rredeemable . Five years afterwards,th i s Nobleman was depr ived of the

j u r i sd i ct i on of the I slands , for wh ich he rece ived in compensat i on the sum of £7200Sterl ing . The coun try now enj oyed nearly the same state of laws as other d i str ict s of Scotland . About th i s peri od th e Earl of Morton became i nvolved i n su i ts at law, ch iefly onaccoun t of the fraudulen t i ncrease of weigh ts and measu res that had gradual ly taken place ,by th e Ear l of O rkney , th e farmers of the Crown revenues, and hi s own ancestors ; an d

although he ga ined h i s su i t,h i s property became so troublesome to h im

,that

,i n th e year

1 776 , he sold i t for the sum of to S i r L awrence Dundas .

The new successor of the Earl of Morton i n the estates and superi ori ty of O rkney and

Shetland that had formerly belonged to the Crown , appears to have en tered on h i s acqu is it i on s with l i tt le h i s tor ical knowledge of the pecul iari t i es of landed tenu re wh ich th e I s landshad en j oyed wh i l st an nexed to Norway, and of the var iou s ch anges wh ich they hadundergone

,duri ng thei r progress of feudal izat ion . S i r L awrence Dundas immediately

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

68 APPENDIX TO TH E H ISTORY OF TH E UDA L LERS . [ITER 11.

Ed i nburgh,and the i r publ i cat i on has been conducted wi th an abi l i ty

.

and zeal that mu s ten ti tl e the i ndustrious ed i tor of them to th e las t i ng grat i tude of h i s countrymen .

*

Noth ing remain s to be added,bu t that O rkney and Shetland have a long accoun t o f

arrears aga i ns t the Bri t i sh Government . The admiss ion i n to the King’s Exchequer of EarlPatrick Stuart’s enormous an d unj us t ren tal , an d the repeated breaches of Parl iamen taryfa i th comm i tted i n d i san nexing the i slands from the immed iate protect i on of th e Crown

,are

charges of such a ser iou s nature agai n s t a free s tate,that

,i n j us ti ce to the perpetuated

su ffer ings of the n at ives, ample reparat i on , even at the presen t day, i s a duty . I t i s to beh oped

,therefore

,that an acquain tance wi th th e natural advan tages wh ich these i slands

possess i n regard to th ei r fisherie s,th e manu facture of ke lp

,or othe r sou rces of emolumen t

,

may suggest some mode i n wh ich a l iberal and en l igh tened L egi slatu re may be enabled toatone for past i nj urie s

,and

,perhaps

,to add material ly to the resources of the n at i on at

large .

‘

I'

The h istory of Udal Tenures be ing i nvest igated, the i ntervals of a Shetland travel ler’s

geological pursu i ts cannot be bet ter employed than i n examin ing the s tate of a coun trywh ich di ffers l i ttl e from what i t was abou t a cen tu ry and a-hal f ago. She t land is i n th eprec i se state that i s calcu lated to afford much mat ter for delec tat i on to the taste of somelearned member of the Ant iquarian Soc i ety, wel l c lergyon n ed i n the rol les of old Tyme

’sH i stor ie .

The land of the country i s st i l l a s unmeasured as ever i t was i n th e days of HaroldH arfagre . Collectors s t i l l come round for th e an nual dut i es of seat

,wattle

,ox-penny

,hawk

hens,grassum

,an d land-ma i ls . The tenan t labours for h i s lord a certa i n number of days .

Corn -te inds as wel l as V i carage-tei nds , are several ly paid in k ind from the produce of cows ,sheep

,and fi sh ing boats . The s ingle st i l ted plough i s yet i n u se, —th e tusker, the quern

and the cass ie,— al l gen u in e

'

Scandinavian implemen ts of hu sbandry,— th e descr ipt ion of

wh ich can i n no'wi se,wi thout an offence to true A rchaiOIOg ical taste , be m ixed up wi th

proposal s for i n t roducing at the same t ime some new-fangled cart,plough

,harrow

,

rol ler,box and stone wheel-barrow

,even though recommended by the Shetland New

Agricul tural Soc iety.

The course wh ich I i n tended to take had a reference to the geology of the coun t ry .

There was con sequen tly a necess i ty for proceedi ng i n such a di rect ion as wou ld be bestadapted for determ in ing th e boundar ies and mutual relat i on s of the rocks under examina

The r e is at the sam e t ime n o dou bt bu t that the hopes he ld ou t by M r Pe te rk in (the g e n tl eman al luded to), w i l l be fu lfi l ledthat by the pu bl icat ion of the se doc ume n ts , th e r igh ts of all par t ies can be adju sted w ithou t l i t igat ion or e xpe n se that var iou sobs tac le s to improveme n t w h ich have che cked i ts prog res s in O rkn ey , may be r emoved ; and the bas is be es tabl ished of a more

p rospe rou s s tate of soc ie ty , in a r eg ion wh ich has h i the r to en joyed bu t l ittle of the be n e fice nce of the B r i tish Gove rnmen t, bu t hasbe e n impove r ish ed for ce n tu r ie s pas t, by a system of leas ing th e c row n -lands and reven u es to m idd le-me n of all des cr iption s .

Pr eface to M r Pete r/r i n k Collection q/ tlte Ren ta ls q/ O r km'y , pr in ted in the year 1 820.

1 For a par ticu lar e xplanat ion of the var iou s au thor ities to wh ich I am indebted for my info rmation in draw ing up these

memo irs of the udal system, see Note 6.

ITER HO L MS OF QUEND A L E BAY .

t i on . The resu l t of.

th e i nvest igat ion forms the subj ect of a d i st i nc t Geological Treat i se ;bu t th e m iscel laneous i nc idents at tendi ng the research const i tu te th e proper deta i l s of anI ter.

HOLMS O F QUEND A L BAY.

When the geognost has got in read iness h i s ponderous hammers,— th e wel l-t ri ed s tee l

of wh ich

the strong—bas’d promontoryHath oft made shake

,

”

he cannot, perhaps, more conven ien tly commence h i s exam i nat ion of Shetland, than byfi rs t v is i t i ng a smal l i n su lated rock i n Qu endal Bay, named L i t t l e-Holm for wh i ch purposehe must seat h imsel f i n a l igh t Norway yawl

,launched on the swel l i ng surge of

D u n rossn ess,whi ls t he 15 propel led by the to i l in g oars of four or s ix ac t ive Shetland

boatmen .

O n approach i ng L i tt le Holm ,th e attent ion i s d i rected to a mura l heap of s tones , that,

wi th few i n terrupt ion s,enc i rc les th e i s land

,and presen ts th e appearance of a rude forti fi ca

t i on . Upon land ing,th e mut i la ted remain s may be observed of what an t iquari es

name Ki s t-vaen s, or s tone coffin s . Each of these i s formed by fou r flat s tones, sunkedgeways i n to th e earth

,th e upper margi n s of wh ich do not ri se many i nch es above th e

common leve l of the ground . The cav i ty of th e most perfect coffin i s about 4% feet longby about 2 7 i nches broad ; of the depth no idea could be form ed , from the quant i ty ofearth and rubb i sh wh ich i t conta i ned . With regard to the orig i n of these s tone chests, i t i su sel ess to offer any conj ectures

,as thei r con ten ts have been removed , and as th e use of

receptacles of th i s k ind for bones or urns was n ever res tricted to any part icular race amongthe anc ien t European t ribes . I t i s h owever remarkable

,that ant iquari e s shou ld have con

side red tha t al l th e i r speculat ion s on th e an t iqu i ti e s of O rkney and Shetland could onlyrefer to a pure Scandi navian or to a Cel t i c people . I t seem s to have been lost s igh t of,that O rkney, an d probably Shetland also, was frequen ted by Saxon p i rates, who susta i ned adefeat by Theodos i u s . Th is i s so importan t a fact connected wi th the earl ies t annals of thecoun try, that i t w i ll be Occas ional ly an obj ect of i nqu i ry , i f a proper Saxon race, or even i f am ixed people composed of Saxon s and Scandi nav ian s

,did n ot i nhab i t th e land prior to the

occupat ion of i t by the Norwegian s,who had made i t the i r abode after the usurpat ion of

the i r cou ntry by Harold H arfagre . I t was now ev iden t,that the stones wh ich encompassed

the i sle as a sort of defence, were derived from the di lapidat i on of sepu lchral tumul i thatcovered the stone cofli n s. Probably th i s wal l m igh t have been hast i ly th rown up by thesh ipwrecked party belonging to the Dukede Med i na’s flag-sh ip ; for, in a d ifferen t part ofthe country, where another gal leon belonging to the Span i sh Armada was cast away, an i sle twas fort ified i n nearly a s im i lar man ner.

L i t t l e Holm i s composed of ep idot ic s i en i te, and secondary rocks of a conglomerate

70 FITFIEL HEAD .

(ITER u ,

an d arenaceous st ructure ; an in teresti ng exposu re here takes place of the j unct ion of th etwo format ion s . In Cross Holm

,a cont iguous i slet

,n oth ing but s ien i te occu rs .

FITFIEL HEAD .

I n landing at the head of Qu endal Bay , th e si en i te made i ts appearance close to thehouse of Mr Ogi lvi e , bei ng no longer mod ified by the presence of epidote . I n a n orthwesterly d i rect i on

,therefore

,being that i n wh ich the rock i s said to have been occas ional ly

exposed by the spade of the labourer,i t was proper to proceed

,un ti l th e grani t ic mass

shou ld become fu lly exposed on th e western coast . - As the fine corn lands of Qu endal,and th e barren sand-h i l l s to the east of them retreat from vi ew

,we become acqua in ted with

the d ifferen t i nhabi tan ts of th e Shet land scatholds or commons . The d im i nu t ive fleecytenants of the h i l l s resemble i n thei r form

,th e i r n imblen ess an d flee tn ess, the Argal i or wi ld

sheep of Siber ia .

* The scene is agai n vari ed by‘ th e occas i onal appearance of a l i tt l e

barrel-bel l ied broad-backed equuleus, of a brown or black colou r, wh ich Buchanan , th eScott i sh h i storian

,h as described as

“ as i no haud maj or ; that i s , not larger than a donkey .

When the shelty i s i n h i s wi n ter or spri ng garb, i t i s d ifli cu lt to suppose that h i s progen i t o rswere the same an imals wh ich trave l lers have descri bed as pranc i ng over the arid tracts ofArabia — th e long shaggy ha ir wi th wh ich he is clothed

,has more the appearance of a polar

d ress,or of some arct i c l ivery

,special ly d i spensed to the quadruped reta iners of the Gen i u s

o f H ialtland . Anothe r ranger of the h i l l s i s of a revol ti ng ki nd he i s a l i tt le ugly bri ndledmonster

,the very ep i tome of the wi ld boar

,yet not larger than th e Engl i sh terri er

H i s br i s tled back a trench impal’d appears ,

A n d s tands erected l i ke a field of spears .”

Th is lordl ing of th e She tland scatholds and arable lands ranges und i s turbed over h i s freedemesnes

,and

,i n quest of the roots of plants or earthworms , hol lows out deep furrows an d

t renches i n the best pastures,— destroys i n h i s progress al l th e n ests wh ich he can fi n d of

plovers,cu rlieu s or chalders,— bivouacs i n some potato field

,wh ich he rare ly qu i ts un t i l he

has excavated a di tch large enough to bury wi th i n i t a dozen of fel low-commoners of h i sown s ize and we ight l Nor i s th e re ign of th i s petty tyran t al together bloodless . When ayoung lamb i s j us t dropped

,i t i s then that he foams , and , as B lackmore has p ompously

s ung,

“ flour ishes th e iv’ry war never qu i t t i ng h i s ground un t i l th e grass i s t i nged with thered slaughter of h i s v ic t im .

Con t i nu ing i n the same north-westerly course, the ocean at length appeared ful l i n vi ew,

an d near i t th e fresh-water lake of L u nab iste r , frequen ted by n umerous web footed b irds .The Cl i ff H il l s, wh ich stretched out far to the n orth

,presen ted the form of a long, bleak

mounta i n-ridge,muffled up in

'

wet, exhaled m ists, -and s lop ing on each side towards the wi ldsuperb waste of the Atlan ti c . For severa l m i l es th e coast seemed broken i n to creeks

,

To th is race th ey have bee n compar ed by M r Sh ir r e ff in h is Ag r icu l tu re of Sh e tlan d .

1“See Low’s Fau na O rcad . fo r a descr iption of the Su s Scrofa of th is lati tude .

ITER IL ] FITFIEL HEAD . 7 I

i sle ts,an d sea holms , and , i n thei r pen t-up channels , am idst the w h i te foam of t i l t i ng waves ,

the poet m igh t descr ibe the sea-nymphs as keep ing u p a perpetua l co i l . I n journey ingalong the west of the lake

,th e d i rec t i on of th i s course was term i nated by a l i t t le i n let of the

sea named Spigga, where the s ie n i te of D u n rossn ess became ful ly exposed , where i t was i nj unct ion wi th the clay-s late of the C l iff H i l ls

,and wi th in te rstrata of horn blend-s late and

quartz . After walking du e sou th from Spigga for a d i s tance of two mi le s along h igh banksof s ien i te

,th i s rock had the appearance of reposi ng upon strata of gne is s and m ica-sla te .

At th i s place commences the promontory of Fitfi el . The clay-s late of wh ich th i s h eadlandi s composed

,has so pearly a l ustre

,that when the rays of the sun sh in e fully upon i t, a

wh i t i sh appearance i s produced , wh ich seems to have suggested to the early Scandi nav ianse ttlers th e name of Fitfi e l, or th e Wh ite Mountai n . At some l i tt le d is tance from the placewhere the clay-slate begi n s

,i s to be seen a

,large ve in of i ron-mica

,runn ing from east t o

west,about 1 2 feet broad

,wh ich was d iscovered several years ago by a company of m i ners

who worked i n the v ic i n i ty . Th i s ore i s supposed to con ta i n about 70 or (m l . ofi ron , and by the m i ners of the con t i n en t wou ld probably be cons idered of some con se

qu en ce . I ron-m ica i s described i n m i neralogical works as mel t i ng better than commoni ron-glan ce ,

‘

bu t as requi ri ng a greater add i t ion of l ime-s tone as affording an i ron wh ich i ssomet imes cold-short

,bu t wh ich i s wel l fi t ted for cas t-ware .* Dr Flem ing several years ago

very properly recommended th i s ve i n to the at tent ion of pract ical m i neralogi s ts .From th i s poi n t of rock

,as we cast ou r eyes to the north

,an extens ive view of the

country i s exh ibi ted ; yet n oth i ng i s to be observed bu t th e mos t frequen t con s t i tuen ts ofShetland scenery

,—i s lets

,holms

,creeks

,prec ipices

,an d a long l i ne of ragged coast . Bear

i ng off the mos t d istan t extrem i ty of the Mai n land i s the i sland of Fou la, supposed to havebeen th e U lt ima Thul e wh ich Agricola saw from O rkney . An in land survey of the countryshews noth ing but a trackless brown desert of h i l l and dale

,wh ich the Fores t Nymphs have

for centuri es forsaken . Towards Fitfi el I found th e ascent to gradual ly i n crease ; a fews igns of cu l t ivat ion appeared

,and some cottages were i n terspersed among the h i l l s . Sti l l

pursu i ng a course along precipi tous banks,

where th e murmuri ng su rgeThat on th’u n n umbe r’d id l e pebbles chafes,Cannot be heard so h igh

a short walk led to the summ it of Fitfi el Head,and to a v iew of the southerly ocean

,— Fai r

I sle appearing l ike a speck i n the vast expanse . O n th e easterly brow of th i s b ill may beseen the estuary of Q u en dal, studded wi th sea holms at th e head of the bay are fert i lecorn lands

,a neat wh i te farm-house

,and variou s groups of cottages

,around each of wh i ch

rude d ikes of stone or turf i rregularly w ind,and to th e east of these a cheerless con tras t of

barren sand-h i l l s. More remote i s a st ra i tened tongue of land,c lothed w ith a green sward,

j u tt i ng ou t far i n to the sea,and swel l i ng ou t at i t s extrem i ty i n to a bold promon tory — th i s

i s th e Head of Sumburgh . The prospec t i n th i s d i rect ion i s c losed by the ocean , which ,

Jame son’s M in eralogy ,2d ed it. , vol. i i i . , p. 2 42 .

72 GA RTH SNESS .

um I,

i nvad ing the low sandy beach that form s the easterly decl iv i t‘y of th e sand-h i l l s,channels

ou t th e shore i n to numerous mean dr ing creeks . I n un i son wi th th i s h igh ly vari ed,al though

w oodles s scenery,are the hoarse screams of th e sea-fowl that bu i ld amon g the crags of

F itfi el. O ccas ional ly ‘th e noble , generou s falcon whom I saac Walton’s sportsman , i n d i sdai nof th e Imperial Eagle , has dubbed Jove’s servan t i n ord inary, deign s to v is i t th i s proudem inence .

GA RTH SNESS.

I n descend in g th e heigh ts of Fitfi el towards Qu en dal Bay, I c rossed the smal l ridge ofGarth sn ess

,composed of m ica-slate and gnei ss . Close to th e sea th ere was a p iece of

ground approach ing to a semic i rcu lar form,and natural ly protected on th e w es t by h igh

banks , on th e sou th by the ocean , and strength ened i n othe r places by art ificial embankmen ts of earth . Th i s fort ificat i on was probably th e hasty workmansh ip of the maraud i ngpart i es of Highlanders

,who are said to have v i s i ted Shetland for a long seri e s of years

,an d

to have secu red for themselves wi th i n temporary s t rongholds th ei r booty Of corn an d cattle,

un ti l a suffi c ien t freigh t of plunder was col lected, wi th wh ich they migh t sa i l away to th elVe ste rn I sles .

At th e extrem i ty of Garthsn ess th ere i s a bed of i ron-pyrites,’ru n n ing north and south , of

the width of 8% fee t .* Th i s m i nera l i s not worked as an ore of i ron,but i s i n Germany

pri nci pal lyvalued for the Su lphur wh ich may be obtai n ed from i t by subl imat ion , and forth e green v i tr i ol o r sulphate of i ron wh ich i t aflords by exposure to the a i r, e i ther wi th orwi thout prev iou s roastin g ]

L About th i rty years ago,Shetland was vi s i ted by a m i n ing

company from L ondon,who

,by th e suggest ion of an un sk i l lfu l

,t rading proj ector

,under

took to work th i s bed of i ron—pyri tes,i n th e expec tat i on that i t necessari ly con tai ned a

depos i t Of copper; A n agreement was en tered i n to w i th the owner of the estate,for the

purpose of i n troduci ng a party of Corn i sh m iners i n to the coun try , who immediately fel l towork upon th e m ine ral

,and sunk shafts i n various d i rec t ion s of the h i l l . I n the mean t ime

,

th e wi se promoter of th e scheme undertook,duri ng th e progress of the work

,the labour of

essaying. The i ron-pyri tes of Garthsn ess su ffered (as the anc ien t chem ists wou ld say) al lth e vexati on s and th e martyrizat ion s of metal s i n the work solut i on

,ablu t i on

,subl imat ion

,

cohobat ion,calc inat i on

,cerati on

,and fixat ion . But the martyrizat i on was i n vai n : i t i s

doubtfu l if a s i ngle grai n of copper was ever extracted from the ore . A t l ength,a Shetland

w igh t,ambi t iou s for a qu iz aga i n st th e D ou stersw ivel of the party, s l i ly d ropt among th e

con tents of the crucib le a copper penny . The eflect wh ich was produced exceeded h i smost arden t hopes of m isch i ef. The crucible was taken from the furnace ; i t s content sw ere exam ined

,and j oy sparkled on every m in ing countenance .

“ I know not,

” sa id thedeluded v i s ionary

,who

,from h i s suggest ion of the m in i ng scheme

,was al lowed to have a

The accou n t of the Gar th sn ess ve in is g ive n in p . 1 43 , of th is Work [the Geo log ical por tion ].

1 Jameson 's M in e ra log y, 2d ed i t vol. i i i . , p . 309.

ITER SUMBURGH . 73

proportion of i ts profi ts,

“Whether I or Bedford’s Duke, w i th al l h i s immense estates, oughtmost to be envi ed .

”Thi s vei n of Garthsn e ss

i s th e r ich Peru,

And there w i th i n,S i r

,are the golden m ines ,

Great Solomon’s Ophir l h e was sai l i ng to’t

Th ree years but we have reached i t i n ten mon th s .Th i s i s th e day, where i n to al l my fr i endsI wi l l pron Oa e th e happy word , Be rich .

But the unfortunate company at whose expense th i s de lectable comedy was got up , wereleft

,notwi th stand i ng the fine prom i sing i ndi cat i on s of the laboratory, to wai t so l ong for a

cargo of metal from the Shetland O ph i r, that the i r pati ence was at length exhausted . Anem issary from their fratern i ty was di spatched to Garthsn ess, suffic ien t ly wel l qual ified toj udge of the probable success of theundertak ing. He saw the ve in , an d al l th e labours of

the experimen tal i s t were d i ss ipated in fo/ no.

Why,n ow you smoky prosecu tor of Nature

Now,do you see

,that someth ing’s to be done

,

Besides your beech-coal and your cor’s i ve waters,

Your cross lets,cruc ib le s

,an d cucurbi te s ?

You must have stuff b rough t home to you to work on .

(Pr obably alluding to Me coppef pen ny-

plea: dropt z'

m‘o l ilo cr ucible.)

A n d yet,you thi nk I am at no expen ce ,

I n search ing out these ve i n s,then fol lowing them

,

Then tryi ng th em out . ’Fore God , my inte l l igence

Costs me more money than my share comes toI n these rare

SUMBURGH .

Before qu i t t i ng the pari sh of D u n rossn ess,I paid a v i s i t to th e Ness and L i nks of

Sumburgh . After passi ng along the head of the Bay of Qu en dal, th e rocks appeared tocon s i s t e i ther of agglut i nated fragments of quartz, gran i te an d fe lspar

,or of a very loose an d

arenaceous varie ty of sandston e . Upon cross ing the h i ll s east of Qu en dal Bay, a sandstonesucceeded

,which much resembled th e most common spec ie s pf primi t ive quartz rock .

I now d i rected my course to an open in le t of the sea , smal ler than that of Qu en dal, namedWes t Voe . Here

,i t may be proper to explai n a few provinc ial term s express ive of th e

d i fferen t c i rcumstances under wh ich the sea i nvades the land . The name of Voe,from the

Scand i navian z fog r , i s g iven to a narrow i n le t o f the sea of moderate exten t bu tto an estuary of cons iderable width , the common Engl i sh term of Bay i s appl i ed . An i n le tof d im i nu t ive s ize i s cal led a Gio or Geo, from the Scand i navian goo . Some idea

,though

certa in ly an i ncomplete one , may be formed Of the comparat ive magn i tude of a Voe and aGio

,by supposi ng that the former

,i f deep en ough

,i s capable from i ts width , of afford ing a

Joh n son 's A lchym ist.

74 SUMBURGH . [ ITER Ir.

harbour for sh ips,bu t that the lat ter i s

,from i ts narrown ess , on ly proper for boat s . There i s

st i l l another smal l i n let of the sea d i s t i ngu i shed by the Shetlanders as bei ng more open thanthe Gio i t i s named a B i te

,th e word having been probably derived from the popular

ph rases of Engl i sh or Scotch sa i lors, among whom I have occas ional ly heard i t u sed . The

B i te of the Shetland shores i s noth i ng more than the la t i n i sed expressi on of in den tation ofcoast

,th e low metaphor of both terms (mor su fr anger e) i n n owi se d i fferi ng from each other.

A keen etymologi st,i ndeed , m igh t be at l it tle loss to j ust i fy the use of the term Bite, i n i ts

appl icat ion to i nvasi on s of the sea on a coast,by c i ta t i on s of the h igh est classi cal authori ty

as,for i n stance

,by a passage from Horace

,

Non rura,quae L i r i s qu ieta,

M ordet aquatac itu rn u s omn is .

H ORA T . I . 3 1 .

Franci s,i n tran slat i ng these l in es , was unwi l l i ng to give the closes t translat i on of the term

mon iet,bu t i t i s quest ionable i f he has got r id of al l the vu lgari ty of the express ion

,by th e

fol lowing clumsy versi on

Nor the r ich fields that L i r i s l eaves,

A nd eats away wi th s i len t waves .

The sand-h i l l s wh ich ‘appear' as we approach West Voe from Qu endal, are agreeablycontrasted w i th th e grassy L i nks of Sumburgh to th e east , and th e green headland of Sumburgh . On th e confines that mark the devastat i on of th e blowing sand , are to be seen th eru in s of bu i ld ings

,the foundat ions of wh ich have whol ly or i n part y i e lded to the removal of

th e l igh t arenaceou s part i cles upon wh ich they were improv iden tly bu i l t . An old, pla i nfam i ly man si on

,seated i n th e m iddl e of the green sward of Sumburgh , and erected by th e

Scot t i sh family of Bruce, remain s ent i re ; but at n o great d i stance to the sou th , being closeto th e seat Of th e sand-flood, may be seen the shel l of two or th ree rooms of an anc ien th ouse

,bui l t i n a very pla i n manner, wi thout any man i festat ion of a castel lated style of

arch i tecture . The wal ls appear of a remarkable th ickness, th ough sunk i n several placesby th e di sl odgmen t of the sand from ben eath the foundat ion s . Th i s dwell i ng was erectedby L ord Robert S tuart , th e la st and 2 7th Abbot of Holyrood , who was afterwards Earl of

O rkney . He was for th i rty years the i ndefat igable persecu tor of th e anc ien t udal lers ofO rkney an d Shetland , i n h i s endeavours to subvert the i r laws , an d to wrest from them thei rlanded possessi on s .

Robert S tuart was th e natural son O f James V . by Euphem ia,daugh ter of L o rd

Elph in ston . He was general ly addressed i n the court of Queen Mary by the t i t l e of L ordRobert

,and very early i n l i fe was appoin ted Abbot of Holyrood" . When the Popi sh

d ign i taries of Scotland were compel led , for the sake of securing thei r ben e fi ces, to j oi n thecause of the Reformers

,th e pl ian t abbot read i ly fel l i n w i th th e prevai l i ng rel igious

sen timents of the t imes , and probably y ie lded i n zeal to none of those elect ,

Chalm e rs's Ca l edon ia ,

v ol. 11. p . 753. A s the las t cor ru ption of a cor ru pt ag e , r emarks th is w r i te r , the King’s bab lardg

w e re in trodu ced in to th e g r eates t bishopr ics , and the r iche s t abbeys.

”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

76 SUMBURGH . m m 11;

are so wel l related by earl y au thors ; an d that the re was n ot on e of these br oken men

that could not “ rob a ripper of h i s fi sh,

-cu t off a convoy of butter,

-or dri ve a regimen tO f geese afore h im

,and n ot a h i ss heard

,n or a wi ng of the t roops L ord

Robert employed an armed reti nu e of th i s descripti on,who w ere d i spe rsed over th e

i s lands, to guard al l th e common ferri es , for the purpose of preven ti ng compla in tsagai nst h i s exact ion s reach i ng the Govemmen t of Scotland : i n the mean t ime

,be com

m itted what depredat ion s h e pleased,— maki ng i l legal exacti on s of rent

,and (i n th e

phraseology of the t ime) g r ipping lan ds from th e udal lers un ti l,at l ength

,a pet i ti on

reached the royal ear, stat i ng, “ That th e i nhab i tan ts were so oppr essit be rompan tes

of suddar tis and other s br oken men,def ender s upon L ord Rober t Steuar t

,tkat they

w er e all u tter ly w rak it and ber eit for ever .

”L ord Robert was then recal led from the

is lands,but was soon after rei n stated i n h i s possess ion s

,with the t i t le of an Earl ; when

,

”

say s a worthy prelate,

“ he found out ane u ther way to doe h i s tu rne . He became B ischopei n omn ibu s

,and set h i s ren tall of teyn ds upon th ese Vdellan ds, above th e ava il e [value], yea .

tr iple above th e avai le .

” At th e same t ime,al l morti fi cation s and penances for cr imes

,

under the cogn i zance of the Church , con s i sted i n loss of land ; and thu s, as B i shopGrahame has added, “ th e Earl’s lands grew dai ly

,as adulte ries an d i nce sts i ncreased i n th e

cou n try —for th ese oppress ion s he had frequen tly h i s gr an t taken from h im,but had

always i n teres t enough at Court to get i t returned — Hi s L ordsh i p bu i l t a palace at B i rsayin O rkney , wh ich was remarkable for noth i ng so much as the wh ims ica l mottoes wh ichadorned i t s wall s . O n e was “ Si c fui t

,es t

, et c ri t,” which the pious men of the t ime con

stru ed as blasphemous but th i s i s perhaps a m istake ; th e Earl m igh t have mean t noth ingmore in the express ion than an al lu s ion to the unchangeable nature of h i s moral habi t sS ic f uit, est, oi er it ; that i s, A man such as he always was ,— such i s he now, and such heever wi l l be . Another of the B i rsay mottoes i s sa id to have h igh ly d ispleased th e Monarchof Scot land .

“When we en tered th e palace gate ,” sa id Brand, th e Mi s sionary, about theyear 1 700, we saw above i t that i n scr ipt ion so much talk’t of

,and reputed treasonable by

King James VI .

— ‘Rober tns Stuar tn s,fi liu s Jacobi Qui nti Rex Scotorum

,hoc aed i fi c ium

in struxit z’wh ich inscript ion could n ot but offend the lawful he i r of th e Crown ; for i t

can not well be th ough t,that the Earl an d al l abou t h im

,were such blunde rers i n th e L at i n

tongue,as to put down Rex i n s tead of Reg is, i f there had been n o des ign i n it

”

: The

s imple Mi ss i onary seems to have erred i n h i s conj ecture . A grammatical knowledge of

L ati n was by no means the i nd i spen sabl e acqu i remen t of a court i er of the 1 6 th cen tury,

even though he should have been created the merry Abbot of Holyrood . Th e Earl d ied atan advanced age , and though he was not sa i n ted by th e udal lers of O rkney an d Shetland

,

yet he was at least respected by h i s own posteri ty ; for when , i n th i rty years afterwards , ani rreve rend churl had erected h i s pew i n the Cathedral of Ki rkwal l , immed ia tely over RobertS tuart’s revered remai n s , h e was formal ly and publ icly admon ished by th e L ord B i shop ofO rkney, “ not to i ncu r the i nd ignat i on of such noblemen as the Ear l of Carrick , an d others

Se e the qu al ificat ion s of th e br oken m en of En g land in Beaumon t and F le tche r’s Beggar 's Bu sh , A ct v , Sce n e r st.

1 Pe te rkin’s An c ie n t Re n tals of O rkn e y , No. i i i . p. 2 1 .

t Brand's Descr ip t ion of O rkn ey , p . 3 1 .

ITER I L ] SUMBURGH . 77

of the worthy name of Stuart for i t would come to h i s Maj est i e’s ears how such personed id s i t there an d trample upon h i s H ien es’grau n d-unc le’s —Such wer e the even tfu lfeatures i n the annal s of Robert S tuart

,once Abbot of Holyrood

,afterwards a Protestan t

reformer,but whose lates t amusemen ts of l i fe were concentrated i n the ac t of monopoli zi ng

al l th e lands of O rkney and Shetland , whether they belonged to the Crown , th e Church , orthe un fortunate Udal lers .

After lo i ter ing a few momen ts near the anc ien t man si on of Earl Robert,h i s v i r tues not

i n spi ring any extraordi nary sensat ion for the wal l s as soc ia ted wi th h i s memory , I ascendedthe adj o in ing promon tory of Sumbu rgh

,—a head land Of cons iderable exten t, th e eas terly

s ide of wh ich hav ing y ielded con s iderably to th e ocean,i s formed i n to a steep prec ipi ce . I t

i s proposed upon th i s tongue of land t o erect,wi thou t delay

,a stately pharos, th e aecom

plishme n t of wh ich i s ass igned to Mr Steven son,whose execut i on of th e Bel l—Rock L igh t

house i s a monument of ski l l so honourable to th e archi tecture of Scotland . l‘ I t i s to be

hoped that other beacon s , equal ly requ i red on th e north and west of the coast, may renderthese i s lands n o longer the terror Of th e northern mari ner

,who

,feari ng to be ben igh ted

n ear th ei r destruct ive cl i ffs , ch uses to brave the e lement s of the open sea, rather than makethe st i l l more per i lou s at tempt to s tee r for th e securi ty wh ich th e numerou s harbours ofShet land are wel l calcu lated to afford . But the t ime i s probab ly n ot very remote, when i tmay be said of th i s country as of other parts of B ri ta i n

,

Free as the w inds and waves thei r shel te ri ng arms,

L O stream ing comfort o’er the troubled deep,

O n every po in ted coast the l igh t-hou se towers .”

THOMSON .

From Sumburgh Head we hav e a view of what i s named th e Ron st,—th i s be i ng a term

of Scandi nav ian origi n,used to s ign i fy a st rong tumul tuous cu rren t

,occas ioned by th e

meet ing of rap id tides i The sea be ing calm,there was the appearance of a turbulen t

s tream of t ide,about two or th ree m ile s broad

,i n th e m idst of smooth water, extend ing a

short d i stance from Sumburgh,and then gradual ly dwi ndl ing away

,so as to term inate i n a

long slender dark l i ne , beari n g towards Fai r I s l e . The explanat ion Of th i s appearance i s,

perhaps, to be g iven i n con nect ion wi th that wave of t i de propagated from the greatd i urnal undulat i on of the Atlan t i c

,wh ich

,i n the progress of complet ing i ts c i rcu i t round

Bri tai n,i s descr ibed by natural i s ts as pass i n g to the west of O rkney, —from thence to the

north of the Bri t i sh I sles,and then tak i ng a southerly d i rect ion

,so as to form a ridge tha t

extends be tween Buchan an d th e Naze of Norway .§ The t ides of Shetland appear to bei nduced by lesser currents

,generated du ri ng th e progress of the wave along th e westerly,

Pe te rk in’s Co l l e ction s , Appe nd . p . 53.

Sumbu rg h H ead Lig h t-hou se has be e n comple ted s in ce I vis ited She tland. A shor t de sc r i ption of it w i l l be fou nd in Note7 to the pr e se n t I te r .

t Isl. r oos t, r a rest, aestuar ia, vor tices mar is , Ve re l , Ind. Su pposed by one au thor to be syn on imous w ith the A. S . r ar e ,

s tr idor , impe tu s fluv ii.—See Jam ieson’s Etym . D ie t. word r oast.

Se e Playfai r’s O u t l in es of Natu ral Ph i losophy, vol. i i . p . 338. and You ng’s Lectu res on Natu ral Ph i losophy , vol. i .

SUMBURGH .

[ITE‘R I I

northerly,an d eas terly parts of th e coun try , and th ese set i n n early an hour soon er on th e

w est than on the east coast of these i slands . At the begi n n i ng of the flood, the t id e i n the

Roust i s di rected to the eastward,un t i l i t passes the promontory of Sumburgh i t then

meets wi th a south t ide,that has been flowing on the east s ide of the country ; when a

d i vergemen t takes place to th e south—eas t, and la st ly to the south . At h igh -wate r there i s ashort cessat ion of the t ide called the S ti l l th e ebb now begi n s , fi rst set ti ng north—west an dth en north

,unt i l the recommencemen t of the flood . The vari ous d irec ti on s of th e t ides of

Shetland are no doubt owing i n a con s iderable degree to mod ificat ion s wh ich take plac efrom the number an d form of th e vari ou s head lands an d i n let s of th e coast but s i nce theyare propagated at success ive i n terval s of t ime

,i t i s eviden t that a t th e north erly an d

sou therly extremi t ies of the Shetland Arch ipelago,they would be natu rally opposed to each

other . A gentleman in formed me that he has been for five days beca lmed i n a s loopbetween Fitfi e l Head and Sumburgh Head, wh ich are on ly d i s tan t from eac h other aboutth ree mi les

,withou t be i ng able to pass e i ther po i n t ; one cu rrent carryi ng the vessel i n to th e

eastern , and the other i n to the western ocean the sloop was often tran sported by the t idevery near the shore

,yet another t ide always carr ied her off ag ain .

* But al though there i san oppos i t ion of curren ts from Sumburgh to Fair I s le

,an d n o doubt from thence to O rkney ,

th e Roust i s that part of the s tream ly ing at a small d i s tance from the promontory,th e

force of wh ich i s probably encreased by i ts proxim i ty to the coast,an d by th e shal lowness

of' th e water . Here there i s a lways a heavy sea

, bu t i n a s torm the waves are said to r i s emoun tai n s h igh . Drayton has given a good de scr ipt ion of the occurrence of s im i larphenomena at the Race of Portland

,not however unmixed wi th a tolerable proport i o n of

poet ic bathos

Some coming from the east,some from the set t ing sun

,

The l iqu id mountai n s st i l l togeth er main ly run,

Wave woundeth wave agai n , an d b i l low b i l low go res,A n d topsy—turvy so fly tumbl i ng to the shore s . ”

I n the Roust of Sumburgh there i s a con siderable fi shery for the Gadus carbonar iu s orcoal-fi sh , th e fry of wh ich , named Si l locks , have been already described as enteri ng the baysi n myri ads . The Gadus carbon ar iu s i s known i n Shetland by th e name of Seeth e

,

alth ough i n Fe roe an d Norway th i s appel lat ion i s g iven to the full grown Gadus v iren s .Natural i s ts have described the coal- fi sh as be ing of a very dark or black colou r

,— hence i t s

name ; but th i s term i s i l l appl ied to t hose specimen s of the fi sh that I saw i n Shet land,

wh ich were rather of a l ight i sh brown . The wh i te la teral l i n e wi th wh ich the fi sh is marked,

has been properly con s idered as a ve ry d i s t i ncti ve character. The coal- fi sh , or Shetlandseethe , i s of a large s ize , an d i s sa id sometimes to atta i n

-

the length of'

three feet . I t iscorrectly represented as of an e legan t shape , with a smal l head, sharpened snout, an d

a lower jaw exceed ing th e upper i n length . I have tasted the fish i n a fresh state,but i t

was dry and coarse . I t i s,howeve r

,cu red for sale

,and i s then sent to a Scotch marke t ,

I am inde bted fo r my in forma t ion on th e d ir e ct ion of the tide s at Sumbu rg h to the kin dn ess ofW i l l iam He nde rson,Esq.

‘

of Bard iste r , in She tland .

i'

rER SUMBURGH . 79

w here i t sel l s m uch cheaper than cod or l i ng . Coal-fi sh are general frequen ters of t ideways,

bu t the Roust of Sumburgh offers for them attrac t i on s of no common k i nd ; there they arefound i n great n umbers

,being somet imes seen sporti ng near the su rface of the water

,wh i l s t

,

i n quest of them,th e daun t les s She t lander launches h i s l ight sk i ff among the wh i te waves of

contendi ng t ides,and

,by means of hand l i n es bai ted wi th haddock or Shell fish

,rare ly

returns w i thout a plen teou s fre igh t .When on the heigh ts of Sumbu rgh

,I om itted to walk round the whole of the head—lands

,

and,therefore

,missed the opportun i ty of see ing a fort ificat i on that appears to have at tracted

the part i cular at ten t ion of Mr L ow,th e au thor of the Fauna O rcaden sis . He has described

it as a n eck of land protec ted by a di tch and strong wall , at the e ntrance of w h ich i s th efoundat i on of a large structure, that he supposes may have se rved as a guard-room he hasal so s tated

,that along the wal l , and at some l i tt le d i s tance from i t, are to be found the

marks of numerous smal l bui ld ings . Th i s defence was supposed to be con struc ted for th epurpose of con tai n i ng catt le and prov i s ion s : not improbab ly i t was the work of th e westernH ighlanders, who, i n the i r predatory excurs ion s to Shetland, are sa id to have rendered th ev ic in i ty of Qu en dal Bay the great repos i tory of the plunder that they were enab led to levy .

I n fort ificat ion s l ike those of Sumburgh and Fitfi e l Head a cons iderable booty of cattle,

corn,or oth er prov is i on s

,m igh t have been preserved an d al lowed to accumulate

,unti l a

freigh t had been col lected : su fficien t to repay the H igh landers for the trouble of thei rsummer’s t ri p .

After descendi ng the promontory, I again passed over th e L i nks of Sumburgh , wh ichhave long been commemorated i n th e trad i t i on s of the coun try

,from be ing the s i te of an

engagemen t tha t took place between the Shetlanders an d some Western Highlanders . Th i sfeud was of a very anci en t date . I n the 9th cen tury, th e Western I sl es , which had beenorigi nal ly occupied by a Cel t ic race

,were subdued by Harold H arfagre , and formed i n to a

Norwegian prov ince. But by the arriva l of a number of Gael ic colon i sts from Ireland , th eScand i navian nat ives were gradual ly ou sted ou t of the terr i tory wh ich they had acqu i red

,

being obl iged to occupy the most westerly confines of th e coast . I n the m idd l e of th e 1 3 thc en tury

,Scotland was i nvaded by Haco, King of Norway , on wh ich occas i on detachmen ts

of these Norwegian s were left i n the Hebrides , for the pu rpose of keeping the WesternH igh landers i n awe . The party that was sen t to th e I s le of L ewi s becom ing troub l esome

,a

plan was laid for cu tt i ng them off. The l ord of th e i sland summoned h i s attendan ts,an d

ordered the'

C roish tar ich* to be constructed , th e ri tua l fi re to be l igh ted, and a goat to bebrought forth and sla in . The extrem i t i es of a wooden cross were then ki nd led i n the flame

,

and,wh i l s t th e blood of the vi c t im fol lowed th e kn i fe

,they were ext i ngu i shed i n the purple

stream . The ch ief n ow del ivered th i s emblem of fi re and sword to a sw i ft messenger, wi ththe lacon ic mandate

,Marbhadh ghach shen a bhuana ,” (le t each k i l l h i s guest). The

n imble footman en trusted wi th th e fi re—cross,flew wi th i t to the i nhab itan t of th e n ext ham

le t —th e receiver heard i t announced as the cross of shame,d i sregarded by none bu t th e

Th e w ord Cr oz'

s lz ta r z'

c/z is sa id to be de r ived from Cro is , a c r oss , and tara , a m u lti tu de , e xpr e ss ive Of a fi opu la r sig na l bu t

th i s is a ve ry u n sat isfac tory e xplanation of the te rm .— I n eed n ot remark how su bl ime ly the g rea t Scottish hard ofmode rn days has

e xplain ed the u se of th e c roish tar ich in h is poem of the Lady of the Lake .

80 SUMBURGH .

[ ITER H ,

i n famous ; he bowed to the ch ief’s command

,—flew to d i spatch h i s guest

,an d having

imbrued h imsel f in Norwegian blood, bore the signal to the next hab i tat ion , where a sim i l iarscene of assass i nati on was repeated

,— an d th us as fas t a s the message went rou nd from

house to house, each Northman was i n success ion cu t off. Haco,King of Norway

,was a t

that t ime defeated by th e Scots at the bat tle of L args i n Ayrsh i re,an d dyi ng soon after

wards,the treachery of the L ewi s men remai ned un revenged h i s successor con ten ti ng

h imsel f wi th the surrender of th e Western I s le s to the Scots for a pecun iary considerat ion,

but w ith the s t ipu lat ion that th e anc ien t Scandi nav ian i nhab i tan ts shou ld be protected i nthe i r return to the mother-country wi th al l the i r effects . L ong after th i s period

,the name

of the Norwegian became hatefu l t o the Gael ; and notwi th stand ing th e Scand inaviancolony of O rkney and Shetland was under the protecti on of Scotland

,the nat ives of L ew is

grat ified the i r an imosi ty by annual ly v i s i t i ng th i s prov ince for the sake of plunder. Uponlandi ng i n Shetland , th ey are said to have cons tructed some sort of i n cl osures on th e s teepbanks of th e coast

,for the purpose of hold i ng catt le an d other plunder

,preparatory for

embarkat ion . Two fortresses wel l adapted for th i s purpose,appear on the sou th shores O f

D u n rossn ess bu t at the Ness of Ske ld,i n the pari sh of San dstin g, th ere i s th e vest ige of

“ ani nclosure to be seen

,wh ich i s d i st i nc tly ascribed to these marauders . The L ew ismen are

affi rmed to have had many battles wi th the Shetlanders,th e last of wh ich was wi th one of

the S inc lai rs of Brow , who i s sa id to have marshalled th e men of D u n rossn ess i n good lyarray on the pla i ns of Sumburgh

,and to have resolute ly opposed th e land ing of the H igh

landers . A severe engagemen t en sued,of wh ich n o part i cu lars are handed down

,except

that i t had so sangu i ne a characte r,as perhaps to have rival led the bes t got-u p ski rm i sh of

the t imes

Then l imbs l ike bough s were lopp’d,from shou lders arms to fly

They fight as non e cou ld scape,ye t scape as none could d ie .

The ru ffling northern lads and th e s tout [L ew’smen ] try

’d i t

Then head-pieces h old out,or brain s must sore ab ide i t .”

DRAYTON .

Not a L ew isman i s sa id to have return ed,who m igh t report the fate of h i s compan ion s .

The Highlanders were rudely buried on the L i nks of Sumbu rgh , an d tumul i of sand ra i sedon thei r remains . Several of th ese

,about half a cen tury ago

,were removed during th e

devastat ion s of the blowing sand, when heaps of bones were d i scovered thrown ind i sc r im inate ly toge ther* .

Qui tt ing the L i nk s of Sumburgh,I agai n en tered upon the sandy tracts of D u n ross

ness,where vast accumu lat i on s of sand

,referable

,perhaps

,to some v iolen t

'

action of th esea

,occassionally make thei r appearance, i nd icat i ng, that from th i s cause the form of the

coast may have undergone mate rial success ive changes . Th i s susp ici on i s confi rmed by thec i rcumstance

,that i n the year 1 778 Mr Low dug up, at some l i tt le d i stance from the water,

Tw o of the se tumu l i w e r e ope n ed in th e year 1 778, by M r L ow of O rkn ey . In on e of th em , among the bon e s , wh ich w e r e

la id w i thou t any orde r , b e cou n t e d n in e sk trlls .—In con c lu d ing th is accou n t of the fray in D u n rossn e ss , I may r emark , that the

t rad i tion a l n ar rat ion of th e assass in at ion of the Norw e g ian s in the I s le of Lew is , may be fou n d in th e I s t vo lume of th e T ran sac

tion s of the Sco tt ish An t iqu ar ie s . Th is accou n t I have con n ec ted w i th the She tland trad i tion of the predatory vis i ts of th e Lew isme n for the par t icu lars of w h ich I am indebted to M r H ende r son of Bardiste r .

ITER SUMBURGH To SANDW ICK . 8 I

a number of cockle an d l impet shel ls,wh ich appeared to be arranged i n th e form of a

regular stratum . Along wi th these were oysters,many of wh ich were n o less than n i ne o r

ten i nches i n d iameter ; and i n some of them the pearl s remai ned . Th i s natural i s t hassupposed that th ese remain s were foss i l , as no shel l-fi sh of th i s sort were to be found al ivewi th i n twen ty m i les of the place . But s i nce no forms were d i scovered among them thatcou ld n ot be referred to the present in hab i tants of the sea

,th i s op i n ion has l i ttl e weigh t .

Mr Brand,however

,t he zealous m i s s ionary to Shetland

,had a cen tury ago a much more

wonderfu l s tory to tel l about th e shel l-fi sh buri ed i n the v ic i n i ty of Sumburgh as that agen tleman i n the par i sh of D u n rossn ess told one of the m in i sters of th i s coun try

,who told

t he credu lou s trave ller,that a plough i n th i s pari sh did cast up fresh cockles

,though th e

place where the plough was going was th ree quarters of a mi l e from the sea ; which cockle sthe gentl eman saw made ready and eaten . Brand then adds

,

“ that i f on ly shel l s werefound

,such as oysters a nd th e l ike, th e marve l wou ld not be great, seei ng such are found

upon the tops of h igh moun tai n s , at a greater d i s tance from the sea, wh ich , i n al l probab ility, have la i n s i nce the un iversal de luge but that any shel l—fi sh Should be found at a d i stance from sea

,and fi t for u se

,i s somewhat wonderfu l and aston i sh ing .

” I t i s so i ndeedand i t i s u nfortunate that n o more of these anted i luv ian cockles sh ou ld remai n i n aned ib le state . A d i sh of them would make a del ightfu l geognosti c t reat

,and would prove

that the worlds of modern cosmogon i st s are not unreal mockeri es .

SUM BURGH TO SANDW ICK .

Havi ng n ow l i ngered a sufficien t t ime at Sumburgh , being warned to depart by thedecl i n i ng sun

,I retraced my steps over the toi l i ng sands of Brow

,and reached the

house of my k ind en tertai n er at the close of the even ing . The rn orrow was a halcyon dayscarcely a rippl e was seen on the surface of Qu e ndal Bay . The sandy pla i n of Browstrongly reflect i ng the su n’s rays

,commun icated an un easy sensati on to the v i s ion

,wh ich was

agreeably al lev iated when th e eyes turn ed from th e sigh t of th i s gl i tter ing waste,to repose

upon th e con t iguous green blades of r i s in g corn that were repay ing the to i l and ingenu i tywh ich had rescued a porti on of glebe from the devastat i on of the sand-flood. As thecool of th e even ing approached

,I was i nduced to tak e a fi nal l eave of th e hospi table shores of

D u n rossn ess. Pursu ing,th en

,a route along th e eastern s ide of the par i sh

,over secondary

rocks of sandston e,the dreari ne ss of the road i n proceed ing n orthward cou ld not wel l be

exceeded . After pass ing L am igard Voe, there i s noth ing for several m i les to vary th eun iform an d dul l scenery of the j ourney . To th e righ t i s the wide ocean that separatesShetland from the shores of Norway

,bounded by low

,ragged cl i ffs

,over wh ich a w i ld surf

con t i nual ly breaks . O n th e west i s th e brown ridge of th e Cli ff H i l ls , —beneath wh ich aretrackless moors

, d ivers ified by no object except the stony land-marks that once separatedth e l i t tle patr imon ial possess ion s of th e anc ien t udal ler

,—except the ru i n s of hu ts

,

i nd icat ive of the desert ion of these wi ld tracts,when

,by th e poverty of the harassed

nat ives , th ei r i nheri tances were -ceded to some wealth i e r sett le r i n the i slands. At length

8 2 ANC IENT WEAPON S OF WA R D I SCOVERED I N SHET L AND .

[ITER IL

some cottages appeared,con tiguous to an open harbour

,resorted to about fi fty years ago by

the Dutch busses , wh i ls t wa i t ing for S t John’s day, the commencemen t of th e her ri ngfi sh e ry. At the head of the bay was Chan n e rw ick , wh ich I reached about dusk . Severalhu ts were scat tered abou t on i ts shores ; an d as i t was on the Sabbath

,not a nat ive was

absen t from the hamlet . The women were atti red in th e ord i nary -garb of th e country,

w h ich cons i sted of dark wool len s tu ffs bu t the men were dressed l ike sa i lors on a h ol iday,

wearing along wi th the i r t rowsers neat blue short j ackets . The count ry al together resembledthe good pi rat i cal days of King Regner L odbrog of Denmark , when h i s subj ects were morenumerous on sea than on land

,-when they wore noth ing but the habi t s of sa i lors

, an d wereready to embark on the fi rs t opportun i ty . I had i n tended to have reach ed a smal l house atsome d i stance, w here an accommodat i on

,though humble

,could be procured ; but the

m is ts of the n igh t were fast approach ing,an d I glad ly ava i led myself of the shel ter

generou sly offered me for the n igh t by the schoolmaster of Sandw ick .— We were now

w i th i n a m i le or two of th e Burgh of Mousa,— th e most perfect spec imen extan t i n Scotland

of an anc ien t Scand i nav ian fortress,th e i n teres t of wh ich may perhaps be heigh tened by a

knowledge of th e descr ipt ion of warl ike weapons that are often found i n the immed i atev ic i n i ty of structures of th i s ki nd . Th i s prel im i nary i n format ion i s the more necessary

,

s i nce i t i s to the form and nature of such i nstrumen ts,that the con struct ion of the Burgh as

a defence mus t necessar i ly refer .

ANC IENT WEAPONS O F WA R D ISCOVERED IN SHETLAND .

The anci en t weapon s o f war d i scovered in Shetland are of ston e . That such wereu sed by the Teu ton ic. tri bes of Europe i n the 81h century

,and probably very long before

,i s

eviden t from the fragmen t of a prose-romance wri t ten abou t th at period,i n th e Saxon

d ial ec t of th e Teuton i c . Th i s man uscript, which i s preserved in Cassel , was fi rst pri n ted i nEccard i

,Commen t . de Rubus Fran c iae O ri en tal i s, an d i t has been repr inted wi th a L at i n

an d Engl i sh tran slat ion,i n an i n terest ing work lately publ i shed i n Edinburgh

,en ti t led

,

“ I l lu st rat i on s of Northern Antiqu it ies .” From th i s very cu rious documen t, two or th reed i sj oi ned passage s may be given , by wh ich w e may see the reference that i s made to th eTeuton ic Burgh , an d to th e arms con temporary wi th th i s early k ind of fortress

I h eard i t rela ted that H iltib ran t and H atu hran t wi th one m ind agreed to go on aw arl ike exped i t i on . The rela of th e same father] made ready the i r horses, prepared the i r war-sh i rts , [sh i rts of ed on the i r swords [wh ich were fastened] at theh i lt w i th chai n s .

“ wel l give now, [tu rn thou th i s to good, ] w i e ld i ng God

,quoth

H iltib ran t, whose word i s done . I wandered summers an d wi nters s ixty ou t of [my] landthere they detached me among sh ooti ng people [archers] never i n any burgh [c i ty , castle]

at ion wi l l hew my neck w i th h i s b i l l [battle

By H en ry We be r and R . Jam ieso n , Esqu i r es .

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84 A NCIENT WEAPONS OF WA R DISCOVERED IN SHETLAND . mm H ,

a wooden or bon e hand le,so as to form a s i ngle-edged cu tt i ng i n strumen t .*

(b .) D ouble—edg ed Steinbar te—The blade of th i s i n strumen t i s a s ton e completelyflattened on each of i ts s i des

,an d not more than the ten th of an i nch th ick ; i t i s of an

oblong shape,having one blun ted margin perfectly straigh t

,and when the stone i s held

in such a pos i t ion that the dul l edge i s the uppermost, we have the form of a blade presen ted , i n which the two narrow edges are i rregularly rounded off at the i r angles

,so that

on e edge i s much broader than the other. Eve ry part of the margin but that wh ich constitu tes the summi t of the outl i ne, i s sharpened by wh ich mean s there i s a great addi t ionmade to th e extent of the cutt i ng-edge . The blade i s 5% in ches lon g

,an d from 3 to 4

broad . Malle t, i n h i s H i story of Denmark , describes a battl e-axe of two edges, as u sed bythe ancren t Scandi navian s

,and he adds

,that when i t was fixed to a long pole , i t con st i tu ted

a halbert . I n referen ce to th i s observat ion , I have supposed a lon g staff, wi th the extrem i tyso penetrated at one or

'

two i n ches from the summi t,as to form a long groove 4 i n che s

i n l ength,th rough wh ich the stone blade

,wi th th e bl unt s ide kept uppermost

,may be

drawn hal f way, and then secured to i ts s tat ion by mean s of cros s l igatures . The whol ewould then presen t the form of a two~ edged battle-axe . An tiquarie s have remarked

,that

th i s weapon was probably i n use from the earl ies t peri od , bu t sin ce'

it was i n th e course oft ime wielded by the T raban ts, or those who stood upon guard i n the castles of the i r K ings ,i t was named a Halbert

,from the Teu ton icH alle

,a cou rt

,an d B ern ie

,an axe i I n the

true sp iri t,therefore , of archaiological reason i ng, i t may be pronounced, that the blade of

th i s vari ety of the Shet land ste inbarte,and the hypothet ical handle to wh ich i t i s fastened

,

con st i tu te th e aborigi nal rude form of the no rthernThe blades of ste i nbartes are very abundan tly found i n Shetland . Not unfrequen tly

several of them are d i scovered bur i ed together,thus i ndicat ing a l i ttl e armou ry

,from wh ich a

number of weapon s m ight be di s t ribu ted on an emergency , by th e hand of some ch i ef, to asmal l band of nati ves met togeth er on the a larm of common danger. Assemblages of theseweapons have been found i n th e pari shes of Wal ls

,of D e ltin g, and i n th e I sland of Un st.§

I n Northmav in e , says Mr L ow of O rkney, seven were d i scovered under ground, d isposed ina c i rcu lar arrangement , wi th the po in ts of each di rected towards the centre of the ring — ir

i s a pi ty that the number of these weapon s was not n i ne,correspond i ng to the n ine wounds

of a lance i n the form of a c i rcle,wh ich the de ified Scand i n av ian hero Od i n gave h imsel f,

when,by an act of su ic ide

,he shewed an example of death to h i s surround i ng fol lowers . At

any rate,the c i rcu lar arrangement of the weapon s remai n s , i nd i ca tive of a myst ical allusi on ,

and that i s qu i te suffi c i en t to provoke an antiquarian i n ference .

Regarding the people by whom these ston e axes were used,the nat ives of Shetland

The blade is r eprese n ted in the Plate of An tiqu i ties g ive n in the Appe nd ix , Fig . 4 , from an o r ig in al d raw ing by M r L ow , the

au thor of th e Fau n a O r cade n sis . Th is g e n tleman su pposes it to be a kn ife .

i Mal le t’s Nor the r n An tiq. ,v ol. i. , p. 2 39 .

I Th e r e l ic of an tiqu ity w h ich is su pposed to be a tw o-edg ed s te i nhar te,w as fou nd in th e par ish ofWal ls in She tland

, an d

k ind l y pr e se n ted to me by Mr Robin son of Va i le y. Se e Plateof An tiq. Appe n . Fig . 5. I possess a d raw in g , by M r L ow , of a

s im i lar in strume n t.

M r L ow of O rkn ey says , that a de pos i t of tw e n ty-fou r in on e p lac e w as fou nd . The late M r Ar ch i bald ,a r e spec table

m in iste r ofUn s t, has stated , in a commu n icat ion to M r L ow , that e ig h t of the se w eapon s w e r e d iscove r ed tog e th e r in th is is lan d .

That mor e con s ide rable assemblag e s have be e n fou nd in othe r p laces , I have th e assu ran ce of some g e n tleme n in Sh e tland .

ITER ANC IENT WEAPONS OF WAR DISCOVERED IN SHET LAND . 85

have not the leas t tradi t ion,and th i s ci rcumstance i s a proof of the i r great an t iqui ty . They

are supposed to have dropped from the clouds,endowed w ith the pow er of protect ing th e

houses i n wh ich they are preserved from the effects of thunder ; hence they are common lynamed Thunder-bol ts .

The second descript i on of weapon s c i ted i n th e Fragmen t of Bocard’s Teu ton i cRomance of the e igh th cen tury

,was Ashen or Spears . The extrem i t i es of these, wh ich are

formed of stone,have been found i n Shetland

,al though rarely . They are about four

i nches long,con ta i n i ng a groove for the adaptat ion of a wooden shaft .*

The th i rd ki nd of weapons used i n th e eigh th cen tury, cons i s ted of bows and arrows .The fl i n t heads of arrows are frequen tly found in O rkney, i nd icati ng that the pla i n s of th i scoun try were frequen t ly s i te s on wh ich battles wi th th e Scotch were fought . Bu t I am notprepared to say i f such rel ic s ought to be enumerated among the vest iges of th e anc ien tarmoury of Shetland . These arrow—heads are descr ibed as hav ing a poi n t of a lozengeShape

,one end more ob tuse and shorter than the other

,i ndicati ng that i t was i n serted i n

the wood of the shaft,and that the un ion was comple ted by the securi ty of a l igature . Mr

Pennan t has properly remarked,on the origi n of such rude weapons as these

,that they

must be referred to th e earl ies t i nhab i tants,at a per i od in wh ich they were on a leve l wi th

the natives of the newly d i scovered South Sea I s lands .The fourth weapon of attack of the e igh th century was th e sword

,no Spec imen of wh i ch

has probably yet been found i n Shetlan d .

’r The northern sword or sw em’was short, an d

frequen tly crooked l ike a scym itar, hangi ng to a l i ttl e bel t, wh ich passed over the r igh tshoulder. Sometimes a very long sword was used

,whi ch wen t by the name of Spad or

Spada .

Such i s th e enumerat ion of th e most anc i en t offen s ive weapon s of the NorthmenSl i ngs and clubs stuck round wi th sharp i n strumen ts were also used .

2d, D efen sive A rms .

I n the second place,respect ing th e defen s ive arms ment i oned i n th e Teu toni c

Romance,l i t t le may be sai d non e of them hav i ng been ye t d i scovered i n Shet land .

There i s the war-sh i rt or Sh i rt of mai l , an d th e brun ie or hauberk , wh ich , as Monsi eur Mal le thas remarked , were on ly for such as were ab le to procure them . Casques or h elmets madeof leather, were worn by private sold i ers , but those of the officers were frequen tly of i ron orof gi lded brass . The Sh ie ld was of an oval form

,usual ly constructed of wood , bark , or

leather }: but that whi ch was worn by warri ors of d i st i nct ion , was frequen tly of i ron'

or brassvariously ornamented i t was al so made long

,and was u sed for a protect ion again s t arrows,

For the re pre se n tation of a ston e spear-head that was fou nd in the is land of Fou la by the late M r L ow , se e Plate of An tiqin Appe n . Fig . 6 .

i A n an c ie n t w eapon was fou n d in the par ish of Nor thmav in e , w h ich I have not se e n , bu t it was pronou n ced to be a RomanPug io .

t A beau tifu l eng raving of the an c ie n t Scand inavian sh ie ld , is g ive n in a cu r iou s w ork e n ti tl ed th e Mu se um Wormian um .

P 370’

86 BURGH OF MOUS A .

[ ITER 11,

darts,an d s tones i t i s sai d to have even served the use of a ten t

,so as to afford a k ind of

Shel ter for th e n igh t,an d when many of such bucklers were locked together i n the form of

a ci rc le,th ey con st i tu ted a rampart .

I t may be,last ly , observed, that there i s an all us ion i n the Teuton i c Romance to th e

defens ive Burgh,of wh ich a nobl e specimen

,probably bu i l t an tecedent to the e igh th

cen tury,i s next to be con s idered

BURC H OF MOUSA .

I passed along the shore of the open bay of Sandw i ck,wh ich has been the grave of

many seamen , who, by m is tak ing i t for Bressay Harbour , have suffered al l th e horrors ofSh ipwre ck upon i ts exposed Shores . In cross i ng a head land to the east of th e I n let

,a smal l

low i s land,named Mousa

,separated

'

from th e Mai n land by a narrow stra i t,fi rst r i se s to

V i ew : th i s spot i s l i t t le d ivers ified wi th h i l l an d dale ; i t con tai n s one good house wi th outbu i ld i ngs an d cottages . But th e most consp icuous obj ect that l i nes i ts shores i s th e Burghof Mousa

,a ci rcu lar bu ild i ng

,wh ich

,i f i t d id bu t taper towards i ts summ i t

,would present

n o unapt s im i l i tude of a modern glass—hou se . Th is an cient fortress s tands close to th ewater’s edge ; by cross i ng, th erefore , i n a boat, a narrow channel , l i tt le more than half am i le i n bread th

,we are landed immed iate ly under i ts wal ls .

The Burgh of Mousa occupi es a c i rcular S i te of ground,somewhat more than fi fty feet i n

diameter,be ing constructed of m idd le S i zed sch i s tose stones of a tolerable un i form magn i tude

,

wel l laid together,wi thou t th e i n tervent ion of any cemen t . Th i s very S imple round ed ifice

atta i n s the elevati on of 4 2 feet ; i t swel l s ou t, or bulges from i ts foundat ion , and drawssmal ler as i t approches the top

,when i t i s agai n cast ou t from i ts lesser d i ameter ;

which s i ngulari ty of construct i on i s i n tended to obviate the poss ibi l i ty of scal i ngthe wal l s . The door that leads to th e open area contai ned wi th i n the structure

,i s a

smal l n arrow passage,so low that an en trance is

'

on ly to be accompl i shed by crawl ingupon th e hands an d knees ; an d i n creep ing th rough i t, th e wal l appears of the great th ickn ess of 15fee t, natural ly lead i ng to the susp ic i on of a vacu i ty wi th i n . O n arrivi ng at th eOpen c i rcular area

'

in c luded wi th in th i s mural shel l,I found the d i ameter of the space to be

about 2 1 feet . O n that part of the wal l w i th i n th e court,wh ich i s nearly oppos i te to th e

entrance,the attent ion i s exc i ted by a number of small apertures resembl i ng th e h oles of a

p igeon house . There are three or four vert ical row s of them,having each an unequal prof

port i on of open ings,varyi ng from eigh t to e igh teen i n number . I t was n ow eviden t that

the mu ral Shel l of th e s tructure was hollow , an d that i t con tai ned chambers, to which theseholes imparted a feeble supply of l ight an d ai r. Beneath the whole

,at a d i stan ce from the

ground,th ere i s a door that l eads to a wi nd ing fl igh t Of ston e steps

,of the w idth of 3 feet,

wh i ch commun icates wi th al l th ese apartmen ts ; I then d i scovered that the shel l of th eBurgh was composed of two concen tr ic wal ls , each of about 4V3 to 5 feet i n bread th , an d

For add i tion al remarks on the An c ie n t Weapon s of She t land , se e Note 8.

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88 BURC H OF MOUSA .

[ ITER 11,

of the Dragon-fortres s of Mousa,that wi th i n th e d ismal serpen ti ne wi ndings of i t s apart

men ts,was confined a damsel past her prime of l i fe

,an d as wel l en t i t led to be “ shri ned for

her bri tt len ess,

”as any of the frai l lad i e s worth ie of an t iqu i ty .

* I n the fou rteenth cen tury,

when,by the righ ts of udal success i on

,there were j oi n t Earl s of O rkney, Dame Margareta,

th e widowed-mother of on e of them ,l i s tened to the lawless importun i ty of the gay B ru n n iu s.

Harold,her son , became impat ien t of the fam i ly d i sgrace, and ban i shed from the i s lands

h i s mother’s paramour , as well as the i l legi t imate offspri ng that were the fru i ts of the conn ec tion . But

,i n the course of a short t ime , Dame Margareta’s beaut ie s attracted th e not ice

o f a more h onourab le su i tor, who was n o other than Harold’s partn er i n th e Earldom ofO rkney an d Shetland . Erle n d proffe rred l ove to the Dame, wh ich she returned, but as herson

,from some cau se

,was averse to the nupt ial s

,the part i es en tered i n to a tender engage

men t wi thout h i s con sen t,and afterwards fled from h i s fury wi th al l speed i n to Mousa .

Then must Harold needs fol low them ,h i s hosti le barks sa i l i ng i n pursu i t

,as fast as i f al l the

w i nds of heaven had d riven them ; and then , anon , fled the Dame Margareta an d Erlen d

i n to the fort,wi th i n th e dark rece sses of wh ich they nestl ed l i ke two pigeon s i n a dove-cot .

The Burgh was beset wi th troops, but so impregnable was i ts con struct ion , that theassau l ter fou nd he had no chance of reduci ng i t, bu t by cutt ing off al l suppli es of food,an d by th i s mean s wait ing th e resu l t of a ted ious s i ege . And now turn we to th e gen tlepai r i n the fortress

,that we may speak of what pai n they must there endure

,what co ld

,

what h unger,an d what th i rst . I n such a dog-hole

,— “

a conj urer’s c i rcl e gives con ten tabove i t —a hawk’s m ew i s a pri n cely palace to it.” —But Harold had powerfu l foes i nother places wherew i th to con tend, an d, on th i s accoun t, he gave h eed to th e advice of h i sfriends

,that Er len d shou ld be reta ined as a fri end an d not as an enemy

,and that he ought

not to despi se th e new fam i ly al l iance . A reconci l iat ion took place,an d

,th en

,wi th great

j oy,retu rned the part i es to the i r several pursu i ts

,well sat i sfied wi th each other. Such i s

the s t ory ch ron i c led by Torfaeu s, concern ing the s iege of Moseyabu rgum an d th e loves ofDame Margareta and Er len d

,her last leman fl

O n qui tt i ng the Burgh of Mousa; I fel t n o l i ttle regret at see ing the ru inou s state towh i ch some parts of i t were reduced . The form of the low, narrow porch , wh ich was nearlyen t i re when Mr L ow saw i t abou t fifty years ago, was much impai red . Mr Stevenson

,th e

engin eer to the Northern L igh t-houses,i n v i s i t i ng Mousa

,had laudably i n terceded with the

propr ie tor for the preservat ion of the structure . But i t can scarcely be expected,that an

ind i v idual , ho may feel l i t tle i n terest i n such bui ld i ngs,should launch ou t i n to any

expe n ce , wi th the v iew of grati fy i ng occas i onal vi s i tors to th e i s lands . I t i s from somepubli c fund that repa i rs of th i s k i nd ough t to be defrayed an d certai n ly the in tegri ty of theBurgh of Mousa deserve s to be i n Scotland of nat i onal i nterest

,s i nce a more perfect

Spec imen of the earl i est descr ipt i on of Teuton ic fortresses does not perhaps ex i s t i n Europe .

Ma l le t's Nor the r n An t iqu i t ie s , vol. i . , p . 2 43 . The s tory of King Reg n e r L odb rog's S lau g h te r of 3 Snak e , has be e n s ti p

posed to impl y that he had su rmou n te d the w ind ing and m isshape n wal l of the for tr e ss , in w h ich a love l y virg in was con fin ed .

Sir Wal te r Scott prope r l y con s ide rs th is e xplanat ion as for ced . Se e h is Note s on S ir T r is tr em , p . 295.

1 Se e Torfaau s’s Re r um O r cad. H ist. , p. x3x.

—For a Repr esen tation of the Bu rgh of Mou sa, see Plate Fig . 2 , and Pla teo f An tiqu i tie s in th e Appe nd ix .

m m BURRO L A ND . 89

I am incl i ned to date th e erect ion of these holds to an early period , long prev iou s to thea rrival of Harold H arfagre . Becard

,i ndeed

,i n a specimen of a Teuton ic romance of th e

8th cen tury,has shewn that they were common at that t ime bu t from the i r s impl ic i ty of con

tr ivan ce , i t i s n ot imposs ible but tha t the i r date m igh t have been some cen turi es before , andthat some of them in Shet land m igh t have been th rown up by th e Saxon s

,who peopled th e

O reades and were defeated by Theodos iu s. The name wh ich the Scots gave to the sebu i ld i ngs of P ic t i sh , i s scarcely en t i t led to the smal les t degree of not ice . The appel lat i o nof Pict i sh Burgh s

,or, i ndeed, th e noti on that a race u nder th e name of Picts , i nhab i ted

O rkney or Shetland at a remote per iod, i s not attributable to Scand i navian H istor ian s, whowere bes t acquai n ted wi th the h i story of these i s lands

,but to Scott i sh wri ters. The Scots

appear,for severa l cen turie s

,to have given th e name of P i ct i sh to every bu i lding, respect i ng

the orig i n of wh ich the tradi t i on was los t h ence,a famous Roman Wal l i n Scotland was

named Pict i sh . But as another burgh appeared on th e oppos i te shores,though ri s i ng

a few yards on ly above ‘

the surface of the ground,I deferred extend in g my Speculat i on s

on the c i rcumstances connected w ith the orig in of these s truc tures un t i l I had madeaddi tional observati on s .

BURROL A ND .

O n sa i l i ng across a narrow chann el to the Mai nland , I arr ived at Bu rrolan d, or theL and of th e Burgh . Th i s i s a defence that seems to have been original ly of greater extentthan that of Mousa . The i n s ide d iameter of th i s c i rcular fort i s about 48 fee t, an d i t i sformed of concen tr ic w al l s

,each from 10 to 1 2 fee t i n w id th , between wh ich are many

c hambers . The fort i s s i tuated on a po in t of rock near the sea,th e land-s ide of wh ich was

orig i nal ly defended by a stone rampart . Fifty years ago,Mr L ow of O rkney detected , i n a

s i tuat ion between th e burgh and the extreme poi n t of th e rock,numbers of foundati on s of

smal l houses,general ly I4 feet long, and 6 or 8 wide, w i th a foot or two of the wal l st i l l

stand i ng . He supposed them to have been co—eval wi th the burgh i tsel f, and to haveformed a sort of huts

,to wh i ch the i nhab i tan ts m igh t fly upon any occas i on of common

danger, i n order to be safe under th e shel ter of th e burgh . I t i s,however

,doubtfu l i f th i s

v iew be s tri ctly correc t . There i s a greater probab i l i ty that . bu i ldi ngs not temporary but intended for con stan t occupat ion were erected near the burgh

,an d that orig inal ly there was

no smal l number of i nhab i tan ts c ollected i n any place,that were not provided wi th a fas t

ness of th i s k i nd . The name of Burgh or Beorg at fi rs t impl i ed noth i ng more than what i sexplai ned from the Saxon d ialect a place of defence .

* But from the c i rcumstancethat a beorg or fortres s was an usual appendage to towns, i s t ran sm i tted to us the name ofBurgh , wh ich , i n more modern Saxon , stands for th e town itse lf. 1

L

Bairg s , a Nor th e r n w ord , and the A . S . Be org , bu rg , ar e e xp la in ed mon s , ac e rv u s , mu n ime n tu m . Thu s , the n ame of B u rgw ou ld be g ive n to the s i te of any r ock natu ra l l y de fe nded, or to any c i rcu lar mou nd or emban kme n t of ear th and ston e s

,or to an y

r eg u lar bu i l t s tr u ctu r e l ike th e Sh e t lan d Bu rg h .

i It has be e n prope r l y remarked , that Bu rg h , as a mode rn Saxon te rm, s ig n ifies e i the r a cas tle or mark e t tow n .—S ce

Wh ittake r's H z'

st. of Mmac/teste r .

90 SA ND L ODGE.

[ ITER I I .

Th e des ign of th e burgh at length became eviden t . The imagi nat i on may eas i ly figureto i tsel f

,on th e s i te of Bu rrolan d or the v ic i n i ty of Mousa, th e fi rs t rud imen ts of a fort ified

c i ty . I n stead of the s tate ly collonade s, the palaces, or the lofty fanes of some modern

c i ty,envi roned wi th regular bast ion s , curta in s , di tches an d ou t-works , we may fancy a few

low huts,con structed from rude bou lder stones

,an d protected by roofs of turf

,dispersed

i n the v ic i n i ty of a smal l ci rcular m ura l shel l that forms th e defence of th i s aborigi nal garrison town . As the beacon of the h i l l st reams wi th fi re

,and an alarm is given that an enemy

i s off the coast,the in hab i tan ts fly to secure wi th i n the fort the property of thei r dwel l i ngs

,

an d to prepare for a vigorous defence, wh i ls t the i nter ior of the wall s affords an asylum forh elpless women and ch i ldren .

SA ND L ODGE.

A short walk of abou t a m i le leads to Sandlodge , the seat of Joh n Bruce, Esq. ofSumburgh . Th i s i s a wel l bu i l t Wh i te modern mans ion

,s i tuated close to the shore

,

adj o i n i ng to w h ich i s a pavement strewed over w i th the produce of some ve i ns that werew rought a few years ago . Haemat i tes and bog i ron-ore have made the road as b lack asErebus , and cau sed i t to resemble the v ic i n i ty of a smel t ing furn ace . Th e mineralogi s t wi l lfi nd some amusemen t i n exam in ing the ores wh i ch l i e i n heaps near the old shafts ; thesehave been by Mr Bruce j ud ic iou sly preserved —they presen t sat i sfactory i nd i ca t ion s of thecon ten ts of th e ve i n

,and may afford a " cri teri on of the hopes to be en tertai n ed from any

fu ture prosecu t ion of the m i n i ng operat ion s of San dlodge .

*

I t i s now upwards of twenty years s i nce a party of Wel sh m iners wrough t these ve i ns,

bu t wi thou t advan tage ; some t ime afterward s , i n the year 1 802,another company under

took the worki ng oi them ,who spen t n i ne or ten thousand pounds i n th e undertaki ng , bu t

were s t ill un successful . Brown hmmatite was a plen ti fu l producti on of the ve in,but copper

pyri tes const i tu ted the object of search : at the surface i t was found much m ixed withhaemat i te

,bu t towards the bot tom of th e m ine d i ssem inated i n sparry i ron-stone. The

scarc i ty of th e ore,when found imbedded i n th i s matrix

,an d the d ifficulty of worki ng i t

,

were stated to be the pri nc ipal reason s for the abandonment of the undertak ing. The

copper-ore,after be ing washed an d dressed, was sen t to England, where the best sold for

A"

70 per ton , and i n th e course of two years, 4 70 tons of copper-ore were exported from th i sm ine to Swansea . Dr Flem ing has remarked

,that the captai n of the min ing party did not

seem acquai nted ei ther wi th the composi ti on or value of th e Sparry i ronstone or haemat i tethat the persons who were appoi n ted to conduct th e work were ignoran t of the art of

'

worki ng m ines,an d of th e nature and value of the ores they met wi th an d that th e m ine

appeared to deserve the atten t ion of an en terpriz i ng company,under the d i rec t ion of an

ac ti ve and i n tel l igent manager. ‘The same gen tleman has recommended,that the ore

,

Th e carbonates of coppe r obta in ed from th e ve in w e r e u n common ly fi n e th ey w e re in the form of cap i l lary fibre s , rad iatingfrom a ce n tr e . I w as p re se n ted w ith a spe c ime n of th is ore by M r B ru ce , to w hose po l ite atte n tion to me w he n v is iting th isp lac e I am mu ch inde bted .

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9 2 FL A D IBISTER TO SCAL L OWAY .

[ITER IL

custom,said Mr L ow of O rkney, who has recorded th i s express i on , “when any on e wan ted

to d i sm i ss a s tranger from h i s house i f h e s ta id too long,to rec i te in Norse th e Con ings

burgher’s ph rase .

”The n at ives of th i s d i s tri c t are st i l l proverb ial ly quarrel some wi th the

i nhabi tan ts of oth er places ; for, as I was i n formed at L e rwick , th ere i s n ot a fracas thatoccurs i n th e town

,i n whi ch a Con in gsbu rgher i s not prej udged to be a party . I f th e

archoeologist, t herefore, can persuade h imself that the re i s sufficien t of the blun t, honest ,quarrel some di spos i t ion i n th i s people to iden t ify them wi th th e early Saxon s

,he has on ly to

go a step farther,and to make th e feud between the Saxon Con ingsbu rghe rs and the Nor

wegian i nhabi tan ts of Shetland , of as early a date as th e arrival in the coun try of HaroldH arfagre .

“ Art thou wi l l i ng to sel l thy coat,” sa id Styrkar Stallar iu s, a Norwegian i n th e1 1 th century

,

“ to an Anglo-Saxon churl ?” “ Not to thee,

” sa id th e other,

“ for thou a rtperhaps a Norwegian . A nd i f I were a Norwegi an

,asked Styrkar ,

“ what wouldst thoudo to me ? “ I would be d i sposed to k i l l th ee ,

” repl ied th e boor.* I t i s,after all

,not a

l i t tl e curi ous,that th e Con ingsbu rgh ers should have been t rad i t i onal ly regarded as a d ist inc t

race of people,s in ce they are said to have formerly had many pecu l ia ri t i es among them ,

byw h ich th ey were d ist ingu i shed from the rest of thei r coun trymen . Far be i t

,however

,from

me to speak of th e hospi tal i ty of th i s people at th e presen t day, bu t wi th the greates t respec t .O n arrivi ng at Fladib iste r, where a quan t i ty of l imestone i s bu rnt for the use of the Town ofL erwick

,an offer of accommodat ion for the even ing met me in th e way 5an d from the

honest,blunt nat ive s of the place I rece ived a t rue Saxon PVrzes lzael .

FL A D IBISTER TO SCALLOWAY.

From Fladib ister to Quarf, th e road leads for several m i le s over h igh banks muchi ndented by th e sea ; these are formed of conglomerate rocks and sand stone. from beneathwh ich occas ionally appeared th e outgoi ngs of pr im it ive st rata . The prospect was n ow

,i f

poss ible,more dreary than eve r. The range of the Cl i ff H i l l s st i l l cont i n ued to the left

, an d

below were rocks wi th a mere uneven su rface,whi ch shewed themselve s i n naked patches

that rose from damp moors and swamps . Such a re the too frequen t con stitu ten ts ofShetland scenery ,— mate rial s of descript ion wel l adapted to the s tanzas of some NorthernPastoral

,where they may be conven ien tly m ixed up with the s ighs of a Shetland Damon

O’e r desert pla i n s an d rushy meersA n d w ithe r

’d heath s I rove

Where tree , nor sp ire , nor cot appears,I pass to meet my love .

”

After a dreary walk of a few m iles,I arri ved at Q uarf

,a t wh ich place

,avoiding the

road to L erw ick , I fol lowed the course of a deep val ley, that d i vided the ridge of the Cl i ff

See th is anecdote from S tu r le son , in a pape r by D r jam ieson , in the Tran sac tion s of the Soc ie ty of An t iqu ar ie s in Scot land ,Vo l. i i . , p . 2 79 .

ITER SCAL L OWA Y . 93

Hil ls i n a transverse di rect ion,so as to extend from sea to sea . Th i s defi le i s a l i tt le more

than a mi le across, and i t i s rendered conven ien t for the tran sportat ion of goods by land ,from one s ide of the coast to the other. A rriv i ng at Western Quarf, th ere i s a V i ew of Cl iffSound

,wh ich i s a chan ne l of very un i form length that wash es the base of th e steep westerly

s ide of the Cli ff H i l ls , and i s confined on th e oth er s ide by the nearly paral le l coas ts ofHouse and T ron dra I slands . I t runs paral l e l to th e course of th e strata i n as straigh t al i ne as a canal ; and i f the banks on each s ide were bu t clothed wi th wood , noth ing couldwel l exceed the beauty of the scen e . Tak ing

,th erefore

,a boat

,an d sai l i ng along the sound

,

there bei ng few objects to enl iven th e v iew i n th i s leafless desert,I pas sed th e I sland of

Tron dra,and approached the s tately tu rreted wal ls of Scal loway Cast le .

SGA L I.OWA Y.

The fi rst v i ew of th i s town i n sai l i ng to i t from the sou th,i s exceed ingly pi c turesque .

We come i n s igh t of a fine sem ic i rcu lar harbour,arou nd the sweep ing sh ores of wh ich .

numerous cottages , of a bette r descript ion than common , are grouped . A handsomemodern wh i te house

,an d exten sive garden w al ls, en l i ven the head of th e bay. Toweri ng

above the whole i s the cas te l lated mans ion of Scal loway,bu i l t i n the year 1 600. I t i s a

square formal st ructu re , now reduced to a mere shel l , composed.

of freestone brough t fromO rkney , an d of the fash ion of many houses of a s im i lar date i n Scotland ; i t i s th ree s toreysh igh

,th e windows be ing of a very ample S i ze ; on the summi t of each angle of the bu i ld i ng

i s a smal l handsome round turret . En teri ng the mans ion by an i n s ign ifican t door-way , overwh ich are th e remain s of a L at i n i n script i on

,we pass by an excel len t k i tchen and vau l ted

cel lars , wh i ls t a broad fl i gh t of s teps leads above to a spac iou s hal l the other chambers ,however

,are not large .

Patr ick,Earl of O rkney, was the founder of th i s bu i ld i ng. He succeeded to h i s father,

Earl Rober t , i n th e enj oyment of the es tates of O rkney an d Shetland about th e year I595,but he on ly came i nto th e possess ion of the Church-lands i n the year 1 600. Spot t i swoodegives th i s accoun t of h i s character : “

Th i s Nobleman hav i ng undone h i s e'state by ri o t and

prod igal i ty d id seek by" un lawfu l sh i fts , to repai r the same, making acts i n h i s court, an dexact ing penal t ie s for the breach thereof

,as

,i f any man was tr ied to have concealed any

th ing that might i nferte a pecuniary mulct,and bri ng profi t to the Earl

,h i s lands an d good s

were dec lared confi scated or,i f any person d id sue for j us t ice before any other Judge than

h is deput ies , h i s goods were escheated, or i f they wen t forth of the i sle wi thout h i s l icen se ,or h is deputi e’s

,upon whatsoever occas i on

,

-they shou ld forfe i t th e i r moveables : and , wh ichof al l h i s acts was he ld most i n humane

,he had ordained

,that i f any man was tr i ed to

supply or give re l ief to sh ips,or any vessel s d is tressed by tempest

,th e same should be

pun ished i n h i s person,an d fined a t th e Earl h i s

About the year 1 600,Earl Patrick commenced th e erect ion of Scal loway castle and i t

Spottiswood e's H istory of the Chu rch of Scot land .

94 SCA L L OVVA Y.

[ ITER I I .

i s scarcely poss ibl e to conce ive of a more flagran t exerc i se of oppress ion than that wh ichoccurred duri ng the executi on of th i s structure . A tax was la id up0n each pari sh i n thecoun try

,ob l igi ng th e Shetlanders to fi nd as many men as were requ i s i te for the bu i ld ing, as

wel l a s prov i s i on s for the workmen . The penalty for n ot fu lfi l l i ng th i s requ i s i t i on was forfe itu re of property . The bu i ld ing was soon perfected ; i t s tu rreted wall s r i s i ng from thenaked shores of H ialtlan d wi th al l the feudal haugh t i nes s of a regu lar baron ial man si on ,appeari ng to m ock the humble habi tat ion s of the anci en t udal lers . I t was then that MrP i tcai rn

,th e m in i s ter of the par i sh of Northmavin e i n Shetland, sa id to be a pious and

god ly man , came to pay h i s respec ts to the lord of th e n ew mansi on . After the usual greeti ngs

,th e Earl des i red the m in i ste r to compose for h im a verse, whi ch migh t be put upon the

fron t i spiece of h i s house . Th i s was an occas i on of wh ich the m in i ster ava i led h imself,t o

lay before the founder of the new castl e of Scal loway the s i n fu l enorm i ty of that overbeari ng oppress ion whi ch had enforced i t s s tructure . The Earl’s wrath was ki nd led

,an d i n h i s

rage be th reaten ed th e devout pastor with impri sonment but afte rwards com ing to somecomposure of sp iri t

,Mr P i tcai rn sa id to h im

,

“ Well,i f you wi l l have a verse

,I shal l gi ve

you one from express words of Holy Scr ipture , -you wi l l fi nd that ‘ the wi se man bu i l t h i sh ouse upon a rock and th e rai n descended

,and the floods came

,an d th e wi nds blew

,an d

beat Upon that house , and i t fe l l n ot . But th e fooli sh man bui lt h i s house upon th e sandan d th e rai n descended, and the floods came , and the w i nds

.

blew,and beat upon that house

,

an d i t fe l l , an d great was the fal l of i t .’ What th i n k you,th en

,of th i s i n script i on : That

hou se w hich is bu ilt upon a r ock shall sfana’,—hzzt hat

'

li upon the sand it w z'

llfall Strangeto add

,Earl Patri ck heard with appearan t composure the p ious man

’s i n s i nuat ion of th esort of foundat i on upon which h i s hab itat i on was erected but pretend i ng not to recei veth e mot to i n i ts moral sen se, he appl i ed i t to h i s bui ld i ng in such l i tera l terms as m igh texpress h i s d i sregard of the prophet ic words of Scripture —for

,with that happy

effrontery wh ich hab i tuated gui l t wi th ease assumes,b e honou red th e i n script ion wi th h i s

approval,as denoti ng the reason why he had abandoned th e house wh ich be had possessed

upon the sandy shores of Sumburgh : “ My father’s h ou se was bu i l t upon the sand ; i t sfoundat ion s are al ready givi ng way

,an d i t wi l l fal l but Scal loway castl e i s con struc ted upon

a_rock

,an d wi l l s tand . Mr Pitcai rn was now requ i red to convert the i n scription

,wh ich i n

the sp i ri t of zealous reproof he had proposed , i n to a su i table L ati n di st ich , and th i s wasimmediately label led on the l in te l—ston e of the gate

PA TRICIUS STEUA RDUS, O rcadiae e t Z e tlan d im

COMES, 1. V. R. s.

Cuj us fu ndamen saxum est,Dom . i l la man eb it

L abilis e con tra, s i s i t arena peri t .

A .D . 1 600.

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96 SCA L LOWAY .

[ ITER 11.

Court of James , and subm i tted to h im ,wi th true nat ive eloquence

,th e oppressed cond i t i on

of thei r coun try . T hei r complai nts m et wi th atten ti on an d soon afterwards a represen tat ion from the whole of the i nhabi tan ts of O rkney an d Shetland was forwarded

,th rough th e

B i shop of those i s lands,to the Monarch . King James d i rected a formal i nvest igat ion

,

th e resu l t of wh ich was,that th e Earl was comm i tted to the Castl e of Ed i nburgh

,

where h e lay for two years,an d afterwards to Dumbarton

,where he was impri soned

for th ree years longe r . I t was then that h e heard of h i s castles i n O rkn ey an d

Shetland bei ng su rrendered to the Sheri ff, an d that h e was ready to comm it any act ofdesperat ion for thei r recovery . I n th i s mood

,i t appears that he resigned h imself to the

coun ci l s of a treacherous servan t at tend i ng upon h i s person,of the name of H acro

,who

,

t he re i s reason to suspect,was bribed by the Earl of Cai thness to lay a snare for h i s master,

by w h ich he m ight be i nduced to comm i t some act of treason that wou ld lead h im to th escaffold for so deadly at that peri od was the enm i ty of the S incla i rs to the Earl s of O rkn ey ,that i t was only to be sati sfied by the i r b lood . Earl Patrick

,at the persuas ion of h i s

se rvan t,d i rected h i s secretary to w r i te a letter to h i s natu ra l son Robert , u rgi ng h im to ra i s e

a party i n h i s behalf,for the purpose of regai n i ng h i s castles . The youth

,from an excess of

fi l ial duty,compl i ed with the reques t, an d , a ccompan i ed wi th the i ns id ious Haere , con tr ived

to secu re i n h is'

in te rest a few d i s solu te fel lows,by whose mean s b e su rpri sed th e Castl e of

B i rsay,an d placed i n i t a garri son of th i rty persons. The surrender of K irkwal l fol lowed .

When news of th i s tran sact i on came to Ed i nbu rgh,th e Earl of Ca ithness

,who was then i n

that C i ty,laboured much to obta i n the command of the party proposed to quel l i t : ass ign

ing,among other reasons for volun teer i ng the service

,

“ that h e m igh t thereby be equal wi thsuch inj u ri es as the Earl had done un to h im before , an d to revenge old quarrel s upon thei nhabi tan ts of O rkney , for k i l l i ng h i s grea t-grandfather. Th i s Nobleman was en trustedwi th a few sold i ers an d some p ieces of ordnance ; an d setti ng sai l from L e ith

,i n compan y

w i th the B i shop of O rkney , he lan ded at Ki rkw al l , where he was soon afterwards j o ined bya mu ch

'

large r force of h i s own men from Cai th ness . Robert Stuart was now deserted byall h i s foll owers wi th the except ion of fi fteen men

,and h is attendan t H acro , the same

fai th l ess wretch,who

,after h avi ng i n st igated the Earl of O rkney to treason

,was now urging

the son to surrender at d i scret i on . Bu t the gal lan t you th res i sted th i s importun i ty, an d was

determ i ned to ou tbr‘

ave the large force of th e Earl of Cai thness drawn ou t agai ns t h im i nbattl e array . First

,th e steeple an d chu rch of Kirkwal l were bese iged , wh ich Robert Stuart

had fort ified : th ese b e abandoned,i n order to concen trate the whole of h i s smal l force

w i th i n th e cast le . Th i s fortress was now manful ly assau l ted ; many hundred shot wereleve ll ed at i t “in vai n ; but so wel l d i rected was the fi re of the O rkney L eon idas

,that

n umbers of th e Earl of Caithn ess’s men are reported to have fal len one sold i er was shot i nthe ac t of d ri nk ing a heal th i n mockery of th e bes i eged . But

,unfortunate ly for Robert

S tuart , H ac ro, th e Judas of the party, was secretly en couraging h i s comrades, by the hopesof reward an d pardon from the Earl of Cai thne ss, to be tray the i r master i nto the power ofh i s foes . The you th heard of th e medi tated treason and

,sooner than be del ivered bound

by th e hands o f the wretch H acro,he made a volun tary surrender of h i s person to the

enemy . He was then conveyed to Ed i nburgh , i n order to be confron ted w i th h i s father,

ITER SCAL LOWAY 97

who was suspected to be accessory to the plot . Afterwards both Earl Patrick and h i s sonwere brough t to trial , a nd on the ev idence of H acro and th e Earl’s secretary

,th ey were con

demn ed to suffer death . Ro ber t Stuart was then conducted to th e Market-cross ofEd i nburgh , and th ere execu ted . The s im i lar pun i shmen t wh i ch was i n tended for th e father,was deferred a l i t t le t ime longer

,on the recommendat i on of the c lergy, who had repor ted

h imas tak i ng th e sentence w i th great impat i ence,and as refus i ng al l th e i r proffered exhor

tation s. At the expi rat ion , therefore, of a month , when i t was supposed that h i s m indwould be better res igned to death

,he was brough t to the scaffold, guarded by the Magi s

trates of Ed i nburgh , and, i n th e s igh t of a n umerous concourse of people, beheaded .

*

Such was the fate of Earl Patr ick S tuart,and wi th h im term inated th e sway of th e

Scott i sh Earls of O rkney and L ords of Zetland . The mi sru le of th i s spuri ou s brood fromthe royal s tock of the S tuarts

,remai ns trad i t i onal ly curren t at the presen t day

,and i t i s

men tioned wi th no other sen t imen t than that of horror. What O rkney an d Shetland wereduri ng th e tyranny of the S tuarts , cannot be bet ter dep icted than i n the great poet’s descr ipt i on of a s im i lar lot , wh ich had once befal len th e coun try from wh ich these oppressors ,armed with i l lega l au thori ty

,had i ssued .

Almost afrai d to know i tsel f I t cannotBe call’d our mother

,bu t our grave where noth i ng

But who knows noth ing i s seen once to sm i l eWhere s igh s

,an d groan s

,an d shri eks that ren t th e ai r

,

Are made not mark’d where v iolen t sorrow seemsA modern ecs tacy : th e dead man’s knel lI s there scarce ask’d , for whom and good men’s l ivesExpi re before th e flowers i n thei r caps

,

Dying,. or ere th ey sick e n .

”f

Since the death of Earl Pa trick,no regu lar i nhabi tan t has ever dwe lt w i th i n the wal l s

of Sca lloway Castle . The house was allowed to fal l gradual ly i n to decay ; and thu s theprophet i ca l den unciat ion over the gate

,i nd i cat ive of th e fate of that bu i ld i ng wh ich cou ld

not boast the sol id bas i s of j u st ice,was s tri c t ly fulfi l l ed . For no longer a period than five or

s ix years d id th ese chambers resound wi th th e l i cen ti ous me rr in ren t of th i s wors t of op‘

pressors ; an d now no revelry i s heard wi th i n the castl e but that wh ich proceeds from thed i scordan t screams of the fou l b i rds of rapi n e

,tha t bui ld thei r nests upon i t s mou ldering

wal l s .The n igh t com ing on

,I looked ou t for the smal l publ ic house of the vi l lage

,wh ich

having en tered,I found my way up sta i rs w i th d ifficu l ty

,th rough a passage darkened with

fumes outbreath ing from the k i tchen . Here was a modes t quadrangle, —a bed i n th ecorner of it, -a chearfu l peat fi re

,— an d a del igh tfu l v i ew of the bay from the window — th e

Robe r t Stu ar t was e xe cu ted on the r st Jan uary 1 615, and Ear l Patr ick Stuar t was brou ght to the scaffo ld on the 6th of

Fe bru ary fo l low in g . The nar rative con ce rn in g th is last Ear l of O rkn ey is ch ie fly de r ived from th e Ge n ealogy of the Ear ls ofSu the r land , p . 2 99 to 30x, and from Spottisw oode

's H istory of the Chu rph of Scot land . p . 520 an d 52 1 .

i Macbe th , A ct 4 , Sce n e 3 .

98 T'INGVVA L L .

[ ITER l l .

b i l l of fare con s i s ted of s i l lock s newly caugh t,of a ham rashe r

,tea and eggs ; wh i l st th e

atten t ion of th e fam i ly to the i r gues ts could not be exceeded . Such i s the cheer wh ich theweary t ravell er may expect from the comfortable hoste l of Scal loway

Of those w i ld , scatter’d heaps call’d I nn s

,where scarce

The host i s heard,tho’he wind h i s horn t’hi s people .

Here i s a competen t p i le,where i n th e m an

,

Wife,servan ts

,al l do l ive w i th i n the

Before leav ing th i s v ic i n i ty,I was favoured by Mr Scott

,th e la i rd of the place

,from

whom I rece ived many c ivi l i t i es,wi th a s igh t that was i n th i s coun try a rari ty ; open i ng the

door of a h igh garden-wall,a plan tat ion of trees burst upon my v iew .

— I had not seen atwig before i n Shetland . But so cut t ing are th e w inds o f th i s cl imate

,tha t n o plan t be

l onging to the Hyperborean Grove of Scalloway could ri se h igh er than th e shelte r of th egarden -wal l on e tree

,eigh ty years old

,an d five fee t i n c i rcumference , was a sycamore ;

anothe r,of heal thy grow th

,was fourteen years old th ere was also an elm w el l p rotected,

tha t was 20 feet h igh but planes afforded the best prom i se .

T INGWALL .

North from Scal loway , I en tered th e Val ley of T i ngwall , flanked on the eas t by theCl i ff H i ll s

,an d by a les s steep paral le l ridge on th e west . The fi rs t obj ect that encounters

th e trave l ler’s not ice i s a tal l unh ewn monumen tal stone,regard i ng wh ich there are several

unce rta i n trad i t i on s . I t i s sa id to have been erected i n commemorat i on of a Dan ishGeneral who was slai n i n th i s place , wh i l s t endeavouri ng to reduce the Norwegian colon i stsof Shetland to some sort of obed i ence oth ers h ave connected th i s stone of memorial w i ththe story of a son of on e of th e Earl s of O rkney, who having i ncurred h i s fath er

’s d is:

pleasure,had fled to a s trong hold i n th e h olm of a cont iguous loch named Strom . The

Earl sen t fou r or five men to Shetland,chargi ng them to brin g back the fugi t ive to O rkney

,

dead or al i ve the party met w ith h im i n th e Vale of T i ngwall,fough t wi th h im

,s lew h im

,

cut off h i s head,and laid i t before the fee t of h i s father

,who , upon recoveri ng from h i s

w rath,was so l i tt le gratified wi th th e impl ic i t obed i ence wh ich had been pa id to h i s u n

natural command,that h e ordered th e perpetrators of the foul deed to i n stan t execut ion

,

an d afterwards erected a ston e upon the spot where the slaughter had been committed . )L

I n the Vale of T i ngwal l th ere i s a bed of l imestone of con s iderable width,which has

commun icated to th e soi l above i t a remarkable degree of ric hness ; and i n th i s pari shan improved state of agricul tu re has been i ntroduced, ch i efly th rough the exert ion s ofthe i n tel l igen t m in i ster of the pari sh . I n ow approached the bank of a pel luc id loch

,wh ich

Beau mon t an d F le tche rs'Love 's Pi lg r imag e .

1 B rand's Ze t land , p . 1 2 2 .

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Ioo ANCIENT JURISDICTIO N OF SHETLAND . “Tm “,

Shetland was named for many cen turi es a Fondu'

e, th i s bei ng a word that was probably thecorrupt ion of some term l ike that wh ich th e Scandinav ian s of Iceland used to denote on e ofthei r four prefectures . I t was al so not unusual among the Scand inavian s to d iv ide a Prefecture i n to five Bailywicks.

* Accordi ngly, th e same number of d istr icts for the con trou l ofan i nfer i or fon de or bai l iff was formed i n Shetland ; and wh i ls t th e court of T i ngwal l wasdevoted to the general j u r isdict i on of the Great Foude or L agman , five other t i ngs i nd i fferen t parts of the coun try were i ntended for the deci s i on of d i stri ct causes . But i n the

course of t ime,when Shet land became subj ect to Scotland, a Magi strate was appo in ted to

each pari sh so that,i n stead of five d i s tri c ts of j ur i sdic t ion

,th ere were i n later years ten .

The mun icipal laws that were d i rected to th e good order of each d ist r ic t , were framedat a gen eral convocat i on of the householders of th e coun try

,that was held i n the law-t i ng

and th is pract i ce of legi s lat i ng i n th e law-t i ngs of O rkney and Shetland subsi s ted solate as the year 1 6 70. Bes ides th i s general assembly, each smal l d i s tr i c t of i nhabi tan tsformed i tsel f i n to a legi s la t ive communi ty

,an d as no other k ind of pun i shmen t was ih

flicted for m inor offences except fines , i t was probably from th i s sou rce, a ided by taxat ion ,t hat d i s tre ss was removed, when ari s i ng from causes that were i n ev i table. Thus

,i n

Scand i navia,when any man’s house was burnt down , or when a stock o f cattl e was lost by

con tagion,the ba i l i ff taxed each ci t izen accord i ng to h i s substance and

,i n order to preven t

any abuse of such resources of i ndemn ificati on , no man was en t i t led to a vote i n themun i cipal assembl i es of the coun try

,who had fai led i n honour upon any occas ion

,or was

too poor.1' I n the commencemen t of th e 17th cen tu ry, al l th e anci en t law-books ofShetland were destroyed , and a newer mun ic ipal code, under the name of th e Coun try Actsof Shetland

,was passed at th e general L egi slat ive Meet i ngs of th e L aw-t i ng

,wh ich was

i n tended for the preservat i on of good and orderly ne ighbourhood (as i t was cal led), i n eachd istri c t ; by these laws , pun ishmen ts were i nfl i cted on th e di ssolu te, lands were preservedfrom trespasses

,th e equ i ty of commerc ial d eal i ngs was protected , and mean s were provided

for searchi ng out or secu ri ng offenders , whose crimes i t was necessary to submi t to theproper tribunal s of the country .

When the householders of a d i s tri c t were assembled,they were empowered to se lect

ten or twelve respectable i nd ividuals ou t of the i r number,to serve the offices of Rancelmen .

The mode of elect ion , which probably d iffers l i tt le from that w h ich ex i sted before the t imeof Earl Patrick , i s to be col lected from the anci en t Country Acts of Shet land. The c lerkof the court read a l i s t of such h onest men i n the pari sh as were proper for the office

,an d

these i nd iv iduals were several ly asked i f they were w i l l i ng to serve i n i t . I f any of them ,

wi thout assign ing a sufli c ien t reason , refused th e appoin tmen t , he was l iable to the penaltyof 10 Scots . The office of the Rancelman was of a very mi scel laneous k ind . I n thefir st place, he was i n tended to be the guard i an of the domest i c morals of the di str ict , be ing

(as the act spec ifi es,) entrusted wi th the power of i nspect i ng the manners of others —he

was to i nqu i re i n to the l ives an d conversat i on s of fam i l i es , to preven t al l quarrel s an d

Mal le t's Nor th e r n An t iqu i ties , vol. i. , p . 1 74 .

1 Mal l e t’s Nor the r n An tiqu i tie s , vol. i. , p . 1 75.

ITER "“ ANCIENT JURISDICT ION OF SHETLAND . IO I

scoldi ng,an d to levy penal t i es for curs i ng and sweari ng ; i n every case h e was to be an

exhorter , . an d i f th e part i es offending d id not obey h i s recommenda ti on , th ey were tobecome l iable to j ud i c i al i n terference of a more ser iou s k ind . Secondly ,

The "Rancelmanwas to be the guard ian of the rel igi on of the di str ict h e was to narrowly inquire

'wffo'

sat itt

born e from the ki rk on the sabbath day, and from die ts of catech i s i ng, andaccordingly . Thz

'

r o’ly, He was to be the guard i an of the commerci al deal i ngs of

he was to see that al l tradesmen made su ffic ien t work,and d id not impose upon the i r

customers . Fou r thly ,He was made i n spector of the agricu l tu re of th e par i sh ; h e was to

oversee the bu i ldi ng of d ikes,to pun i sh for t respasses on land

,to t ry the meri ts of sh eep

dogs,81C . Fzfi h/y ,

He was to be a steward for landlords h e was to report to them whentenants abu sed the i r lands and demol i shed the i r houses . S ixzhly ,

He was to pun i sh id l evagabond person s , and to take charge of the poor . Seven thljy, He was to i n form again st al lperson s us i ng any manner of wi tchcraft

,charms

,or any abominab le o r dev i l i sh supers t i t i on s ,

that they m igh t be brought to condign pun i shmen t ; and, lastly , He was to be the generalth ieftaker ; he had th e power of en teri ng any hou se W i th i n the di s tri ct, i n quest of stol engoods wh ich last office was named Ran celling .

Along wi th the appoin tmen t of r ancelmen,a L awrigh tman was selected i n each d i s t r ict

for the regulat ion of we igh ts and measures . H e was an honest man,

” sa id Mr Gi fford ,

whose bus i ness i t was to we igh and measure th e ren t-butte r and oi l,and to determ in e i t s

proper qual i ty,and i f found i nsuffici en t

,to return i t as not rec e ivabl e he was sworn to do

j us t ice,and to keep j us t weigh ts and

I n anc ien t Scandinav ia,and or igi nal ly

,perhaps , i n i t s colon i es, i t was cus tomary at

popular assembl i es to appoi n t a bai l iff for each di s tr ic t , who was to be a person d i s t i n

gu ished for prudence, and possessed of a certa i n i ncome i n land, for fear h i s poverty shouldexpose h im to con tempt or corrupt ion . Judic ial officers of th i s ki nd were chosen in Shetland ,

bu t when th e country was ann exed to Scotland,th e appoi n tmen t of them was given to

some superior of the lands,or farmer of th e Crown revenues . I n early times

,each bai l i ff

o f Shetland was known by the name of Fou de th i s appel lat i on be i ng given to any lawofficer who presided at a cou rtJ

LTh e foude of a divi s ion , or bai l iff convoked , i n late r

t imes , two courts i n the course of th e year, at wh ich al l th e respectable householders of ad i s tr ict were requ i red to be presen t l Here the laws or Coun try Acts , wh ich d i rected th efou de

’s decrees , were firs t read over the foude or bai l iff then proceeded to try such cau ses

as were brought before h im ; but , as Mr Gi fford has remarked,“ he was on ly a j udge i n

smal l matters,such as keepi ng good ne ighbourhood

,and cou ld decern i n no cause above

£10 value .

”

I t i s diffic ul t to co llect the pract ice of the tribunal s of Shetland at an earl i er peri odthan the c lose of the roth , or commencemen t of the 1 7th cen tury . I t i s ev iden t, that theextens ive ye t dangerous au thori ty wi th wh ich th e rancelmen were arrayed , had n o othe r

For the an c ie n t d ir e ct ion s to the Ran ce lme n , se e Note 10.

7 D r Jam ie son has obs e rved , in h is Etym . D ie t. that he has se en n o sat isfactory conj e ctu r e on the or ig in of th e w ord Fon de ,w h ich is the same as the Sn . G . f og do, praefe ctu s, and Ge rm . vog d .

The pe r iods at w h ich they w e re he ld in late r t ime s w e re at Mar t inmas and M ichae lmas .—Gifi 'ord’s Ze t land , p . 47 .

2 ANC IENT JUR I SD ICTION OF SHETL AND . “TER M ,

obj ec t than to preven t many causes from coming i n a regular shape before the court of theD istr ic t-Fon de or bai l i ff

,an d th e law-t i ng of the Great Fou de , that cou ld be se tt led i n a

more, pr ifvaée way . Each ran ce lrn an was con s idered as a domes t ic arbi ter in al l the di spu te s

O'

f but when charges came before h im i n wh ich he cou ld not i n terfere,he

Orted ithemfi to the Di s tr ic t-Fonde, who, i f they came w i th i n h i s j uri sd i ct ion , subm i t ted

inbefore a court of householders and i n pass ing j udgment,he was ass i s ted by the op in

i on of the whole assembled rancelmen an d th e lawr ight-man .

O ver the decrees of th e subord i nate foude or bai l i ff was placed th e con trou l of theGreat Fou de or L agman , to whose superin tendence was en trus ted the whole of th e ju risdict i on of the foudri e of Shet land . I t i s remarked by Mal le t of the L agman of Scand i navia

,

that he had a power of revers ing al l the sen tences pronounced by i nferior j udges th roughoutthe i sland, of annul l ing the i r ord inances , and even of pun i sh i ng them ,

i f the complai n tsbrough t aga ins t th em were wel l-fou ri ded .

* I t i s cu ri ous that a s im i lar controu l was vested ,about the commencement of the 1 8th cen tury

,wi th the S teward-depute of the country

,i n

whom the funct ion s of the lagman were,up to th i s peri od

,con ti n ued . Mr Gi fford has

d i s t i nctly s tated, that “ the bai l iff was obl iged to keep a court-book , where i n al l causesbrough t before h i s

-

court were recorded ; wh ich book must be produced to the Stewarddepute

, [th e successor of the Great Foude ,] when cal led for at h i s ci rcu i t—courts . I f thebook was regularly kept

,an d noth i ng ami ss i n i t

,th en i t was approven , otherwi se th e bai l i ff

was enj oi n ed to amend what was am iss,or to lose h i s

The L agman or Great Foude of Shet land anc i en t ly admin i s te red j ust ice i n conform i tyto the precepts of some law-book derived from Scandi nav ia . When Shet land was fi rstcolon ized by the Norwegians

,i t would be governed by the laws wh ich were i n force i n the

mother coun try ; and i t was customary i n Scandinav ia to col lect these under the form of abook

,when i t acqu i red the name of The Book of th e L aw . I t i s perfect ly certai n

,from the

test imony of Torfaeu s, that such a book exi sted i n O rkney an d Shetland at a very early date ,and there i s an al lu s i on to i t i n many legal documents that are preserved of the decrees ofth e lagman . An able i nvest igator i n to the an ti qu i t ies of these i slands

,has shewn

,that

when,i n the year 1575, L ord Robert S tuart was i nd i cted by an udal ler for oust ing h im ou t

of h i s i nheri tance,hav ing by a packed j ury se ized upon i t for h imself

,Mr John Sharpe

,th e

sol ici tor to the defendant,who had endeavoured to skreen th i s act of i nj us ti ce under the

pecul iari ty of the laws of the coun try,was ordered by th e Regen t and Counci l assembled

,

to bri ng and produce the Book of the said L aw , togeth er w i th the process and sentencepronounced be the said ass ize before them . And i n an en t ry i n th e records of the PrivyCounci l of Scotland

,dated August 2 3 , 1 602 , agai nst Adam Si nclai r of Brow, who was con

cerned.i n the slaugh ter of Matthew S i ncla i r of Ness

,the ass ize i s said to have taken “ long

and mature del iberat i on,be the i n spect i on of the chaptu r is of the L aw-buik

,and practi cks

of the coun try i n such case .

”

1‘ I t thus appears that th ere was not a decree recorded wi th

Mal le t's Nor the r n An tiq . , vol . i . , p . 1 79 .

i G ifford’s Ze tland , p . 46 and 47 .

I The se case s have be e n co l l e c ted by th e au thor of the G r ievan ce s af O rkn ey, & c ., from the r ecords of the Pr ivy Cou n c i l of

Scotland, and from Lord H adding ton's Co l le ction s of the M in u te s of Par l iamen t.

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IO4 A NC IENT JUR ISDICTION OF SHET L AND . [ ITER I ] .

confi rmed by a lawman and th i rteen ass i s tan ts ; not unfrequen tly, however, the numberwas that of an Engl i sh J ury .

*

The great Foude or L agman , i n di spens i ng j us t ice, made an annual ci rcu i t round th eMai nland of Shetland

,for th e purpose of presi di ng at the lesser law-ti ngs of each separate

d i str ict . I n h is rou te,he came attended wi th a large ret i n ue

,composed of Raadmen

,

an d other m embers of h i s cou rt . At these t i ngs h e heard appeal s from the i n fer ior courtsof subord i nate Fou des or Bai l i ffs be revoked u nj us t decrees

,and sat i n j udgmen t upon all

causes , except those u p on wh ich depended the l i fe or death of the accused . The cu stomof maki ng ci rcu i ts round pari shes once a—year

,was con t i nued long after th e law-t i ngs were

abol i sh ed,even to the per iod when th e ofli ce of th e lagman was given to a steward-depute .

Mr Gifford,who wrote i n the year 1 733 , has remarked , that

“ the s teward—depute havi ng nosalary

,could not afford to be at th e charge of travel l i ng th rough the country w i th such a

reti n ue as al l the members of the court made out, and therefore these c i rcu i t-courts weremuch laid aside .

”

i‘

After these remarks,we may now vi s i t th e L aw-t i ng

, an d wi th the a id of a l ivelyimaginat ion

,suppose th e whole of th e udallers of Shetland to be i n the ac t of assembl ing

from d i ffe ren t parts of the coun try , for the purpose of attending the general convocat i on ofT i ngwal l —bei ng mounted on the hardy race of an imal s known by the n ame of Shel t i es .They fi rs t hal t at th e houses on th e east s i de of the loch

,where persons are appoin ted to

tether thei r horses,an d to undertake the charge of them for the loss and trouble of wh ich

the occupiers were dec lared to be free from the u sual impost of scan t An immense crowdi s n ow assembled on the edge of the lake adj o in i ng to them the holm i s s i tuated

,n ot more

than th i rty yards i n d iameter, wh ich i s separated from the land by a shal low channel , and i sreached by th e ai d of a few stepping—stones . Th i s s i te i s dest i ned for the recepti on of theGreat Fe u de , h i s raadmen c r coun sel lors

,th e recorder

,th e w i tnesses

,and other members of

the court . The people "stand on the ou tside of th e t i ng,and on the s ide of the loch . The

Presiden t an d h i s Recorder pass th rough th e crowd , trace thei r way over the s tepping-s tones ,an d seat themselves on the large stones of th e holm ,

follow ed by th e raadmen , th e wholetu rn ing thei r faces to the east . “We must turn our faces to th e east

,was th e express i on of

the anc ien t Scand i navian L agman,

“an d pray unto Chri st to gran t u s good t ide an d peace,

that we may keep our land wi thout travai l an d our King,th e L ord of ou r land. w i th health

an d grace ; may he be our fr i end an d may we be h i s fri end for -A t such aL egi slat ive Assembly, or l i tt l e Parl iamen t, mun ic ipal laws were made , th e last of wh ich werethe anc ien t Coun try Acts of Shetland causes were determ in ed accord i ng to th e L aw-bookof Norway

,th e bus i ness of th e Fonde bei ng to expound th e s tatutes, i n wh ich he was

ass i s ted by h i s raadmen or coun se l lors . I t was also the office of the Foude to pronounce

See G r ievan ce s of O rkn ey and Ze tlan d , p . 8 to 1 3 , and Appe nd ix .i Gifford’s Ze tland , p . 46.

2“The udal le rs com in g all on hor se -back , says M r G ifford , “ had the ir horse s g raz ed in the n e ig h bou rhood th e r eof, for

w h ich the propr ie tors ofGr ie sta and As tar (tw o adjo in in g r ooms or tow n s) w e r e bou nd to make u p the i r damag e , for wh ich on e

had the seat of some lands in Wie sdale , an d the o th e r th e seat of Qu ar f, and half the seat of Con ing sbu rgh .

" —Gifl'

ord’s Ze t land .

Essay on An c ie n t Law s of Scand inavia, Ed inbu rgh Review , No. 67 , p . 1 79.

“ ER ,” ANC IENT JUR I SD ICT ION OF SHETL AND . 105

the sen tence an d th ere i s reason to suppose that th e law-book,th e p ious work of St O la ve ,

was regarded w i th a reverence that general ly en sured a righ teous decree . I n the year 151 9,remarks the author of the Grievances of O rkney, th e H igh Foude or L agman , i n order togive a sac red an d ven erable author i ty to h i s sentence

,confi rme d i t “ be th e fayth of the law

buik,

” as now-a days men confi rm the i r test imony by the fa i th of the holy Gospel s .* Incases where th e crim i na l was capi tal ly conv ic ted

,i t was al lowed h im to appeal to th e voice

of the people and th e mode i n wh ich th i s was accompl i sh ed, s t i l l the l i ve ly subj ec t of t rad it i on

,bears reference to a per iod anteceden t to the i ntroducti on of Chri st ian i ty . When th e

Scand i navian s colon ized Iceland, an d e rected a place of j ust ice on H elgafe ls or the HolyMount where th e popular assembl i es were held, th i s p lace, bei ng dedicated to Thor, wasesteemed so sacred

,that i t was n ot to be de fi led by blood : a ne ighbouring rock wa s

appoin ted for the performance of any ind i spensable act t hat m igh t be consi dered of apol lu ted nature . I n l ike manner

,at the I s land of Un st i n Shetland

,where th e fi rs t legi sla

t ive convocat i on was held,th e place of execu t ion for any crim i na l who subm i t ted to th e

dec ree of the Fou de , was on th e summi t of a h igh h i l l named Hanger—Hugh : an d i f anyaccu sed person , after h ear ing the sen tence of the L agman , was des i rou s to appeal to th evoice of the People

,he was al lowed to pass un inj ured from wi thou t the prec i ncts of the s i te

that was cons idered hallowed . A sanctuary was th en fixed at a certa i n d is tance , th e escapeto wh ich depended upon the wi l l of the peopl e . I f the popular vo ice did n ot accord wi ththe sen tence of the Foude , the accused was al lowed to reach i t u nh urt, and h i s l i fe wasafterwards protec ted . But i f the popu lar i nd ignat i on was agai n st h im

,he was pu rsued on

h i s way to the sanctuary, an d any one , before he reached i t , migh t pu t h im to death . Th i spracti ce was con t i nued i n Shet land subsequent ly to the i n troduct ion of Chri s t ian i ty ; andwhen th e L egi s la t ive convocat i on held at Un st was removed to th e d i stan t holm ofT i ngwal l

,

the mode i n wh ich a condemned person m igh t make an appeal to the people,was s t i l l pre

served . Mr Brand,i n the year 1 700, heard the fam i li ar trad i t ional report wh ich i s st i l l

curren t,

“ that when any person rece ived sentence of death upon th e holm,i f afterwards h e

cou ld make h i s e scape th rough th e crowd of people s tand i ng on the s ide of the loch wi thoutbe ing apprehended , and touch th e s teeple of th e church of T i ngwal l , th e sen tence of deathwas retri eved

,and th e condemned obta ined an indemn ity ]

L

Such are th e part i culars whi ch may be col lected respecti ng th e anc ien t J uri sd ic t ionof Shetland . The accoun t i s very imperfect, owing to the scanty documen ts and tradi t ion son the subj ect wh ich are preserved ; but that a favourable v iew i s presented of the c iv i lpol i ty of th e anc ien t Norwegian colon i sts of th i s coun try can be scarcely den ied .

“Whenwe read of Scand inav ia

,

” says an eloquen t wri ter on th e anc ien t laws of th i s region ofEurope

,

“ i t seems i nvolved i n a perpetual sn ow-s torm . I t s i nhabi tants are p ic tured i n ourimaginat ion

,as a race of stem and barbarou s warri ors , i n te n t on ly upon war and plunder ;

yet,accord i ng to th e i r pol i ty

,the members of the commun i ty were kn i t ted togeth er by the

closes t soc ia l bonds . Moral dut ie s were en forced by the penal t i es of the law, wh ich came

G r ievan ce s of O rkn ey , & c . , p . 6 .

i Brand’s Desc r ipt ion of Ze tland , p . 1 2 2 .

106 TINGWA L L TO LERWICK .

[ITER 11.

i n aid of the precepts and dictates of fri endsh ip, of chari ty, and Of natu ral affect ion .

T INGWALL TO LERW ICK .

Having left th e fert i l e vale of T i ngwal l I began to ascend the Cl iff H i l l s to the east ofi t and observed what was a real n ovel ty i n th e country,— a regular paved road

,cu t across

a th ick bed of peat moss,and leadi ng to L erwi ck , a di stance Of four m iles . The execut i on

of th i s work i s attributable to two private gent lemen , who, several years ago , were at th eexpen ce of open ing a commun ication from L erwick across the Cl iff H i l l s to th ei r e states .I f these spi ri ted i nd iv idual s had l ived i n Roman days,

'

they would have been honoured atthe i r death by an apotheosi s

,as be ing among th e earl i es t promoters Of c ivi l i zat ion . But

,

see i ng that the L ares via les of H ialtlan d , whom th e Agricu l tu ral Soc iety of the coun try arei nvoki ng

,med i tate anoth er march as far sou th as Fladib iste r , as far west as Wiesdale , and

as far north as Yel l Sound,i t i s pleasan t to con template , i n the very d i s tan t perspect ive of

two or three cen tu ri e s, when the resources of Shetland for i ts fisheri es may be better known ,the gradual effects wh ich wi l l be produced by th e n ew roads, wh ich are i n tended to conn ectd i fferen t parts Of th e coun try —th e l i t tl e shel t i es, l oaded on each s ide wi th pann i ers orcass i es

,may give place to h eavy draugh t horses imported from L oth ian

,and dragging

beh ind them a ponderous car z— along th e n ew l in e Of road, conven ien t quays may adornthe numerous voes wh i ch i n tersect th e i slands — at len gth may ari se populous towns , whennew and more expen si ve commun icat i on s between them wi l l be projected .

L O ray’d from c i ti e s o’er th e br ighten’d land

,

Connect i ng sea to sea. the sol id road .

L O th e proud arch (no v i le exactor’s stand)With easy sweep bestrides th e chafing flood .

”

THOMSON on l iber ty .

Such i s the dream wh ich may be exci ted by the sol i tary paved road Of four m i les thatleads to L erwick . After pass i ng the head of a long i n le t of sea named Dale’s Voe

,th e last

em inence wh ich I ascended was cu t th rough mud exhausted mosses, where noth ing was tobe seen bu t a few sheep employed i n gr azin g th e scan ty herbage of the h i l l s . The l owlands Of L erwick n ext appeared i n v iew ; th e sea to the righ t, splenden t as a m i rror, with i tsw indi ng shores ; i n fron t was the beau ti ful Sound of Bressay, burdened with large vessel s ,i n to wh ich a stately frigate was then maj est i cal ly gl id ing, wh i le ranged along i t s shore were an umber Of wh ite hou ses,

In the sunsh in e gl i tter ing fa i r,

Haun ts of bus i ness, haun ts of care.

Essay on An c ien t Law s of Scand inavia, Ed in burgh Review , No. 67 , p . 199.

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08 L ERWICK .

[ ITER n ,

th e town i s so remarkablys tr ik in g, that , woe bet ide the Hyperborean arch i tect who w ouldreduce the i rregu lar l i nes of i t s street

,on which i ts p ictu resque appearance depends

,to the

dul l un i form i ty of righ t l i nes and squares . L erwi ck i s la id wi th flags , wh ich are seldompressed by any beasts of burden heav ier than the l i ttl e shel t ie s of the coun try

,that are

loaded with cass i es of tu rf from the adj oin ing scathold . NO pavement i s requi red,for there

i s only one cart to be seen , whi ch belongs to a gen tleman in th e v ic i n i ty . A lively appearance i s presen ted i n th e town from the number of shops wi th wh ich it i s fi l l ed and fromthe sa i lors of al l nati on s who are engaged i n maki ng smal l

.

purchases , whi l s t the i r vessel s aremoored i n the harbour.

I n the town there i s no publ ic structure demanding part i cular at ten ti on . There i s on eplai n bu i ld ing

,dedi cated to th e use of a town-house, a court Of j us t ice, and a pri son and

there i s a smal l n ea t k i rk for the Es tabl i shed rel igion of Scotland . A d i s sen t ing sect,named The Haldan i tes, have also a regular meeti ng-house .

The populat ion has of late years much encreased . I n th e year 1 701 many Dutchvessel s frequen ted B ressay Sound , an d the number of fam i l ies res id i ng i n L erwick was saidto have been from two to th ree hundred. When several nat ion s

,owing to con t i nued wars

,

decl in ed the i r vi s i ts to Shet land , th e populat ion so far decreased , that, i n th e year 1 778,

Mr L ow remarked , that the town on ly con ta i ned 140 fami l i e s . By the last census taken,

th e n umber of i nd i v idual i nhab i tan ts was est imated at 1 301 .

L erwi ck boasts n o ki nd of man ufactory except one for s traw-plai t i ng,i n wh ich 50 gi rl s

are said to be employed : th e town i s m uch i ndebted for i t s support to the vessel s wh ichtouch at Bressay Sound i n the i r voyage to the Northern Seas , and on the i r return home ;among these are ch iefly Green landers . I n con sequence also of the smal l barters that aremade wi th foreign vessel s

,Dan i sh and other co in s pass more freely i n th e country than

Bri t i sh money .

Provi s ion s i n L erwick are very moderate,being l ess than half th e pri ce wh ich they

bear i n the Scott i sh market . A great boast of th e inhab i tants of L erw i ck i s the numberof vegetables produced i n th i s variable cl imate . The escu len t roots and arti chokes areesteemed of excel len t qual i ty, and as great a vari ety of them i s enumerated as Drayton hascelebrated on the shores of Norfolk

The colewort, col l i flower, and cabbage i n the i r season ,The rou n cefall, great bean s , and early r ipen ing peasonThe on ion , scal l i on , l eek , wh ich housewives h igh ly rateThe i r ki n sman garl i c then

,the poor man’s m i th ridate

The savou ry parsn ip next, and carrot, pleas ing foodThe sk i rre t wh ich (some say) i n sal lads st i rs the bloodThe turn ip, tast i ng wel l to clowns i n wi n ter weatherThu s i n ou r verse we pu t roots

,herbs

,and frui t together .

L erwick was never i nvested wi th any part i cular pr i v i leges i t was formerly governed bya Bai l i e

,whose office was , to the great i nconven i ence of the place , al lowed to become

ext inc t,bu t lately i t has been erected i nto a Burgh , for the governmen t of wh ich two annua l

mm IS L ANDS or BRESSA Y A ND Noss . IO9

Magistrates are chosen wi th th e ti t le of Bai l i es . The Sheri ff-subst i tute holds h i s weeklycourts

,where j ust ice i s adm in i s tered accordi ng to th e form s of Scot land

,wh i l s t th e force of

a few of the country acts of Shetland i s st i l l reta i ned : here also are h eld Comm issary an d

Admiralty Courts .The genera l habi t s of th e h igher classes of Soc iety i n L erwick di ffers l i t tl e from those

of any smal l town i n Scotland : i t i s i ndeed usual for th em to rece ive a part of the i r educat i on at Aberdeen or Ed i nbu rgh . All s trangers have spoken i n th e h igh est terms Of th eurban i ty of the i nhab itan ts . The n orth ern voyager

,i n part i cu lar

,i s wont to descan t w i th

rapture on the hours wh i ch h e has spen t i n th i s hospi table harbou r. There i s on ly one in ni n the place

,bu t i t deserves h igh prai se for c iv i l i ty an d atten t i on .

O n the south of th e town i s the c i tade l , bu i l t A .D . 1 665, wh ich adds much to th ebeauty of th e place : i t s e rect i on i s sai d to have cost S terl i ng .

* I n the Dutch warof that t ime

,L erwick was garri soned for th ree years by 300 men , commanded by Colon el

Wi ll iam Si nc la i r,a Shet land gen t leman

,and they were suppl ied wi th abou t twenty or th i rty

cannon . L ong afterwards,un ti l th e commencement Of th e 1 8th cen tu ry

,L erwick was

unprotected,when i t was v i s i ted by a Dutch frigate

,wh i ch burn t the fort an d several h ou ses

i n th e town . The coun try was also vi s i ted by the French,who

,says Mr Gi fford

,

“ were amore generou s enemy than the Dutch

, do ing l i tt l e damage to the coun try , sometimesdemand i ng fresh prov i s ion s , wh ich were readi ly gran ted them .

” I n th e year 1 78 1 , th e fortwas completely repai red, and named , after the late Queen , Fort Charlotte an d i n the latewar i t received a part of a garr i son battal ion

,bein g mounted wi th twelve gun s

,and con

ta in ing accommodati on for two or th ree compani e s . There are now no sold i ers requ i red i nthe town

,an d th e fort i s dest i ned to an use that must del i gh t every fr i end of peace ; for,

next to th e pleasure of see i ng th e sword heat i n to a ploughshare, noth i ng can more harmoni se wi th the scen e than the convers ion of the ci tadel i n to th e peacefu l man se Of the pi ou smin i ster of the pari sh .

ISLANDS OF BRESSA Y AND NOSS .

With the vi ew of v is i t ing th e two I slands of Bressay and Noss, I crossed what i s nameda Sazma’, th e term implying, n ot on ly i n Shet land, bu t i n th e Western I slands of Scotland , anarrow passage of the sea , formed by the cont igu i ty of one or more i slands to any u n in te r

rupted l i ne of coast ]L B ressay presents an i n terest i ng appearance : on the shore are th espaci ous house and grounds of Gard i e

,th e seat of Thomas Mouat, Esq.

,la id ou t i n a

modern style Of elegance, an d adj oi n i ng to Gard ie are th e manse and the pari sh k i rk .

Crossi ng the scatholds of the country, d iversi fied with numerous cottages, and occas ional ly

varied by the ru i n s of a burgh,or a rude monumen tal s ton e

,I arrived at the Ferry of Noss ,

adj oin i ng to wh ich may be traced the remai n s of a c i rcu lar fort,wi th i n th e foundat ion wal l s

of which were d i st i nc t cav i ti es,each about twelve feet l ong

,s ix fee t broad

,an d about five

See a view of the C i tade l in Plate Fig . 3.

i joh n son su pposes a Sou nd to mean noth in g more than a Ma l low sea ; bu t it is dou btfu l if the te rm was in any cou n try so

r e str i c ted in its mean in g .

I IO ISLANDS OF BRESSA Y AND NO SS .

[ITER 11 ,

feet deep . From the em inence above the water’s edge i s a good view of the smal l i sland ofN055, wh ich cons i s ts of one b ill r i s i ng gradual ly towards the easterly ocean , and presentin gin i t s out l i ne the s im i lar con oid form shewn by the h i l l Of Bressay.

Crossi ng in a boat a smal l rap id channel , I arri ved at a neat farm-house,con tiguous to

wh ich were the ru i n s of a smal l chapel , an d d i rected my course to the south-east extrem ityof the i s land . Ski rt ing along the s teep banks of sandstone

,frequen t ly broken i n to

deep chasms,the famous Hol in of Noss at length came i n v iew

,bounded by preci pi tous

c l i ffs,and divided by a narrow channel from the equal ly steep rocks on whi ch I was

then stand ing. The travel ler i s n ow struck w i th the appearance of a tremendous gu lf,over

wh ich ropes are passed,from wh ich i s slung a sort of wooden trough named a Cradle

,l arge

enough for the conveyance acros s Of one man an d a sheep . H ow such a devi ce was firs tcontr ived , i s naturally one of the fi rs t obj ec ts of i nqu i ry . The holm ,

wh ich i s l i tt le morethan 500 feet in l ength , and 1 70 i n breadth , r i se s abruptly from the sea i n the form of a per

pen d icu lar cl i ff 1 60 fee t i n he ight . The chasm which i n tervenes between i t an d th e no les sprecipi tous banks of Noss i s s ixty-fi ve feet across .* The origi nal temptat i on to reach th i sholm

,was on accoun t of the vi s i t paid to i t duri ng the season of i ncubat ion by i n numerable

sea-b irds,such as black and wh i te gul ls

,scarfs

,sea-pies

,and k ittywak es, when th e gras s

became wh i tened w i th the i r eggs . I t was therefore about two cen turi es ago,that an

adventurou s fowler was i nduced, by the tempti ng O ffer of a cow,to scale the cl i ff of the

holm . Th i s hardy and almost i ncredib le undertak ing b e accompl i shed, hear ing wi th h im

two stakes,wi th the i n tent of fix ing them i nto that part Of the bank wh ich was nearest to the

Opposi te rock . The Object of th e undertak ing was now fulfi l led,an d th e fowler was

en treated to avai l h im sel f of the commun icat ion across th e gulf : th i s he refused to do,

determ ined to descend th e way h e had c l imbed, an d i n so fool-har dy an at tempt h e fe l l an d

peri shed . When the i slanders fi rs t avai led th emselves of th i s i l l-fated hero’s success,a ston e

was fastened to th e double of a l igh t cord,and wh i le one man kept i n h i s hands the extrem

i t ie s Of th e rope, the other th rew th e part to wh ich th e stone was at tached across to the holm .

By th e ass i stance of a long pole or fi sh in g-rod, th e cord was so e levated as to be eas i lydrawn round the s takes ; a th i cker rope was then attached to th e th i n cord, an d upon th elatter bei ng drawn in

,the former was i n i t s turn brough t round the pos t . Th i s Operation

was repeated un t i l a firm cordage formed th e med i um O f tran sport from bank to bank . I nth e next place, an ob long box, named a Cradle , was con trived, th rough the extrem i t i es ofwh i ch two holes were made that al lowed ropes to pass along each of i ts s ides, by wh ichmeans th e mach i ne was properly s lung . The firs t v i s i tor of th e holm th en seated h imself i nthe crad le , and s i nce there was a sl igh t descen t towards i t, b e eas i ly moved forward , and bym eans of th e lateral cords

,regulated the ce ler i ty Of h i s conveyanc e . I n return i ng

,hOWf

ever,he was ass i sted by person s stat ioned on e th e Opposi te bank

,who were employed i n

drawi ng h im up by mean s of a rope that had been for th is purpose attached to the cradle i'

By D r Scott of Le rw ick I hav e bee n favou r ed w i th these par ticu lars ofmeas u r eme n t. H e fou nd , by a l in e dropped to the

su rface of the sea , w he n h e w as half way ac ross the g u lf, that th e he igh t of the Crad l e w as 162 fee t at the same time the de p th of

the chan n e l was 2 7 fe e t 8 in che s.

1 In Plate I I I , Fig . 1 . some idea is in tended to be conveyed of'

the Ho lm ofNoss.

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I I 2 L ERWICK TO CATFIRTH .

[ITER 11.

poor L uggie i s bes t related i n Si ncla i r’s I nv i s ibl e World d i scovered . When fi sh i ng at seawi th h i s compariion s, he was accustomed, whenever hu ngry, t o cas t ou t h is l i n e ; and , i t i sadded, “ h e would , out of Neptune

’s lowest k i tchen,bri ng c leverly up fi sh wel l boi led and

roasted . Th i s supernatural power became at length so fam i l iar to L uggie’s comrades,that

so far from bei ng startled at the idea of partak ing wi th h im i n h i s in ferna l banquet,

“ theywou ld

,

” says S inclai r,by a natural courage

,m ake a merry meal thereof

,n ot doubt ing who

was cook .

”Th i s poor fellow was

,i n th e en d

,brough t to trial

,and being condemned for

sorcery,was burn t at a s take n ear Scal loway .

I f,from the h i l l of Kib iste r , we d i rec t the atten t i on to a po in t n orth-east of the harbour

of Bressay, some l i tt l e commot ion of th e sea may be perce ived, wh ich i s occas i oned by anumber of waves that break over a dangerou s rock named th e Un icorn . Th i s shoal i sassoc iated wi th the h i story of Earl Bothwel l

,th e w icked tool Of a more wicked fact ion

,

whose v iews were unrem i tt i ngly d i rected to th e deth ronement of the un fortunate Mary .

Bothwell had secretly len t h im self to th e murder of Darn ley,the con federacy wi th wh ich he

was connected having procured h i s acqu i tta l — he had forc ibly se ized upon the Queen,and

by th e foules t mean s had left h er no resource, but to make h im a surrender of her person atthe al tar . The Obj ec t of th e faction was now on the po i n t of be ing accompl i shed

,— a

rr iage had taken place that mus t render Mary odious to her subj ects T roops were theneasilv ra i sed for the al leged purpose of compell i ng the Queen to separate hersel f from thei nfluence and coun sel s of th e gui lty bridegroom . Mary

,accompan ied by the Earl

,prepared

to meet h er foes ; bu t seei ng th e un stead i ness of her men , who were d isheartened i n hercau se

,sh e surrendered to the i r terms, prom i si ng to d ism i ss Bothwel l from her presence, and to

govern th e k i ngdom by h er Nobles . When the plots of the facti on were thus far successful,

i t had been los t s igh t of,that , i n order to be con s i sten t in the Obj ect for wh ich a pretence

was made for levyi ng arms again st the Crown , Bothwell ough t to have been secured but ash e v as a mere i n strumen t i n the i r plots , he was eas i ly forgot ten , and al lowed to escape .Th i s forsaken favou ri te , who had recent ly been created Duke of O rkn ey , th en conceived ,that

,i n the country wh ich gave to h im h i s t i t le

,he sh ou ld meet w i th every protect i on .

Sai l i ng th i th er from Dunbar, with a few sh ips and men , he arrived at Ki rkwall , where he wascoldly rece ived by the inhabi tants of that place, the govern or refus ing h im admiss ion in toth e castle . He then came to Shetland ,

— a coun try wh ich,from i ts remoteness

,partook

much less than O rkney of th e party sp i ri t of Scotland . Here he met wi th a welcome .

Bringin g w i th h im a number Of re tai n ers,an ox and two sheep out Of every pari sh were

al lowed for the i r main tenance .

* But i nd igence st i l l overtak ing the ou tcast husband ofMary

,he was i nduced to arm the vessel s that had accompan ied h im , and venturi ng i n to the

northern seas,he attacked every trad i ng vesse l wh ich came wi th i n h i s reach

,seeking to

procure by pi racy subs i stence for himself an d h i s followers . The Governmen t of Scotlandhear ing of these atroc i t i es

,sen t out two vessel s aga in st h im

,commanded by Wi l l iam

It has be e n obse rve d , that th is vo l u n tary g ran t became,du r ing the tyran n y of the Stu ar ts , the pre cede n t for an an n ual

demand to the same amou n t,on th e a l leg ed pu rpose , that the cou n try was bou nd to fu r n ish provis ion s for the w orkme n w ho w e r e

e n gag ed in bu i ld in g Scal low ay Cas tle . Upon the for fe itu r e of Ear l Patr ick's estate s , the e xact ion was r ecorded in the Exchequ e ru n de r the n ame of Ox and She e p S i lve r ; and it is paid at the pre se n t day.

[ ITER I I . L ERWICK TO CATFIRTH . I I 3

Kirkaldy of Grange, and Murray of Tu llibard in e , th e former of whom was accompan i edby Adam Bothwell

,B ishop Of O rkney, who had solemnized Mary

’s las t fa tal marriage .

Kirkaldy’s sh ip , named the Un icorn , came up w ith Earl Bothwel l wh i ls t anch ored i n

Bressay Sound . The noble p i rate immed iate ly abandoned the harbou r, took i n a p i lo t ,to whom he prom ised a great reward i f h e could effect h i s escape

,set a l l sai l and passed

through the north en trance of B ressay Sound ; wh i le the vesse l i n pu rsu i t fol lowed himso close

,that the sh ips were wi th i n a gun-shot of each othe r. O n en teri ng th e open

channel,Kirkaldy ordered al l sai l s to be se t : the steersman fau ltered ; h e was ignoran t of

the coast,— he hes i ta ted to obey the command of hi s Captai n . Kirkaldywas peremptoryan d st i l l pursui ng Bothwe ll’s vessel

,wh ich in s id iou sly d i rected i ts cou rse cl ose to the h idden

rock,h i s sh ip broke upon the bank ; and , wh i l s t h i s men were employed i n savi n g th em

selves,Bothwel l had t ime allowed h im for escape . H i s purpose be e ffected by steal i ng

from h i s sh ip w i th the ai d of a smal l boa t . He then privately entered anoth er of

h is vesse ls,wh ich

,from the ignorance that h e was on board

,became not the objec t

O f pursu i t . From the acciden t that hefe l Kirkaldy s sh ip, th e bank has ever s i n c e,from the name wh ich th e vessel bore

,acqui red th e t i t l e of th e Un icorn Rock . The

sequel of Bothwe ll’s h i story i s wel l known : flying towards Norway,he met wi th a sh i p

rich ly laden an d wel l armed , —he attacked i t, fa i led i n th e attempt, when he an d al lh i s men were carri ed pri soners to Copenhagen . O n h i s rank being made known i n tha tc i ty

,he was saved from the ignom in iou s death wh ich h i s associ ates suffered, being con

demn ed to pr i son for l i fe .

“ He langu i shed,

” says an emi nen t h i s tor ian of Scotland , “ te nyears i n th i s unhappy condi t ion ; melancholy an d despai r depri ved h im of h i s sen ses , an d ,at las t

,h e ended h i s days

,unpi t i ed by h i s countrymen , and unass i s ted by st rangers .”

Cross ing Dales Voe to a dreary poin t of land named H awk sn ess,I was ferr ied over a

beauti fu l harbour,wh ich

,l ike the other i n le t

,flows in to th e large bay of Catfi rth . The so i l

on the banks was h ighly fe rt i l ized by substrata of l imestone , an d a l ively scen e was presen ted by the neat farm of Mr Hay . S i tuated close to th e water’s edge was a good hous ewi th out-bui ld i ngs ; at a l i tt le d istance were barns, s tables and l ime-ki l n s, and around themwere i nc losu res sm i l i ng w i th wavi ng corn . T ravers i ng a brown h i l l to th e west, I arr ivedat the Head of Wadb ister Voe, and i n the same d i rec t i on was led to th e extrem i ty of Catfi rth . Th i s bay

,commun icat i ng wi th th e channels of severa l other in le ts , s tre tches many

m i les north-wes t i n to the coun try . The scenery around i t i s soon described , s in ce i t i sd iversified with th e least poss ib le vari e ty of Obj ects —it i s bounded wi th unwooded ridgesOf mu irlan d, i n con s iderabl e i n the i r he igh t —there i s to be seen a sol i tary good house atthe head of the bay

,a few cot tages

,and occas ional ly the remain s of some lonely burgh ,

With ragged wau lles,yea

,al l so rent and torne

,

As though i t had been n ever known to m e n ,

O r care lesse l eft,as wretched th i ng forelorn

L ike beggar bare,as naked as my nai l

,

I t l ie s along whose w recke doth non e

Chu rchyard’s Wor th in ess ofWale s.

;1 14 ESWICK TO L UNNA .

[ ITER 11,

ESWICK TO LUNNA .

A cons iderable pen i n su lar p romon tory to the n orth O f Catfi r th , bears th e name of Esw i ck . T ravell i ng alon g th e shore of Vassa Voe , a smal l i n le t, I passed over two freshwater loch s

,that watered a valley of l imestone, an d arrived at a fert i l e l i tt le val ley named

Brugh,wel l sh el te red from the eas t by a r i s ing h i l l . I n th i s v ic i n i ty was an ample estate

,

wh ich once belonged . to a Scott i sh fam ily, tha t ancien tly h eld a di st i ngu i sh ed rank i nShetland . The lands of Brugh were given by Ki ng James VI . to Hugh Sinclai r and h i shei rs

,i n th e year 1587 and i n a clause of the grant

,th ere was a spec ial prov i si on

,that they

should not descend to th e fam i ly accordi ng to the law of udal succes si on , but accord i ng tothe ru le of pr irn ogen itu re adopted i n Scotland . The charter was expres sed as fol lows“ Secundum formam e t modum su ccession is i n fra regnum nostrum Scotiae obse rvat. sc iz .

qubd unus haeres immediate post al te rum su ccedet, absque divi s i one, non obstan tibu s legibus e t con su etu din ibu s patriae Z etlan diae i n con trar iu in The Si nclai rs mainrai ned i n Shetland , duri ng the 1 7th cen tury , an estab l i shmen t Of no smal l degree ofSpl endour. Th i s i s ev i nced by an i nven tory of th e plate an d h ousehold-goods of on e ofthe fam i ly named Robert Si ncla i r

,wh ich i s s t i l l extan t ]L He had also when he d i ed , 82

horses, 38 mares , 60 oxen , 1 1 8 cows

, 3060 sh eep, 1 65barrel s of oats, 2 1 2 barrel s of bear,and 3 chalders of hear . The lords of th i s estate were

,on accoun t of the royal gran t,

general ly honoured by the ti t le of Baron s Of Brugh bu t the fam i ly i s n ow become ext i nc t,

an d th e i r estates,wh ich were sold

,passed in to several d i sti nct hands .

O n arriv i ng at the extrem i ty of the Val ley of Brugh , near to the sea, th e atten tion i sarres ted by a ru ined chapel of the S i ncla i rs a fron t and part Of a side wal l be ing nearly allt hat rema in s of the s tructure . I t was bu i l t at th e c lose of the 1 6 th century

,i n th e pla ines t

man ner. O n each s ide of th e door are engraved i n s ton e the arms of the fam i ly,and

u nderneath th em occu r devou t mottos . The words O f one of them are , “Remember to d ie ,an d after that t o l ive eternal ly .

” I n the other motto , i s a sent imen t to the fol lowingpurport : “ I n earth noth i ng con t inueth , and man i s bu t a shadow .

”

I O f th e house tha tthe Barons of Brugh once inhabi ted scarce ly the foundat i on s remai n . The s i te wh i ch waschosen for thei r res idence was j ud ic ious i t was a ri ch val ley

,shel tered from the east wi nds

by“ the rocks of Esw ick,and beau ti fi ed by seve ral smal l lakes wi th w h i ch i t was watered.

To th e fron t , however, noth ing i s to be seen but th e ocean , i n to wh ich protrudes the d i s tan tpromon tory of the Neap O f Nest i ng .

I had n ow ar r ived at th e pari sh O f Nest ing, so named from an anc ien t t i ng or Ope nlaw-court

,wh ich was held by th e great Fou de when he made h i s c i rcu i t round th e main land .

A wal l O f a few m iles c lose to the sea , an d along th e brow of a long moun ta i n r idge ofgne i ss

,led to th e k irk of the pari sh , which i s a new bu i ld i ng, S i tuated close to a smal l

moun t,on wh ich appear the ru in s of a burgh . I then came to a promontory

,named th e

N eap, where , i n the days Of Patrick , Earl of O rkney , an act of savage revenge took place ,

G r ievance s o f O rk n ey , p . 5.

i It was in the po sse ss ion of Thomas Mouat, Esq. of B e lmon t.

2 Se e Plate I I I . fi g . 4 , 5, 6.

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1 16 I SL A ND OF WIIA L SEY A ND TH E OUTSKERRIES .

[m m 1,

l igh t-house. From th i s em inence the re i s a fine v iew of th e I s le ofWhalsey, stre tch ing outfar to the northe ast , an d s i tuated between a clus ter of i slands that approach the shore ofth e main land, and a remoter group, named the O u tsk err ies. I n proceed i ng n orthward

,my

road l ed th rough on e of the wi ldes t d i s tr ict s of Shet land, where were hi l l s Of th e mos tgrotesque form

,among w h ich were i n terspersed i nnumerab le smal l l och s . Pass i ng for

several mi les . along the barren shores Of Vid l i n Voe, I came i n s igh t of the House of L unna,s i tuated on the brow of a h i l l c lose to i t i s a very narrow i sthmus of land

,w h ich com

m u n icates wi th a large promontory, several m i les long, that st retches ou t i n to Yel l Sou nd .

’r

Near the I sthmus of L unna,once stood a rel igi ous bu i ld i ng

,bu t O f what descr ipti on i s very

doubtfu l a broken font was d i scovered among the ru i n s, as wel l as arch i tectural carvi ngs ,executed i n a soft magn es ian stone

,of a steat i t i c k ind, named Kleber . Much fi sh i s

cu red at L unna, cons i s t i ng of l ing, cod, and th e Gadus B rosme , or torsk , common ly namedTusk . The lat ter, wh ich somewhat resembles l i ng, though not so long, i s very abundan tlycaught in th e deep-water fi shery off the coast .

ISLAND OF WH A L SEY AND TH E OUTSKERRIES .

Whalsey, to wh ich I sa il ed , i s a large i sland, con s i s ti ng of i rregular ridges of gne iss ,that stretch far to th e north-east . The approach to i t from the south-west extrem i ty i s veryfine . Near a small bay i s a handsome house

,belonging to Robert Bruce

, Esq ,shewi ng the

styl e Of th e m idd l e of th e last cen tu ry,with garden s walled round . A system of farm ing

has been i n troduced i n th i s i s land,h igh ly cred i table to th e proprie tor . The fields of corn

around the house looked beau t i fu l an d,i f th e coun t ry could on ly have been clothed wi th

trees , we m igh t tran sport ourse lves, i n imagi nat ion , to some d i stri ct Of th e L oth ians . The

i sland to the north-east i s very u n in terest i ng . There i s n oth i ng to d ivers i fy bleak an d

uneven ridges of gnei ss,except a good pari sh church and a few scattered cottages . I

om it ted to see a loch wh ich Mr L ow noti ced,where was a smal l holm connected to th e

shore by mean s of steppi ng-stone s,origi nal ly defended by a wal l round i ts margi n

,and by a

breast—work toward the land . A space of ground was thus enc losed , suffici en t to con tai nmany people, wi th the i r catt le and effects . The Burgh (as i t i s cal led)bears the name of

From Whalsey I set sa i l for th e O utsk e r r ies,a very remote and detached groupe of

smal l i s lands an d rocks,

fifteen mi les d istant from the mai nland O f Shetland . O u r

l igh t yawl was manned by s ix excel len t seamen a square sai l was h o i sted and a breeze

Lu n n a , wh ich was i n habi ted by M r L e isk ,w h e n I v is ited it , is th e fam i l y r e s ide n ce of Robe r t H u n te r

, Esq. , a g e n tl eman of

con s ide rable in te l l ig e n c e , w ho has the me r i t of attemp ting fi r s t to in trodu ce in to the cou n try a be tte r de sc r ipt ion of te n u r e s , fr e e

from the obl igat ion of fish ing for land lords . The obs tac le s that h e me t w i th in h is view s arose , how eve r , from an u n e xpe c teds ou r ce ,

-from th e te n an ts themse lve s , w ho be ing by n o mean s pr e pared for so su dde n a chan g e of con d it ion , m u ch abu sed the

l i be ral i ty the y had e xpe r ie n ced. The even t evide n t l y shew s , that a dom e s tic r e form , l ik e a po l i tical on e , shou ld be a g radu alp ro ce ss .

1 It has be e n r emark ed , (p . 1 73) that, abou t a m i l e or tw o to the n or th of the hou se , are seve ral r emarkable de tach ed rocks ,named th e ston e s of S te fi s , of w h ich the larg e s t is abou t 23 fe e t in he ight, and 96 fe e t in c ir cumfe re n ce .

1 The r e is a rock of g n e i5s on the w es t of the is land , wh ich , in on e place , cons ide rably affects the compass.

” ER ,” ISL AND OF WH A L SEY A ND TH E OUTSKERRIES . I I7

springing up favourable for the passage,th e buoyan t sk i ff rap id ly cu t i ts way th rough

su rging waves ; wh i l s t th e seamen , with adm i rab le adro i tn ess, rai sed or lowered the sa i l ,accord i ng to th e force Of th e w i nd wi th wh ich we were impel led along. Pass i ng severa lsol i tary holms on wh ich rude huts appeared for the temporary summer accommodat i on of

"

the seamen who were engaged i n th e l ing-fi shery, I arrived at length near th e O utsk e rr ies .

They seemed fen ced round about by C l i ffs frigh tfu l ly s teep and rugged . O n e of these waspoi n ted ou t to me

,on wh ich was cas t away

,i n the year 1 664 , the r ich vessel , named th e

Carrn e lan of Amsterdam ,that was bound to the East I nd i e s , l aden wi th th ree m i l l i on s o f

gui lders,and many chests of co i ned gold. The wreck happened on a dark n igh t, when fou r

men,placed amon g the shrouds

,were endeavour i ng to discover the land . They were not

able to descry th e rock before the vesse l was close upon i t,and before they cou ld warn th e

res t of the crew,the sh ip struck . The mast broke c lose to the deck

,fal l i ng

,at the same

t ime,on one of the c liffs

,by wh ich mean s the fou r men were saved but the sh ip i t se l f sank

i n deep water,and al l th e crew on . board immed ia tely peri shed . A con s iderable

,quant i ty

of spir itoris l iquors was d r iven ashore ; and , for twen ty days afterwards , t h e i nhab i tan ts ofth e Skerri es were in a state of cont i nued i n tox icat ion . When th e Earl of Morton heard ofthe wreck

,b e repai red to the spot

,and was act ively employed i n rescu ing from the water

several of th e che sts of gold . These ought to have come to th e King’s treasury : and , whenCharles I I . heard of the Earl’s pr ivate appropriat ion

,he i s sa id to have been dec ided i n the

v iews wh ich he had before en terta i ned,of recal l i ng th e Crown-estates Of O rkney and

Shet land that had fal len i n to the hands Of the Morton fam ilv on the fict i t i ous plea of amortgage by Charle s I.

*

After pass i ng th e rock on wh ich th e Carrn elan had spl i t, a narrow open i ng appearedthrough ragged rocks

,ou t of wh ich ran a strong cu rren t of t ide, that cau sed the b i l lows on

th e outs ide,impat i en t of res i stanc e

,to bo i l and foam wi th u ncommon impetuos i ty.

Through these ou r reel i ng yawl was gu ided w i th i nfin i te ski ll,when we en tered a smal l

harbour,wel l Shel tered by h igh ground

,and presen t i ng on i ts su rface th e u n ruffled t ranqui l

appearance of a mountai n lake.

And calmy bay,on th’on e s ide shel te red

With the brode shadow of an boar ie h i l lO n the other s ide an h igh rock toured st i l l ;That , t’wixt th em both , a pleasau n t port th ey made,And did l ike an half theatre fu lfi l l . SPENCER .

As th e O u tskerr ies l i e so much to the east Of Shetland,they are wel l adapted for

carry i ng on a deep water fi shery for l i ng . O n th i s accoun t,th ere are a few s l igh t per

manen t bu i ld i ngs,erected for th e accommodat ion of agen ts who superi n ten d the preparat ion

of curing and, along wi th these, are several rude huts or lodges, for the temporary abodeof the fi shermen . An O ld custom , now legal i zed , al lowing any one to erec t temporary

The narrative of the loss of th e Carme lan , may be fou nd in B rand’s Voyag e to O rkn ey and Ze tland.

1 18 ISL AND OF WH A L SEY AND TH E OUTSKERRIES .

[ITER I I .

fi sh in g-huts and booth s on grounds that had

'

not been prev iou sly enclosed for cul t ivat ion,

has caused frequen t d ispu tes between landholders,an d oth ers

,who were en gaged

’

in thel i ng fi shery, some of wh i ch frays had even led to bloodshed . Early i n the last cen tury

,for

i n stance,a con ten t ion i n th e O u tsker r ies arose between two cons iderable fam i l i es i n

Shetland,regard i ng th i s righ t, wh ich proved so ser ious , that i t i s s t i l l t rad i t i onally handed

down under th e name of th e Skerry Figh t . Th e fi sh ermen belonging to th e Gi fford Fam ilyof Busta

,came armed

,and Obta i ned possess ion of a booth that they had erected the pre

ced in g year. The S i nclai rs,also , headed by the val ian t lady of the fam ily, took th e field .

A s iege commenced th ere was a d i scharge of fi re-arm s from each party wi th l i ttl e or noeffect

,un ti l Magnu s Flaws

,th e champion of the S i nclai rs , havi ng tri ed i n va i n to break

Open the door of the booth wh ich was occupied by th e Gi ffords,mounted th e roof

,an d

swore most s tou tly that he would be i n the bu i ld i ng though th e devi l should d i spute h imadmi ssi on . O n effect i ng an entrance, he was immediately shot dead by th e occupant swi th i n upon wh ich the S i nclai rs took fl igh t

,and

,l ike dastards

,abandoned the i r lady

,who

was,by th e Opposi te party

,made pri soner . I t appears that n o legal not ice was taken O f the

fray . The head of the Gifford Fami ly was at that t ime th e steward of th e i sland,being

i nvested wi th the fu l l power of pun i sh i ng such breaches of law ; but he did not th i nk properto proceed agains t h i s immed iate dependan ts .*

Th e t ime when I vi s i ted the Skerri es, was not th e season for pursu i ng th e fi sh i ng Of

l i ng ; I thus m issed a busy an d i n teres t ing scene . There are no Objects at the O u tsk e r r ies

worth part icu lar n ot ice a rich bed of l imestone passes th rough the group,near to wh ich

the land i s remarkably fert i le . There are but very few fam i l i es,perhaps not more than s i x

or seven,who con stan tly res ide at th i s remote place .

Having at length accompl i shed my j ourney through th e south-east part of th e count ry,

I prepared to sai l for the north-east i s les of Fe tlar and Un st but I did not qu i t th e d i st rictw i th ou t impress i on s of th e most grateful ki nd for the hosp i table atten ti on I had rece ived i nmy j ourney from D u n rossn ess to th e O u tsk err ies i I f there i s any di stri c t i n the globewhere hosp i tal i ty

,i n flyi ng from crowded c i t ies and courts

,has sough t some peacefu l refuge

,

i t i s among th e path less w i lds of the Bri t i sh Thu le .

I have at length concluded an I ter,the various i n ciden tal obj ects Of wh ich were

assoc iated wi th al l th e lead i ng events connected wi th the h i story of Shetland . I t w i l l now,

perhaps,be su ffic ien t ly ev iden t

,how l i ttle the annal s of th i s country are to be understood ,

w i thou t an accu rate knowledge of the origi nal state of the udal laws , that preva i led i n th i sSan d inavian provi nce . The task , therefore, rema in s of giv i ng more part icu lar i l lu st rat i on s

Th is trad i tion of th e cou n try has been r e lated to me by M r H e nde rson of H ard iste r .

t I have to ackn ow ledg e , in the most g rate fu l man ne r , the k ind atte n tion I r e ce ived at Lerw ick and its vic in i ty at L axfi th

at the Man se of Ne s ting at Lu n na and Whalsey.

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I 2O IL L USTRAT ION S OF TH E LAWS OF UDAL SUCCESSION . [ITER IL

No commun i ty can exi st wi th out regulat i on s for i ts in ternal governmen t,an d for i t s

i ndependent preservat i on ; con tribut ions would, th erefore, be requ i red for the pu rposes o fc iv i l j u r i sd ic t i on

,upon wh ich i ts val id i ty wou ld depend

,or for the exigen ci es of war . The

earl ies t tax of th i s nature,that exi sted i n Scand i navia

,was a N ose tax " “We are told

,

”

says th e au thor of an art i c le on the anci ent laws of Scand i navia,i n the Ed i nbu rgh Review

,

“ that Od i n set such laws in the land , as before were i n u se among the Asi and throughou tall Swed lan d , the people paid un to Od i n a Scotpen n y for ear/z n ose.

”

The origi n of the scat or land-tax , i s a scribed to Harold H arfager , at th e t ime that h ehad suppressed th e petty ki ngs of Norway

,and had made h imself sovere ign of that coun try .

But th e duty was never paid as a feudal acknowledgmen t to a superior,bu t mere ly as a

con tribut ion for th e Support of th e Government . Scat i s an old n orthern wo rd,that merely

denotes money or treasu re , and i ts e tymology conveys no in format ion of th e latest acceptat ion of th e term . But i t has been shewn from the Norwegian ve rs ion s of th e B ible

,that a

tax or tr ibute was always expressed by the word Scat. (Grievances of O rkn ey an d Shetland ,p . 100 and

When Harold H arfage r subdued O rkney an d Shetland , and promoted th e colon i za t ionof th ese coun tri es by Norwegian s devoted to h i s i n terest , i t appears th at h e o n ly exacted ascat from pasture or grazing land , and th i s was named Scathold but the land wh i ch wasi n closed for cu lt i vat i on became free from scat , and consequen tly reta i ned the ancien t nameof Udal . The scat was also rated at a certa i n number of el ls of wadmel ; bu t i n a late rperiod

,th e assessmen t was made i n some rude desc ri pt i on of coi n s that bore th e name of

pe n n in gs or penni es . At th i s t ime the lands were d i vided i n to marks ; a mark of landbe ing of such an exten t as w ould be equal i n value to a mark of wadmel , a ra te of s i lver , ora mark of some baser k i nd of metal . A mark of land would

,then

,i n cl ude a c erta i n area of

scathold, an d of i nclosed or cu l t i vated soi l , retai n i ng i ts original name of Udal . because i twas free from a tax ; an es t imate . therefore , of the quant i ty of scathold i nc luded with i n th emark

,was expressed by the number of penn i es wh ich w ere rendered as a tax to the King.

The l arges t exten t of Scathold , i nc idental to a mark of land, was l iable to an impost n ot

exceed ing twelve pen n in gs ; th i s sum being rendered equ ivalen t to a certa i n measu re o fwadmel ; for th e least exten t of scathold , a sum not less than four penn ies or one el l o fwadmel was requ i red . I t was, therefore, wi th i n the l im i ts of fou r an d twelve pen n ies, thatan apprec iat i on was i n tended to be made of the proport i onal quan ti ty of scathold

,which

,

wi th udal or arable soi l, formed th e i nd i vidual mark . But as th e populat i on of the coun tryi ncreased

,an d as so i l became more valuable , a d im in i shed area of th e mark of land would

be the equivalen t of a fixed standard of compari son,an d minu ter d i vi s ion s of scathold

,by

means of mark-s tones,would become i nconven ien t . I t was

,therefore

,wi th i n th e en larged

compass of d i stri ct s and pari shes,that th e proport ion of scathold belongi ng to each mark of

land was adj u sted . Thus,i n t ime

,the term Penny became express ive of the proport ion of

scathold contai ned wi th i n the mark of land ; a s ix—penny mark of land denot ing a d i v i s ionthat con ta i ned s i x proport ion s of scathold ; an eight-penny mark a d ivi s i on tha t con ta inede igh t proport ions

,an d so on . Th i s i s al l th e know l edge that a Shetland landholder has at

th e presen t day, of the quant i ty of soi l wh ich he possesses . That th e mark of land,as

some have sta ted , i s not less than half an Engl ish ac re , an d does not exceed two acres , i s amere conjecture ; i t i s as i ndefini te i n i ts exten t as ever i t was i n th e days of HaroldH arfage r .

The lands i n O rkney, however, do not appear to have been always i n th i s unmeasuredstate . I t was

,probably

,duri ng the s tay of King H acon i n O rkn ey , when he wi sh ed to

b i ll e t h i s me n over th e count ry,that estates w ere for th i s pu rpose d iv ided, i n order to

regulate the area that was necessary to support a certai n n umber of men . The mode i nwh ich th i s was effected , i s explai ned by a wel l i n formed author. “ I n Domesday-book

,

”

he remarks,

“ th e en tri es of land i n order to H z'

a’ag e, are fi rs t “by coun ti es

,then by town s o r

manors,an d lastly by h ides , half-h ides and vi rgates of land, ac cord i ng to wh ich th e H z

’

a’age

The Latin tran s lator s , says th e r eview e r , have absu rd l y and u n fa i thfu l l y conve r ted the nose tax in to a cap i tat ion tax.

”

m m I L LUSTRAT IONS or TH E L AWS or UDA L SUCCESS ION . 1 2 1

i s fixed an d l im i ted . So al so w i th u s,th e en tri e s are fi rs t by i s lands or pari shes

,th en by

town s or v i l lages , an d last ly by mark—lands , pen n ies an d farth ings , accord i ng to wh ich theS leat i s fixed an d l im i ted . Therefore

,Seat wi th us

,i s i n th e natu re of s ag e i n Domes

day-book

,that i s tribute real

,lan d-lax or ground-subs idy .

”

(Gri evances of O rkney andShetland ,

p .

A mark of land had thu s d iv ided i n to e igh t ures or oun ces each ounce-land i n toe igh teen pen ny- lands

,an d each pen ny- land i n to fou r farth i ng—lan ds . The cul t ivated soi l

free from seat, was th en named Qu oy- land,a term mean ing noth in g more than an enclosed

fie ld I n No . I I , p. 3 of Mr Peterki n’s Rental s i s th i s explanat ion

A n e buoy-land or ou tb rek i s an e peece of land newly wi n wi thou t the dyk is, andpayi s no scatt .

" Ane tumall i s ane peece land wh iche wes quoy-land , bu t now enclosed wi th i n th edyk is.

I t was al so a humane provi s i on , that n o mark shou ld pay a tax for i ts proport ion ofscathold , unl ess the i nc l osed udal land was i n a cu l ti vated state . By th i s mean s the burdenof the tax was much al leviated .

Thus,i t appears

,tha t Harold H arfage r fi rst i nvaded th e udal le r’s righ ts i n O rkn ey and

Shetland , by renderi ng graz i ng lands l iable to a tax, by wh ich i t acqui red the name of Scathold ; but the land whic h was en c losed for cu lt ivat i on

,was long afterwards sacred for the

free use of the possessor,u n t i l th e udal fence was fi rst broken by the rude hands of

Ecclesiast i cal power. The author of th e Gri evances of O rkney and Shetland has remarkedthat O laus , King of Sweden , was s i rnamed Shot-Kon u ng , th e tributary k ing, becauseh e sen t tri bu te to the Pope

,an d made h i s k ingdom subj ec t to the Holy See . Rex Su ec iae

O laus , Skot-Koh ung, tr ibu tar iu s Rex cogn om in atu s esse existimatu r,quod hortatu

Praesu lum Su e ticor um ad Pon tifi c em Romanum m isisse t tr ibu tum . L occen . Hist . Suec .

,

l i b . i i . ” Ever s i nce,ti dal land s have been burdened w i th t i thes .

But a lth ough lands became even tual ly l iable,bu t to c iv i l duti e s an d to t i thes

,i t i s

almost unnec essary to repeat that there i s n o reason to suspect tha t al lod i a l or udal landever rendered th e occup ier l iable to personal servic e i n th e field

,or i n mari t ime excurs i on s ;

but i f i t d id,th e obl igat i on would by n o m ean s have resu l ted from the absolute wi l l of a

superi or lord ,as in feudal tenu res

,bu t from the popular voice of th e cummu n ity. When

the anc ien t k ings of Scand i nav ia w ere desi rous to rai se an army, they convoked a genera lassembly of th e free men of th e nat i on . I n th i s counci l

,the requ i s i t i on of each prov ince

,

to furn i sh a c erta i n n umber of sold ie rs or sh ips , was rendered proporti onal to i ts m‘

ean s .

’r

I t may be also observed,that when O rkney and She tland were un i ted i n to an Earldom

,

th e ch ief had n o legal power over the i nhabi tan ts bu t when cal led i n to the service of war,

when h e held the rank of m i l i tary commander . Hi s engagemen t to th e people appears,

from many c i rcumstances recorded i n the early h i s tory of the O rcades, to have been l ikethat wh i ch th e King h imsel f was bound to mai nta i n ; i t was “ to observe the laws ; todefend h i s coun try to extend i t s boundari es to revenge whatever i nj ur ies h i s predeces sorshad rece ived from the i r enem ies , an d to s trike some signal stroke wh i ch should render h iman d h i s people famous .” An obed i en ce to the laws of O rkney an d Shet land , appears , i nfact

,to have been al ike obl igatory on the anc ien t Earls of O rkney an d on the people .

On lgz'

n of Udal L aw s and t/zez'

r

I t was at popular assembl i es that law s were enacted for the dec i s i on of hered i tarycla ims

,and for preven t ing the al ienat io n of lands from those who m igh t be cons idered as

proper he i rs ; by th i s means , ri gh ts of success ion we protected by the general regulati on sof th e commun i ty

,to wh ich the udal ler be longed . I n the anc ien t laws of udal i nheri tance

,

Se e Tor faau s , Re r . O rcad . H ist. , p . 1 69 . The g r eate st d ivis ion of land at the pre sen t day is named an ou n ce -land .

i Se e Mal le t's Nor th e rn An tiqu it ie s , T ran s. , vo l. i. , p . 257 .

1 2 2 IL L USTRAT ION S OF TH E L AWS OF UDA L SUCCESS ION .

[ ITER I I .

th e proper successors to es tates 011 th e death of those who enjoyed them,were named the

Udal -born .

I t i s s tated i n Ersk i n e’s In st i tutes of the law of Scotland , that when O rkney andZetland were fi rs t transferred from th e crown of Denmark to that of Scot land

,the righ t of

land s was held by natural possess i on , and m i gh t be proved by wi tnesses, wi thout any ti t lei n wri t i ng

,wh ich had probably been th ei r law formerly, wh i le they were subj ect to

Denmark . Th i s i s a m istake . S i nce the lands of th e Scand inavian colony of O rkney andShetland were con s idered as under th e protect ion of common laws , no t i t le for estates couldbe estab l i shed

,wi thout a wri t ten decree of the Foude’s court

,del ivered under th e name of

a Shynd-bi ll th e word Shyn d bei ng sa id to s ign i fy a Court. Th i s b i l l or deed was s ignedan d sealed by the Fou de an d a n umber of wi tnesses . The pract i ce of confirm i ng thepossess i on of es tates by means of Shynd-b i l l s , con t i nued l ong after these i slands werean nexed to the Scott i sh Crown . I t was on ly when feudal oppress i on sought to des troy th eforce of the Shynd-bi ll , an d wi th i t th e common law s wh ich protec ted the righ ts of landedproperty

,that great i rregu lari t i es took place i n th e conveyance of estates

,an d that th e poor

u dal le r,alarmed for the secu ri ty of h i s l i ttl e property , knew of no other way i n wh ich h i s

l i ttle patrimony could be held,except th rough the mean s of a charte r from some superi or,

when i t w ou ld be converted i n to a regu lar feudal tenure, or, on the other hand, by that sortof natural possess ion described by th e celebrated Scott i sh lawyer

,wh ich con si sts i n the

proof of a righ t before w i tnesses , wi thou t any t i tl e i n wri t i ng .

I t has i ndeed been a common mode of defin ing udal land s,to say

,that they were a

property wh ich was transferred from one hand to another w i thou t wri t i ng , possess i on bei ngthe only righ t . But, i n reference to th e pr inc ipl e, that th e righ ts of udal lands were protec ted by the law s of the commun i ty of i nd i vidual s among whom they were part i t i oned

,th e

possess i on of them was never guaran teed but by a wri t ten j ud i c ia l dec ree,wh ich was

made agreeably to the laws of udal success ion , that had been passed at some popular legi sl at ive meet i ng .

The enactment of laws declaratory of those who were the udal -born , or had cla ims ofhe red i tary su ccess ion to the enj oymen t of Udal—lands, i s to be referred to a date long priorto th e period when Harold H arfage r converted O rkney and Shetland i n to a Norwegiancolony .

That the laws of ttdal success ion are an teceden t to the re ign of Harold H arfage r i sadmitted by Pon toppidan , an d many oth er Norwegian wr i ters . There i s an obscu re i llu s i onto the udal law s

,i n on e of th e most remarkabl e anc ien t poems tha t has been preserved ;

i t i s en t i tled Rigs-Mal , th e song of Ki ng Eri c . Rig (Rich), or Eri c the second,” says Mr

Jam ieson of Ed i nbu rgh,i n h i s i l l ust rat ion s of Northern Ant iqu i t i es , “ was on e of th e firs t

of the Goth s i n Scand i a,who assumed th e denominat ion of Kong (King), h i s predecessor

havi ng been st i l ed D iar or D rottn ar ; that i s , Ch iefs or L ords . He was l ikew i se the fi rs twho d iv ided h i s subjects i nto th e th ree d i s t i nc t c lasses of n obles, husbandmen and slaves ,d i st i ngu i sh ing prec i sely the righ ts an d privi leges of each ; and upon th i s foundat ion , anal legorical poem was constructed , wh ich was no more than a personificat ion of the d i fferen tmodes of soc iety , and maki ng them the ch i ldren of King Rig .

” I n th i s very ancien t poem,

then,supposed to have been w ri t ten about the eigh th cen tury, i s an al l usi on to some

dec i sive regu lat i on s wh ich had taken place relat ive to the possess ion of tidal lands . KingRig’s d i rec ti on s to h i s son Jarl , are thu s related

Thann bad hann e ignatz t Eum posside re ju ssitodal vollu av itos agrosodal VOllu avitos agrosoc alldnar bygdir. et ant iqua rura .

*

I l lu s trat ion s of Nor th e rn An tiqu i tie s , p. 456 ,

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1 24 I L LUSTR AT ION S OF T H E L A \VS OF UDA L SUCCESS ION . ITER I L ]

an d d ivided to h i s ch i ldren , reservi ng h is own l i feren t of the whole , and a l i feren t of apart to h i s w i fe

,i f sh e survived h im wh ich wi l l the c l erk of court wrote , an d bei ng done

,

was publ ic ly read,al l bei ng conc erned be i ng presen t, an d i f approve n by th e d i sponer, i t

was s igned by th e Fowd, an d these th ree or fou r gen tl emen tha t sat wi th h im , as assessors ,an d al l th e i r seal s were pu t to i t, an d being recorded i n th e c ourt-books

,th e pri nc i pal was

de l ivered to th e d i sponer, who kept i t t i l l h i s death , an d then al l th e h ei rs men t ioned i n theShyn d

-b i l l,en tered to thei r respecti ve porti on s con tai ned there in , an d were all equal ly

chargeab le for the defunct’s debts an d funera l charges . A n d if the re was no such wi l l madeby the u delle r i n h i s l i fet ime , after h i s death h i s ch i ldren , or n eares t of k i n i f he had noch i ldren

,made appl icat i on to th e Fowd to d iv ide the i nheri tance amongst them

,who ap

poin ted a day an d place , ordai n i ng al l concerned t o attend and havi ng cal led a court,he

caused th e h ei rs to give up a fa i thfu l i nven tory, upon oath , on th e whole subj ect left by theh eri tor deceased, wh ich he d i vided equally amongst them ,

accord i ng to the Ude ll or StO l la’s law,

an d caused a Shyn d-bi l l to be w ri tten th ereupon , wh ich was s igned sealed , an d

del ivered to the hei rs,an d was as good as i f made by the udal le r wh i l e he l ived . (Gi fford

’sZetland

,p . 54 an d

At a later peri od in the annals of O rkney , pr imogen i tu re appears to have been favouredto a certai n exten t . Newer law s of i nheri tance were i n troduced i n the country, wh ichafforded the means of perpetuat i ng fam i ly w eal th and power

,by concentrat i ng th em i n an

i nd iv idual . But i t does not appear tha t th i s la ter law of Norway was en forced to any exten t,un t i l th e an nexati on of O rkney an d Shetland to th e Scott i sh Crown . Recent se ttlers fromScotland th en found a Norwegian pandect , i n wh ich primogen i tu re was respected , much lessrevol t i ng to the i r n oti on s of feudal i ty

,than the law of Gavelki nd ,

wh ich had original lyexi sted i n th e coun try . A translat ion of the ru le i nher i tance

,from th e law-book of Nor

way, (L ib . v i . cap . 2 . act i s g ive n i n the scarce work en t i t led th e Grier auces of O rkneyan d Shetland .

Does a fath er leave odal s beh i nd h im? Then shal l th e eldest son succeed to thepri nc ipal man s ion an d estate ; th e other ch i ldren rece iv i ng an equivalen t ou t of the otherland ; everyone h i s own lot , a brother, a brother

’s lot , an d a s i ster, a s i s ter’s lot

,accord i ng

to th e estimati on of neu tral men .

“ I s there no son ? The n descends th e ch i ef manor to the grandson by the eldes tson ; or by th e second, or any other son in order, as nearer the i nheri tance than daugh ters .Are there no grandson s ? Then belongs the ch ief manor to the eldes t daugh ter

,th e rest of

the s i s te rs gett i ng land i n equ ivalen t,as said conce rn ing the ch i ldren i n general .

“ I s there not land enough to compensate the ch ief manor ? Then must the co-hei rsbe sati sfied i n money or goods . Do these fal l short t oo : The eldes t shal l yet keep themanor

,giv ing the res t a sha re on ly of th e i ncome

,as by n eu tral men shal l be determ i ned .

As for the other manors,these

,with the woods , shal l belong to the son s ; for daughters

shal l on ly have th e i r lot i n th e most remote an d d i scont iguous lands . But can they nothave a lot i n these

,nor i n moveable

,nor c i ty-goods n e i ther ? Then shal l the brothers who

rece ive th e manors,make up the i r lot by some other equ ivalen t ; otherw i se they shal l admi t

them for partners i n the manors,for so much as the s i sters have righ t to .

”

Pontoppidan remarks on th i s lat te r law, O n e great ev i l a ri ses from th i s odal’s r igh t,

namely,many an undut i fu l an d wicked son , because h e i s the e ldest, and depends on h i s

odal righ t,wh ich noth i ng can affect

,behaves extremely i ll

,not on ly to a deserv i ng moth er

11 1311 11 1I L L USTRATION S or T I IE L AWS or UDAL SUCCESS ION . 1 25

in -law after th e death of h i s father, but al so to h i s own paren ts . Th i s m igh t certa i n ly beremed i ed

,w i th ou t i n fr inging the odal’s righ t , when there are younger ch i ld ren of bet ter d i sa

pos i t ion,an d more deservi ng of th e i nheri tanc e . By th i s m ean s

,great si n s aga i ns t th e law

of Nature m igh t be preven ted,i f th e leg i s lature would th i nk fi t to se t proper restri ct i on s to

th e odal’s r igh t . — P077fopp . s fozy of N ommy ,vol .

, p . 2 9 1 .

I shal l now subjoi n two i l l ustra t ion s of the in tide in -wh ich property was ass ign ed to

he i rs,as th ey appear i n the memoria l s of th e Fo ude’s Court . I t w i l l be eviden t

,from the

tenor of these dec rees,that th e law of primogen i tu re was d i rected to i nval idate a pri or d i

s ion of lands,wh ich had taken place accord i ng to th e more anc ien t law of S t O lave , wh ich was

that of Gave lk i nd . I t may be , however, prem i sed , that th e pri nc ipa l man s i on an d estatethat formed th e share of the oldest . son w e re often named the bead-bail : i n other record s

,

they were cal led th e c/zemz’

s place the term c/zemz’

s bei ng from O ld French , c/zesmez , importi ng th e pri nc i pa l hou se on an estate wh i ch was i nhabi ted by the lord or proprietor.— See

jamieson’s Efvm . c f “01d C/zemys .

A ug u st 1 9 , 1 602 . Anen t the act ion an d cau se pe rsu it he Margaret Murray , oy toumqu h il Niage r W i l l i ams

’daugh ter, heretri x of th e land s u nderwr i t ten , an d H ie rome

Umph ray her spouse for h i s en tres agai n s t J oh n Murray of Ste n dail, an d Robert Murrayh i s son , an en t the ri ch t an d tytil of s ix mark land u the l, ly i ng i n th e town of Gr u tin g ,d i sponed be the said umqu h il Ninger to the said Margaret Murray her oy, i n h er m inori tyCompe ir it H ie rome Umph ray, pru i fi t su ffic i en tly the sa id umqu h il N iage r to have conquestan d g iftit th e foresa id s ix mark land , an d d ispon it th e samen to her sai d oy, an d placi t he ri n possess i on thereof

,be cast i ng of pe its , an d upl i ft i ng the debts an d du ti es thereof

,i n h er

name . Compe irs th e said J oh n Murray an d h i s son , an d alledg it tha t th e said Six markland was th e [lead-bu rl

, (L e. the pri nc i pa l manor), and so could no t be g iftit n or d ispon it fraethe

'

pr in c ipal a i r . Qu h ilk alledgan c e was found relevan t , an d therefore ass ign s them to pru ifth e samen at th e nex t h i nting ,

th i s bean d the fi rst d i e t of th e ac tiou n , an d th en j ust ice to bem in istred i n the said matter as law l ew i s . A n d i n case the samen be is prov i n to be th edead-bu t]

,the complai n er to have al s m eikle

,al s gu id other land i n another part , accord i n g

to the use an d con suetude of the country .

”

“

f a/y Anen t th e acti on an d can s pe rsu it be Alexander Cheyn ,ane of th e

son s an d ai rs of u nqu hil Mr Robert Cheyn of U ry , aga in s l homas Cheyn ofWalla,h i s

eldest brother,for maki ng an airff an d d ivi s i on of al l lands an d moveables appertai n i ng to

the said u nqu hil Mr Robert , aman gs th e bai l l a i rs , to th e e ffe c t th e sa id Alexander many bekend to h i s part thereof. Q u h ilk bei ng con s ide r it be the ass i ze , i n presence of th e sa idThomas , th ey ordai n h im to make an law fu l airff and d iv i s i on of al l lands and moveabl e spertai n i ng to h i s sa id father , at th e airff-house of Norby

,— be twelve neu tra l men , to be

chosen w i th advice an d con sen t of th e sa id hai l s a i rs,— an d to make every one of the sa id

ai rs , ei th er s i ste r or brother , to be kend to th e i r ow n parts , accord i ng to the laws, use an dconsuetude of the country .

”

The author of the Grievanc es of O rkney , & c . ,i n h i s des i re to shew that the udal righ t

had i t s foundat i on i n th e Mosaic i n st i tu t i on s,observes

,that “ by the law

,the eldes t son had

righ t to a double port i on of h i s father’s estate,an d the other son s had thei r equal shares ;

th e daughters,i n th i s case

,be ing i ncapable of any inheri tance

,but of legac ie s only , i n

money or moveable goods . A n d th us , for the mos t part , i t i s by the law of Norway, wh ichi n th i s matter i s much al ike

,d i ffe ri ng more in mod ificat i on than in substanc e .

It i s d i fficul t to say when the righ t of primogen i tu re was i n t roduced for the fi rs t t imei n to O rkney and Shet land . Torfmu s

,i n speaking of a peri od abou t th e begi nn ing of th e

1 2 th cen tury,has the fol low i ng remark S u e in u s omn ibu s allod iis qua parter, quae frater

Valthiofu s poss ide bat s ib i asse rtis (j u re profe cto a Norveg ico ,ve l et iam eo , quod septem

tr ion alibu s b i sce regn is i n u su erat al i eno, sed occ iden t i us i tato, pr imoge n itu rae priv i legio)

magn i fi ce de in de v ixit,& c .

— To;f . Kermi t. O l ma’. E st. p . 1 1 3 .

Anoth er Scand i navian law,i nc iden ta l to udal tenu res

,was the i ncapab i l i ty of an in he r i

G r ievan ce s of O rkn ey and She tlan d , p . 9 and 10.

1 26 IL L USTRATION S OF TH E LAWS OF UDAL SUCCESSION . ITER IIJ

tor to d ispose of h i s patrimony wi thout the con sen t of th e next he i rs , or th e udal-born . I nthe law-book of Norway

, (l ib . v . cap . 3 . act L ), i s the fol lowi ng i nj unct i on —“Wil l a man

se l l h i s odalland ? Then shal l h e summon al l th e odal-born [h i s k i ndred] and noti fy tothem

,that h e i s to sel l such odal—land

,making them the fi rs t offer

,i f they wi l l buy, an d

have no impedimen t,such as th e wan t of money

,and th e l ike . Also he shal l proclaim

,or

cause to be procla imed,i n the publ ic market

,that h e i s to sel l such odal land , and shal l agai n

offer i t to h i s own ki ndred,th e odal-born , wheth er known or unknown ; but fi rst to those

who stand i n th e neares t degree of relat ion to h im , whether male or female, that so th eth ing may come to the i r knowledge

,though they should not be there

M r Gifford has test ified to th e i n troducti on of th i s law i n to Shet land . He has remarked

,that “ if any man was to make a purchase from an u de lle r with con sen t of hi s he i rs ,

without wh ich th e purchase was not good, th e property was conveyed to the purchaser by aShynd

-b i l l,wi th th i s addi t ion

,that the d i sponer d id j ud ic i al ly acknowledge that he had re

ce ived the ful l value of the land d i sponed , and desi red that h i s property the rem migh ti n s tan tly be transferred to th e purchaser and h i s h e i rs and th e apparen t he i rs of the d isponer be ing also presen t

,con sen ted to th e sale ; and the Shyn d-bi l l bei ng s igned an d sealed,

was de l ivered by the Fowd to the disponer,who d id j udic ial ly de l iver i t to the purchaser,

with a ben ediction .

”i‘

Another confi rmat i on of th e prevalence of th i s law,i s th e mandate of Earl Patrick ,

quoted i n p . 59 , orda i n i ng,“ that n o person or persons frae th i s forth

,ei the r buy or

_

se ll

ony sort of land s wi th o thers, withou t the samen be fi rs t offered to the n eares t of the sel ler’skin

,according to the u se and consti tu t i on of the country .

”

Bes ides the i ncapab i l i ty of an udal le r to di spose of h i s patrimony withou t the con se n tof th e udal-born

,it al so appears that the lawting of O rkney and Shetland did not al low h im

to sel l h is lands, un less h e could substan tiate before the cou rt, that i t was poverty andw re tchedness alone wh ich prompted h im to an al i enat ion of th e i nheri tance of h is fathers .

Th i s i s ev iden t from the copy of a Shynd-b i l l, which has been preserved by th e authorof the Gri evances of O rkney and Shetland .

D ecr ee of tlze L aw /nan of Orkn ey and Slzel l fzno', and [21

'

s Cou n cil,afi rmz

'

ng a Sale

of L an d in t/zese Islands, as made according lo L anai

At Kirkwal l,on Tu isday i n the L awting , i n th e moneth of J uhu , th e z e ir of God an e

thousand fyve hundreth an d fou rte in z e ir is : A dome dempt be me N icoll Hal l , L awmanof Zetland an d O rknay for th e tyme , an d an e ce rtan e of famows , d isc re it an d unsuspectpe rson is, of Rothme n and Rothmen ison is

,§ chosin , the gri t ayth sworn e,and adm itit to

d issyd i n ane matter of he r itag : thei r names fo llow is, that ar to say , John n e Flet of H ar ray,Hendri e C rag ie , Thomas Craigie, Nicol Craigi e, bre the r-german to John n e of C rag ie , tun

qu hile lawman of O rkn ay, Pe ir is L ou tfu t, Hendri e Fowbu ste r , Andro L i ne le t , Will iamC lou thcath , Alexander H ou sgarth , Magnus Com ra

,Magnus Ai tki n

,Andro Skarth , an d

John n e of Bri sto ; betwix t Thomes A dameson , i n the umbu th of ane nob i ll and poten t man ,

G r ievan ce s of O rkn e y an d She tland , p . 7 , 8.

1 Se e Gifford’s Ze tland , p . 56 .

1 F rom the protoc o l ofM r W i l l iam Pe ir son , and anothe r n otary,in possess ion of the Lord S in c lai r .

The Udalme n w e re l ikew ise cal led Rothme n , or Roythme n , that is , se lf-ho lde rs , or me n ho ld ing in the ir ow n r igh t , byway of contrad ist in c tion to fe udatar ie s , who ho ld de r ivative l y, o r by a depe nden ce on othe rs.

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1 2 8 IL LUSTRA T ION S OF TH E L AWS OF UDA L SUCCESS ION .

[ ITER

Pe i rson n otar ium publ icum ,te ste h oc meo cyrog rapho .

I ta es t.— Wille lmu s Pe irson n otar iu s pub l icu s manu propria .

Alteri u s n otar ii testimon i um et su bscr iptio avu l sa sun t .”

T here was a l aw in Shetl and empoweri ng th e possessors of udal lands , wi th th e co nsentof the i r h ei rs

,to d ispose of the i r patrimony to any person who would undertake the i r

support for l ife . Such d i sposers w ere th en rece ived i n to th e h ouse of the i r main tai neru nder the name of h i s opgoster s ; whence the law by wh ich es tates could be al i enated fromthe udal-born for such a purpose, was named th e m sz

‘

om of opg eslezy .

I n the possess i on of the late Thomas M0uat , Esq. of Belmon t i n Shetland , was a curi ou sdocumen t

,dated A .D . 1 602

,i n wh ich Wil l iam Man son e accepts as h i s domest ic i nmate for

l i fe,or opgesz

‘

er,Fre ia Rasmu sdochte r , an d her aged mother ; and for th e i r support he re

c e ive s the amoun t of four marks of land . I t al so appears that Fre ia Rasmu sdochte r wasm arri ed

,an d had ch i ldren . Hence the h u sband’s agreemen t to part w i th h i s w i fe was

requ i si te,as wel l as th e con sent of her ch i ldren , or udal-born , to the al i enat ion of the i r grand

mother’s es tate . I t i s bu t too probable that ext reme poverty rendered necessary th i s deedof 0pgeste ry. The document I shal l take th e l i berty of subjoi n i ng .

— “B e i t kend to al l men , be th i s p re se n tis , me, Frei a Rasmu sdoch tir

,to hai f overgiven

and tran sfe r it, an d be ye tenor h ie rof ove rgivis an d t rans feri s my m i ther Enggege rthThom esdochtir , w i th al l an d haill h i r land i s and h er itag, vi z . twa mark an d ane half saxpenn ies ye mark lyan d i n Ronan i n Sou nd , an d ane m i rk and one half i n Gardom ,

al l w i th i nye sou th h e r ischou r of Un st

,and lord sh i p off Z e ittlan d

,to my gu id fr ie n \Vm . Man sson e of

Gard i e, h is air is an d assignayis, tog idde r w i th al l my bai l l gu ids an d gei r, movab ill an d

u nmovab ill,ape rtte in ing to me , or yat h e iraftir may be found to ape rtte in to me an d I the

sa id Freia, an d my husband Ing illbrych t N ick e llsom , g ran tis us w e i l l con ten t, satisfe it an dthan k fu llie payd for ou r gu id wi l l an d ove rgcom of our sa id mother, to ye sa id W111 . an d h i sair is for now an d ever, an d yat of opge str ie , be vi rtue off an e laudab ill c u stome an d

form of ye cu n ttrye of opge str ie , an d wi th express c onsen t o f my hai l bairn is,I am

become law fu ll opge ste r to ye said Wm .

, to be su sten itt i n meat an d cla i th al l ye dayisof my lyfe tym e , ratte fi e ing, confirm ing, an d aprove ing ye forsa id gift given to ye said W111 .

an d h i s air is , to stand fi rme an d stab i ll, wi thout r ecovattiou n or backcalling wh atsomeverand for the better sec u r ittie and ve r ie ffi cattiou n to ye said Wm . and h i s for saide , becau ss Icu ld not w r itt mysel f, I hai f procu r it th e seallis of famou s and d iscre it men ,

v iz . MagnusTh omasson e of Ron in s seal , w i th ye seal of N ickel l A ck lay of H iegalan d ,

an d MalcolmMowatt ofWadbeste r i s seal ] , an d wt ye subscr iptiou n of Jhon e A rschair , to be affi xit an dsett to y i s present w idd

A t Gard i e , i n Un st, ye t en t day of May 1 602

,beffor th i s w i th es forsa id

,and under

su bsc ryvean d, wt ci thers d i ve rs .

Fre ia Rasm u sdocthe r , w’t consen t of my husband In g illbr icht N ick e llson e , wt our

hand s led at the pen,be me Jhon e A rchair

,becau s we cou ld not w r itt oursel .

jhon e A rchair , w itn es to yi s prem isses .

The last law of udal posses si on , wh ich i s tha t of redempt ion , i s s tated after the fol lowi ng manner by Pontoppidan Accord i ng to the old law

,cal led Ode lsbalk en , th i rty years

possessi on was requi red to establ i sh th e ode l’s righ t . The law n ow requi res but twen tyyears . T h i s r ight

’cou ld then n ever be forfe i ted to th e Crown

,unless by treason or felony .

No odel s-gods ‘or freehold,can be al i enated by sale

,or any other way whatsoever from h im

,

that can make i t appear that h e has th e best t i tl e to i t,by bei ng th e righ t he i r or odels

m m I L LUSTRAT ION S or TI—IE L AWS -OF UDA L SUCCESS ION . 1 29

mand . I f he has i t not i n h i s power to redeem i t,then he must declare

,every ten th year at

the sess ion s,that wan t of money i s th e on ly reason and i f h e surmoun ts that difficu l ty, or,

i f h e or h i s h e i rs,to the second or th i rd generat ion

,be ab le to redeem i t

,then he that

i nhab i ts i t,who i s on ly a posse ssor pr o tempor e, must turn out d i rec tly , an d give up th e

prem i se s to th e odels-mand. For th i s reason,they keep a stri c t accoun t of the i r pedigree ;

an d formerly , abou t m idsummer, every fam i ly used to meet together, and make themselvesmerry ; an d i f any of th ei r k i ndred had deceased s i nce the i r las t meeti ng , th ey marked h i sname i n the ta l—s tock provided for that purpose ,

”

Respecti ng the law, Bi shop Pon toppidan has made th e fol low i ng excel le n t remarksTh i s odels righ t i s preferable to that of the se le-eyers or freeholders i n Denmark, not on lybecause i t i s bette r secured to the i r fam i l i e s by the righ t of redempt ion

,bu t because they

possess i t w i th al l th e priv i leges wh ich a nobleman has i n Denmark ; for the Norwegian’s

ode lsgaard or freehold, i s only subject to the Crown . Whether th i s odel s r ights be to th eadvan tage or d isadvan tage of th e coun try, i s a quest i on that cannot eas i ly be reso lved .

However,we may say of th i s as of mos t human i n s ti tu t i on s

,wh ich are always imperfect

,

that i t may produce both good and had con sequences . I t has th i s good effect,that i t fixes

the peasan t’s affect ion s on h i s nat ive place,wi th hopes of keep ing h i s l i t tle patrimony i n h i s

fam i ly,an d con sequen tly improves wi th pleasure those possess ion s wh ich h e looks upon to

be strongly secured to h im . I t l ikewi se i nduces many a peasan t’s son,who sees the posses

si on that must one day devolve to h im , to keep near at hand , wi th hopes of enjoy ing and1mprov 1ng i t by h i s i ndustry . O n th e con trary, when i t must be sold to a stranger, i t n everfetches i ts value, because the buyer possesses i t w i th a grea t un certai n ty, and does l i tt le toimprove the ground t hat cannot be cal led h i s own

,accord ing to the words of the Poet

S ic vos non vobi s n idifi catis aves .

The very learned author of the Grievances of O rkney and Shet land , has made th efol lowing curi ou s observati on s on th i s law of udal redempt ion : “ I f we cons ider th e lawbook of Norway

,under th e head of sel l i ng an d redeem ing udal land

,i t i s pla in tha t the

udal righ t has i ts foundation in the Mosaical i ns t i tu t ion s . I t was al lowed by the L aw,that

i f a man had sold h i s land , and was not able to redeem ,h is n ext relat ion m ight redeem

,an d

the buyer cou ld not refu se . So l ikew i se by the law-book of Norway,not on ly may the odal

born , or the next hei r of an odal-man , redeem fro m a stranger bu t i f h e i s n ot able,any of

h i s k i n smen may ; and so may anoth er k in sman , i f nearer than he who redeems , redeemback from h im

,t i l l th e land return s to th e odal-born .

—By the L aw ,n o man was al lowed t o

se l l h i s hou se or h i s field,t i l l th e t ime of j ubi lee

,except for necessary prov i s ion

,compelled

by poverty . A nd j u s t so i n Norway, or i n these i slands , wh ich i s t he same, when one wasto sel l h i s land

,i t was not enough to make the fi rs t offer to h i s ki ndred bu t h e cou ld not

se l l at all,except for the re l ie f of h i s n ecessi t i es— By th e L aw , a man whose poverty had

con stra i n ed h im to sel l h i s land , migh t redeem i t before the year of j ubi lee, an d so m igh tany of h i s n ear relat ion s : But then (say the Hebrew doctors) th i s was to be hon estly done,and not w i th borrowed money , on purpose to carry the land from the buyer to another. Bythe law—book of Norway

,the odal—born ' can not redeem bu t for h imsel f ; and i f the buye i

mi st rust s he mus t c l ear h im self by oath,tha t h e seeks back th e land to h is own odal , an d

to no oth er .—~ By th e L aw a man was to redeem h i s fie ld accord i ng to what was given for i t ,th ough the buyer (say th e doctors) had sold i t to another for tw i ce as much . By the lawbook of Norway

,th e odal-man

,or odal-born , i s to redeem h i s land for the pr ice wh ich was

fi rst pa id for i t,accord ing to the letter of sa le

,and th i s though he redeems from one of h i s

Pon topp idan , Nat. H ist. of Norway , vol. i i . , p. 290.

1 30 IL LUSTRAT ION S OF TH E L AWS OF UDA L SUCCESS ION ITER 1L ]

own ki ndred, who had already redeemed i t for more ; -By th e L aw , houses wi th i n wal ledci t i es

,i f not redeemed wi th i n a year afte r th e sale , remained wi th th e buyer as h i s own ,

an d

the j ubi lee would not restore them . By the law-book of Norway, the owners of houses an dlands wi th i n c i ti es

,may free ly al i en them

,wi thout maki ng any offer to the i r k i ndred, as the

law provides when odal land i s sold .

Th e power of revers i ng any sales of land that were made contrary to the law-book ofNorway

,seem s to have been vested

,before the impignorat ion of O rkney an d Shetland to

the Scott i sh Crown,an d even some l i t t le t ime afterwards, i n the L aw-man of Bergen .

Th i s i s eviden t from a curi ou s documen t wh ich has been given by the author of theGri evances of O rkney an d Shetland .

D ecr ee by the L aw—man of B ergen ,in Norway ,

an d also by tllo L aw—man of S/zetlcznd, an dt/zei r Cou n cil , r ever sing cz Sale of [ and in t/zese Islands

,as made con trary to L aw .

Allum manum som dette brefl'

see elder hore,sender Seb ior n Gottormson

, Gu latin gs

0g Berwen lagman , Nei ls Willemson lagman i H ie ltlan d, Erland Anderson-Frack, JonStu rkason

,Matti s J enson

,En dr ith Sw enson-Rostu n gh , A smon d Salmonson , raadmen ther

samesteds , Willem Thomason lagrettisman i H ieltlan d ku n iktgoren de at m i th worse iSacreffi e t i Kros-Ku rk ie , liggende i Forn efn te stad Berwen , Man edagh en neft for S t L auri sdagh

,anno Dom in i 1 485. Soghon ogh gordan aa at the i r b e ldo handon saman aff enen

halffwo Besk ede lig man , Jeppe Z e irsen radman , i tratn efn te stad, i fu l lo umbode hu stru e

Marion Jons-dotter,e igh te kono si nne En aff Andro halfu on e

,Thomas Engilisk , i fu l lo um

bode Dyon e th Alexanders—dotter, e ighte kono s i nne saa mange Jorde r som Thomasfore sagd u logligh koyt badde af Anders Scot , aftn efn te hu stru e Marion s fader broders , soml igge r i H ie ltlando, ch he refte r n e fn e s

, p r imo, i L iu n goyo i su nde th i o Marker vren da v i i ipen n i nga aff marken . Item

,i Yaale i H edde rokill vi i marker , n io pen i nga aff marken .

Iten z, Ulstadt i Jala sex marker, sex pen inga aff marken . Item,

i H awle i Jala n i o marker,

sex pen i nga aff marken,undan tratn efn te Thomas och han s Erffvin ga, och under ofu en

n efn te Jeppe hans hu stru e och the r is Erffv in ga, t i l ew in e ligh egn . och al s forrad in n engordsoch u tthen

,t i l lands och Fiarls i m indelwch eder mei ra m ed al lo tu i , som tillige r el ler

tillige r hafner Til yterme r v issu hen g ia, w ii i vor in sigle for det te breff, med forsagdoThomas som screffu it

,e r dagh och aar som forfaghe r .

Ex origi nal i,penes Dominum Si ncla i r ; sub octo sigillis, quorum sex avu lsa sunt, duo

su persu n t.”

Tran slation .

To al l men who shal l see or hear th i s decree, Sebiorn Guttormson , law—man of Gulat i ng an d Bergen

,Nei l s Wi l l i amson

,law-man i n Shet land

,Erland Anderson-Frak , Joh n

Stu rkarson , Matt i s Jenson , En drith Swen son-Rostu n gh , A smu n d Salmonson , counci l—menof th e same place, Wil l i am Thomason , lagrettman i n Shetland, (send greet ing). Know, that i na conventi on he ld i n the qu i re of the Cross Church of Bergen aforesaid,

'

upon th e Mondaybefore S t L awrence Day, A . D . 1 485 there being presen t

,on one s ide

,a j udici ou s man ,*

Jeppe Z e irson , counc i l-man of that place , i n righ t of h i s lawful wi fe Marion , John’s

daughter ; an d , on th e other s ide , Thomas Eng ilisk , i n righ t of h i s lawful wi fe Dyon eth ,Alexan der’s daugh ter : We said that th e lands i n Shet land

,here i n after ment ioned,

wh ich Thomas aforesaid had unwarran tably bough t from Andrew Scot,the above Marion

her father’s broth er,vi z . pn

’

n zo, i n L in ga i n Whalsey-sound, ten marks land, v111 penn ies the

mark less : Item, i n Yel l i n H edderok el,v11 mark land

,n i n e pen n ies the mark less : Item,

i n Ulstadt i n Yel l, s i x mark land , s ix penn ies the mark less Item,i n Hule i n Yel l

,n i ne

B esk edel igr man in Latin , peoo z'

du s oz’r .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 32 ILL USTRAT IONS OF TH E[ ITER Il .

h im to . fu lfi l h i s engagement wi th the Monarch,than by regularly h i ri ng th e volun tary

services of those who m ight be i nduced to serve the King of Norway .

I LLUSTRAT IONS OF T H E FEUDAL TENURES OF SHETLA.ND THAT SURV IVED

TH E EXT INCT ION OF UDAL R IGHTS .

I t has been remarked , that, i n th e earl i est tenu res of the Crown-lands that were gran tedto the nat ives of Shetland, the asperi t i es of feudal i ty were so softened down as to bescarcely percept ibl e . The lands that de volved to th e Crown , by v i rtue of the treaty ofJames I I I . i n the fifteen th cen tury wi th Earl S i ncla i r

,were named Property- lands ; an d th e

ki ng,i n lett i ng them out on trienn ial leases , subj ected them to an annual ren t named L and

mai l ls,and to a fi ne or compen sat ion on en try

,named Grassum . But i f a tenan t w i shed t o

convert h i s lease i n to an heri tabl e feu,th e t ri en n ial compensat i on of grassum was di spensed

wi th,and he merely paid the annual t r ibute of land-mai l l s . When

,also

,lands were ley or

not laboured,the land-mai ll s were humanely rem it ted . The earl i es t feuars of the Crown

estates were named Th e Kindly Tenants of the K ing.

By no author have the relat i on of k indly tenan ts to thei r monarch been better explai ned

,than by S i r Wal ter Scott , i n h i s remarks on the Rental lers of L ochmaben . The

k indly tenan ts of th e fou r town s of L ochmaben , w ho are each en ti tl ed to a smal l pi ece e fground , are said by th i s author to have been “ th e descendants of Robert B ruce’s men ial s

,

to whom he assigned,i n reward of th ei r fai th ful se rvi ce

,th ese po rt i on s of land

,burden ed

on ly wi th the paymen t of certa i n qu i t ren ts,and gassums

,or fines

,upon th e en t ry of a new

tenan t . The right of the ren tal lers i s i n essence a righ t of property but, in form ,

on ly arigh t of lease of wh ich they appeal , for the foundat ion , to the ren t-rol l s of the lord of th ecastl e and manor. Th i s possess i on , by ren tal or by s imple en try upon the ren t~ roll

,was

ancien t ly a common and pecul i arly sacred species of property granted by a ch i ef to h i sfa i th fu l fol lowers ; th e connec t ion of landlord and tenan t be ing e steemed of a nature tooformal to be neces sary , when there was honour upon one s ide , an d grat i tude upon th eother . —(See ,

M in str elsy of t/ze Scottish B order,vol . i .

,p . I t i s ev iden t

,that

,i n

O rkney an d Shet land , th e king created a number of these ki nd ly tenan ts on th e Crowne states

,

‘ i n order to ass im i late the i r feu s as much as poss ible to th e free nature of udalten ures .

When th e superi ori ty of the country was gran ted to mesne-l ords,and when th e

revenues of th e Ki ng were let ou t to farmers , Crown-lands paid ren t whether they were leyor laboured ; an d, i n th e cou rse of t ime, th e terms on wh ich the rental lers of the Crownwere al l owed to posses s the i r lands , were rendered part icu larly r igorou s . The consequenceof th e fraudulent encrease of th e standard weigh ts of the coun try, an d other oppress ion sthat have been poin ted ou t , which took place dur i ng th e feudal i zat ion of O rkney an d

Shetland,have en ta i led such a burden on lands, as to perpetuate the greatest of hard sh ips

upon al l c lasses of tenantry .

The mode i n wh ich lands have been fu ed or let ou t to tenan ts s in ce th e feudal i zat i onof Shetland

,wi l l n ow be poi nted ou t . A mark of land was supposed to con ta i n w i th i n i t a

greater or less exten t of scathold, i n proport ion to th e number of penn i es wh ich en tered i n toi t s denomi nat ion . Thus a twelve penny mark of land conta i ned a greater proport ion ofscathold than a ten penny mark . Appel lat i on s l ike these, anci en tly expressed th e proport ion of scathold wh ich remained after arable or udal ground had been separated from i t byi nclosu re and al though , upon the record of Earl Patri ck S tewart

’s ren tal i n th e Exchequer,

ITER FEUDAL TENURES OF SHETLAND . 33

i nclosed arable ground became no longer exempt from th e impost o f scat , yet th e term was‘st i l l of use to perpetuate th e proport ion of the annexed scathold . Frequen tly

,i n any

d iv i s ion of commons , proporti on s were awarded , accordi ng to the number of penn i es wi thwh ich each mark of land had been long des ignated .

These prel im i nary observat ion s be ing made, i t may be now remarked , that , whenCrown- lands were fi rs t let ou t to lease

,they were supposed to con s i s t whol ly of scatho ld

and,therefore

,th e amount of the ren t annual ly requ i red for each mark , was regulated by i ts

denom inat ion of penn i es . Thus, for i n stance, a mark of twelve penny land, con ta i n ingtwelve proport i ons of scathold, was charged wi th a grea ter ren t than ten pen ny , e igh t pen ny ,s ix penny

,or four penny land that con ta i ned on ly ten

,eigh t , s ix , or four proport ion s of

scathold .

When Shetland was fi rs t annexed to Scotland , th e Crown-ren ts were paid i n wadmeland butter. O r igi nal ly, a mark of wadmel was d iv ided i n to eigh t parts, each of wh i ch con

tain ed s i x el l s ; and when , i n the course of t ime, th i s coarse c loth was, for paymen t,converted i n to money

,an e ighth part of a mark

,or s i x el ls

,was made equ ivalen t to a

Zealand zul len,wh ich

,aga in

,sa id Mr Gifford

,was equal to 2 4 s Scots , or 2 s Sterl i ng .

Hence s ix e l ls,or cu tte ls

,were named a sh i l l ing of wadmel ; and, i n the old ren ta ls , th e

quan t ity of cloth that was exigible from each estate,was marked down i n sh i l l i ngs an d

cu ttels. The amoun t of bu tter requ i red from each lease holder from the Crown,was i n

l ispunds and marks . A li spund was orig i nal ly of 1 2 lb . weigh t an d i t was farther d iv idedi n to 2 4 marks, each of 8 oz . Th i s weigh t was fraudulent ly ra i sed during the tyranny ofEarl Robert from 1 2 to 1 3 lb . Earl Patri ck clandes ti nely advanced i t to 1 8 lb . I n th eyear 1 690, under th e oppressive exactors of the Crown-ren ts . and needy farmers , th e l i spu ndhad further i ncreased from 1 8 to 2 4 lb . we igh t . I n 1 7 10 i t was again advanced to 2 6 lb .

Mr Gifford of Busta i n 1 734 , found that i t was 2 8 lb . I t i s n ow said to be 3 2 lb .

* Byth i s augmen tat ion i t wi l l be seen

,that th e produce fraudulen t ly exacted from the inj u red

and empoveri sh ed husbandman,was more than doubled . O n th i s subj ec t , the au th or of

the Gri evances of O rkn ey and Shet land has stated, that , “ As a con sequen ce of th i sencrease

,numberless l i tt le heri tages

,and some fai r es tates a lso

,are swal l owed up

,th e

Crown-ren ts hav ing so encreased wi th the we ights,that , when the years are not very plen ti

fu l,the whole frui ts of the ground are n ot suffici en t to sat i sfy them .

”

The anci en t rental of Shetland, wh ich has remai ned unal tered from the annexat ion ofth i s country to Scotland down to the presen t period, may be now given .

A n cien t Ren tal of S/zetlana'.

Bu tte r pa id , as compu ted accord in’gPr opo r tion s of Scathold con tai n ed to Lispu n ds and Marks ; the L isw i th i n th e mark e xpressed by the pu n d havin g be e n fraud u le n t l y ln Wadme l compu ted in Mon ey .

te rm Pe n n ie s . cr eased . A Lispu nd is also d ividedi n to 2 4 Marks .

2 4 marks are said to be equa l to 32 l b . Scots troy, u pwards of 35l b . avo irdupo is .

34 IL L USTRATION S OF TH E[ITER 11,

I t may n ow be farther added, th at wh en the Chamberlai n set a tack or lease of theproperty-lands to a tenant , i t was for th ree years an d be caused h im to pay the u sual fineor compensat ion of Grassum . Th is amoun ted to 2 4s Scot, or 25 Sterl i ng, for each mark ofland ; but, i n progress of t ime , i t was found more conven i en t to convert th e grassum thatwas du e every three years, i n to an ann ual demand of 8s Scots , or 8d Sterl i ng . The annualland-mai l l s

,th erefore

,for a mark of the Ki ng’s land , was est imated by the general ren tal of

the coun try that had been given and,added to th i s

,was th e annual sum of 85 Scots for

grassum . Th i s i s th e rental for al l th e lands i n the coun try at th e presen t day, whetherthey belong to private landholders , or to the superio r of th e country . When the number ofpenn ies per mark determ i nes the value of land , an d when the annual grassum i s added tothe amoun t i t w i l l be found that

1 mark of 1 2 penny land pays yearly 1 6 marks of but te r,and A

“

1 4 o Scot s,

9 1 2 1 0 0

6 8 — 0 1 6 0

I n the Append ix to Mr Sh ir re ff’s Agricul tu ral Survey,p . 1 7, i t i s s tated, that each

penny per mark paid IV3 mark of butter, and 1y3 i n money : for i n stance, s ix penny landpaid 8 marks of bu tter, an d 8s Scots i n money, to wh ich was added 85 Scots per mark ofGrassum .

Thus , although the nom i nal ren ts have not been rai sed si nce th e i slands were an nexedto the Crown of Scot land , yet, by the gradual fraudulen t i ncrease of the l i spund from 1 2 lb .

to 3 2 lb .

,the produce exac ted by the land lord has nearly t ripled . Mr Morri son , i n h i s

stat i s ti cal survey of D eltin g pari sh , has also remarked , that“ ti l l a few years

,i t was con

s ider ed a standard regulat ion , that th e butter part of the ren t sh ould be charged at 55Sterl i ng a l i spund

,or 2%d a mark but the fac tor for th e superi or though t proper to charge

th e cu rren t pri ce for the feu—duty butter,an d many of the proprie tors followed h i s example

so that a mark of but ter,wh ich weigh s 1% Engl i sh

,i s sometimes 3d, 4d, an d

'

4%d , i n steadof the old convers i on of 2%d a mark . Th i s the tenants considered as a hardsh ip

,as few of

them can pay thei r bu tter rent s i n k i nd .

”

The lands wh ich were origi na lly udal , but wh ich were feudal ized a t a late r peri od byth e Earl s of Morton , are enjoyed on tenures that are comparat ively l igh t . Some veryanc ien t patrimon ies hav i ng neve r been held by a charte r from the Crown , are st i l l i n al im i ted decree udal . But th e vassal s who havi ng i nh eri ted th e proper estates of the Crownan d i t s donators , have been rendered l iab l e to the charge con tai ned i n th e anci en t ren tal ofShetland

,l abou r under heavy burden s . All landholders

,however

,s t i l l pay the old seat that

was rendered to the Kings of Norway ; they pay a duty named lVattle,i n commemorat ion

of the prayers of a good sai nted lady wh ich the Shet landers , i n Popi sh t imes , purchased asan in tercessi on for the i r man i fold s i ns

,an d wh ich Earl Robert S tuart . a Protes tan t reformer,

con tr ived to perpetuate,by in serti ng i n h i s ren tal th ey pay th e ox and sheep money that

was gran ted as a compl imen t to th e Earl of Bothwel l, when he ob tai ned a refuge inShetland

,after h i s marri age wi th the un fortunate Mary . The average o f scat , wattle , an d

ox money,i s said to be abou t 8d Sterl i ng ; some lands bei ng charged for them as h igh as

r s 4d . Accord i ng to Mr Sh ir reff,i n h i s accoun t of the agricu l tu re of the coun try

,the land

holder pays one-half the cess or land-tax,an d rogue—money a prem ium for k i l l i ng eagles

,

ravens,and hooded-crow s ; boun ty to seamen an d other casualt i es

,wi th a proporti on of

schoolmasters’salary,which may al together amoun t to abou t 6d Sterl i ng per mark of land .

The dut ies to the superi or, wh ich were originally exigi ble i n the ipsa corpor a, have longbeen commuted for money th e amount bei ng regulated by the ri se or fal l of bu tter an do il

,accord i ng to the prices of the market .After Shetland had become subject to the Scott i sh Crow n

,the falconer of the Royal

h ousehold came annual ly to col lec t hawks for the u se of th e King ; an d to feed these b i rd sa hen was demanded from every house or (as i t i s cal led) from every r eek

,under the name

of Hawk-hen s . L ong after the sports of hawking had gon e out of fash ion , the payment wason tin u ed ; and i t i s , at the presen t day, sa id to be perqu is i te assumed by one of the offi cers

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6 I L LUSTRAT IONS OF TIIE ITER

feuars of th e Crow n-lands,i n im i tat i on of the lord ly Baron s of th e south In a very smal l

pamph let,en t i tled , Tlze Tr u e Causes of the Pooer ty of O r kn ey, publ i shed i n th e year 1 760. I

fi n d th e fol lowi ng accoun t of what are termed Boumacks, or Bummacks, a word wh ich DrJamieson supposes to be of Scand i navian origi n

,derived from the Isl . B ua parare

,an d w ag e

soc i u s ; that i s to make preparat ion s for one’s compan ion s . The ancestors of the

general i ty of th e presen t L a i rds of O rkney,” say s the wri ter of the pamph le t

,

“ were meanmen

,feuars of the King’s property ; by the i r ten ure s they became bound to pay the ful l rent

by way of feu-duty they were wi se enough to reckon noth ing thei r own,except what

,by

the i r labour and i ndustry, they brough t th e ground to'

yie ld , over and above the ren tspayable to thei r superior . They w ere pla in

,s imple

,sober, coun trymen , frugal , i ndustriou s

labou rers,unacquain ted w i th tea

,coffee

,rum

,s i lks an d velvets . Thei r tenants were thei r

fr iend s an d compan ion s every tenan t feasted h i s lai rd a t least once a year,i n th e Chri st

mas hol idays these feasts are cal led Boumacks by the coii n try people . A late landlord ofa good estate , looki ng on these boumacks as what the tenan t was obl iged to give h i s master,converted the boumacks of every house on h i s es tate to 4 stett i ns of mal t, and charged thati n h i s ren tal a s a fixed an d con stan t rent ; for n ow a-days most of these la i rds would beaffronted to s i t down at a boumack wi th h i s That a custom s im i la r to the onedescr ibed , ex i sted i n the north of England among the powerfu l land lords of that coun try, Ihave shew n i n a paper wh ich I had th e honou r of read i n g to the Anti quarian Soci ety ofEd i nbu rgh . The re turn of an an nual present from tenants , for the sake of partaking at thefeas t of Yole or Yule

,I have detected i n the ren t—rol l of a kn igh t of Ash ton-unde r—l i n e

,near

Manchester,who l ived i n the reign of Henry .VI . I n th e preamble of the ren tal are the

fol lowi ng words : “ The serv ice of the said tenan ts is th i s that they shal l give thei r presen tsat Yole

,every presen t to such a value as i t i s w ri t ten and set i n the rental

,and the L ord

shal l feed al l h i s said tenants an d the i r wi fes,upon Yole day, i f th em l ike for to come but

th e said tenan ts and thei r w i fes , though i t be for thei r ease not to come, they shal l sendn ei th er man nor women in thei r name, but i f she be the i r son and the i r daughter dwel l ingw i th them ; for the L ord i s n ot bounden to feed save

“on ly th e goodman and goodwi fe .

”

There i s n o doubt , but that these annual presen ts were of the same nature as the Scotchcanage, and that th ey are to be iden t ified i n the O rkney boumack s . They were

,i n fact

,

perpetuati on s of a capitation f tax,i n u se before the i n trod uct ion i n to the coun try of feudal i ty .

I t may be also observed,that the amoun t of the presen ts thus col lec ted

,was

,i n the manor

rol l wh ich I have exam ined, of such a cons iderab le magn i tude i n proport ion to the rentpaid

,that i t would more than repay the expe n ces of the table , leav i ng to the lord a

handsome su rplus . Accordi ngly , i t i s not improbable , that the name of L and lord wasoriginal ly attached to the host of an i nn

,as a sati r ical al lu s ion to th e manorial land lord, who

n ever prov ided a d i n ner for h i s guests, wi thout receiv i ng for i t an adequate recompen se . Imay fu rther remark that i n the old hal l s of manoria l res idences i n L ancash ire

,may be

common ly seen an occasi onal elevati on of th e floor,or somet imes a lofty gal lery

,wh ich was

for the purpose of accommodat ing th e L ord of the manor or h i s fam i ly , that they migh t notbe in commodated with the coarse freedoms of th e tenan ts below ; also to preserve du edecorum ,

was frequen tly i n troduced a d im inuti ve pai r of stone-stocks, about e igh teen i nchesi n length

,wi th holes for fas ten ing the fingers of the un ru ly . Th i s i ns trument was ent rusted

to the general prefect of manorial fest iv i t ies,the k ing of m i s r ule

,whose offi ce i t was to

pun i sh al l who exceeded h i s royal n ot ion s of decen cy— Thus much i n i l lu strat ion of th ecanage or cane-fowl s of Shetland, an d of the k indred acknowledgmen t of boumack s i nO rkney .

The landed proprie tor of Shetland has also l ong been accu stomed to exact i n add i t i onto cane-fowls , th e labour of each tenan t for th ree or si x days i n th e week, for the purposes ofcast ing peats

,or other labours of husbandry . We find th i s requ i s i t i on

“

i n the ren t-rol l s ofth e powerful feudatories of more anc ien t t imes . I n a manor-rol l i n my possess ion , every

Some accou n t of the se Boumack s or Bummack s , may be fou nd in the 1sth vol. of th e Statis tical Accou n t of Scotlan d , p .

393 , 394 . Bu t the be st n ot ice of them is in the scarce pamph le t to wh ich I have al l u ded , for the pe ru sa l of wh ich I am indebted toM r Ne i l l .

ITER I L ] FEUDAL TENURES OF SHETLAND . I 37

tenan t a t wi l l i s thu s commanded : He that plough has,shall p lough a day

,whether the

L ord be l i ever [more wi l l i ng] i n wh eat seed i ng or i n len ten seed i ng ; an d every tenan tbar row a day wi th the i r barrow i n seed i ng t ime

,when they bi n charged an d th ey shal l cart

every tenan t ten cartfu l of tu rve from D on eam Moss to A sshe ton,an d shere fou r days i n

harvest,and cart a day corn .

”Th i s serv ice

,so profi table to th e lord , was i n th e north of

England ca lled B oon -w or k and hence,an old adage

,when a man was compel led to work

for noth i ng,I am served l ike a Boon-shearer .” No one

,perhaps

,bu t an ant iquary

,wi ll

be del igh ted to hear that boon -w ork i s n ot st i l l ext i nc t i n the Bri t i sh i sl es,an d that i t i s s t i l l

fe l t w i th al l the impat i ence of th e anc i en t boon-shearers of th e South .

“ The th ree dayslabour i n each year to th e landholder ,” says D r Edmon ston e , wi th much j u st ice , “ i scertai n ly a seri ous hardsh ip on the tenan t , espec ial ly as h e has to work three days also tothe clergyman . Both the h eri tor an d th e clergyman now l ive i n a new en l igh tened state ofsoci ety and i t becomes th ei r duty to concur i n abol i sh ing a practi ce which keeps al ive therecol lect ion of feudal oppress ion , and st ifles the feel ings of generou s freedom .

Having now taken leave of th e anc ien t udal and presen t feudal state of Zetlan d,I shal l

br ieflv notice the state of the t i thes wh i ch con st i tu te on e of the greates t burden s on landsthat i s at presen t experi enced i n th i s country

,s ince they are general ly drawn i n k i nd .

The te i nds of Shetland are part ly of corn these are paid by some lands i n every ten thsheaf

,after be ing cu t down i n othe r lands the te i nds are compounded for i n butter an d oi l ,

and i n a few lands on ly i n money . For every th i rty sheep, th ree marks of wool an d

one lamb are exac ted. For each cow th ree marks of bu tter on an average,and for each

cal f 1 s Scots . Each s ix—oared boat pays of tei nd fifteen l i ng ; and each four-oared boat tenl i ng . I n the last place

,the m in i ster c laims a righ t to three days work from each fam i ly i n

the pari sh,for the purpose of cast ing

,rai s i ng and bri ngi ng home h i s peats . See M emor ial

for the Par ish ion er s of Ivor th M arlin e,in M r Sh i r r efi

’s A g r icu ltu r al Su rvey of Shetlan d, p .

2 4—33'

l he re are no poor rates ; th e poor are said to be quartered upon the pari shes i n rotat ion

,l iv i ng on each fami ly for periods vary i ng from one week to a month .

1 38 NOTES TO ITER 11.

NOTES TO ITER II.

NOTE VI . H ISTORY or TH E UDALLERS,Page 34 to 68 .

IN drawi ng out a narrat ive of the h i s tory of Udal Tenu res, al though I have made manyreferences to th e authori ti es on wh ich they are g iven , yet several of them I shal l acknowl edge under general sources of i n format ion . O f th e fi rst of these i s Mr Gi fford’s Hi stor ica lDescript i on of Zetland

,given i n No . 38 of the B ibl iotheca T0pographica Bri tan n ica . Th i s

i s an excel len t work i t was wri t ten i n th e year 1 733 , i n conformi ty to the wi sh of th e Earlof Morton

,by whom he was appoi n ted a S teward-depu te i n the county ; bu t the fear of

offend i ng th i s Nobleman , by allus ion s to the conduct of h i s ancestors , led h im to be verycarefu l of en teri ng with great part icular i ty i n to th e h i story of Udal T enures . I t i s i ndeedquest ionabl e

,i f,after al l

,Earl Morton did not th i nk he had expla in ed too much on th e

subj ect ; for the book was not pri n ted for more than fi fty years after i t was wri tten an d th epubl i cat i on i s attri butable to a late celebrated an t iquary of Ed i nburgh , Mr George Paton ,i n to whose hands the MS . had fal len . I t i s from some h i nts th rown out by Mr Gi ffordthe course of h i s work , that I attempted to expla i n , in

'

connecti on wit h the laws of udalsucces s i on

,th e series of causes by whi ch the anci ent landed tenures of th e coun try became

feudal iz ed . The difficul ty of the task has been i n fi n i te ly greater than I was aware of,an d i t

can only be est imated by those who may st i l l recol lect the d i sputes wh ich took place abou tforty years ago

,regard ing the righ ts of the superi or i ty of O rkney an d Shetland . That the

statemen t wh ich I have ven tured to give of the feudal izing process wh i ch took place i n thecountry may not be free from inaccurac ies , I am prepared to expec t ; nor do I need to berem inded

,that an i nd ividual who may possess a very trifl i ng degree of knowledge of th e

feudal pecu l iari t i es of Scotland i s i l l qual ified for the at tempt . But,unfortunately

,I had

commenced the i nqu iry wi th l i t t le foreknowledge of the d i fficult ies attend i ng i t otherw i se Ishould have long s i nce sh ru nk from the task . My last object was to i l l ustrate

,from examples

,

the curi ous laws of udal success i on and as th i s i s accompl i shed,I shal l soon take my leave

of the subject .Another work that con tai ns much curious in formation re lati ng to the early s tate pf the

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140 NOTES To ITER 11.

th e offenders,both masters and reta i ners . I n process of t ime they were l i censed . The

same author quotes an extract from a work of Je rv i s Markham , dated A .D . 1596 , to shewtha t these reta i ners were not always men of low cond i t i on , but con si sted of the son s ofnob lemen

,Of

“ Esou i r e’s son n es

,an d of g en tlemen you ng er br other s, that w ear s thei r elder

br other s’ble w coate an d badge .

”L et us congratulate ourselves,

” adds Mr Douce,

“ that w eno longer endure such i n solen t aggress ions , th e resu l t of fami ly pride an d ignoran ce

, an d

wh ich had been too often perm i tted to degrade th e n atural l ibert i es an d i ndependence ofmank ind . I n treat i ng of Earl Bobe rt Stewart’s atroc i t ies, I h ave had occas ion to state ,that the reta i ners or dependan ts wh ich he brought w i th h im from Scotland, were d i s tr ibu tedover the w hole of the coun t ry of O rkney an d Shetland, having n o establ i shmen t given themfor a con stan t residence, but that th ey were al lowed to quarter themselves at a free cos t onth e coun try an d that they were hence named br oken men . Th i s mode

,however

,of keep

i ng reta i ners,does not seem to h ave been general i n Scotland ; and i n th is respect the

country was better governed than i n England . Retain ers bad,i n m any wel l regulated

demesnes , lands gi ven th em ,wi th the obl igat ion annexed , that they and thei r hei rs shou ld

be loyal an d true men , an d servan ts to the i r lord, and ryde, gang , and ser ve yame, an d tak

plain par t w ith yame in all and su n dr ie yar e action es,cau ses

, ouar r ellis,” th ough n ot to

th e detrimen t of th e l iege Sovere ign . When . any one, th erefore, en l i s ted h im self amongthe retai ners of a superior, for wh ich engagemen t lands were somet imes gran ted, he was saidto be in man r en t wh ich s ign ifican t term scarce ly requ i res any explanati on . Two bonds ofMan ren t have been shewn me

,wh ich are so very curi ous

,as i l lu strat ing a prom inen t trai t

i n th e Scot ti sh manners of the roth cen tu ry,that I have scarcely any apology to offer for

i nsert ing them i n th i s place .

BOND of MANRENT , A of that I lk,to C dated

1 9 th O ctober 1555.

BE IT KENT A L L MEN b e yir p’n t L res me A B of yat i lk For

samek le as be ver tew of an con tract an d appoin ctmen t maid betwix an Noble man Cl ) of on yat an e part an d me on yat uther part tou che in g ye i nfeftmen t ofalien atiou n e maid and gevi n be ye said C D to me my n i r i s and ass igna i s offal l an d su n dr ie ye L and i s of and wt comou n pasture fri ei sche an d i n tre i n ye Comou n of ye L ordsch ip of usi t and woun t an d als ofye myln of ye wt th e myln e landi s th irle multure perten in g to yesam i n and comou n pasture fri e i sch e and in tre i n ye land i s of usi t an dw oun t wt al l yai r pertin en tis lyan d i n ye I am ob list by ve rtew

of th e said con tract to mak sele su bscryve and del iver to ye said C D aneBand of Manren t byn dan d an d oblissan d me an d my air is to be lele and trew men andse rvan dis to ye said C D of an d h i s air is i n ye mais t ampill forme yatye said C D can devyss oure al legeance to ou r Soveran e L ady allan e rlayexcept as ye sa id con tract at mai r length proportis Thairfoir to be bund i n an d oblist an d

be ye fai th an d treu th i n my body lele lie and trewlie bi ndis and oblisses me and my ai rs i nMan r en t to ye said C l

'

) of and h i s air is and yat we sal l be le ill andt rew men an d se rvan d is to yame and ryde gang an d serve yame and tak plai n part wi thyame i n al l and su n dr ie yare acti ones cau ses quare llis pleyis con trave rsys and debaitis lefu llan d honest quhatsumeve r movit or to be movit be yame or agai n s yame he’and again squhatsumever persone or pe rson es yat lei f or de may i n ye law or by the law oure Sove ran eL ady ye Q ue n is Grace and her au c

’te allan e rlie except an d sal l nowther here se nor knaw

yare skai th bu t sal l revele ye sami n to yame and stop ye sam in at the u termaist of ourepowe r is and further sal l le i f nath ing undone yat men and servan dis auch t an d su ld do toya i r maiste r is A n d hereto I b i nd an d oblisses me and my air is faithfu llie to ye saidC l ) and h i s air is under the pane of forfalting and t i n sel of ye foresaidisland i s myln e th irle mu ltu r is and u ther is abovew r in A nd gi f I or my air is failz ies here in till

to ye said C D and h i s air is th e saidi s land i s to retu rn e again e to ye sa id

NOTES To ITER 11. 14 1

hC D and h i s air is and be fre i n yai r handi s I n w i tn es s hereof to y i s my p

’n t

Band of Manren t su bscryv it wi th my hand my proper se le yrto h ingi n at Edinb u rgh the 1 9th

day of O ctober th e ye ir of God Ane thousand fyve hundreth and fyftie fyve ye irs, before yirw itn es And howbei t ony failz ie above-wri tten happyn is to be made be th e sa id AB an d hi s air is to th e sa i d L ai rd of or h i s ai rs z i t n otyesless he norh i s air is sal l not ha i f regress to ye foresaids lands be reson e of ye sa id failz ie un to ye tymeye sonme of xv iijc l merks ressavit be ye sai d L ard of for ye alienatiou n e

of ye saids land i s be refu ndit agai n be the sa id A B wt ye an n u alren t of xx imks yre ly and agai n to yaim . Before ye wi tnesses & c .

A B

to C DBOND of MANRENT , A

BE IT KEND TYL L A L MEN by yir p’u t s L res Me A B of

to be bundi n and oblist an d be ye tenor of yir p’n ts fathfu lly b indi s and ob less me to an e

H on e rab le man C I) of to becum in h i s man for al l ye dayisof my lylf an d to tak h i s part at al l tymess h im to supple wt my kynd servan ts and fren ds ator power i n al l h i s rycht honest an d j u st p le i s an d qu ere llis before al oyr p

’son es excepan d

ye Kings Grace allegean cy to ye Cron n And forthe r newer to her nor to se scaitht

no per t i n body fayme or h i s gudes hot I sa l res i s t defend and rewe il to ye sa id CD at my power at al fraud gyll exclud it For ye observyin g kepin g and fulfi l l ingp’m isses I ye said b ind i s and oblisses me be ye fai th and treu cht i n my body

i n th e mast sekarest form and stratest st i l l of ob l igati on I n w i tness of ye quh ilk for ye mai rsecu r itie I ye said A B hes affi xit to my se i l at ye 2d day ofSeptember ye zer of God ane thousand fyff hu n drett xx i zet s and wt my subscript ion manuelbefore yer wi tnesses

, & c .

A

NOTE VI I . SUMBURGH L IG HT-HOUSE, Page 77.

The Shetland I slands , owing to th e i r detached form and central pos i t i on i n the NorthSea

,presen t severa l s i tuat ion s whereon l igh t—hou ses wou ld be extremely benefic ia l to

sh i ppi ng ; and th e Comm iss ion ers of the Northern L igh t-houses have lately extended the i rOperat ion s to these i slands, and have erected a l igh t-house on Sumburgh-Head, th e mostprom in en t southern extrem i ty of the Mai n land . The l igh t-house here i s known to marin ersas a stati onary l igh t . The bu i ld i ngs were founded i n the month of March 1 820

,and th e

house was l ighted on the 1sth day of January 1 82 1 . The l igh t i s from oi l w i th reflectors,

e levated 300 feet above the medium leve l of the sea, and has been d i s t i nctly seen , i n afavourable s tate of the atmosphere, at the d i s tance of no less than eigh t or n in e leagues .

NOTE VI I I . STEINBARTES or STONE-AXES, Page 86 .

Dr Chalmers,i n h i s Caledon ia

,has made the fol lowi ng remarks on the subject of the

stone-axes found i n Shetland “ The curious fac t, that Dru id remai n s an d stone monumentsexi st

,an d that cel ts and fl i n t arrow heads have been found i n the O rkney I slands , wh i l e

none of them have di scovered i n th e Shetland I slands,ev in ces, that the same Celt i c people

who colon ized South and North Bri ta i n , also penetrated i n to the O rkneys, bu t not i n to theShetland I s lands ; an d th i s fac t also shews that those an tiqu i t i e s owe the i r origi n to theCel ts

,who early colon ized th e O rkney I sle s alone , and not to the Scandi nav ian s , who

equal ly colon ized both the O rkney and Shetland I slands . I am sorry that Dr Chalmershad been m is i n formed on th i s subj ect, s i nce s tone-axes are much more abundan t i n

14 2 NOTES TO ITER 11.

Shet land than i n O rkney ; but i t i s s t i l l more un fortunate , that th e same learned an t iquaryshould have enfeebled th e excel len t arguments wh ich he had advanced relat ive to thePic t i sh quest ion , by dwel l i ng on such fa llac ious i nci temen ts to an t iquarian i nferences ass tone-axe or barrow s . Whi ttaker, i n h i s History of Manchester, has given a plate of as tone-axe wh ich he supposes to have been used by the Celts , but i t d i ffe rs mater ial ly fromthe form of the Teuton i c ste i n harte . The blade of the Celt i c stone-axe exh ibi ts hol lows ides ; that of th e Shetland s te i nharte i s convex on one or both s ides . The blade of theCel t ic s tone axe con ta i n s an orifice

,calculated t o admit wi th i n i t a wooden shaft ; bu t there

i s no orifice d i splayed by th e blade of the Shetland ste i n harte ; on th e con trary , i t i s i tselfpassed through the aperture of a wooden or bone hand le

,for whi ch i ts taperi ng extrem ity i s

adapted .

NOTE IX. SA ND L ODGE M INES,Page 9 1 .

I con s ider th e i n format ion of those gen t lemen who have seen th e Sandlodge Mines asso importan t

,that I shal l i n sert th e test imony of al l the m ineralogi sts who have v i s i ted

Shetland wh i le they were worked Professor Jameson,who saw the m ines about tw en ty

years ago , th us describes th em At a l i t t le d i s tance from the shore,i n the sandstone

,

wh ich i s here st i l l con t i nued, there i s a vei n of copper pyri tes, or sulph uret of copper, wh ichwas worked for some t ime by a party of m i ners from Wales

,wi th very flatteri ng prospects ; but

th e vei n gradual ly decreased i n w idth , un t i l i t was not above an i nch broad , when i t wasthough t proper to leave i t . O n the opposi te s ide of the house there i s another large ve i n ofi ron-ore

,above s ix fee t wide

,havi ng a very scor ifi ed aspect . Th is was also worked for some

t ime,but the great expen ce , and the smal l proport ion of copper obta i ned, soon made i t to

to be given up .

”

At Sandlodge , i n 1 803 , says Dr Tra i l l , “ a copper—mine was wrough t,which has

,I

unders tand, been s i nce given up, bu t wh ich , I have been told, i t i s i n con templat ion soonagai n to open . There was then a smal l bu t wel l construc ted steam-engi ne on i t. The

pri nc ipa l shaft was sunk w ith i n a few fathoms of the sea . The miners had penetrated to th ed epth of abou t tw en ty-two fath oms , an d were but l i t t le i ncommoded wi th water . The

upper rock was sandstone ; and below i t, at twen ty-two fathoms, lay a petrosi l i ceou s , orperhaps quartzy rock

,t raversed by many ve in s of brown quartz . Th i s was the greatest

depth to wh ich they had then penetrated an d I bel i eve that the hardness and unpromi s ingnatu re of th i s rock was th e cause of th e i r so qu ickly givi ng u p. At that t ime there were buttwo Corn i sh m i ners

,bes ides a Corn i sh Captain of the M in es

, engaged , and these werech iefly occupied i n giv i ng d i rect ion s to the n at ives employed to work i n the m ine. The

wan t of men suffic ien tly sk i l led i n m i n i ng. was certa in ly on e cause of thei r fai lure . The

pri nc ipal manager was a partner, who had ch iefly d i rected h i s at ten ti on to the corn—trade, asI was i n formed

,an d who was total ly ignoran t of the art of m in ing. The pri ncipal lode or

ve i n l ies between th e sandstone an d the petros i l i ceous rock, i n a di rect ion from NE. to SW .

The copper-ore i s ch i efly green carbonate , and the sulphuret i t i s imbedded i n an i ron -ore,

w h ich i s somet imes pulverulen t , an d was cal led by the Corn i sh m iners goz z an . The i ronore i s by much th e more abundan t . When Mr Jameson vi s i ted th i s place, th e copper-minewas not Open ed ; an d h e on ly men t ion s i ron ores as the product of th e mi ne, wh ich manyyears ago had been wrough t by an Engl i sh i ron company, bu t afterwards abandoned. I twas subsequen t to Mr Jameson 5 vi s i t that the copper-ore was much not i ced . The 1ron oreshere found

,are

,1 . Dark brown , fibrous

,an d mami l lated haemat i tes 2 . Columnar bog 1ron

ore 3 . Micaceous i ron ore 4 . I ron ochre of a brown colour ; 5. Stalact i t i c i ron-o,re

c olour,dark-brow n ; 6 . Earthy matter, much charged wi th i ron , seemingly ar is i ng from the

debri s of other ores . T he copper-ores are,1 . Fr iable and amorphous carbonate of copper

,

colou r r ich green ; 2 . Beaut i fu l carbonate of an emerald green , crystal l ized i n cap i l laryfibres of a s i lky lust re

,d iverging in rad i i from a cen tre . Th i s speci es i s found imbedded i n

i ron-ore . ; 3 . Su lphuret of copper, d i ssem inated th rough fel spar i n some places, an d,i n

others,i n great masses i n i ron-ore . The r ich carbonates were found near the bottom of the

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144 NOTES TO ITER 11.

or chests,and i f you find anyth i ng that i s stolen , you are to bri ng the th i ef and the fang to

th e Bai l i e,or secure both

, an d acquai n t the Bai l i e . I f you have any scruple about anyth ing you find i n the house , you are to i nqu i re h ow they came by i t, and i f they refuse totel l

,take wi tness upon the i r refusal , and let the th ing be secured unt i l you acquain t the

Bai li e . You are also to exam ine the household stores of flesh an d meal,an d see i f they be

correspondent to the i r s tocks , an d l ikewi se th e wool, s tock ings , yarn , webs , & c . an d i nqui rehow they came by al l these

,an d i f th ey can not give a sat i sfy ing accoun t thereof an d brough

and hamell,you are to i n form agai n st them .

2 . You are to i nqu i re i n to the l ives an d conversat ions of fam i l ies, whether there i s anyd i scord or any unbecoming carriage betwixt husband an d wi fe

,parent and chi ld

,master an d

servan t,or any other unchri st ian or un lawfu l practi ce i n th e fam i ly

,an d you are to rebuke

such an d exhort them to amend . I f they obey,i t i s we ll

,. if not

,you are fai th ful ly to repte

sen t such to the j ud icatory competent,and bri ng the best evidences you can agai n s t al l such

offenders .3 . You are to preven t al l quarrel s and scoldi ng as far as i n your power, by command ing

th e con tend in g part ies to peace,an d i f they pers i s t, requ i re w i tn esses agai n st them ,

and cal lfor assi s tan ce to separate them

,and give i n a fai thfu l report thereof to the Fi scal or Clerk of

Court an d i n case you are not wi tness to any scoldi ng or quarre l l i ng that happens , you areto gather the best i nformat i on thereof you can , an d make report of the same as aforesaid .

4 . I f you hear any person curs ing or swearing, you are to demand of them the fine OfTwenty Sh i ll i ngs Scots , an d i f th ey refuse to pay i t

,you are to requ ire w i tn esses aga in s t

them,an d report i t to the Court, the one-th i rd of wh ich fi n e to yoursel f, an d two-th i rds to

the poor .5. That you narrowly enqu i re i n to your ne ighbourhood

,who si t s home from k iIk on

the Sabbath-day,and from diets of catechi s i ng

,an d i f they can give no suffic ien t reason for

the i r so doing,that you cause them pay the fine

,bei ng twen ty sh i l l i ngs Scots

,to be appl ied

as aforesa id . A n d that you take part icular n ot i ce i n your n eighbourh ood anent keep ing theSabbath-day, and i f you fi n d any breach thereof that you report the same .

6 . You are stri ct ly to Observe th e coun try acts anen t good neighbourhood ; such asnon e i nj ure others i n the i r grass and corn , an d rebuke the offenders

,with cer tificat i on i f

they con t i nue so to do,you wi l l i n form the Court again st them ; and that they b ig the i r

d ikes suffic ien tly and t imeously under the pai n con tai ned i n the Acts .7. That you take not i ce that tenants do not abuse the i r lands

,nor demol i sh the i r

hou ses,th rough sloth and idleness

,an d that you reprove su ch

,an d i f they con t inue so to

do aga in s t the land-masters , you are to report them .

8 . You are to i nqu ire i f there i s i n your n e ighbhu rhood any idle vagabond persons ,and to acquai n t such that they must take themselves e i ther to some honest employ

,or you

w i l l i n form again s t them,so as they may be pun i shed an d ordered to servi ce

,an d that the

poor be taken care of i n your respect ive quarters,and not suffered to st ray abroad , nor are

you to al low any begger or t igger from any other pari sh,to pass through your bounds , and i f

they offer so to do,you wi l l secu re them ti l l they be pun i shed, conform to the country Acts .

9 . That you try al l the dogs i n your quarter,an d that none be al lowed to keep a dog

that can take a sheep,un less al lowed to keep a sheep-dog by the Bai l i e , an d that none keep

scare-sheep otherwi se than i n the Act ; and that the Acts be observed anen t pund i ng,bou n din g, marking, and tak ing off sheep .

10. You are to i nqu i re in your quarters anen t al l persons u s i ng any manner of w i tchcraft

,charms

,or any abom inable or devi l i sh superst i ti on s

,and fai thfu lly i n form agai n st such ,

as that they may be brough t to cond ign puni shmen t .1 1 . You are to examin e al l t radesmen i n your bounds, an d see that th ey make sufh'

ci en t work,an d do not impose upon any i n the i r price s

,an d i f you fi n d any such

tran sgressors,i nform again st them so as they may be pun i shed as law d i rec ts .

1 2 . Upon any suspic ion of theft, two or th ree ran se lmen may take as many w i tnessesw i th th em

,an d go to the neighbour pari sh an d ranse l . an d i f th ey catch th e th ief, th ey are

to acquai n t the Bai l i e of that pari sh thereof, who wi l l order the th i ef to be secured .

And,i n the last place

,as you are entrusted with a power of i n spect i ng th e l ives and

A DDITION S TO ITER 11. 145

manners of others , so le t you r own good l i fe and conversat i on be exemplary u n to them forgood . and take care you are not found gu i l ty of these fau l ts yourse lves , that you are cal led toreprove i n others for i f you shou ld

,your pun i shmen t shal l be double to thei rs . Now

,al l

t hese i nst ructi on s,as far as i t i s i n your power

,you prom i se a nd swear solemnly in th e

sigh t of Alm ighty God,and as you shal l an swer to him a t the great day, fai th ful ly and

hones tly to observe and perform . So help you God.

ADDITIONS TO ITER I I .

FURTHER I LLUSTRAT IONS OF UDAL LAWS.

Si nce drawi ng up th e H i story of th e Udallers,a document fel l i n to my hands, that

would have been not iced i n the accoun t of th ese anci en t landholders i f i t had arr ived i nt ime . Early h i storian s have asse rted

,tha t th e oldest law of Udal successi on was Gave/

k ind,which

,

” say s S i r Robert S ibbald,

“ i s th e d iv i s ion of th e heri tage moveables equal ly,

sin e discr imin e sexu s r el cetatis amongst th e ch i ldren of the deceased , on ly by the custom ofShetland, the youn gest got th e dwel l i ng-house

,bes ide h i s share .

”The early Scott i sh

sett lers,however

,readi ly ava i led themselve s of an ed ic t that gave them the opportun i ty of

con cen trati ng and perpetuat in g fam i ly weal th and power i n on e i nd iv idual ; the pr i nc ipa lfeatures of i t be ing , that th e oldes t son should have the head bu il , or pri ncipal manor ; ,

thatthe youngest son s shou ld , i f poss ible , have equal compen sat i on s i n other lands, or i ni ncom e

,bu t that th e daughter should have her share i n the most remote and di scon t iguous

lands .Although th i s law seems to have been ev iden tly framed on the pri nc iple of gavel-ki nd ,

yet i t left room for many evasi on s of i t,wi th the s i n i s te r v iew that th e oldest son should not

on ly succeed to th e manor of a deceased udal ler, bu t shou ld en j oy th e bu lk of h i s landedproperty . Accord i ngly

,i t appears to have been resi sted by many of the weal th i e r

landed proprie tors , who , i n the i r law-t i ng,framed an act of thei r own , by which primo

gen i ture was no farther respected,than that the fi rs t choice Of such lands as were equally

d i v ided among al l the sons of a deceased udal ler,fel l to the oldes t . I f

,however

,the righ ts

of son s we're reduced to an equal i ty,those of th e daugh ters were l i t t l e respec ted s in ce

,i n a

d iv i s ion of property,two s i s ters’shares were al lotted for on e brother’s part. The law was

explai ned i n th e year 1 6 10, when an estate was awarded to Edward S i ncla i r of Marrasetter

but the al legati on that i t was in violablie observit,” has been shewn to be in correct .

T i l l al l and su ndr ie qu home i t effe ir is, to quhais know lege th i r presen tis sal l cum ;we, vnde rsu bscryveand, doi s testi fi e and be i r w i th es , That i n al l tymes bygan e, past memori eof man

,tha i r hes bene an ancien t law

, cu stome and con suetude, wi th i n the cu n trey of Zetland

,be the quh ilk i t h es bene inviolablie obseru it, that quhan ony landit man haveand

land is w i th i n the sa id cu n trey, depairtit th i s mortall lyffe, the haill land i s and he retage

146 ADDITIONS TO ITER 11.

apperten ing to h im i n h i s lyftyme , immediatlie e fter h is dece is, war equallie and lawtyfu llied iuydit amangis h i s haill bairn is, al swei l l sones as dochter is, comptan d alwayis twa sister is

pairtis for ane brothar is pai rt and be ing sua diuydit, the eldest brother had na farder p rerogat ive abone the rest of h i s brethers, except the fi rst choiss of the pairtis and parce llis ofthe lands diuydit.

”

This L aw ought to have been n oticed in pag es 45and 1 23 .

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1 48 IS L AND OF FETL A R. mm m ,

Clad i n a gown of grass so soft and wondrous warm ,

that th e tradi t iona l accoun t seemed h igh ly probable,whi ch gave to Fetlar th e n ame of the

Green I sland i ts early des ignat i on was'

Foedar O i .

ISLAND O F FETL A R.

I landed on the north coast of the I sland,at Uri e

,where was a plai n fam i ly man s ion ,

bui l t early i n the last cen tury,wh ich

,wi th most of the estates of the place

,belonged to a

Scotti sh fam i ly of the name of Bruce. A fine fert i le val ley lay to the sou th,bounded on the

west by a h igh ridge of gnei ss,and on th e east by the barren serpen ti ne h i l l of the Vord to

th e n orth were th e d i stant shores of Un st. The i s land i s cons idered to be from five to s ixand a half mi les i n l ength

,and about five i n breadth ; and in my ci rcu i t round i t, I fi rs t

arr ived at Odsta, where there was a rock of serpen t i ne wh ich much i nfluenced the compas s .Con t in u ing my tour along banks of gnei ss , i n a sou therly di rect ion , I observed a s i te o fground where were the remai ns of a remarkable fort ificati on, un l ike al l others I had seen i nth e coun try . I t was s i tuated i n a very low and level green sward

,c lose to th e edge of the

ocean,but a cons iderable part of th e defence has been washed away by th e sea

,i n i ts ih

roads on th e coast .'

A smal l quadrangular area, th e original d imen s ions of wh ich cannot bewe l l determ ined

,was inclosed by a wal l of uncemen ted stones and earth

,about e igh t yards

i n breadth , and about two i n h eigh t ; i t was also protected by a double di tch . There wasl ikewi se an ou ter rampart of less magn i tude, bei ng about five yards broad and twoyards h igh

,wh ich Mr L ow of O rkney conj ectu red, and w i th reason

,was for no other

use than to secu re for the smal l garri son , th e possess i on of a wel l of water that hadbeen sunk in the fosse. About ten yards d i stant from the fort ificat i on

,was a

mound of earth about th i rty-seven yards i n c i rcumference . I f the ant iquary doesnot fear ~ bei ng con trad icted in h i s conje‘cture

,by some u n lucky Edie O ch i l tree

such as the learned Occupan t’

of Monkbarn s met wi th i n h is n ewly d i scovered camp ofAgricola

,he may fa i rly set down h i s fort ress as showing more marks of a Roman con strue

t i on,than of one that is e i ther Saxon or Scandinavian . Shaw

,th e h istorian of S taffordsh i re

,

has proved from examples. that th e Romans always took great care to have a supply ofwater for the sold i e rs, and even placed the i r camps very n ear a regular road , that, on anemergen cy

,th e men migh t be i n immed iate readin ess to march but l ess c iv i l i zed nat ion s

,

as the Saxon s for i n stance , wi th no prov iden t v i ew of th i s kind , fi xed the i r camps on h ighh i l l s

,wi th a steep precipice before them th inking that th i s k i nd of securi ty was more to be

regarded than water, wh ich th ey were forced to carry a great way to the cons iderabl e in conven ien ce of th e army when large . The Romans al so selected a quadrangular spot ofground

,and made a s i ngle graff ; but the Saxons gave themselves n o troubl e about th e

form, an d , where th ey apprehended the fortificat ion to be weak, would often make two or

three d i tches. These j udici ou s remarks of Mr Shaw, apply su ffici en tly wel l to the stronghold of Fetlar , wh ich , from i ts small ness , and very plai n const ruct ion , could never havebeen i n tended for more than a temporary fortress, and m igh t have been con struc ted by a

ITER ISLAND OF FETL AR. 149

few of the troops that man ned the vesse ls of Theodos i us,when , i n th e fourth cen tury, they

rooted out th e Saxon pi rates from the O rcadian seas. The s i te of the camp of Fetlar wasnot upon’a h i l l such as the Saxon barbar ians would have selec ted

,bu t upon a low si te of

ground n ear to the sea, and , as i t has been shewn , spec ia l care was taken to preserve ,adj o in i ng to th e s tat ion , a wel l of water wh ich the experi enced artifi cers defended by anouter val lum .

*

The southerly d i rect i on wh ich I took , led me along very steep cl iffs to L amhoga, asou th—westerly poi n t of land wh ich has long been the resort of the Peregri n e Falcon . Notfar from th i s place

,i s a cons iderabl e accumulati on of decomposed gnei s s

,which appears

under the form of porce la i n earth . I n turn i ng round the poi n t of L amhoga, I came i n v iewof the wide Open bay of Tr iesta at the head of i t s tood a neat wh i te k i rk and man se

,bu i l t

con t iguous to a smal l fresh water loch,which was divided from th e sea by a low sandy

beach . Beh ind the manse was some good corn land en l ivened by severa l cottages . The

westerly banks of the bay were h igh and barren the easterly shore,wh ich was term i nated

by a promontory named the Snap of Fetlar,was

.

much less s teep . Arr iv i ng at the L och ofT r iesta, I s ta id to exam ine i t s sands, wh ich have long been celebrated for the magnet i c i ronore

,i n the form of grai ns, wi th wh ich they are i n termi ngled . To th e sou th-east of the

manse i s H oub ie , near to wh ich town are th e ru i n s of two burghs . O n e of them was oncea c i rcu lar fort. formed by two wal l s, wi th chambers between them ; i t was s i tuated on abank c lose to th e sea

,bei ng further protected by segmen ts of th ree concen tri c ramparts

,and

by one cross or flank ing wal l .’t Another bu rgh was placed on an em inence hav ing n o ou tworks bu t cont iguous to i t were the foundat ions of numerous smal l hou ses now i n ru i n s

,

that had been bu i l t on th i s s i te, for the purpose of be ing under th e protecti on of the burgh .

My exam inat ion of th e m ineralogy of th e coas t that l i ned th e bay of Tr iesta havi ngbeen con cluded

,I agai n set ou t i n a north-westerly d i rect ion for U ri e, hav ing rece ived from

Mr Ingram,the worthy m in i ste r of th e pari sh

,much k i nd at ten t ion on th e way . From

U ri e,where I was hospi tably en tertai ned by Mr N ichol son

,th e pr i nc ipal proprie tor of the

i sland , I j ourneyed the next morn i ng i n an easterly d i rect i on , and soon reached the summ i tof the Yord H i ll , which was so named from the anci en t watch-tower that crowned i tssummi t . The rock i s composed of serpent i ne , and i ts surface exh ib it s a ye l lowi shferruginous coat ing

,wh ich i s exceed ingly host i le to vegetat ion . O n th i s h i l l once stood

three c i rc les,each of whi ch was of the d iameter of abou t th i rty-s ix feet

,formed by

loose s tones . These remai n s , wh ich were probably anci en t T i ngs or Courts of Judicature ,are now much inj ured . Descending th e h igh banks on the eas t

,I came i n v iew of the open

bay of Gru ting , and after hav ing become an i nmate, for one n igh t, at th e house of Mr Smi th

A plan of th is Camp has be e n g ive n in M r Pe n nan t’s Arc t ic Zoo logy , from a d raw ing by Mr L ow , the or ig inal of wh ich is

n ow in my possess io n . To the str ict co rr ectn e ss of it I can not asse n t, bu t as the g e n e ral view wh ich it g ive s is n ot ve ry r emotefrom its pre se n t appearance , it is recopied in th e Plate of An tiqu i ties g ive n in the Appe nd ix , Fig . 1 . I may r emark , that as n o

par t of my obs e rvat ion s , e xcept on the Geo logy of Sh e tland , was or ig inal l y in tended to appear befor e the pu bl ic , I n eg l ec ted to

take su ch a plan of the for tre ss as the obje ct de se rv’ed.

It has be e n sa id , that n ot far from th is plac e , on d igg ing in a moss , s ix brass re l ics w e re fou nd , shaped l ik e fe tte r s , andw rapped in a strong h ide . The ir form has no t be en desc r ibed , and it wou ld , the r e fore , be absu rd to offe r any conjectu re r egard

in g the ir u se:

i See Plate of An tiqu i t ies in the Appe nd ix , Fig . 1 1 .

50 IS L AND OF FETL A R. 111

1311 11“

of Sm ith fi eld, from whom I rece ived a generou s welcome,I arr ived at the north-east ex

trem ity of the i sland, where i s an old fortress that bears the name of Stran dibu rgh . Myroad th en led along steep banks of conglomerate rocks to Fun z ie , a smal l open bay, on th ebanks of wh ich a booth has been long erected for th e conven ience of several boats thatprosecu te the l i ng fishery duri n g the summer mon th s

,at a d istance of forty m i le s from

la nd .

I t i s affirmed by t radi t ion,that the fleet under Harold H arfag re , which i nvaded

Shetland,fi rst sa i led to Funzi e

,but that th e Norwegian Monarch fi nding he could not pro

cure anchorage ih th i s i n secure harbour,s teered for some oth er part of the coun try

,where

,

at the i sland of Un st, he was more successfu l in effect i ng a land ing for h i s soldie rs .

About the m iddle of the las t century,the Van dela

,a Swed i sh vessel

,t radi ng to the

East I nd i e s, per i shed wi th i n a short d i stance of the booth of Fu nzi e sh e had on board asum to the amoun t of Sterl i ng

,i n vari ou s coi n s and pieces of s i lve r. About

of th i s money was fi shed up by mean s of d ivi ng apparatu s .At a smal l d i stance from Fu nz i e

,a remarkabl e instance of the effect of th u nder

,took

place about the m iddle of th e las t cen tury . A rock 105 feet long, 10 fee t broad,and i n

some places more than 4 fee t th ick , was i n an i ns tan t torn from i ts bed , and broken i ntoth ree large and several lesser fragments . O n e of these, 2 6 feet long

,10 fee t broad ,

and 4 feet th ick , was s imply turned over. The second, which was 2 8 feet long, 1 7

broad,and 5 feet i n th ickness, was hurled across a h igh poi n t of a rock to the d i stance of

50 yards . Another b roken mass,abou t 40 fee t long, was thrown st i l l farther, but i n th e

same di rect i on,qu i te in to the sea . There were also many lesser fragmen ts scattered up and

down .

*

From Funzi e,I proceeded sou th to the promon tory named the Snap of Fetlar

,which had

terminated,on a former occas ion

,my examinat ion of the m ineralogy of the coast of Tr iesta

Bay . From th i s poi n t I c rossed th e coun try i n a d i rect ion to U ri e . I t was imposs ible,i n

th i s route,n ot to admi re th e r ich loam wi th wh ich the val leys were enr iched

,and th i s

fecund i ty was O ften s i ngularly contras ted wi th the bare an d yel low surface of the serpen ti n eof

' th e Vord Hi l l,wh ich was overspread wi th a ferruginou s matter fata l to vegetat i on . A

considerab le number of she lt i e s were roam ing over the scatholds of the i sland, the breed o fth i s place bei ng cons idered as some of the best that Shetland produces .

I was presen ted,i n the I sland of Fe tlar , wi th specimens of pum ice , which , from thei r

smal l spec ific grav i ty,easi ly float on the water, and appear to have been driven to th e coas ts

of Shet land from the volcan ic rocks of Ice land . I t i s th en a questi on,from what cause

were th ese substances conveyed to Shetland ; were they th rown here by cu rrents of t ide ,propagated from the great d iu rnal undu lat i on of the Atlan t ic ? The ridge of one wavemust

,i n i ts northerly course

,have passed between Fe roe and Iceland

,and

,i n tak ing a

south erly d i rect ion , migh t have fa llen i n wi th another curren t wh ich passes betw eenShet land and Feroe, or Shetland and Norway whether

,from such a cau se

,th ese spec imens

of pumice have floated to the shores of Shetland,I shal l no t pretend to determ ine . There

For the nar rative of th is e ffe ct of l igh tn ing , I am inde bted to the MS. of the late Reve re nd Georg e L ow .

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152 ISLAND OF FETL A R.

[ITER I I I .

perhaps from the mode i n wh ich he was brough t up,to exposu re i n the open ai r. His

coun tenance certa i nly appeared very idi ot i c . His foreh ead,wh ich in th e l ower part pro

truded, was i n the upper part ret reat i ng, wh i l s t th e occipu t was d isproporti onably large, yetflattened on i ts surface . His ch in was very prom inen t

,h i s mouth remarkably wide

,and h i s

n ose parti cularly sharp. The" pupi l of th e eyes shewed the pi tchy black appearance

c haracteri s t i c of amauros i s, and the i r i s d id not con trac t or d i late upon th e sudden appl icat ion or wi thdrawi ng of a candle .

Upon fi rst h eari ng of th i s you th , I naturally expec ted that h i s sen se of odorou s substances wou ld be as acute as that of tangible bodi es . But i n th i s expectat ion I wasd i sappo in ted ; th ere was no evidence of a very perfect sen se of the power of smel l when Iwas presen t ; nor, from the represen tat ion of h is parents , am I i ncl i ned to th ink that i t wasever exh ib ited . The quest ion rather i s

,—Was the sen se blun ted or suspended From my

own observat i ons, and the enqu i ri e s wh ich I made, i t certai n ly d id not seem to beobl i

_

te rated .

* I t i s,th erefore

,n ot improbable

,that the c i rcumstance of the youth’s

id i oti sm , ascribed to h im by h i s paren ts, migh t have preven ted the part icular exert i on ofth i s organ .

I n th e course of my in terrogation relat ive to th e degree of i n te l lect wh ich th i s s i ngularly dest i tu te be ing has exh ib i ted, I learned fromh i s moth er, that . she had brough t tench i ldren in to th e world

,some of whom were l iv i ng

,bu t that she had a daugh ter

,who soon

after he r b irth became bl i nd,and had always exh ib i ted u nequ ivocal marks of men tal

imbeci l i ty . Th i s female was two years older than her brother David,being of th e age

Of twen ty-seven . The torpor of her i n tel lectual facu l t i es was i nd icated by an i ndoci l i ty ofapprehen s i on

,and con fused art i culat ion

,wh ich could n ot be rendered subserv ien t to the

purposes of speech . Thus,th e probab i l i ty of th e son’s i d iot i sm was stren gthened by

th e heredi tary pred i spos i t ion to i t,which appears to have ex i sted i n the fam ily. But

i t must he con fessed , a t the same t ime , that such a state of fatu i ty i s d iffi cul t to beproved

,i n an i nd ividual possessi ng so few avenues by wh ich external objects can be

conveyed to th e m ind . The lad’s sen se of touch , for i n s tance, appeared to be perfect,and we are en t i tled to suppose , that i t n ecessari ly i ncluded every abstract n ot ion ofpercepti on wh ich a san e inte l lec t would possib ly en terta i n — that i t i nvolved th e i nd iv idual i ty

,number and posmon of material objects as th ey coe xi st i n space, or as they are con

tin u ou s i n poi n t of t ime . His careful select ion of the objects wh ich he ch ose to hand le,in dicated correct not ion s of form ,

magn i tude, and of the comparat ive hardness of bodies, asthey more or less res i s t h i s muscular con tract ion s . His preference of part icular k inds Offood

,al so evi nced th e comparat ive di st i nct i on wh ich he was accustomed to make i n th e

varied nature of sapid bod i es . Respecti ng, also, the generati on of ideas i n the m ind , afterthe cau ses wh ich have exc i ted sen sat ion s are wi thdrawn

,th ere appeared to be a suffic ien t

state of effi c iency i n the law of ideal associat i on , al though the ev idence on th i s poin t wasconfined to a few of the most s imple even ts . Prev iou sly to receiv ing food

,th e mother of

I paid a second vis i t to David Ta it , for the pu rpose of satisfyin g myse lf u pon the state of the organ of sme l l , by the app l icat ion ofvar iou s su bstan ce s to h is nostr i ls b u t

, u n for tu nate l y for my pu rpose , the day on wh ich I re tu r n ed , happe n ed to he the time

of h is re pose , w he n his pare n ts w e re natu ral ly ve ry u nw i l l ing t hat he shou ld be d istu r bed.

ITER m . )ISL AND OF FETL A R. 153

David taps h i s hand wi th a spoon,wh ich i s recogn i sed by th e poor object as a si gn al tha t

she i s prepari ng to sat i s fy h i s hu nger. I n an i n stan t , therefore , h i s hands are extended torece i ve the bason in wh ich i s con ta i ned h is pottage. I f, then , th e sen ses of touch and tasteare perfect , and i f the law of associ at ion by wh i ch per cept ion s are reproduced i n the s tate ofideas be equally effic ien t, in what way i s the you th

’s supposed defic i ency of i n tel lec t to bedetected ? Metaphys ica l wri ters conce ive that the reason ing power of man i s on ly el ic i tedwhen

,upon the oc cas i on of two or more obj ects be i ng brough t i n to th e v iew of the

m i nd,the i r mu tual correspondences are d i scovered ; hence are supposed to ari se ou r

not ion s of relat ion . At len gth , th en , we may perhaps draw th e d i st i nc ti on betweenid iot i sm and a sane s tate of i n tel lect . The percept ion s of relat i on comprehended bythe youth

,were deri ved from the con templat i on of th e fewest poss ib le obj ects ; but n o

relati on s cou ld be fe l t,that must resu l t from the reflecti on of a numerous tra in of ideas

assoc iated i n th e m ind,part icu larly i f they were of an abstrac t nature

,as those wh ich belong

to number and mensu rat ion . The reason , then , of Ta i t , resembled th e feeb le d i scr im i nati on of the lower race of an imal s

,be ing l im i ted to few obj ects , and be ing i ncapab le of much

vari ety or improvemen t . I n th i s respect , th e i n teres t of the presen t case i s much d imin ished parti cu larly when placed i n compar i son wi th that of James Mi tchel l , a deaf andbl i nd youth of much d i scr im i nat i on , whose si t uat i on has been so ably descr i bed by the penof Professor S tewart .

I t was , i n the next p lace , an importan t enqui ry , What were the part icu lar obj ects wh ich ,i n affecti ng a you th of th i s k i nd

,would appear to be orig i nal sources of grat ificati on . I t i s

very man i fest,from the del igh t wh ich i nfant s take i n certai n colours , sounds, odours and

sapid bodies,wh i le certa i n oth er obj ects are d i sagreeabl e to them

,that there i s a predi s

pos i t i on to receive pleasu re and pai n from parti cular objec ts i n preference to others . Whenfi rs t observed

,David had no sens ib le obj ect w i th i n h i s grasp . I t was then cur i ous to .

observe th e i n numerable muscular con tracti on s of h i s fingers,and the veloc i ty wi th wh ic h

each mot ion was execu ted, i n order to produce a rapid change of the i r pos i t ion . The

sol i tary c i rcumstance of vari ed m uscu lar con tracti on,exerted i n parts of the body bes t

calcu lated to produce th e effect,was

,in fact

,th e origi n from wh ich much of the enjoymen t

of th i s i nd ivi dual was derived . Metaphys ic ian s may refer al l our enj oyments o f touch,as o f

many oth er senses,to the same source of vari ed pos i t ion

,bu t i t i s on ly i n such a des t i tu te

be ing as Ta i t,where these are unm ixed wi th mot ives of act ion ari s ing from any other organ s

of sen sat ion , except occasi onally those of smel l or tas te , that specu lati on s on th e abstrac tsou rces of sen s i t i ve pleasure can be confirmed . I t was of importance to ascertai n

,i n th e

next place , what obj ec ts , by be i ng opposed to , and by con sequen tly res i st i ng the muscu larcon tracti on s of h i s fingers

, (wh ich i s al l we mean , when we speak of obj ec ts of touch ,)appeared to afford the highe st grat ificat ion . The an swer given by the mother, when ani n terrogatory to th i s effect was pu t to her relat ing to h er son

,was i n th e h ighes t degre e

sat i sfactory. I t afforded th e most d irec t proof of th e law to w h i ch ou r pleasures are subj ect .That there may be a con t i n uat i on of agreeabl e sensat i on s, i t i s n ecessary that the causes o fthem shou ld be cont i nual ly vari ed . The most beaut i fu l landscapes, or the mos t exqu i s i temonuments of art, when long opposed to vi s i on , lose al l th ei r capt ivat i ng power. Apply i ng

U

154 IS L AND OF FETL A R.

[ ITER ”1.

th i s pri nc iple, therefore , to the case of Ta it , and conce ivi ng i t h igh ly possib le, that theabstrac t causes of pleasu rable sen sa t ion s i n touch

,migh t i n th i s i nd iv idual be exempl ified

,I

proposed a questi on to the paren t, “What d id the lad l ike best to handle P” Every th ingthat h e can al ter the shape of

,

” answered the mother . Th i s d i rect reply comprehended al lthat m igh t have been an ti c ipated . She at the same t ime referred to the flexible sub stancesi n the cottage

,as to wollen and l i nen clothes , materia l s of cotton , or to straw . These were

th e objects the form of wh ich h e cou ld change,and they consequen t ly yi elded h im the

greates t sum of enj oymen t .At the same t ime

,when d ifferen t substance s were presen ted to th e lad

,he preferred

th ose wh ich had smooth surfaces to those wh ich were uneven or rough : thu s the outs ide ofth e tea-kett le

,coated wi th sooty matter

,was part icularly d i sagreeable to h im . The sense of

tas te,owmg to the poverty of h i s paren ts , has had l i tt le opportun i ty of bei ng grat ified by

vari e ty : al l that I could l earn on th i s subj ect was , that , i n preference to fish,be ch iefly l ives

on meal pottage,wi th whi ch he i s gen eral ly fed by h i s moth er from a spoon .

I have heard a cel ebrated metaphys ic i an enumerate as origi na l obj ects of des i re,

soc i ety,knowledge

,power

,th e esteem of men

,the happ iness of those whom we love

,or the

affl ict i on of those whom we hate . Al l or most of th ese , wh i ch I sh ould be d i sposed to consider on a d i fferen t theory as original sou rces of gratificat ion , may , I th i nk , be traced i nTa i t ; though i t wou ld necessari ly requ i re a long acquain tance wi th h is hab i ts to detect i nh im th ose affec t i on s wh ich w e may be d i sposed to con sider as purely i n st inct ive . That hei s susc ept ible of resen tmen t

,as we l l as of friendly attachmen t, can be eas i ly shewn . The

attachmen t wh ich he expresses towards h i s mother , who constant ly feeds h im ,i s sa id to

be remarkable . Th i s i s denoted by a restlessn ess,when he cannot

,by feel i ng every obj ect

around h im,detect her presence her maternal offices of k indness are al so preferred before

those of any other i nd ividual .I t may be now not iced that David’s i n terval of t ime

,set apart for sleep

,i s never

regula r,be i ng very i ndeterm inate in length i t may al so so happen , that e i ther the day or

the n igh t const i tu te s h is hou rso

of v igi lance . Th i s c i rcumstance afford s an addi t i ona l proofhow l i tt le h i s habi ts have been under the controu l of proper tu i t ion .

An opportun i ty hav ing occurred to me,of exam in ing more nar rowlv th e person of Ta i t ,

I found that th e sternum was much protruded , and that the lumbar and dorsal vertebraewere somewhat curved but whether th i s e ffect could be attr ibu table to some di sease , as torachi t i s, or whether, on the other hand, i t resul ted from a mere habi tua l pos i t i on of th etrunk

,wh ich had been ben t forwards equally wi th the stern um ,

I could not learn . I t however appeared , that th is state of the body much favoured th e att i tude i n wh ich I fi rs tobserved h im ,

when he was warm ing h im sel f by the fi re . He was in a posture not un l ikethat wh ich i s described as pecul iar to th e Moors —h e was n ot actually seated , but seemedmost at h i s case , when h i s extrem i t i es were gath ered up to th e trunk , and h i s ch i n was atperfect rest upon h i s knees . I was

,however

,not a l i t t le surpri sed to fi nd, that a squatti ng

pos i t i on was mai nta i ned i n h i s gai t . The u sual erect att i tude of man was certai n ly noth ab i tual to h im

,and when I d i rec ted that i t sh ou ld be i nduced by coerc i on , i t was main

tain ed with very uneasy feel ings, wh i ls t i t s con t inuance met wi th h i s dec ided res i stance . I

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156 IS LAND OF FETL A R. “TER I“,

Esq.

,i s s i tuated on the south—west extrem i ty of th e i sland, be ing bu i lt on a s i te of ri s i ng

ground at the head of a smal l i n le t of th e sea , and command i ng a clear vi ew of th e raggedand i nden ted coast of Yel l on the east ar i ses a ridge of serpen t i ne, known by the name ofGal low-h i l l

,wh i ch was an occas iona l place of execut ion i n the coun try, duri ng the oppress ive

period when feudal i ty exerc i sed i ts lawles s domi n ion over the i nj u red udalle rs on the wes ti s a steep headland

,defended by two sem ici rcu lar ramparts of earth , the i nn er one being fi v

’e

yard s,and the outer one ten yards i n breadth . A d i tch i n te rvenes . much fi l led up

,that i s

n ow about five yards broad and two deep there i s al so an outer fosse , of n early the samed ime n s ions . I n the area th us defended

,may be traced th e remai n s of a burgh but

whether th i s s tructure i s to be con s idered as cotemporary wi th the fort ificati on,i s h igh ly

qu es t ionable z— I scarce ly dare pronounce w i th much confidence the camp to beRoman .

The tumul tuou s channel of Blom el Sound separates the wes t o f Un st from Yel l , wherethere always occurs an oppos i t i on of t ides , that i s to be explai n ed i n connect io n wi th th e

g reat wave of ti de wh ich performs i ts c i rcu i t round th e sh ores of Bri ta i n . L esse r c urren t sare generated dur ing the progress of the wave, wh ich , runn i ng i n a di rect i on of north w i ththe flood

,an d south wi th the ebb

,set i n nearly an h our sooner on the western than on th e

eastern coasts of the coun try . I t w i l l be eviden t,therefore

,that i n any chan nel wh ich

commun icates w i th the oppos i te coas ts of the country,as in B lome l Sound

,t ides propagated

a t success ive i n te rva ls of t ime wi l l be n atural ly opposed to each othe r. S i r Robert Si bbaldhas l ong s i nce remarked

,that th e t ide i n Uyea Sound, on th e east of Un st

,flow s an h our

later than that of Blome l Sound on the west , though on ly two m i les d i stan t an d Mr Giffordhas al so stated

,that when the great cu rren t i n the m idd le of the sound sets n orth

,there i s

an eddy , derivi ng i ts course from oppos i te shores , that sets a s fas t sou th , an d so sh i ft s abou tas the great curren t al te rs.

About five mi les from Belmon t i s th e open .bay of Wick,where there is a h ouse and

fi sh in g-booth belonging to Mr Scott of Greenwel l . O n a large headland to the south ,

foundat i ons of smal l hu ts have been traced,wh ich probably were places of refuge for the

anci en t i nh ab i tant s of Shetland on th e appearance of an enemy,where they safely l odged

th ei r cattl e and other property . The Mau l or promon tory i s natural ly protected by th es teepness of i ts banks , wh ich overhan g th e sea , and on th e land side by rough crags an drocks

,the defence of wh i ch was ass i s ted by the erect i on of a strong wal l

,n o part of wh ich

n ow remai n s . West of th e Moul i s a rock,where are th e rema in s of an anci ent burgh

,

destroyed by time and wi lful d i lapidati on . I t i s,I bel ieve , a l i ttl e south of Wick that Mr

L ow of O rkney found a burgh named Sn abu rgh , formed by a double c i rcu lar wall , wh ichcon tained large apartmen ts , several ly of a shape that was oblong, an d widen i ng at eachextrem i ty . The s i tuat i on of th e fort was close to . a loch

,defended partly by the water

,an d

partly by a we t d i tch , and rampart composed of loose stones .*

At the head of the i nle t of Wick the d reary h i l l of Vallafi el rears i ts lofty head,on the

oppos i te s ide of wh ich , i s a long val ley , watered by severa l loch s, that run s paral lel wi th th e

Th e figu r e of th is bu rgh , wh ich is cop ied from M r Low’s or ig inal Ske tch , is g ive n in the Plate of An tiqu it ies , Appe nd ix ,Fig . 1 2 .

ITER ISL AND OF UNST. 157

coast . The bill term inates close to th e sea, at a wel l-she l tered fert i l e del l n ear Woodwick,

rendered i n terest i ng to the m ineralogi st by the crystal s of grenat i te wh ich are so abundan tlyd i ffused throughout i ts rocks .

K IRK OF BA L IA STA,ISLAND O F UNST .

A walk th rough the val ley near Woodwick l eads to a large open lawn at th e head ofthe L och of Cl i ff

,wh ich seemed very populou s and wel l cu l t ivated . I arri ved there on th e

Sabbath morn ing : th e natives of th e Vale were al l i n mot i on i n the i r way to th e K i rk ofBaliasta. Th e peasan t had retu rn ed home from the b leak scathold, where he had en sn aredthe un shod poney that was dest i n ed to convey h im to th e pari sh k irk . No curry-comb wasappl ied to the animal’s name

,which

,l eft to nature’s care

, ruflled at speed , and dan c’d i n

every wi nd .

”The nag was graced wi th a modern saddle and bridl e

,whi le on h i s n eck was

hung a hai r-cord,several yards i n length

,wel l bundled up ; from the extrem ity of wh i ch

dangled a wooden short poi n ted stake . The Shetlander then moun ted h i s t i ny cou rser, h i ssuspended hee ls scarcely spurn ing th e ground . But among the goodly company journeyi n gto the k i rk , females and boys graced the back of the shel ty wi th much more effect tha nlong-l egged adu l ts of the male sex

,whose toes were often obl iged to be sudden ly rai sed

,for

the pu rpose of escap ing the con tact of an accidental bou lder that was s trewed i n the way .

A bevy of fai r ladi es next made th ei r appearance,seated i n l ike manner on the dwar fi sh

steeds of th e coun try,who swept over the pla i n wi th admi rable fleetn ess, and w itch

’d th e

world wi th nob le horsemansh ip .

each r ider in success ion,whether of h igh or low degree

,l ooked out for as gree n a s i te of

The pari sh ioners at l ength arrived near the ki rk , when

ground as could be selec ted,and after disn i ou n ting, carefu l ly un ravelled th e tether wh i c h

had been t ied to the neck of th e an imal . The s take at the en d of th e cord was th en fixedi n to th e ground

,and the s teed appeared to be as sat i sfactori ly prov ided for dur i ng div i n e

serv ice, as i n any less aborigi nal di str ic t of Bri ta i n , where i t would be n ecessary to r ide up

to an i nn , and to comm i t the care of the horse to some saucy lordl ing of the stabl es .

The ki rk was remarkably crowded,s i n ce th ere was a sermon to be preached i nc iden ta l

to the admi n i s trat i on of the Sacramen t ; on wh ich occas ion I had an opportun i ty of see ingthe convuls i on fi ts to wh ich th e rel ig ious congregat ion s of Shet land are subjec t . The

i ntroduct ion of th i s malady i n to the coun try i s referred to a date of nearly a cen tury ago,

and i s attribu ted to a woman who had been subj ect to regular paroxysms of epi lepsy, one ofwh ich occurred duri ng d i vi ne service. Among adul t females

,and ch i ldren of th e male sex ,

at the tender age of s i x,fi ts then became sympathe ti c . The pat i en t compla i ned, for a con

side rable t ime,of a palp i tat ion of the heart ; fa in t i ng en sued , and a mot ion les s state lasted

for more than an hour. But,i n the course of t ime

,th i s malady i s said to have undergon e a

mod ificat ion such as i t exh ib i ts at the presen t day . The femal e, whom i t had at tacked ,would sudden ly fal l down

,toss her arms about

,wri the her body i n to vari ous shapes , move

her head sudden ly from s ide to s ide , and , wi th eyes fixed and stari ng, send forth the mostd i smal cr ies . I f the fi t had occu rred on any occasi on of pub l ic d ivers i on , she would, assoon as i t had ceased

,mix w ith her compan ion s

,and con t i nue her amusement as i f noth ing

158 IS L AND OF UNST[ITER 111,

had happened . Paroxysms of th i s k i nd preva i led most during th e warm mon ths ofsummer ; an d about fifty years ago

,there was scarcely a Sabbath i n wh ich they d id not

occu r. S trong pass ion s of the m ind,i nduced by rel ig ious enthus iasm

,were al so the exci ti ng

causes of these fi ts ; but. l ike al l such fa lse token s of d iv i ne work ings , they were easi lycoun ter-acted

,by produc ing i n pati en ts such opposi te states of m i nd, as ari se from a sen se of

shame thus they are u nder the con troul of any sen sib le preacher , who wi l l adm in i ster to am ind di sease

,— who wi l l expose th e fol ly of volun tar i ly yi eld i ng to a sympathy so eas i ly

res i s ted,or of i nv i t i ng such at tacks by affectat ion . An in te l l i gent and p iou s mi n i ster of

Shetland i nformed me,that be ing cons iderably annoyed on h i s fi rs t i n troduct ion i n to th e

coun try by these paroxy sms, whereby the devoti on s of the church were much impeded , heobviated the i r repet i t i on

,by assuri ng h i s pari sh i oners

,that no treatmen t was more effectual

than immers ion i n cold water,and as h i s ki rk was fortunately cont iguous to a fresh-water

lake,he gave not ice that attendan ts should be at hand , duri ng div i ne servi ce, to en sure the

proper mean s of cure . The sequel n eed scarcely be told . The fear of be i ng carried ou to f the church

,and i n to th e water

,acted l ike a charm ; not a s i ngle Naiad was made , and

t he worthy m in i ste r has,for many years

,had reason to boast of one of the

o

best regulatedcongregat i on s i n Shetland .

When I attended the ki rk of Baliasta,a female sh riek

,th e i ndicat ion of a convuls i on-fi t,

was heard ; th e m in i s ter (Mr Ingram of Fetlar) very prope r ly stopped h i s d i scourse, un t i lth e d i stu rber was removed and after advis i ng al l those who though t they migh t be s im i larl ya ffected to leave th e ch urch , he gave ou t i n the mean t ime a psalm . The congregati on wasthu s preserved from farther i n terrupt ion ; for, on leaving the k i rk, I saw several femaleswri th i ng and toss i ng about th ei r arms on the gree n grass , who durst not , for fear of acensure from the pulpi t

,exh ibi t th emselves after th i s manner w i th i n th e sacred wall s of th e

k i rk .

H ERMA NESS TO HARO LDSW ICK,ISLAND OF UNST .

After sk i rt ing along the east of the L och of Cl iff,wh ich i s s i tuated i n a beauti fu l val ley

of l imestone between rocks of gne i ss an d serpen ti ne,I crossed some low ground at the head

of th e water,and arrived at Bu r rafi ord , (general ly named Burra Fi rth), which i s a wide bay,

so open to the ocean as to afford no refuge for sh ips i t i s bounded on the east and west bylofty banks of gnei ss, and at the head of the in le t i s a low, sandy shore , con t iguous to whichsevera l cottages appeared

,along with a smal l bu i ld i ng i n tended for the curi ng of fi sh . The

heavy sea and surf,wh ich had succeeded to a few boi ste rous days, prevented me from vi s i t

i ng two large caverns wh ich commun icated wi th the water th e large r of these i s said to beformed by a grand natural arch of con s iderable heigh t

,and wide en ough to admi t the sai l

i n g of a boat for a d is tance of 300 feet . The h igh banks of Burra Fi rth , and the stackscontiguous to i t

,are frequen ted by numberless flocks of bi rds

,such as gull s an d scarfs and

along wi th these the lyre,or Pr om/[ar iapufi fnm ,

— th e Tomnorry, or A im ar rtz'

ra,— and the

ki tt iwake, or L ar zzs Rz'

ssa. The i r n es ts are annually v i s i ted by the n imble and adven turousrockmen , who, for the sake of plu nder, land wi th boats at the foot of the most h ideous

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160 ISLAND OF UNST . [ ITER Il l .

At th e h ead of th e i n let,where a heavy surf con t i nual ly breaks , i s a fi shing-booth wi th

several cottages,and wel l cu l t i vated patches of land : th e picturesque effect of the whole

bei ng heigh tened by the shat tered remai n s of an arch belongi ng to St J oh n’s Ki rk of Norw i ck .

After cross i ng some bl eak h i l l s of se rpent ine, an open bay appears i n V i ew,much

exposed to the ocean,and affordi ng n ot the leas t shel te r for sh ipp ing. Th i s i n le t

,named

Haroldswick,i s celebrated for bei ng th e place to wh i ch Harold H arfagre sa i led after he had

touched at Funzi e i n the I sl e of Fe tlar, and i t was here that h e landed , i n order to wrestSh etland from the possess ion of Norwegian pi rates , to whose vessel s i ts n umerous bays hadl ong afforded a protect ion .

‘

O n the brow of a b ill are the remai n s of a sepulch ral tumulusof l oose stones

,wh ich bears th e name of Harold’s Grave, but as the death of th i s monarch

d id not occur i n Shetland , i t wou ld be id l e to offer any conjecture upon the origi n of theappel lat i on . The Barrow was open ed some years ago, but what descript i on of rel ic s i tcon ta i ned I could not learn .

CRUCIFIEID ,ISLAND OF UNST.

South of Haroldswick are bleak and barren h i l l s of serpen ti n e, the most con spic iou s ofwh ich i s Cru c i fi eld , where there ar e ci rcu lar ranges of ston es that have, wi th l i tt l e reason ,been supposed D r u z

’

dz'

r . Th e Druids bel i eved that the pecu l iar res idence of thei r de i ty wasamong groves of oak

,and i t was beneath the shade of such trees that Cel t i c oratori es were

con structed . But the Scand i nav ian s had no venerat ion for any trees,wi th the except ion of

the ash,th e i r temples be ing often bu i l t on h igh exposed places, where no forests had ever

i n s i nuated the i r roots . As i t i s evident, therefore, that the bare su rface of the h i l l of Crucifi eld n ever could have supported the growth of trees, we must be prepared to cons ider thesec i rcles of stones as Scand inavian Temples , sacred to th e rights of the de i t ies of the Edda .

While,i n th i s record of the tenets of the Teu ton i c t ribes who fol lowed Od i n i n to th e w i lds

of Scand i nav ia , an un iversal and ben e fi cen t Father was acknowledged under th e name ofA lfade r , as wel l as a person ified evi l pri nc iple under th e name of Su rtu r , vari ous fables arenarrated concern ing the origi n of gi an ts , of dwarfs, and of the proper human race , as wel l asof a man named Bru re , from whom were descended th ree gods, s t i led Od i n , Vi le and Ve ,who ruled between them both heaven and earth : of these .Odi n was the most powerful .Th i s god i n a short t ime marri ed Fr igga, from whom was descended th e fam i ly of the Ases ,or of th e gods

,w h i ls t Thor

,or the fi rst born

,was th e most renowned for valou r. I t was

promised to th e freeborn of Scand inav ia, that i f they fel l by the sword , they were to beadmit ted to Valhal la , or the hal l of Odi n , where heroes m igh t have the pleasure of dai lycutt i ng each other to pieces i n battle ; but, as soon as th e hour of repast should approach ,th ey would be restored to l i fe and heal th , i n ord er that they migh t eat boar’s flesh

,an d

dr ink beer an d mead out of th e skul l s of the i r enem ies . On th e other hand,there was a

place,cons i s ti ng of n i n e worlds, where Hela, wi th the di rest horrors, i nfl i c ted pun i shmen ts

on those who had died of d i sease or old age .

I t i s n ot unl ikely that th e Scand i nav ians, in the c i rcular ranges of uprigh t s tonesthat

ITER ISL AND OF UNST . 1 6 1

composed thei r temples and court s of j ud icature, im i tated th e rel igi ou s st ructures of th eCel t ic people

“

,whom they had succeeded i n th e possess i on of certa i n European terr i tor i e s

i t i s al so probable,that many Dru idic temples wh ich had been abandoned by th e Cel ts i n

the i r fl igh t to more secure realms,became occup ied by thei r i nvaders, who dedicated th em

to some dei ty of th e Edda . Yet,a s lofty co lumn s of s tones do not seem to have been

absolu te ly n ece ssary to the construct i on of Scand inavian temples, we often find that thel im i ts of a holy s i te of ground were described i n the most s imple manner, by shal lowfurrows scooped i n to th e earth

,wi th i n wh ich loose stones of vari ous s i zes were strewed .

Accordingly,such a structure d is ti ngu i shes th e j uridi cal remai n s that appear on the h i l l of

C ru c i fi e ld .

A remark has been made, (page tha t when

,i n the n in th centu ry

,colon i s t s from

Norway peopled Iceland,th ei r fi rs t obj ec t was to erec t a temple

'

to th e god Thor. I t i s,

th erefore,s ingular

,tha t n ear to the place where Harold H arfagre landed i n th e I sland of

Fetlar, and near Haroldswick , to wh ich be subsequen tly sa i led , certa i n appearances shouldbe presen ted

,i ndicat ive of s im i la r honours that were pai d to some dei ty .

The s i tes of ground now under exam inat i on are th ree i n n umber. The fi rs t ofthese is n ot far from the K irk of Baliasta i t i s formed by th ree concentri c c i rc les ,c u t i nto th e stratum of soi l that covers the serpen t i n e

,i n to wh ich bou lder s tone s

or earth were th rown,un t i l they rose above the leve l of th e ground . The d iamete r of the

ou termost c i rcl e i s 6 7 fee t, of th e m idd le one 54% feet,and of the i nn ermost 40 feet .

There i s a smal l cen tra l tumulus of s tones i n th e m idd le of th e i ncl osure,1 2 fee t i n

d iameter, th e presence of wh ich i s n o un frequen t i nd ica t i on of a Scand inav ian temple . I twas customary on a cen tral stone

,or h eap of s tones

,to sacr ifice h uman vict im s to Thor

,

wh ich was effected by cru sh i ng or breaki n g th e spi ne . Rite s of th i s ki nd were also m ingledwith the dut ies of legi s la t ion i t was at some general convocat i on for th i s pu rpose

,after th e

a l tars and worsh ippers of Od in had been spri nk led wi th the blood of immolated vict ims,

that leaders were e lected under a vow to defend the i r coun try,to revenge i t s i nju ri es

,an d

to extend i ts boundari es that taxes were levied for the mai n tenance of re l igi ou s r i te s an dceremon ies

,and that suppl i es of men and vesse l s were voted as nece ssary for th e support of

predatory excurs ion s, or for defence . I n such convocat ion s

,th erefore

,th e concentri c

ranges of c i rc les m igh t be i n tended to separate i nd iv idual s of greater or lesser rank,who

offic iated i n the ceremon ies of rel igi on or legi s la ti on,wh i le th e populace stood on th e ou t

s ide .

Abou t a m i le t o the east of the temple thu s described , i s a second , yet smalle r s i te ofground , formed , l i ke the fi rst, by three concen tric c i rc les, i n th e cen tre of wh ich i s a tumulus the d iameter of the outermost c i rcle be i ng 55fee t , and of the cen tral heap

'

10% feetand at the d i stance of abou t 80 fee t from the second templ e i s a th i rd

,con s i s t ing of a

cen tral tumulus, i nc losed by no more than two concen tr ic c i rc les, th e diameter of the ou termost being 2 2 feet

,and of the i nnermos t 1 7 feet .* There are reason s for supposi ng that

these s i te s of ground were i n tended for popular j ur id ical assembl i es ; th e cen tral space be ing

For a repre sen tation of these con cen tr ic c i rc le s , See Plate ofAn tiqu i tie s in the Appe nd ix , Fig . 15and 16.

6 2 ISL AND OF UNST .

[ ITER-I I I .

devoted to th e recept ion of th e Foude or Judge, the accu sed, and the evidences wh i le theconcentr ic c ircl-es‘ “

div ided i n an order of precedence, counsel lors , men of landed rank , an dth e lowes t orders of s oc iety . The place of execut i on for any crim i nal condemned

'

by th evo ice of the people

,was wi thou t the prec i n cts of th e s i te that was con sidered hal lowed

,

be ing on one of the con t iguous peaks of'

th e h i l l s named the H eogs for,probably

,l ike the

Ho ly Mou n t of Ice land wh ich was ded icated to Thor, th e s i t e of the temple was cons ideredso sacred

,that i t cou ld not be de fi led by th e blood of a crim inal . O n e of the smal l peaks,

which ri ses abruptly,l ike an art ificial tumulus

,from the h igh platform of a h i l l

,i s named

Hanger B eog, an d a t th e foo t of i t i s a heap of ston es, wh ich wen t under th e t i t le of theP lace of Just ice . The top of the peak was reached by a fl igh t of rude steps , where anotherh eap was to be seen

,named th e Place of Execut i on . A trad i t i on preva i ls , that whatever

crim i nal ascended th e stepsof Hanger H eog never came down al ive ; and , i n confi rmati onof the account

,two bod i e s , supposed to have been executed cr im i nals , were , about s ixty

years ago,found buried i n d i sorder near the base of th e lower heap of s tones . But i f any

accused person,after h ear ing the sen tence of the L agman

,was desi rous to appeal to th e

vo ic e of the peopl e,h e tri ed to e ffect h i s escape i n a di rec t ion that led to th e more westerly

ci rcle of stones s i tuated on an adj oi n i ng h i l l , an d i f h e could reach i n safety that sacred s i teof ground ,

h is l i fe was preserved bu t i f the popular i nd ignat i on was agai n st h im,he was

pursued On h i s way to th e sanctuary, and any one before he reach ed i t m igh t put h im todeath . Such a pract ice was long cont i nued ; bu t on th e conversion of the country toChri st ian i ty

,the Pagan temple was superseded by the erect i on of a ch urch , wh ich formed

th e lates t place of refuge . Several crosses,scooped i n th e earth , sh ew the places where

malefactors have been sla i n i n pursu i t ; hence the name which has been given to the h i l lof Cr uafi eld. The j u rid ic ia l assembly held at Un st was afterwards removed to the Vale of

T i ngwal l on the Mai nland ,where the same mode i n wh ich a condemned person m igh t make

an appeal to the peopl e,was , t i l l a very late peri od , preserved .

To’

rfaeu s states , that th e Pagan su persition s of Shetland were fi rs t abol i shed by thearr ival of Ki ng O lave T r igu esson i n to the earldom of O rkney , who in troduced Chri st ian i tyamong th e colon ies of Norway at th e poi n t of the sword . L and i ng at South Ronaldsay, hei nvi ted Earl S igurd on board one of h i s vessel s , wi th wh ich request th e un suspect i ng ch ief,accompan ied by h i s young son H indiu s , compl ied .

“ You are now,” sa id the monarch

,

fal len i nto my power,an d I pr0pe se to you one of these two cond i t ions Profess, with al l

u nder your dom in ion , the Chr i st ian rel igi on , presen t yourself at the fon t for bapti sm ,yi eld

me homage,and wh i le your l ibert ies are enjoyed accord i ng to th e u sage

’

of your an cestors,

con s ider your possess ion of the coun try as du e to my courtesy : be also my fri end for ever,an d , by obeyi ng the mandates of God, part ic ipate wi th h im for the t ime to come i n h i sheaven ly k ingdom . O r

,on the other hand

,hes i tate to comply wi th my demand , an d

immediate death awa i ts you . Un less also your people chuse to profes s, upon th i s veryspot

,what wi l l be to them the i r true l iberty

,—the ri tes of Chri st ian i ty,— the whole of the

i slands shal l be destroyed by fi re and sword . Refuse me, —an d ye may expect , as meremortal s

,that at th isi n stan t of t ime , an extreme calami ty awai ts you , wh i le ber eafter a much

m ore severe consequence wi l l en sue , —an eternal pun i shmen t .” “ Tru ly, 0 King "” repl ied

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164 ISL AND O F UNST .

[ITER III.

obtai ned th e warmest thanks of the Royal Soci ety of L ondon,and of the Nat ional I n st i tute

of Pari s . The party who, duri ng M . B iot’s v i s i t,prosecuted th e trigonometrical survey of

Great Br i tai n,were encamped i n Bal ta I sland .

The Hil l of Cru c i fi e ld , H agdale , Bu n ess, and other places i n the immed iate v ici n i ty ofBal ta Sound , abound wi th that valuable substance h itherto ch iefly obtai n ed from America,named th e Chromate of I ron . I d iscovered i t in d i ffe rent parts of the serpent i ne rock

,i n

the form of i nsulated masse s of var iou s s izes an d th ose port i on s of the m ineral wh ich havebeen loosened by the di s in tegrat i on of th e rock i n wh ich they were contai ned

,seemed to be

strewed about the h i l l s,i n a d irec t i on west from H agdale , for an exten t of several m i les .*

Among the serpent i ne h i l l s , wh ich , i n quest of th e ch romate of i ron , I took much labouri n explori ng

,there i s a pure stream that has long been celebrated for i ts supposed sanat ive

vi rtues . I t was of late years u sual to walk to i ts source , and on an adj oi n i ng s i te of groundto th row th ree s tones . Th i s cu stom i s so old , that a con s iderable p i le has been rai sed bythese offer ings but as the i nfluence of the wate r god has been long on the wane, th e ackn owledgmen t i s now much less frequently paid . I t was also u sual

,after the sacrifice to the

de i ty had been made, to drink of th e water of the spri ng, wh ich i nsured health to thezealous imbiber. Hence the stream acqu i red the name of Ye labu rn or H ie labu

’

rn,that i s

,

the Burn of Heal th .

CASTLE O F MOUNESS, ISLAND O F UNST.

My next excurs i on was across the Vord H i l l,so named from some anci en t watch

tower wh ich crowned i ts summ i t, when I came i n v iew of the long b leak l i ne of th e eastcoast

,that i s term inated on the north by th e I slands of H u n ie and Bal ta . On reach ing the

Bay of Sandwick,th e fine wh i te sand of wh ich st rongly reflected the rays of the sun

,I

ascended a headland that forms the sou th-east extrem i ty of Un st, an d arrived at th e ancien t

castl e of Mou n ess , founded by a Scot ti sh gen t leman of the n ame of L awrence Bruce . Hismother was Euphem ia

,daughter to L ord Elphingston , th e same frai l dame who, hav ing

born a ch i ld to James V.,afterwards en te red i n to an honourable all iance w i th Bruce of

Cu ltmalindie . He who was the frui t of th i s marriage,th u s became the half brother of

Robert S tewart, Abbot of Holyrood, and afterwards Earl of O rkney. I t un fortunate lyhappened

,that L awrence Bruce, i n a private al tercat i on , s lew h i s antagon i st . I t i s th en

supposed,that , th rough th e i n tercess i on of h i s relat i on Earl Robert Stewart, who possessed

great intere st at court , h e was al lowed to form an und i stu rbed set t lemen t in Shetland . O n

reach i ng th i s coun try,where h e was accompan ied by his cous i n Wil l iam Bruce

,he bought

up a quan t i ty of land from th e d istressed udal lers of Shetland , and, on the estate wh ich hethu s acqui red

,completed

,i n the year 1598, the spac i ous mansi on of Mou n ess. Th i s castle

,

th e princ ipal wal l s of wh ich st i l l remai n en ti re , s tands near the sea, surrounded wi th a fewlow hovels . I t i s th ree storeys i n height, two of i t s corners being surmounted by roundhangi ng towers

,wh i l s t a t two other angles, much larger turrets ri se from the ground . At

Th e accou n t of my d iscove ry of Ch romate of I ron w i l l be g iven at the c lose of the work .

ITER ISL AND OF UNST. 165

th e same t ime , th e cas tel lated st i l e i s i ntended rather for show than for rea l defence . O n

en teri ng a passage of no great width , a ki tchen and apartmen ts l ead i ng i n to i t , may befound

'

to occupy the lowest s torey . Above. i s a wel l s haped di n i ng-room ,abou t th i rty-two

feet long, an d twen ty-one broad, wi th chambers con ta in ed with i n th e towers nearly th ree or

four yards i n d i ameter. The upper s torey con s i sts of bedrooms . O n re tu rn i ng, I n ot iced ,over the outs ide of th e door-way

,an undefaced i nscript ion

,wel l engraved on a tablet of

freeston e

L i s t z e to knaw th i s bu i lding quba began ?L aw rence the B ruce he was that worthy man

,

Quba ar n estlie h i s ayr is and afspri ng prayis,To help an d not to hurt th i s work always .”

Unhappi ly for the peace of L awrence Bruce’s shade,h i s suppl icat ion was i n va in .

Owing to th e imprudence of h i s posteri ty, th e estate of Mou n ess has passed i n to otherbands th e castl e then became un i nhab i ted

,and th e rank weeds of desolat ion were

al lowed to fix th e i r roots among i ts wall s,and to wave wi th every wi nd . Many beauti fu l

ornamen ts of masonry have been robbed from the man sion,whi ch now appear stuck

up for show among th e rude unhewn stones that const i t u te the fabric of several v i le hovel s .Yet

,after al l

,there i s not so much of the ten ement fall en i n to decay

,as wou ld prevent i t s

rest i tu t ion at a moderate expen ce and si nce the struc tu re does not appear too large for th eseat of a cou ntry gentleman , i t would reflect great cred i t on the taste of th e coun try, i f th ed i s turbed ghost of th e anxiou s founder could

,by th e restorat ion of the bui ld ing, be

appeased .

I can find l i tt le or no men t ion made of th e fam ily of Bruce i n th e h i s tori es of Shetland .

Brand states,that when

,i n th e year 1 699, th e L ai rd of Mou n ess was i n a boat w i th n in e or

ten persons,aflan n , or blas t off th e land , came wi th such force agai ns t the sai l , as to over

turn the vessel , and to consign to a watery grave the L ai rd and al l h i s party, wi th th eexcept ion of one servant . From L awrence Bruce , th e founder of Moun ess Cast le , and h i scous i n Wi l l iam Bruce

,are descended two respectable fam i l ie s i n Shetland ; from the

former th e Bruces of Simbister , and from the latter the fam ily of Sumburgh .

UVEA SOUND, ISLAND or UNST.

A short walk of two mi les across the bleak scatholds of the country, brought me to aharbour formed by the low shores of Uyea I s land and th e coast of Un st. A gleam of su n

sh i ne played l ight ly ou the gay wh i te dwe l l i ngs that were ranged along th e ci rcl i ng shore ofthe sound . Numberles s bones b elongi ng to the smal l whales cal led B ottle-n oses, or Ga

’r'

ng

W/zales, wh ich had be en k i l led i n th e harbour, lay bl each ing on th e strand . The ground tothe rear of the hamle t was bese t wi th green patches of corn land , and the h umbler habi tat ion s of the Shetland peasan ts . Bleak moorlands closed th e prospect, th e forb iddin gsummi ts of wh ich rose w i th a gradual and du l l ascen t . But on a smal l em i nence to th e

166 IS LAND OF UNST .

[ ITER 111

east m igh t be seen a rude unhewn obeli sk, supposed to have been an . a nc i en t land-mark,

wh ich d i rected the vesse l s of Scandi nav ia that were steeri ng in to tn e harbour,whi le some

have conceived that i t commemorated th e s i te of a battle, where some ch ief of heroes fel l .Uyea Sound i s a great resort for ves sel s that trade from L ei th to Shet land . After

touch ing at L erwick , where they d i scharge and take i n fresh goods, th ey sai l w i th the samen ten t to the n orth i s les of the country .

O n land ing at the I sland of Uyea, wh ich i s scarcely a m i le i n breadth , an d about am i le and a half i n l ength , I learn t that a bar r ow had been recen tly opened

,wh ich con tai ned

urn s of a i n te rest i ng descrip ti on . O n e of these I had i ndeed seen , when I was on a v is i t toth e hosp i table h ouse of Mr L e isk of L un na . It was a wel l shaped vessel

,that had been ,

apparen t ly construc ted of a soft magnes ian stone,of the nature of the L apz

'

s ollar z'

s . The

bottom of the urn had been wrough t i n a separate state,and was fi tted to i t by mean s of a

c i rcu lar groove . When found, i t was fi l led wi th bon es,part ly consumed by fire . The

barrow was composed of heaps of s tones,bu t by what people i t had been ra i sed no idea can

be formed ; most probably i t was of Scandinav ian or ig in . The s tones of the sepulch rewere completely removed

,for the purpose of be ing appl ied to the uses of a cont iguous

bu i ld i ng .

I n the i sland of Uyea, th e soi l i s very fert i le, and i t i s l ikely to be much improved,havi ng become the res idence of Mr L e isk , who was then employed i n erect i ng upon i t agood house, prior to h i s removal from L unna . To the east of Uyea, are two holms , namedWeather-holm and Haaf Gru n ie , the latter of wh ich i s a great resort for b irds duri ng theperiod of i ncubat ion .

Whi ls t th e rowers rested off th e i sland of Uyea, our boat was v i s i ted by one of the largeseal s of the country (w m bar bata), named by the natives a H aaf fi s/z, because it ,

u sual lyappears at that remote d i stance from the mai n coast

,wh ich

,i n the language of the fi she r

men , i s cal led the H aaf . Th i s stray an imal was much larger than the common seal,being

not less than seven or e igh t feet i n length .

* The curi os i ty wh ich i t shewed upon approach ingus was remarkable i t play ed round th e edge of the boat for at l east half an hour

,appear

i ng to i n spect the ves sel an d i t s occupan ts wi th the most marked atten ti on . The boatmenoften lamen ted that the v i s i t wh i ch the an imal paid to u s was upon a Sunday

,s i nce the

sanct i ty of the day preven ted them from shoot ing h im th rough the head ; and they alsoattributed to h i s supernatural sagaci ty

,th e choice of a t ime wherei n h e could secure ly

make h i s observat i on s . But h ow could i t be regret ted that these fel low s weredeterred by a rel ig iou s dread from maki ng an i l l retu rn for that unsu spic iou s confi de n ce wh ich the creatu re seemed to repose i n man "

? Uuon sai l i ng away,the seal was

u nwil l i ng to qu i t u s,and pursued the boat for a con s iderable d i s tance. A new dread now

arose i n th e m ind of one of th e rowers ; he was ply i ng h i s oar s on a Sunday, an d for th i sprofanat i on of the Sabbath , th e Haaf fi sh was come to welcome the i ntended tran sfer of on eof them to the unfathomable depth s of th e ocean h i s object, therefore , was to fly from thei nfluence of the seal’s ev i l eye

M r L ow has stated in h is MS . Tou r , that a sea l wh ich was take n in She tlan d was not le ss than tw e lve fe e t in le ng th and

seve n fee t in breadth.

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168 IS L AND OF UNST .

[ ITER In ,

Scotland,bu t when set tlers from th i s country came in to Shetl and , a town was al so named

by th em ,accordi ng to their own phraseology, a r oom ; th e express i on s ign i fyi ng a l im i ted

space i ncl osed from th e common s for a place of abode and for cul tu re .

I t i s a tradi t ion of Shetland , t hat the most anc ien t houses wh ich belonged to theweal th i er udal le rs were composed of wood and that planks were cu t ou t i n Norway of sucha shape

,as that they migh t form , when j oi ned, proper habi tat ion s . These were said to be

con stan tly imported from the mother coun try i n large , twelve-oared boats , named Sono'as .

The best descr ipt ion of houses may be probably found described by Torfaeus. There was aspac ious cel lar for th e preservati on of casks of al e , a large refectory , wi th a fi re-place i n themidd le ; certa i n apartmen ts for repose, and often-t imes a private chape l was attached to thebu i ld i ng.

.

But the hovels of th e peasants were rude enough , be i ng composed of ti nhewn

s tones,with roofs of straw or turf.

Most of the to wn s or r ooms wh ich had orig inal ly belonged th e small udal lers of thecountry

,fel l

,i n the course of t ime, i n to the hands of some rich settl er from Scotland , who

attempted to con nect the variou s smal l i n closu res that had been made by a s i ngle d ike .

At th i s day,th erefore

,noth i ng can wel l su rpas s the i rregulari ty of such c i rcumscript ion s

,

wh ich often wind i n every d i rect ion i n the most z ig-zag manner. O n e dike may i ncludeth i rty or forty -town s , and every farmer i s obl iged to repai r a certa i n exten t of h i s fence , proport ional to the land wh ich h e occupi es bu t so impe rfect are these i n closures

,which

con si s t of turf or stone , that , by th e i ncu rs ion s of sheep, horses , and swi ne , th ey are th rown

down every year .Before qu i tti ng the i s land of Un st

,I may not ice th e pe culiar mode i n which cows are

housed . The black cat tle of Shet land are of a very d im i nu t ive breed ; a cow i s said tow e igh from two to th ree hundred we igh t upon an average ; an ox from three to fou r, butnot exceedi ng five hundred we igh t . These an imal s have long, smal l h orn s, and are of abrid led wh i te, brown , or black colou r, rarely d i splayi ng an un iform hue . In the summerseason they are tethe red dur ing the day-t ime i n some adj oi n i ng pasture, bu t at n igh t theyare kept wi th i n the house . Upon th e conclusi on of th e l i ng fi shery, whi ch i s gen erally i nAugust

,th e Shetlander repa i rs to h i s scathold , and cuts down a large quant i ty of grass an d

short heath,wh ich he spreads abroad u pon th e b ills to dry ; i t i s afterwards s tored wi th i n

the enclosure of h i s smal l farm , be ing p i led i n to stacks l i ke hay. When in tended for use.th e h eath i s strewed along th e floor of the byre, for th e pu rpose of being wel l m ingled wi ththe dung that accumu lates from th e cow s . The wet s tratum i s then covered over wi th a:layer of o'nfi

'

mou ld,or dry decomposed moss , wh ich substance, i n l ike manner, remains

un t i l i t i s wel l moi stened wi th the dung tha t fal l s , when the whole i s agai n covered wi th alayer of heath and after th i s manner, success ive strata of h eather and mould, mixed wi ththe ordu re of th e an imal

,are al lowed to accumulate to a considerable heigh t

,un t i l the p ile

atta i ns such an elevat ion,that i ts removal i s necessary , i n order that the cattle may fi n d

su ffic i en t head—room beneath the roof of the byre but how far th e effluvia of putrid mattersmay conduce to th e h eal th of the an imal s that in hale the tai n ted atmosphere of such confined places, i s a quest i on of unnecessary d iscuss ion . When the compost i s removed

,i t i s

wel l blended together wi th a spade , and i s th en adapted to the land dest i ned for cul tivat ion .

ITER ISL AND OF YELL . 1 69

L eav ing Belmon t , I sa i led on the turbulen t channel of Blomel Sound, i n o rder to vi s i tth e Holm of L i nga

,cont iguous to the shore of Yel l

,and from thence rowed to th e smal l

i s land of H ascosea, s i tuated between Yel l and Fetlar , wh ich i s composed i n l ike manner ofgne i ss . H ascosea i s i nhab i ted by a very few fam i l i e s ; th e land i s low , and i s i n some placestolerably fert i le . Some l i ttl e kelp i s burn t i n th i s place

,but i t may be general ly remarked

,

that th e quan t i ty of th i s substance annual ly made in Shetland i s very i ncon s iderab le , n otexceeding 500 ton s ; for, among the bold shores of th ese i s lands , bu t a smal l exten t ofsu rface i s left by the t ide

,for th e col lec t ion of sea-weed .

*

ISLAND OF YELL.

From H ascosea I was ferr ied across a narrow channe l to Yell , an i sland s i x m i les i nb readth and about twen ty m i le s i n length . The rocks are whol ly composed of gne i ss, andl i ttle more i s to be seen than paral le l moun tai n r idges

,wh ich have a dul l and un i form course

from south-west to n orth-east,and s lope gradual ly towards th e shore . L andi ng on th e sou th

of Re fi ord,a voe c losed i n by the i s land of H ascosea, my journey south possessed l i t t le or

no in teres t. After pass ing a few good houses at Gossabu rgh , O tterswick and Qubon , Iarrived at the sou th-eas t of Yel l

,where i s th e smal l harbour of Burra Voe, wh ich i s wel l

shel tered,and visited

'

by th e L e i th traders, who land goods from Scotland, and accept i nreturn fi sh

,oi l and ke lp . An old fash i on ed house , erected early i n th e last century, i s

occupi ed by Mr L e isk , who keeps on the shore what i s named a B ooi/z ; that i s, a smal lware-room fi l led wi th vend ible art ic les

,ch iefly imported from Scotland . Th i s i s after th e

manner of the Hamburgh and Bremen merchan ts , who, i n the i r v i s i ts to Shetland , above acen tury ago

,for th e sake of trafficki ng wi th the nat ives for fi sh

,Opened booth s i n var iou s

parts of th e coun try, for the sale of fi sh in g—l i n es and nets , coarse c loth and l inen , spi r i ts ,st rong beer

,and other art i cle s .

I t was i n Burra Voe, probably, wh ich i s so wel l s i tuated for trade, that a Bremen mer

chan t dwel t in th e days of Buchanan . I n hac (i n su la)“ hab itare du c itu r Bremen sis, qu i

omnes merces exoticas, quarum illic usu s,abunde omnibu s suppeditet, adportet.

” Nearthe rui n s of a burgh wh ich gives i ts name to th e voe

,are the late r remai n s of a bui ldi n g

named a Skeo,severa l of wh ich may be i ndeed seen on th e shores of Shetland. A skeo i s a

smal l square house formed of s tones w i thout any mortar,wi th holes th rough wh ich th e a i r

may have a free passage for wh ich purpose the bu i ldi ng was erected on a smal l em i nence,

being at th e same t ime protected from the rai n by a roof. I t i s not long s ince i t was

O n tak in g my l eave of Un st, I mu st acknow l edg e , in the most g rate fu l man ne r , the atten tion I r ece ived from seve ralfam i l ie s in th is is land . The re ar e n o in n s in th e p lace , e xcept a smal l on e at Uyea Sou nd , k ept by a c ivi l fam i l y , of the name of

Gardn e r . Bu t how eve r r egard le ss I m ig h t be of th is de fic ien cy , and u nw i l l in g to in trude myse lf on th e hosp i ta l i ty of the inhabi.tan ts

, the invi tation s w h ich I r e ce ived w e re so frank l y te nde r ed , that I had l i tt l e or n o d ifficu l ty in ava i l in g myse lf of the k indw e lcome that me t me on my w ay . The fam i l ies to whom I w ou ld par ticu lar l y ow n my acknow ledgmen ts , ar e those ofM r

Edmon ston of Bu n e ss , M r Spen s of Hamme r , M r Scott of Gr e e nw e l l, and M r N ico lson of Haro ldsw ick . I w as in l ike man n e r

indebted to th e late Thomas Mou at , Esq. of Be lmon t, a g e n tl eman of con s ide rable l i te rary atta inmen ts , who, from h is w r iting s ,evide n t ly possessed an in timate acquain tan ce w ith the an c ie n t h istory of th is cou n try. I fe l t mu ch regre t in hear ing of h is death a

fe w mon ths afte r my xis it to She tlan d.

1 70 I S L A ND OF YEL L .

[ ITER 111.

customary,before u si ng beef or mutton

,not to sal t i t, but to hang i t up i n one of these

places , un ti l th e w ind , by wh ich i t was penetrated, should , at the necessary degree oftemperature

,have so comple tely dri ed the meat as to preserve i t from putrefact ion i t was

al so found,that any cave wi th i n wh ich the t ide flowed

,named a fi elyer or fi z

’

allar, (th e Iceland

na me at the presen t day for a skeo), had s im i lar ant iputrescen t powers . When beef or mutton was thus treated

,it was named zfz

'

zra’a bu t much of th e latter descript ion of food appears

to have been prev iou sly sal ted,an d

,says S i r Robert S ibbald

,i t th en acquired the name of

blow” meat. Fish was also hung u p un sal ted i n th e skeo, but i n th i s case a sl igh t degree ofputrefaction was promoted

,that i s even at the presen t day as agreeable to the Shetlanders

as the tai n ted flavou r of ven i son i s to an Engl i sh stomach .

“ O f th e fi sh es they take,

” saysan early w ri ter on th e coun try

,some they hang i n skeos t i l l th ey be sou re

,an d th ese they

cal l b lowen fi shes , wh ich , i ndeed, are very de l i c i ous , an d easy to be concocted ; but whenMr L ow t ravel led through Shetland i n th e year 1 776 , he fel t much annoyance from therel i sh wh i ch the nat ives had for tai n ted fish .

“ Noth ing,

” says th i s t raveller,

“ can smel lst ronger than a number of th ese skoes placed near one another ; an d th i s, together wi th thenatural fogs of the coun try

,must render i t u nheal thfu l and pern ic ious

,part icu larly for stran

gers . ” Many fi sh , however, wh ich were caugh t duri ng the period that th e Hamburghmerchan ts trafficked i n Shet land

,were more careful ly dried i n these houses

,so as not to run

i n to an inci pien t s tage of putrefac t i on , or th ey were sal ted ; they th en became an obj ect ofbarter at th e booth s of the traders

,under the name of Stock-fi sh

f About th e m idd l e of thelas t cen tu ry

,the pract i ce of cu ring beef an d mutton i n skeos wi thou t sa l t was much given

up,and

,at the presen t day, suc h bu i ld ings are n ot even receptacles for blown-fi sh

,being

roofl ess,and al lowed to fal l i n to decay .

A dreary walk to th e west,along the south coast of Yell

,leads to Hamna Voe

,the

shore of wh ich i s wh i tened by the numerous bones of the Ca’i ng Whale, an d from thencepast several towns to th e south-west poi n t of the i s land

, (named the West Sound of Yel l),near to wh ich are th e anc i en t ru in s of a smal l

,yet fi rm bu i l t church . The road to the north

i s along a dreary l i n e of coast,command i ng a good view of Yel l Sound , wi th i ts tumul tuous

an d i t s vari ou s holms an d i s le ts the prospect being closed on th e south by the darkh i lls of D e ltin g and Northmavin e . Sandw i ck , wh ich I next vi s i ted, i s th e most fert i l e placei n the i sland

,and i s wel l i nhab i ted . To the north i s a h igh headland , form i ng the south of

Whale fi ord Voe,named th e Neaps of Graveland . L ofty banks s tretch along the remain i ng

westerly l i ne of coast,where the grotesque forms presen ted by

.

the immense gran i t i c ve in sthat traverse the s trata of gnei ss

,aided by the sol i tary appearance of some anci en t burgh ,

serve to begu i le the labour of walki ng th rough th i s t rackless desert . The north-westernex trem i ty of th i s l i ne of coast i s remarkably bold, an d at Gloup several naked Skerr ies , therefuge of i n num erab le sea-b i rds

,appear to have been torn from the n eighbouri ng foreland ,

wh i le the i r caves form the great resort of seal s . At th i s place,scori es an d ki t t iwakes are

caught,by l i nes be ing let down perpend i cu lar c l i ffs, an d jer ked i n to the young b i rds. The

The same cu stom of treati ng fi sh occu r s at th e pr e se n t day in I ce land. D r H e nde rson r emarks , that they are hu n g u p and

d r ied in hou se s ca l l ed fi z’a l la r , w h ich ar e so con s tr u cted as to adm it the w ind throu gh them the fi sh are then n amed

o r h u n g-fi sh , in con trad is tin c t ion tofla tfi s/mr , or flat fi sh dr ied on th e rocks.

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I 72 YEL L SOUND .

[ ITER I I I .

seen,wh i le h e h imself

,wi th great d ifficul ty

,struggled out and was saved. I may add

,

however,t hat

,dur i ng the summer months , th e moss i s fi rm enough .

*

YELL SOU ND .

I n Yel l Sound there i s always a very troubled sea,owing to the cu rren ts of tide wh ich

are opposed to each other . The flood that se ts south between th e pari sh of Northmavin ean d the I sland of Yell

,encoun ters a t ide on the east of Shetland, wh ich sets i n an hour

later,between

'

L unna Ness on the Mai n land,an d Burra Voe i n Yel l . These torren ts

are aga i n broken in the i r d i rec t i on , by the number of i slands and sunken rocks that offerres i s tanc e to th em in the i r cours e .

The I slands of Yel l Sound,wh ich are i n general low

,amoun t to the n umber of

thi rteen,or more

,Brother I sland

,Biga, Samph ray, and L i t tl e Rhoo, which are several ly

i nhabi ted by a very few fam il i es,be ing the largest . Many of the holms afford a very fine

succu len t pasture for b lack cattle,and for sheep dest i ned for th e table , such spots be ing

i ndeed the ch ief places where they are fat ten ed . So great i s the valu e at tached to h olms,

that an anc ien t law of the cou ntry ordai ns,that n o person trespass upon them

,under the

penal ty of£ 10 for the fi rs t fau l t,of£20 for th e second

,an d for th e th i rd

,of be ing pro se

cu ted as th ieves ; one-half of the penal ty accru ing to the j udge, and the other to the

owner of th e holm . Several of the rocks,parti cularly L i nga

,are the resort of tii e

Te rn,or Stan za lzz

'

r u na’o,named by the Shetlanders the Tz

'

r r ock . Th is b i rd may be oftenseen i n i ts h overi ng fl igh t to suddenly dart upon the surface of the water ; an d

, i n i tss uccessfu l capture of a s i l lock

,to u tte r a sh ri l l cry the Smu tz

'

au/z'

zz or paras i ti c gull , hearsth e wel l known note of success

, and in s tan t ly repai ri ng to the spot, forces th e captor to d roph i s prey

,wh ich he i n tercepts i n

"

i ts fal l . Numbers of the smal l,l ow rocks that r i se but a few

feet from the surface of th e water,afford a bask ing-place for seal s, or are frequen ted by the

great black cormoran t,or the common scarfs . I n the smaller bays that open i n to the Sound,

the e ider duck (A na; mollz'

sr z’

ma) may be observed to d ive i n pursu i t of i ts food . Fre

quen tly n umerous shoal s of s i l locks,or young herri ngs

,swarm in every creek . Nor i s th i s

chan nel wholly free from the m igh t i er i nhabi tan ts of the deep . L arge porpo ises ro l l amongthe waters ; and somet imes appear the D elp/zz

'

n u s ar ea,or Chaffer

,anc ien tly the dread of

boatmen an d the Squalu s maxz'

mu s,or baski ng shark . But an i n terest ing frequenter of

the Sound i s the large an imal lately named i n systems of natural h i s tory D elp/zz'

mrs D edu c

for,s tyled by th e Sh etlanders the Ca’z

'

ng IV/za/e ; an d by the nat ives of Fe roe , the Gr z

’

aa’a

g um/y r . Adul t whales of th i s k i nd,which have been often slai n on the sands of Hamn a

Voe,i n Yel l

,seldom exceed 2 2 fee t i n length . They are of a sh i n i ng black colour ; though

frequen tly wh i te or grey about the belly . The sk in may rival i n softness the texture of s i lk .

The h ead IS round,short an d th ick

,havi ng the under jaw shorter than th e upper, by th ree

or fou r i n ches . The eyes are rem arkably smal l ; th e teeth , wh ich are of the average lengthof an i nch

,and of a sharp

,su bcon oid

“

form,vary w i th the age of the an imal, being, i n the

The re is a de fic ie n cy of pu plic accommodat ion fo r th e trav e l le r at the larg e is land of Ye l l . I have , how eve r , to ack now ledg ethe hosp i tal i ty I r ece ived from M r I rvin e , M r L e isk , and a g e n t leman whose name I do n ot r eco l l ec t, in Gossab u rg h .

ITER I I I . ] YEL L SOUND . I 73

largest s ize,abou t 2 4 i n number . There i s a blow-hole near i ts neck , from wh ich i t i s able

to spout water to th e he igh t of a few feet . I t has a tai l that i s c left an d vert ical,a short

,

st i ff dorsa l fin,and two long and narrow pec toral fins . The females have two n ipples

,

al th ough they are much concea led by an adipose substance . These whales often appear i na gregari ous concourse to th e number of from on e to five hundred .

*

I had landed at Mr L e isk’s of Burra Voe i n Yel l , when a fi sh in g boat arr ived wi th th ein tel l igence that a drove of Ca’i ng Whales had en tered Yell Sound . Females an d boys, onheari ng th e news

,i ssued from the cottages i n every d i rec t ion

,mak in g th e h i l ls reverberate

wi th j oyful exclamat ion s of the even t . The fishermen armed themselves wi th a rude sort ofharpoon

,formed from long i ron—poi n ted spi t s — th ey hurr ied to the s trand

,launch ed the i r

boats,and

,at the same t ime stored the bottom of them wi th loose s tones . Th us was a

large fleet of yawls soon col lec ted from variou s po i n ts of th e coast,wh ich proceeded towards

the en trance of the Sound . Some sl igh t i rregu lar ri pples among the waves sh ewed th e placewh ere a shoal of whale s were advanc ing. They migh t be seen sport i ng on th e surface ofthe ocean for at least a quarter of an hour, d i sappear i ng, and ri s i ng agai n to blow . The

main object was to dr ive them upon th e sandy shore of Hamna Voe,and i t was eviden t

that th e an imals,wi th the i r enemy i n the rear

,were taki ng th i s d i rec t i on . Mos t of the

boats were ranged i n a sem ic i rcu lar form,be ing at the d i s tance of about 50 yards from the

an imal s . A few sk iffs,however

,acted as a force of reserve

,keep i ng a t some l i t tle d i s tance

from the mai n body,so that th ey m igh t be i n read i ness to in te rcept th e whales

,shou ld they

change the i r cou rse . The sabl e herd appeared to fol low certa in leaders’r who,i t was soon

feared,were inc l i n ed to take any other rou te than that wh ich led to the shal lows on wh ich

they m igh t ground . Immediately the detached crew s rowed with al l thei r m igh t,i n order

to d ri ve back th e fugi t ives , an d , by mean s of l oud cr ie s and large stones th rown i n to thewater

,at las t succeeded in caus i ng th em to resume the i r prev iou s course . I n th i s tem

porar y d i vers i on from the sh ore , th e van of the boats was thrown in to con fus ion an d i t wasa h igh ly i n terest i ng scen e to wi tn ess the dexter i ty wi th wh ich th e Shetlanders hand led the i roars

,and took up a new semic i rcu lar pos i t i on i n rear of the whales . Agai n the fi sh

hes i tated to proceed i n to the i n le t, and aga in a reserve of boats i n tercepted th em i n the i rattempt to escape

,wh i le a fresh l i ne of attack was assumed by th e mai n body of th e

pursuers . I t was thu s that the whales were a t length compelled to en ter th e harbour ofHamna Voe . Then d id the a i r resound wi th the shou ts that were set up by the boatmen

,

wh i l e stones were flung at the terrified an imals,i n order to force th em upon the sandy shore

of a smal l creek bu t before th i s obj ect could be effected,the whales tu rn ed several t imes

,

and were as often dr iven back . None of them,however

,were ye t s truck w i th th e harpoon

for i f they were to fee l themselves wounded i n deep water,they wou ld at al l hazards betake

I was l ittle aw are wh e n in She t land that the ex te rnal characte r s of a w hale fr equ e n tl y se en in Fe roe and th e n or th of Sco t

land , w e r e impe rfect l y k now n to man y natu ral is ts , o the rw is e I shou ld , by i ndepe n de n t obse rvation s on its form , have be en spar edthe n e c e ss i ty of compar in g my r e co l l ect ion s of it w i th the pr e v iou s r emarks of othe r w r ite r s. I have

,how eve r , to su bsc r i be to the

g e n e ra l cor r e c tn ess of Cap ta in Scor e sby’s r e pre se n tat ion of the shape of th e De l ph in u s Dedu c tor , as g ive n in vol I , p . 496 of h is

w ork on the Arc tic Reg ion s , wh ich was de r ive d from commu n icat ion s on the su bjec t by M r Ne i l l an d D r Tra i l l , w ho have theme r it of be in g th e fi rst to po in t ou t the d istin ct ive charac te rs of th is an imal . -Se e al so Landy’s D cscr zf tz

‘

on af Fe r oe (tran s l .)p . 2 1 7 .

1 F rom th is c ir cumstance , D r T rai l l , w i th g r ea t propr ie tv , firs t p roposed to g ive the an imal the title ofD eIZ /z in u s D ed u ctor .

1 74 YEL L SOUND .

[ITER 111,

th emselves to th e open sea. The l eaders of th e drove soon began to ground, em itt ingat the same t ime a fai n t rn u r rn u r in g cry , as i f for rel i ef ; th e sand a t the bottom of the baywas d isturbed

,and th e water was los ing i ts t ran sparency . The shoal of whales wh ich

fol lowed i n creased,as they struck the shore

,the mudd i ness of the bay — they mad ly rol led

abou t,i rre solute from the wan t of leaders

,uncerta i n of thei r course, an d so greatly i n tim i

dated by the shouts of th e boatmen , and the s tones that were th rown i nto the water, as tobe easi ly preven ted from regai n ing the ocean . Crowds of nat ives of each sex , an d of al l ages,were anx iously col lected on the banks of th e voe , ha il i ng wi th loud acclamati on s th eapproach of these vi s i tan ts from the northern seas — an d th en began the work of death .

Two men,armed wi th sharp iron sp i ts

,rushed breast-h igh in to th e water

,and se iz ing each a

fin of the n eares t whale,bore h im unres i s t i ngly along t o the shal lowest part of th e sh ore .

O n e of the dead ly foes of th i s meekest of the i nhabi tan ts of the sea del iberately l i fted up afin

,an d beneath i t p lunged i n to the body of the an imal the harpoon that be grasped

,so as

to reach the large vessel s of the heart. A long state of i n sens ib i l i ty fol lowed,succeeded

by th e most dreadfu l convuls ion s ; the an imal lashed the water wi th h i s ta i l , and delugedthe land for a cons iderab le d i stance : another death l ike pause en sued

,throes st i l l fa i n ter an d

fa in te r were repeated wi th shorter i n termi ssi ons . un ti l at length th e vi ct im lay moti on less onthe strand . The butch ers afterwards se t off i n a d i fferen t d i rect ion , being joi n ed by otherpersons assuming th e same funct ion s . Female whales

,appeari ng

,by thei r hasty an d

uncerta in course,to have been wrested from the i r progeny, and suckl ings no less anxiously

i n pursu i t of those from whose breas ts they had rece ived thei r n utr iment,were several ly

arrested i n the i r pursu i t,by the relen tle ss stee l of the harpooner . Numerous whales wh ich

had received th e i r death-wound soon l i ned the bay,whi le others at a greater d i s tance were

rol l i ng about among the muddy and c rimsoned waves,doub tfu l wh i ther to flee

,an d appear

i ng l ike oxen to wai t th e turn of the i r slaugh terer. Wanton boys an d females,i n the i r

anx iety to take a share of the massacre,m igh t be observed to rankle wi th n ew tortures the

gapi ng wound that had been made,wh i le

,i n the i r b lood-th i rsty exultat i on they appeared to

surpass those whose more immed iate bus i ness i t was to exped i te the d i refu l bus in ess . A t

l ength th e sun set upon a bay that seemed one shee t of blood : not a whale was al lowed toescape ; an d th e st rand was strewed over w i th carcases of al l s i zes, measuring from s ix totwenty feet , an d amount i ng to not fewer than th e number of e igh ty . Several of the nat ivesthen wen t to thei r homes i n order to obtai n a short repose ; bu t as the twi l igh t i n th i snorthern lat i tude was so brigh t as to g ive l i t tl e or no token of the sun’s departure , manyw ere unrem i tti ngly i n ten t upon securi ng the profi t of th ei r labour

,by separat ing the blubber,

wh ich was of the th ickness of th ree or four i nches . I t was supposed that the best of thesewhales would y ield about a barre l of oi l ; an d i t was loosely computed that the w hales wereon an average worth from two to th ree pounds Sterl i ng a-piece

,the value of the larges t be ing

as much as s i x pounds .*

The d i vi s ion of the profi ts that accrue from these whales,was

,from very ancien t t imes ,

In Capta in Scor e sby's w ork , the measu r eme n t of an adu l t ca in g w hale appears as fo l low s Le ng th , fe e t g reate r c i rcumfe r e n c e [ 0 fe e t pec to ral fi n (th e e xte rnal por t ion) 3% fe e t long by 1 8 in ches broad ; dorsa l fi n 15in ch e s h ig h an d 2 fe e t 3 in ch e sbroad ; a readth of th e tai l 5fe e t.

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76 L UNNA TO A I-TH SVOE.

[11 133 l

for th e purpose of d i scharging an d tak ing i n goods, wh i le, on the shore between th i s harbourand th e most n ortherly poi n t of M ion ess, may be seen the booth s of a few smal l t radersemployed i n th e l i ng fi shery

,an d th e cottages , or rather tow n s

,as th ey are cal led

,of several

fi shermen . But as the coast i s v i ewed from the water at some l i t t le d is tance,th e patches of

cult i vat i on that vary the surface of the land,seem so comparat ively scanty

,when compared

wi th the extens ive desert wh i ch forms the in ter ior of th e main land,that

,by enabl i ng the

spectator to contrast the general complex ion of the coun t ry w i th what ough t to be i ts hue,

th e gloomy sen sati on s exci ted by the prospect are not d im in i shed but i ncreased . O n

approach i ng th e dwel l i ngs of a humbler descript i on,th e travel ler i s often surpri sed wi th the

great n umber of domesti c fowls that are reared , the encouragemen t given to th i s race hav ingprobably or igi nated i n th e anci en t requi s i t ion of an annual number of fowl s due to th efalconer of the Royal h ou sehold , for the al leged purpose of support i ng the King’s hawks thatwere col lected i n Shetland . I t i s supposed that the goshawk , or Falcopalambar z

’u r

,was the

object of the falconer’s search ; bu t the b ird which was held i n ch i ef est imat ion , was th eFalro pe r eg r z

'

n u s my” ,said to be recogn i sed at a d i stance by a wh i te band that he wore

h e was found i n Fai r I sl e,Foula , L amhoga, Fitfi e l and Sumburgh Heads . No more

than one pai r would i nhab i t the same rock , and from the memory of man wou ldcon t in ue i n the same place . I n such request were these b i rds

,that when th e earldom of

O rkney and lordsh ip of Zetland were di sannexed from the Crown , there was a c lause i n theact of Parl iamen t

,stat ing

,

“ that al l hawks should be reserved to h i s Majes ty,wi th the fal

7

con e rs’salaries

,accord i ng to anc ien t custom .

’ During th e Scott i sh governmen t of Shetland,

each pari sh afforded the falconer who was sen t over th e mean s of feed i ng th e King’s hawks,

by an obl igat ion to fu rni sh for th i s purpose a certa i n quan t i ty of carri on,dogs

,horses or

other garbage bu t as food of th i s k i nd was not always to be procured, th e requ i s i t ion wascommuted for a certai n number of fowls from each pari sh

,or for a hen from every reek or.

house . Fow l s were sa id to be thu s collected for the food of th e hawks ; bu t duri ng th etyran ny of Robert an d Patrick Stuart, they rather adm in i stered to the supply of the Superior’s table .

* When hawks ceased to con tribu te to th e amusements of th e k ing,who i n

later t imes l i ved i n England , th e con ti n uat i on of the levy was cons idered a great hardsh ip,and the falconer found much difficul ty i n levy i ng h i s izawk-llew . I n revenge

,th erefore

,for

the t rouble wh i ch he experi enced,h e brough t on e year i n to the Mai n land some weaz e ls

which he tu rned l oose , i n order to destroy the fowl s . But th e object was not successfu l ;on th e con trary th ey were said to be of some 'l i t tle use of clear ing the i sland of rats . I t alsoappears

,that th e early i nducemen t for the Shetland peasan try to rear poul try

,was n ot only

attribu tab le to the requ i s i t ion of hawk-hen s (du e even a t th e presen t day,) but to a feudalcustom of th e sou th

,wh ich was the paymen t of a certa i n number of fowls at Yule or Chri st

mas to the n ew settler , who was ap ing, i n h i s l i t t le demesnes , th e exact i on of some m igh t ierfeudal ch i ef of Scotland .

The most common tenants , however, of th e i nclosures are th e smal l swi n e pecul iar to

It has n ot bee n u nap tl y r emarked to me, that the most in satiabl e of the hawks that requ ir ed pou l try for the ir main te nan ce ,

w e r e th e Stewar ts , Ear ls of O rkn ey .

ITER L UNNA TO A ITH SVOE. 1 77

the country,wh i ch are‘ of a dunn i sh-whi te

,brown or‘ b lack colou r, wi th a nose remarkably

s trong,sharp poi nted ears

,and back greatly arched , from wh ich long, s t i ff bri s tles stand

erect. The hog i s sa id to we igh from 60 to 100 lb . Being often very lean , h i s flesh i s asfood proport iona lly coa rse bu t when fattened

,th e m eat i s suffic ien t ly sweet and del i cate

,

an d when cured forms excel len t hams . The swin e are too often suffered to roam abroad,

and to root up tu rn ips,pota toes

,corn

,and other herbage

,so that they are scarcely a profi t

,

but an absolu te loss to the cou n try. Th ere i s an anc ien t law i n Shetland,that “ none have

more swi n e than e ffe ir ing (proportion al) to the i r land labourin g ; and that -‘none have swi nepastur i ng i n th e i r n eighbours’lands

,—under the pai n of 25

“

10,b ‘es ides damages .” But th i s

proper regulat ion i s l i t tle regarded .

There i s generally a piece of green pastu rage , never dug up, that su rrounds the Shetlan'der’s farm-house , wh ich he names h i s to wn maz

’

1r .

* O n th i s spot horses are always tethe red ,when wan ted for

'

immed iate u se,or upon th e c lose of a summer’s day

,th e smal l black

catt le of the coun try are i n l ike man ner secu red , previ ous to the i r be i ng lodged for then igh t w i th i n the byre . Cows are kept i n the h ou se every even i ng during th e year. Thei rl itter i s com p osed of heath an d some times of a’ufi

'

Mould or decomposed moss . Thei r foodi s i n general so 'l i t tle

,that during very se vere win ters , numbers have been known to peri sh

for wan t . When Dr Kemp trave l led th rough the coun try a few years ago,so great was th e

dearth for food , that he wi tn essed a ki nd of mash served up for a cow, cons i s t i ng of a largepai l fi l l ed w i th bo iled

nfi sh s bon es , wh ich had been broken down . Such an unnatural mess

,

however,though by n o means uncommon i n Ice land

,i s m uch less frequen tly seen in

Shetland . The quan t i ty of m i lk given i n th e day by the Shetland cow i s very in con side rabl e

,not amount ing, i n the m idd l e of summer, to more than from th ree to five Engl i sh

quarts i n the day . The operat i on of chu rn ing takes place every second or th i rd day . Al i tt le t ime before the butter i s abou t to part from th e serum , th e dairy—maid throws red-hots tones i n to the churn

,by wh ich the separat i on i s hastened

,and rendered more complete.

The at ten t i on sh e pays to th e puri ty of the butte r depends upon i t s dest i nat i on,— whether i t

is i n tended for consumpt ion wi th i n the house, or mus t be rendered i n payment of feudaldut ies

,or of te i nds th u s th e proverb ial qual i ty of te i nd-bu tter, wh ich i s fi t for l i tt le more

than for greas i ng cart-wheels, i s notorious ; nor has th e impuri ty ever been coun teracted byan act of the coun try, wh ich dec lares , that n o but ter be rendered for paymen t of land-ren t,or for sale

,bu t such as i s c lean from hai rs or bland , and other d irt , and suffic ien tly sal ted ,

under th e pai n of forty ‘

sb illin gs Scots for each offence ; and for the fi rs t fau l t,th e in su ffi

c ien t b u t te r to be returned , an d for the second , to be forfe i ted for th e use of the poor of thepari sh .

-,In to the buttermi lk that remains i n th e ch urn hot-water i s pou red ; th e caseous

par t, named Kim -milk, subsides, and ' i s used for food th e m ixture of serum an d water thati s left

,forms a common dr ink named B lan d

,wh ich when al lowed to rest

,undergoes a sl igh t

degree of fermen tati on,an d acqu i res i n th e course of a few mon th s a remarkable degree of

transparency,an d along wi th i t a ve ry acid yet agreeabl e taste . A sim i lar beverage i s

fam i l iar at the presen t day to the Icelande rs,among whom i t i s known by the same

In the an c ie n t Sh e tland lan guag e , the g re e n pastu rag e attached to a dw e l l ing w as n amed a S etter or S ta tor .

1 78 LUNN A TO A ITH SVOE.

[ ITER m ,

appel lat ion that i t bears in Shet land . Anoth er product of th e dai ry,i s obta ined by add i ng

to a quan ti ty of sour cream some sweet m i lk ; th e m ixtu re then undergoes a sort of fermen tat ion

,after wh ich the whey or serou s part i s pou red off

,an d more new m i lk i s added .

The process i s th u s repeated several t imes, unt i l th e fi rmer part resembles a sub-ac id'

an d

h i gh ly pleasan t taste.

O n tu rn i ng round the po in t of M ion ess, I stee red south -west past the mou th of O rkaVoe

,an i n let two m i les in

'

exten t, an d reached th e narrow en trance of Sou lam Voe,

confined on th e wes t by the pen i n sula of Glus and by Foula Ness , and on the east by thepromontory of Coldback . Sou lam Voe soon afterward s sends ou t a cons iderable ar m i n tothe low land on the east, wh ich acqu ires th e name of Garth

’s Voe ; and to the south , at ad is tan ce of seven or e igh t m i les from the mouth

,are two or more smal le r i n le ts

,near one

of wh ich named H ardwe ll Voe,i s th e manse of the m in i ste r of D e lting . Th i s. large

channel was ev iden t ly at one t ime noth ing more than an i n land lake,be ing connected

'toth e sea by th e d is i n tegrat i on of th e gran i t i c c l iffs that appear at i ts en trance between FoulaNess an d Go ldback . The vi ci n i ty of Garth’s Voe was one of the las t retreats of the nat iveDryads

,before th ey foresook i n despai r the Bri t i sh Thule . O n th e low land of th i s place

,

th e encroachmen t of the sea , long s i nce exposed the remai n s of a very anc ient forest , cons i s t ing of hazel and several large aquat i c plants

,th e s tocks of wh ich were from half an i nch

to eigh t i nches i n diameter,that st ruck thei r roots i n to a bed of gravel , wh i le above them

was an acc umulat ion of peat-moss about ten fee t i n th ickness . The d i sc losu res that aremade th roughout th e country i n d igging for peat , shew that certa i n ki nds of smal l trees,such as hazel s

,wi l lows or b i rch

,

“once braved wi th success the cutt ing blasts of Shetland,

whi le the i n troduct i on of sh eep i n to the coun try , wh ich would preven t n ew plan ts fromspringing up , or i nundations ari s ing from th e i ncu rs i on s of th e ocean , have probably beenthe con spi ri ng causes to wh ich the i r decay i s att ribu table . I t was i n an early period of th eh i stori cal annal s of the coun try that the wan t of food was fi rst fel t: The fi rs t Norwegiancolon ists

‘

w ere acqua i n ted w ith no other k ind of fuel than that wh i ch they had coll ec tedfrom the forests of the i r own native moun tai n s

,and when Ei nar , Earl of O rkney, poin ted

out to them that a fuel was to be obta i n ed from dried peat,he was almost de ified for th e

di scovery,havi ng ever afterwards th e honorary t i tle prefixed to h i s name of Torf. The

celebri ty tha t Torf-Ei nar th us secured for h imself among th e songs of the Northern Scalds,

i s by n o mean s remarkabl e : the dark annal s of many European n at ion s celebrate th e namesof i ndividual s, who are cons idered as benefactors to the human race, from invent ions n oless s impl e . Thu s

,i n the Wel sh T r iads

,th ree Bards are renowned as model lers of the

I sland of Bri ta i n , on e of whom made a vesse l wi th a sai l and helm for the race of theCym r i a second taugh t th e use o f stone an d l ime

,and th e th i rd the u se of a mi l l w i th a

wheel .

I t i s i n the t ime of Voz'

r or'Spr ing , after the seed has been sown , that

'the Shetlandergeneral ly repai rs t o h i s scathold for the purpose of cu tt i ng h is peat . Thus

,there i s an

anc ien t law in th e coun try , “ that none cut floss before L ammas-day in thei r own scathold,

thou t du e advert i s i ng of the i r n eighbours belonging to the same scathold , under the pa i nof 408 Scots toties gu otz

'

es.

” When the nat ives are assembled to cast the i r peat , the i r fi rs t

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LUNNA TO A ITH SVOE.

[ITER

hands h igh,i s pri nc i pally confined to th e carry ing h ome of peat ; yet , i n the t ransportat i on

of other k inds of l igh t burdens,h i s back i s s t i l l surm oun ted wi th a wooden sadd le . When

hay or any l igh t bulky substance i s to be carr ied, maiseys are u sed, wh ich are made of ropesprepared fromfloss or rushes

,th ese bei ng re ti cu lated in meshes of some i nches i n w idth . A

net of th i s k i nd i s passed round th e horse,so as to secure th e hay or

'

oth er l igh t substancethat res ts upon the boards of th e k libbar . Th i s anc i en t saddle i s al so found of u se whenth e sh el ty i s requ i red by the female r ider to bear h e r to the pari sh ki rk ; she then th rowsove r h is back a nat ive coarse manufac ture of the coun try , woven i n to the shape of a saddl ecl oth

,an d when , upon th i s coveri ng the k libbar i s fixed

,i t s proj ect i ng p ieces of w ood wh ich

th e femal e hol’ds by,form i t i n to a ki nd of s ide-sadd l e . But

,amidst the vari ou s services

wh ich the poor shel ty renders to h i s owner,th e revol t i ng task remai n s of record ing th e

treatmen t wh ic h i n spi t e of th em he undergoes . He i s left to feed on the h i l ls du ri ng th ewhole of th e year ; and i n th e most i nclemen t weather of w i n ter, i s n ever admitted wi th i nthe warm wall s of as table

,being frequen tly compel led to subs i st on the dr ift ware that i s

left by the ebb . O n my arriva l i n Shetland early i n th e spri ng, I fou nd th ese an imals ihsuch a half-s tarved s tate

,owi ng to t he i r scan ty supply of w in ter food

,that th e growth of the

summer herbage was n ecessary before th ey had so sufficien tly recovered the i r s trength , as tobear a rider over th e moors of the coun try .

At the head of Sou lam Voe there i s a small i s thmu s about 100 yards broad,that

separates th i s i n le t from the wes terly seas,whi le th ere i s a larger neck of land to th e south ,

though n ot more than a quarter of a m i le across , tha t leads to ano ther spac i ou s harbour,diversified with i slands an d holms

,wh ich i s n ot on ly the common cen tre at wh ich severa l

voes an d sou nds meet,but the s i te whe r e the common j unct ion takes place of several

moun tai n masses , con s i s t i ng of g ran i te , s i en i te, epidot ic s i en i te , quartz rock , greenstone andgne i ss . The travel ler now perce ives that h e i s t read i ng upon a regular paved road, severalyards i n bread th

,wh i ch

,th ough scarcely a m i le i n exten t

,gives to a v i s i tan t of Shetland

,

who for several days may have seen noth i ng before h im but trackless deserts , a del igh t thati s w hol ly i nexpressi ble . At th e term i nat ion of the walk i s the substan tial and respectableold fash i oned mans i on of Busta

,bu i l t at d i fferen t peri ods , but of a style characteri st ic of th e

commencemen t of the las t cen tury,be i ng closed’ i n by . spac ious garden-wal ls , th e he igh t of

wh ich i s coequ al w i th the tops of a grove of trees . Near th e shore i s an excel len t land ingpla'ce for boats

,an d a dove—cot , of d imens ion s that m igh t rival i n m agn i tude th e bu i ld i ngs

o f a s im i lar k i nd,that are to be found i n th e south . Th i s prospect of comfort an d c iv i l iza

t ion i s st i l l more en j oyed,i n connecti on wi th the rocky tract of country an d wi ld seas tha t

appear on every s ide but on enteri ng the garden am ids t a grove of mounta i n ashes, plan et rees an d e lders

,th e gratificat i on i s complete n oth i ng can give greater cheer to th e

fatigued vi s i on , when so long sat iated wi th the superfluous waste of bare an d tenant lessscatholds.

I t i s a chosen plott of fert i le landAmon gst

'

w ild waves se'

t,l ike a l i tt le n es‘ t

As i f i t had by nature’s cunn i ng handBene choicely picked out from al l the rest ,

m m m ,L UNN A TO A ITH SVOE. 18 1

A n d la id forth for en sample of th e bestNo dai n ty flowre or herbe that grows on ground

,

Nor arbo re tt with pa in ted blossoms d res t,

A n d smel l i ng sweete,bu t there i t m igh t be found

To bud ou t fai re and th row her sweet smel l s al l around .— SPENSER .

The garden i s la id ou t i n a s tyle , i n regular parterres , t hat shews much of the formalta ste of th e las t cen tury . The t rees are

,however, s tun ted as soon as they get above th e

shelter of the wall . Mounta i n ashes may be found near 20 fee t h igh,and from 2 feet to

2% fee t i n c i rcumference, when reck oned wi th i n th e l im i ts of s i x fee t above the ground .

Planes are of a s im i la r he igh t, and from 2% feet to nearly 3 fee t i n c i rcumference . The rei s al so an elder, hav ing d imen s ion s l i t t le d ifferen t . The trees that th r ive the best are thoseof wh ich part i cular men t ion has been made : th e growth of other

.

ki nds,wi th perhaps the

except i on of the scyamore , having h i therto defied the attempts of the plan ter ; but theresul t of h i s succes s

,should seeds be imported from Norway

,or ra i sed i n th e coun try

,

migh t perhaps be very d ifferen t . I n the par i sh of D e ltin g , near the B urn of Valyor , nat ivemoun tai n-ashe s may be found grow ing i n s i tes secure from the attacks of cattl e. I t i s sa idthat plan ts from th i s place have been t ransp lan ted i n to the garden of Busta

,where they now

flour ish .

Busta i s th e seat of Arthu r G ifford , Esq.

, th e worthy represen tat ive of an ancien tfam ily

,who set tled i n Shet land i n th e s ixteenth century . Some of the i r land was purchased

from Earl Patrick Stewart, s i nce a fe n-charte r i s recorded , dated july 8, I583 , of certai nlands on the oppos i te shore ofWe the rsta, i n wh ich th i s n obleman reserved for h i s own usetwo or three rooms i n th e mans ion-house that belonged to the esta te . As Bus ta was thehabi tat ion of a gen tleman who publ i sh ed the earl ies t s tat i s t ical descrip t ion of th i s coun tryworth not ice

,on accoun t of the acquain ten an ce that i t shews wi th th e laws of th i s anci en t

Scand i nav ian colony, th i s fam i ly-seat ough t to be for ever h eld i n esteem by th e i nhab i tan tsof Shetland . The author of th e H i story of Shetland marr ied the s i s te r of S i r AndrewM itche ll of West Sho re near Scal loway . I t i s recorded of the G ifford fam i ly

,tha t

,i n the

year 1 748, no fewer than fou r of th e son s belonging to the L a i rd of Bu sta , accompan i ed bya cou sin

,

'we re l os t i n a boat wh i ls t cross in g a bay . A more melancholy acc iden t than th i s

,

i t i s se ldom the fate of the prov i nc ia l h i s torian to record .

Not far from th e house of Busta, i s a large s tone of gran i te, that appears as erect as i fi t had been fixed there by art .* Not improbably i t was a large bou lder-s tone

,brough t

th i ther by natural causes,and placed i n an uprigh t pos i ti on

,as the memoria l of some batt le

or death of a ch ief. I t i s supposed by the vulgar to have bee n thrown there by the Devi lfrom some h i l l i n Northmavme . A s im i lar origi n i s ascr ibed to appearances l ike these i noth er countries .

And where to serves that wond’rou s trophy now,Tha t on the good ly plain near Wal ton s tands

Se e Plate iv . Fig . r .—I can n ot take leave of the vic i n ity of Bu sta, w ithou t e xpr e ss ing my se nse of the hosp ital i ty I r ece ived

from the tr u l y r e spe c table re s iden t of th is p lace . I have s in g u lar obl igations du e to M r Barc lay of O lnasfi ord.

182 SHEEP PASTURES '

OF SHET L AND . mm m ,

That huge dumb h eap that'

can n ot tel l u s how ,

Nor w hat n or whence i t i s,nor wi th whose hands

,

Nor for whose glory i t was set to shew ?How much our pride mocks that of other lands

Th en Ignoran ce, wi th fabulous d i scourse,Ro'b bing fa i r art and cunn i ng of th ei r r igh t

,

T e lls how these s tones were, by the Devi l’s force ,

From Afric brought to I reland i n a n igh t.” —D A N1EL S .

South of Busta i s the I sland of Me ikle Roe,divided from th e Mai n land an d th e I s land

of Vemen try by two narrow sound s, and to th e eas t of i t i s L i nga , a smal l holm of a perfectly round shape, that i s s i tuated at th e common en trance i n to two voes the fi rs t

,which

i s named Gon fi ord run s two m i le s from north to sou th , an d the second named O lnafi ord,i s a broad i n le t

,the channel of wh ich i n tersects

,at r igh t angles, the gloomy ridges of gnei ss

that run from south-west to north-east,s tretch ing at the same t ime from five m i les to the

eastward at the head of th i s voe s tands an anc ient k i rk,where are some good monumen ts

of the Gifford fam i ly , an d adj oi n i ng to i t i s th e mansi on of Mr Barclay, a very i n tel l igen tm edi cal prac t i t i oner . En teri ng a yawl

,I was rowed acros s the mouth of Gon fi ord Voe

,

and reached the head land ot H ooben sette r, where are the remai ns of several tumul i ,probably of Scandinavian origi n

,from wh ich rude earthen u rn s have been taken . From

th i s po in t there i s a good v iew of A ithsvoe , th e entranc e of wh ich i s n early closed by thei sland of Papa L i t t le . Several buoyan t sk i ffs were float i ng on the blue trembl ing waves ofthe bay

,whi le the act ive Shet lander was wielding the l igh t rod, an d th row i ng h i s l in e

among the th rong of si l lock s w i th wh ich the i nle t was fi l led ; h i s successfu l compet i torsi n th e pursu i t were the rapaci ous maws

,who

,i n the i r h overi ng fl igh t

,darted down

frequen tly on th e surface of the waters,though i n the abundance of thei r fi n ny vict ims , th ey

fai led i n outnumbering the capt ives wh ich had been secured by the adro i t hand of the busyangler . Smal l patches of cu lt i vated ground an d dwel l ings l i ned th e c ircli ng coast of th evoe

,i ndicat ing the cause that had des ignated i t by th e t i tl e of A ft/z

,wh ich impl i ed the

v ic i n i ty of a fert i l e so i l . Near the head of th i s voe i s East Bu rrafi ord, an in let so namedfrom a holm tha t con ta i n s an anci en t burgh

,of wh ich scarcely the foundat ion s remai n .

The shore i s comman ded by the h i l l of Scallowfi e ld, exceed ing a thou sand feet i n height,wh ich forms the h ighest poi n t of a ridge that extends from We esdale to O ln asfi ord .

ANC IENT AND PRESENT ST ATE O F TH E SHEEP PASTURES O F SHETLAND .

The coun try to the south an d south-wes t of O lnas fi ord cons i sts of bleak an d un inhabi ted h i l l s

,wh ich form part of th e scatholds of the Mai n land, where th ere are ne i ther

partr idges,moorfowl

,nor hares to afford amusemen t for the sportsman but

,i n the place of

them , h e may hear the shri l l and plai n t ive'

notes of the curlew and plover,or the wh i st l i ng

of th e sn i pe .

The tenan ts of the scatholds were th e w i ld sheep of the coun try, celebrated for the i rsmall s ize

,and known by natural i s ts u nder the name of . the over cauda br ew, that at th e,

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184 SHEEP PA STURES OF SHET L AND . “TER M

none scare,hound

,or b reak up

'

the i r n eighbours’pu'

n ds -and bu ills,unde r the penal ty of

ten pounds Scots,bes ides damages ; bu t the regulat ion has nor, for a long “ t ime

,been

enforced . O n th e con trary, th e -sheep are almost to be'

regarded as_in a state of nature

,

s i nce th ey range at large over the scatholds duri ng th e whole of the year . No food i s prov ided for the poor an imal s during deep fal l s of snow, nor i s there any friend ly sh epherd todri ve them to some bail]

,or dry place of shel te r, where the l ives of numbers of t hem m ight

be preserved . Upon th e approach of a storm,a

'

sense of common danger causes them tocongregate for se lf-defenc e beneath the sh el ter of some rock on th e sea-shore, wherethey protect themselves from the cold, by th e warmth wh ich ari se s from their bod ie s i n acrowded s tate ; or, i f they are covered wi th snow, hunger impel s them to tear port ions ofwool from each oth er’s backs .

Whenever i t i s requ i s i te to catch any sh eep,th ey are hun ted down wi th dogs

,t rai ned

for th e purpose,whi ch Wal lace

,th e h i storian of O rkney, describes as a sport both strange

and delec table .

” When a flock i s i n s igh t,th e Shetlander se izes h old of h i s bad-dog , (th e

anc ien t Scand i nav ian name for a sheep-dog ,)an d poin ts ou t t o h im a part icular sheep . ,The

dog th en bounds after h i s 'prey : th e flock are immed i ately alarmed,bu t soon perce iv i ng

th e part icular i nd ivi dual that i s th e i n tended v ict im ,th ey restra i n the i r fl igh t

,and al low the

pursu i t to be u n in terrupted ly confined to one obj ec t of select i on . The poor an imal i s thenchaced from h i l l to h i ll , unt i l h e fal ls i n to the power of h is pursuer, who i s taugh t to se izeh im by the foot

,th e nose

,or the ear ; or perhaps h e peri shes by tumbl ing over some

preci pice,whe re

'

he i s e i th er dashed to pieces upon the ston es, or fall s i n to the sea .

As th e sh eep of one scathold ,i s land

,or pari sh , const i tu te a prom i scuou s flock, wh i ch

may b elong to more than a hundred i nd iv iduals, i t i s remarkable that more frequ en t'

d is

putes should not ar i se respecti ng the ri ghts of posse ss i on . No property of th is k ind wasever secured w i thou t th e mean s of had-dogs i t was therefore a proper regu lat i on that non eof these an imal s sh ould be kept i n secret . An ancient act of Shetland dec lares

,

“ that nonekeep sheep-dogs but such as are appoi n ted or al lowed by th e Bai l i ff,

’

with the advice of th ehonest men of th e par i sh

,whose names are to be recorded i n th e Court-books an d each of

them to be accoun table for the i r ac t i ngs .” I t'

was al so ordered , that all dogs should betri ed yearly by the Bai l i ff, the ran selmen , or oth er honest men belongin g to the par i sh i nwh ich they are kept ; and i f any individuals should be fou nd to possess a had-dog

,who had .

no property i n a sheep stock to en t i t le h im to keep such an an imal , he should be fined an d

the dog hanged . The n ext object of th e anci en t legi slators of the coun try, was to see thateach dog wh ich m igh t be k ept to take sheep , was under proper con trou l, an d tha t he wasnot what was named a r u n n ing dog , whom the old acts of O rkney characteri se as a dogthat run s frae house to house

,or through th e coun try, the n eighbours’sheep

wou ld be not on ly prompt to se ize a sheep for h i s master, but would have l i tt le hes i tat ion inprovid in g mutton for h imsel f. Whenever

,therefore , th e ranselmen i n the i r annual exam ina

t ion of dogs, found out any of these freebooters , they pu t i n force the ac t,“That al l runn ing

dogs be d i scharged, under the pai n of forty sh i l l i ngs, to be pa id by the owner of the dog ,z’o

‘

fz'

es qual ify, an d th e dog to be hanged . But S i nce th i s act was framed, a sort ofdemoral izat ion has taken place i n the character of the can in e race of Shet land, and i t

such . a dog

ITER SHEEP PA STURES OF SHET L AND . 185

would be d i fficul t to say , at th e presen t day , what dog was not a r u n n ing dog . Mr Shirreff,

i n h i s agricul tu ral survey of th e country,has compla i ned , wi th great j us t i ce, of a rapac iou s

ranger,of th i s k i nd , which he observed , who , wi thou t any order from h i s master

,would

break off a t the fi rs t un fortunate sh eep that he saw , th row h im down,

‘

g ive h im a goodb i t i ng

,and then re turn

,unch ided for h i s c rue l ty, to h i s owner, who seemed to cons ider the

treatment as a matter of course .

“The fact i s

,adds th e narrator, “ that the re i s so l i tt l e

profi t ari s i ng from sheep stock,i n th e presen t s tate of landed property

,compared wi th

fi sh i ng,that the landowners an d tacksmen do not pu t as much value on a sheep

,as i n Grea t

Bri ta i n on a bare .

”

When sheep were cons idered of more value than they are at p resen t,i t was of great

c on sequence that n o wi ld or scar sheep sh ould be at large i n any part i cu lar d i stric t , wh ich migh thave th e tendency of scat ter in g th e flock . Thus there i s a n anc i en t act

,

“ that n one keep5 ar sh eep except i t be i n h olms of n esses d iked i n

,and properly belonging to themselves

,

under th e pain of ten pounds Scots,and forfe i ture of the sheep after s i x month s advert i se

m en t. ” Bu t,at th e presen t day, most of th e sheep of the coun try are so w i ld , that th e old

d i st i nct ion of scar sh eep seems to be nearly lost ; and as summer herd ing i s almost unknown ,these an imal s are by no mean s i n a progressi ve s tate of tameness .

I n the las t place,as th e se izu re of sh eep took place by mean s of dogs

,i t was necessary

for the preservat ion of i nd i vidual property , that n o capture shou ld be private . Every pro

pr ie tor i n c la im i ng h i s share of a prom i scuous flock,had a part icu lar mark of h is own

,tha t

was formed by various k inds of i n c i s ion s , wh ich were i nfl i cted on one or both of th e animal’sears these rece ived such names as a sh ear, a s l i t, a hole, a bi t ou t of th e righ t or l eft ear,before

,beh i nd

,or from the top . I n th i s way an i nfin i te vari ety o f private marks was devi sed ,

bu t none of th ese cou ld be lawful ly used wi thout the sanction of th e bai l i ff of a d i s tr ic t,or

c ivi l o fficer,whose duty i t was to i n sert i n a publ i c regi ster a descrip t ive accoun t of al l th e

token s wh ich any i nd iv idual wi shed to adopt,for the recogn i t i on of th e parti cu lar share

wh ich h e had i n a j o i n t flock of sh eep .

* I t was,therefore

,a proper regulat i on

,that th e

marki ng of sheep should be a publ i c act,an d that n o property could be thus c laimed

,bu t

i n the s igh t of a whol e d i str i c t . The per iod appoin ted for mark ing lambs, was when al l th eproprie tors of a flock were assembled for the purpose of r n ez

'

ng , or teari ng off wi th th e handthe w ool from sheep

,after i t had natural ly begun to loosen th i s was about th e m idd l e of

May,or n ear m idsummer. Thus there was a law

,that n o one mark lambs

,or rue sheep

,

where there are d i fferen t owners i n the flock,bu t i n the s igh t of su ffici en t w i tn esses

,under

the pai n of ten pound Scots for the firs t offence,of double th e amoun t for th e second

,and

for the th i rd faul t of be i ng reputed an d pun i sh ed as th ieves . The t ime of marki ng and ruei ng i s s t i l l publ icly proclaimed

, an d on the day fixed,al l th e men of a d i s tr i ct tu rn out

,and

d rive the i r common flock,wi thou t any preparat i on of wash i ng

,i n to rude i nc losures, n amed

pn ndy or arm s . I f the f u nding be de layed too long, th e sheep become so wi ld that they are

M r Sh ir r efl'

has g iven a c u r iou s spe c ime n of the r eg iste r of a sh e ep-mark , as take n from the par ish r e cords of O rk n ey,wh e re a

cu stom n ear ly s im i lar to th e She t land practic e p r evai led “ I joh n G i l l ie s , baron -bai l ie of th e par ish of O rph ir, he re by g ran t

w ar ran t to Edward W ishar t, in M i l l of C laistran , to assume and u s e the she ep-mark fo l low ing , as th e same is r e corded in the

r eg iste r of she e p-marks , on the 4th day of Ju l y 1 770 year s , in the n ame of Joh n Fl e tt in Sk e lb iste r , v iz . The c rop of the r ig h t lugand a bit beh ind , a r ip in the l eft lu g and a b it before

,and the tai l off. ”—A g r z

°

cu ltu r a l S u r vey of O r k n ey ,p . 1 32 .

1 86 SHEEP PASTURES O F SHETL AND . “TER M

hun ted down an d taken by dogs ; but when at las t they are secured wi th i n the t r u es, th e c i vi loffice r s (who were i n former days the bai l i ff and ran selmen of a d is tr ic t) appear as arbi tersof al l d i sputes . Each owner n ow searches the crue for h i s prope rty , which the c ivi l officersconfi rm by the i r regi ster

,an d also claims the lambs that are produced from the part i cu lar

s tock that he possesses,i n order that h i s right to th em may be secured by a proper ear—mark .

At th e same t ime the general 7 u ez'

ng begi n s, th e proprietor se izes hold of h i s poor sheep , an d,d i sdain ing the use of shears , tears away the wool from the struggl i ng an imal’s back i n themost bru tal mann er ; an d i f the fleece has not begun to natural ly loosen

,the Operat i on i s

attended wi th most excruciat i ng pa in . Such a cruel mode of fleec i ng,wh ich i s of true

Scand i navian or igin , i s a t the presen t day retai ned i n Iceland, as w el l a s i n H ialtlan d .

Thus i t i s sh own,that n o cla im s of i nd ividual property among sheep cou ld

,by the

anc i en t laws of Shet land , be sancti oned, i f made i n secret . An act expresses , “ That i f anyperson use a sheep-dog , an d run therewi th after h i s own sheep unaccompan ied ; i f he mark ,

rue, or take any home wi thout show i ng the mark , h e shal l pay for the fi rs t faul t four angel s,

for the second s i x angels , and for th e th i rd be holden and repute as a common thi ef, an dpun i shed accord i ngly .

” I t al so appears that the last penal ty was awarded for even a fi rstoffence

,i f committed under cloud of n igh t . I f any one also k i lled a sheep wi th ou t firs t

show i ng th e mark to a ran selman , or o ther honest man,

” he was l i able to a fine of £10

for th e fi rs t offence,wi th paymen t of damages of£20 for th e second offence an d for th e

th i rd crime,of be ing reputed and pun i sh ed as a common th ief

,an d of be i ng preven ted i n al l

t ime com ing for keepi ng a sheep-dog. I t i s a p i ty that, i n reference to the undivided stateo f th e scatholds, the salu tary tendency of these good laws has n ot been perpetuated . MrShir re ff has properly remarked , that th e Shetlander, who may pos sess th e best sheep-dog , i sby re pute the greatest sheep-own er i n Shetland an d that th ieves are greater enemies to theshe epstock than e i the r defect of food or th e i nclemency of the weather —h e produces as anexample

,some nati ves of Yel l , who, for many years, had several ly con trived to s ecure for

themselves,on an average

,two sheep each w eek . But how can such a state of the Shetland

sheep pastu res create much surpri se ? Husbandry has long s ickened under oppressi on s ofthe most gal l i ng nature ; the fi she ries have becom e th e on ly sources of profi t i n the country ;an d thu s has the care of th e i nd ividual property wh ich may ex i s t i n a common sheep-stock

,

become an obj ec t of l i ttle momen t .The carcase of the Shetland sheep i s very smal l , being sa id not to weigh more than

th i rty pound s . The flesh i s pecu l iarly sweet,and may r iva l i n flavour th e best Wel sh

mutton,that i s so e steemed i n England . But

,owing to th e crooked pol icy of proprie tors

leav ing none bu t th e wors t lambs,wh ich are unacceptable for the table

,for breed

i ng rams,th e race of Shetland sheep has been long supposed t o be i n a state

of degeneracy .

* Th e wool i s sh ort , yet very fine . From the amoun t of th e t i thespaid i n th i s commod i ty t o th e Pope , so early as the 1 4 th cen tury, i t has been

M r Sh e r ifl'

con ce ive s , that th e same stran g e po l icy is ope ratin g to the d isparag emen t of th e Sh e tland w oo l . H e s tates , that

if a prop r ie tor obs e rve amon g h is lambs any on e that is par t icu lar ly fi n e w oo led , all h is alarm is that it shou ld stray away to some

o the r pas tu r e ; h e doe s n ot h e s i tate , th e r e fo r e , to st ifle in the an imal any in d u ceme n t wh ich he may have , du r ing the tu pp in g seasonto ramble alte r the ew e s . Thu s ar e the be st rams in capac i tated fr om pe rpe tu ating a race of fi n e w ool led she ep, wh i lst the worstse rve for bre ede rs .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

88 S H EEP PASTURES OF SHET L AND . “TER I”,

cates to the fabric a redd i sh purple colour . The L ia/zen saxatz'

lz'

s (provi nc ial ly named Old

man ), when treated partly i n th e same way , y i elds a yel lowi sh or redd i sh b rown colour .Th e L ie/zen par z

'

etz'

n u s (named by th e Shet landers Scr z'

otu), dyes cloth of an orange colour.I bel i eve that the L ia/zen onzp/zrz/oz

'

des i s al so occas i onal ly u sed for the purpose of afford i ng abrown i sh or black ish purple colou r. From a col lec t ion o f plan ts

, (no names of wh ich Icould l earn

,wi th the except i on '

of th e marigold), a yel low colour i s procured . A good blacki s extracted from the mossy earth of the coun try

,when found much impregnated with bog

i ron-ore .

Another sort of wooll en cloth that was manufac tu red,was expressed by the term

Kz

'

ver z'

n s,or coz'e/ z

'

ngs for th e beds of the peasan try . These were composed of very coarsemateri al s . Somet imes they formed a ground

,i n to wh ich d i fferen t coloured worsteds were

sewed,so as to d i splay various figures of more or less beauty

,accord i ng to th e taste or

i ngenu i ty of the Operator . Manufactures of th i s kind were then used for rugs or hearthcovers ; when i ntended for superi o r coverl ids , th e figures of them were

,wi th a v i ew to

warm th , produced by th icker th reads , th e th rums of wh ich were left about two i nches long .

The last u se for wh ich k ive r in s were designed,was for sadd le—cloths these were placed

under a k libbar, when the sh elty was mounted by a female rider .

Th e sk i n s of the Shetland sheep are i n requ i si t i on,for the purpose of afford ing th e

fi shermen a sort of surtou t,that covers h i s common dress . The tormen tzlla er ecz

‘

a has beenlong used i n th e process of tann ing.

Among the anc ien t law s of Shetland , th ere are some remarkable regulat ion s respecti ngth e righ ts of Ran se lmen to i nspect at any t ime the s tock of wool

,sk i n s of sh eep , an d th e

c l oth or s tock i ngs made of wool , wh ich may be i n a house . Such func ti ons wou ld appeari nqu i s i torial , i f we did not advert to the c i rcumstances that m igh t have rendered th emnecessary . A flock of sheep belonged to a number of propri e tors , an d th e guard ian sh ip of

them actually devolved upon the civ i l officers of a d i s tr ict . I n order,therefore

,to preven t

theft , i t was not on ly necessary that every se izure o r s lau ghte r of sheep should be forb idden ,wi thou t be ing reported to the Ranse lmen , but even that the produce of flocks should n ot beappl i ed to any use

,wi thou t the knowledge of such guard i an s of the general sheep-s tock of the

communi ty . O n th i s accoun t , i t was a proper regulat i on , that each Ranselman shouldalways have acces s to the s tock of wool or sheep-ski n s i n a house ; i n order that he m igh tcompare wi th h i s regi ster

,the amount of sheep that each i nd ividual had , before legal w it

nesses,c laimed by proper ear-marks , as h i s own . Thus i t was ordered, “ That th e Ransel

men should be yearly sworn an d exam ined,or as oft as needful , an d give an accoun t to th e

Sheri ff or Bai li ff anen t thei r d i l igence , an d that they should see al l wool , sk i ns , heads andmarks whatsoever ; and that they shou ld see all cloth s an d s tock ings made of wool , an dcompare the same wi th th e stock of the makers an d tha t they should take up i nven toriesfrom weavers

,of al l work wrough t by them an d that none refu se ran sellin g , or to g ive up

i nven tor ies,or quarrel or offend a t ran se lling , under pai n to be repute an d prosecute as

th i eves .” At th e same t ime,a general warran t was given to the Ranse lmen , to search ,

whenever occasi on requ ired,any part of a house , and to examine “ th e w ool , s tockings ,

yarn,webs

, & c . ; an d enqu i re how the i nmates of th e dwell ing came by al l th ese ; an d i f

ITER TRO L H OUL A ND . I 89

th ey could not give a sat i s fy ing account there of,and brough and hammell

,to i nform agai n s t

them .

”

These are al l th e remarks wh ich I have to offer on th e sheep of th i s country,and th e

man ufactures to wh ich they give r i se . I t wi l l be ev iden t,that i f lands are s t i l l des t ined to

remai n i n the i r presen t un i nclosed s tate,no improvement can ever poss ib ly take place i n th e

s tate of the Shetland pastures , u n less th e salutary operat ion of the ancien t act s of th ecountry he i n th ei r ful l force rev ived.

* I t i s true,that such regulat i on s are

,i n thei r i nqu i s i

tor ial nature , l i t t le accordan t w i th the presen t spi ri t o f B ri ti sh l i berty ; yet th ey are st i l l wel lcalculated to exci te ou r h igh admi rat ion for the ample securi ty wh ich they must have onceafforded to every scatholder , that h i s proper in teres t i n a prom i scuous sheep-s tock should bepreserved to h im ent i re .

TRO L H OUL A ND .

A south-wes terly walk from A ithsvoe l ed me for two m i les across a brown moor,u n en o

l ivened by a s i ngle hab i tat i on ; but th i s cheerle ss scene at length receded from the V i ew, andwas replaced by th e d i fferen t reaches and wi nd i ngs of a large i rregu lar i n le t of the sea

,that

penetrates the mai nland for a d i s tance of s i x m i les . As the eye trac ed the w ideni ng of th i sestuary i n i ts flow wi th s i len t majesty towards the sou therly expan se of the ocean

,a few spots

of verdure an d scattered cottages m igh t be detected, above wh ich frowned th e dark paral le lr idges of gne i ss , that form the Western Kaim . L eav ing the head of Bigsette r Voe, Iascended a h igh track of moorland

,w here the barki ng of the house-dog , i n s ignal of the

travel ler’s attempt to explore the i nd i st i n ct t racks before h im , migh t s t i l l be heard a fewscan ty h uman hab i tat i on s presented th emselves , closed i n by a melancholy waste of h i l l s an dlakes . I n th i s wi ld abode of man , a knol l sh rouded i n c louds and m is ts has

‘ long beendreaded as a dom ic i le for u nclean sp i ri ts ; hence i ts name of Tr olnou land, or the H i l l o fDemons or Tr ow s. Severa l other b ills i n Sh etland are al so ce lebrated for afford ing

,wi th i n

thei r i n te rnal recesses, a habi tat ion for ev i l gen i i and i t i s remarkab le,that certa i n places i n

Norway have,for many cen turies

,from a sim i lar superst i t i on , been assoc iated wi th th e name

of Tm ] ; thu s, O lau s Magnus , i n speaki ng of a place ren dered awfu l , by th e descen t of arap id an d t umul tuous r iver, adds, Nomen vulgare habet Tl oZ/zeftu

,hoc est, capu fz

'

u zn

D enzon z'

s, forte propter horrorem ,quem sono, str idorequ e ge n e rat, i n palud in osam plan itiem

cade n s .

” I n Iceland a number of craters are known by the name of Tr o'

ZZa-dyng z'

ar,which

i s translated mag ic [leaps an d an anc i ent volcano i s cal led Trdlla-ky r kz'

a, or the Gian ts’

Church . The word Tm"th us appli ed, i s o f very obscu re etymology poss ibly i t may be ano ld Teu ton ic word , the mean ing of wh ich i s perpetuated i n the French Tro

‘

ler,s ign i fy ing to

lead,draw along, seduce or en t ice ; an d an epi the t of th i s k i nd migh t have been appl i ed i n

the early age of Chri s t ian i ty, to the fabu lous de i t ies of the Edda , who were cons idered asst i l l capable of exert ing a seduct ive or al luri ng influence over th e souls of manki nd .

Some of the She ep-laws of She t land bear evide n ce of a date so ear ly as A .D . 1040. Se e Note I I . at the e n d of the pre sen t

190 TRO L H OUL A ND .

[ ITER I I I .

The T rows of Shetland,w ho i nhabi t the i n teri or of rocks

,are the same race of bei ngs

whom the nat ives of Feroe descr ibe as Fodden skemand,or underground men i n th e

Ice landic Edda,they appear under the name of D u ergar or dwarfs , th e origin of whom i s

thus stated O din and h i s broth ers k i l led th e giant Ym i r, from whose wound ran so muchblood, that al l th e fam i l i e s of the gian ts w ere drowned , except one that saved h imsel f onboard a bark . These gods th en made of th e gian t’s bones

,of h i s flesh an d h is blood

,the

earth,th e water and th e h eaven s . But i n th e body of th e gian t , several worms had, i n the

course of putrefact ion , been engendered, wh ich , by order of the gods , partook of both human '

shape and reason . These l i tt le bei ngs,wh ich were of the most de l icate figure

,always dwel t

i n subterraneous caverns,or c lefts of rocks . They were remarkable for the i r ri ches , the i r

act iv i ty,and the i r malevol ence .

I t has been supposed,that th i s mythological accoun t of the D u e rgar bears a remote

al lu s ion to real h i s tory,hav ing an u l t imate reference to the oppressed Fi n s

,who

,before th e

arrival of i nvaders under the conduct of Od i n , were the pri or posses sors of Scand i nav ia .

The fol lowers of th i s hero saw a people,who kn ew how to manufacture th e produce of th e i r

m i nes bette r than they themselves and,th erefore

,from a superst i t i ous regard

,tran sformed

them in to supernatural be i ngs of an unfavourable character,dwel l ing i n the i n terior of rocks

,

and surrounded w i th immense r ich es .*

The subterraneous T row s of Shetland,who resemble the mal ignan t D ives of the East ;

i n every th ing bu t thei r h ideousness of form,have

,i n more recen t t imes had the improper

name given to them of Fair ies, which i s of comparat i ve ly modern i ntroduc t i on in to Europe ,being derived from the Pers ian Per is

,an imagi nary race of i n tel l igences, whose offices of

benevolence were opposed to th e spi tefu l i n terference of ev i l spi ri ts . Another later term ofElves

, i s equal ly obj ect ionab le, if, as some suppose, i t i s to be found i n th e Teuton ic lzeifen ,t ranslated ju riar e.

Sir Walter Scott,i n an elegant an d l earned d i ssertat ion on the fa i r i es of popular bel ie f,

prefixed to the tale of Tamlin e,has shewn that the mod i fica ti on s wh ich the rud imen ts of

e l fi n superst i t i on have undergone,are to be sought for not on ly in the tradi ti on s of the East ,

bu t i n the wreck an d confu s i on of the goth ic mythblogy, i n th e tales of ch ival ry , an d i n thefables of c lass ical an t iqu i ty ; yet i n such an obscure an d detached coun try a s Shetland , fewof these causes cou ld have operated i n chang ing the earl ies t t rad i t i on s of the coun try . Afew tales of chi val ry m igh t have been i n troduced ; bu t th e fables of class ical an tiqu i ty, an dthe learned fictions of the poets of th e 1 6 th cen tury

,have never found growth on the d i s tan t

soi l of Thu le .

The Dwarfs of Shetland,th en

,who dwel l among the h i l l s , are to be con s idered as the

same malevolen t beings who are to be found i n the Scand i nav ian Edda and as i t i s deemed

dangerou s to offend them by any terms of obloquy , however wel l meri ted , they are alsonamed the gu idfai/e, wo rds of s im i lar import be i ng used at the presen t day for the self-samereason i n the Fe roe I slands

,as well as i n other places .

I t does not appear that the popular bel i ef i n th e personal appearance, habi ts , an d

M in str e lsy of th e Scottish Borde r , vol. i i . , p. 2 76.

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I9 2 TRO L H OUL A ND .

[ ITER 111,

In Scotland,the gu id/ails are n ot the best of archers , s i nce the tr iangular fi i n ts wi th

wh ich the shafts of the i r arrows are barbed do not always take effect , an d are th erefore foundstrew ed on th e h i l l s ; but the Shetland dwar fs are much more successfu l , none of the i ra rrows havi ng ever glanced as ide

,so as to afford a fert i l e theme of speculat ion for th e

northern an tiquary,who

,i f they cou ld have been found i n the country

,migh t have ass igned

th e i r origi n to some imagi nary P ict i sh race that had fled from the pursu i t of K ing Kenneth .

When th e T rows are so succes sfu l as to sh oot one of the best fatl i ngs that i s to be metw i th

,they delude the eyes of i ts owner w ith the substi tu t i on of some vi le substanc e possess

i ng the same form as that of the an imal wh i ch they have '

take n away,and wi th the semblance

of i ts sudden death , as i f i t were produced e i th er by natural or v iolent mean s . I t i s on th i saccoun t that the bod i es of an imals wh ich have perish ed by acciden t are condemned as u n

lawful food . A Shetlander at th e presen t day affirms, that he was once taken in to a b ill bythe T row s , when th e fi rs t obj ect that h e saw was one of h i s own cows brough t i n for th epurpose of furn i sh i ng a savoury supply for a banquet . So precariou s at th e same t ime wasthe man’s i nd iv idual preserva ti on

,that h e cons iders h imsel f as i ndebted for i t to the grac i ou s

protec t i on of a fai ry lady,under whose special favour h e had been admi tted wi th i n the cave .

O n re turn i ng to h i s fri ends whom he had l eft on the earth’s su rface,he learned that at th e

very momen t when,wi th h i s own organ of v is ion , he had observed the cow conveyed i n to th e

i n ter ior of the h il l . other earthly eyes had beheld the an imal i n th e act of fal l i ng overthe rocks . In th i s in stan ce

,th en

,th e real cow had been abs tracted

,an d an i l lu sory image

left i n i ts place,lacerated an d dead .

As the T rows are not al togeth er secure from d i seases , they possess amon g th emselvesmed ic i n es of as i nva luable efficacy as those wh i ch , i n th e seven teen th cen tury, immortaliz ed th e name of An ne Jefferies of Cornwal l, who, wi th salves deri ved from fai rie s

,

performed many spec ial m i racu lous cures . There was,for example

,a good man i n th e

I s land of U n st,who had an earthen-pot con tai n i ng an unguen t of i n fal l i ble power

,wh ich h e

al leged Was obtai ned by h im from the h i l l s,an d , l ike the w idow’s cru i se

,i t was neve r

exhausted of i ts con ten ts .These spi ri ts are much add i c ted to mus ic an d danc ing

,and

,when they make the i r

excurs ion s,i t i s generally w i th an imposi ng effect

,be ing accompan ied by most exqui s i t e

harmony

Whose m idn igh t revel s,by a fores t s ide

O r foun tai n,some belated peasan t sees

,

O r dream s he sees , whi le over head th e moonS i t s arb i tress , an d n earer to the earthWheel s h er pale course ; they , on the i r m i rth and danceIn ten t

,wi th j ocund mus ic charm hi s ear.”

A Shetlander, wh i le ly i ng i n bed, heard one morn ing before day—l igh t th e noi se of alarge company of T row s pass i ng h i s door

,accompani ed by a piper. Having a musical ear

,

h e read i l y l earn t the ai r that was played,which he wou ld afterwards repeat, cal l i ng i t by the

ITER I I I . ) TRO L H OUL A ND . 193

name of the Fai ry-tune . The s i te where dances of th e g u id folk are h eld , i s, as i n other

coun tri es , to be detec ted by th e impressi on s in th e form of rings wh ich thei r t i ny fee t makeon the grass and wi th i n such unholy prec i ncts i t i s hazardous for a Chri s t ian to en ter

The i r n igh tly danc ing ri ng I always dread,

Nor le t my sh eep w i th i n that c i rcle tread ;Where rou nd and round al l n igh t

,i n moon l igh t fa i r

,

They dance to some strange mus ic i n the ai r.”

The T rows are add i c ted to the abstract i on of the h uman speci es,i n whose place they

leave effi gies of l iv ing be ings named Changel ings , the unholy origi n of whom i s known byt hei r men ta l imbec i l i ty, or by some wast ing di sease . Although vi s i ts of such a pu rpose areto. be part icu larly dreaded a t m idn igh t and at noon

,yet to ch i ldbed-women who may be

des ign ed for wet-nurses t o some fa i ry i n fan t of qual i ty,the latter h ou r i s

,as i n 'certai n

A siastic coun tri es, by far th e most form idable . O n this accoun t, i t i s s t i l l a po in t of dutyn ot to leave

,i n so fearfu l a n hour

,mothers who give suck , but, l ike pi ous Sai n t Bas i l , to

pray that th e i nfluence of th e demon of n oon may be averted ]L Chi ldren al so are takenaway to the h i l l s , i n order to be play-fel lows to th e i n fan t offspri ng of the T rows on wh ichoccas ion

,al l the lamentable effects have been produced that have been so well depicted by

an elegan t poet of Scotland,i n h i s address to th e muse of th e H igh lands .

Then wake (for wel l th ou can st), that wondrou s lay,How

,wh i le around the thoughtl ess matron s s leep

,

Soft o’er the floor the treacherou s fai ri e s creep,

And bear th e sm i l ing i n fan t far awayH ow start s the Nurse , when , for her lovely ch i ld ,She sees a t dawn a gaping id i ot stare "

O snatch the i nnocen t from demon s wi ld,A n d save th e paren ts fond from fel l

When an impressi on prevai l s that any ch i ldbed-women or i n fan ts,p in i ng away wi th d i s

ease,or betrayi ng a men tal fatu i ty , are

' be ings of a “ base e lfi n breed,

” subst i tu ted hy,the

T rows,i n the place of those whom they may have taken i n to the h i l l s

,n o i nducemen t can

persuade a fam i ly , labouri ng under such a persuas ion , to afford th e obj ect s of comm i serat i onen trusted to thei r care, th e atten t ion wh ich the i r s i tuat i on demands. Nor, on suchmelancholy occas i ons

,are there want ing person s who pretend to th e power of en ter i ng th e

caves of the fai r ies , and of res tori ng the human beings who may be immured i n th em , to

The cau se of Fa i ry-r in g s is asc r i bed to the g row th of ce r ta in spe c ie s of Agar ic , w h ich so e n t ir e l y absorb the n u tr ime n t from

the so i l be n ea th , that th e he rbag e is for a w h i le de stroyed.

i The Ce l ts , says D r Pe rcy,

w i th the same view offe red sacr ifices . O n e says p l easan tl y , the tru e demon of n oon is

H u n g e r , w he n on e has no th ing to sat isfy it.

1 Su ppl eme n tal S tan z as to Co l l in s’Ode on the Su persti t ion of the H igh lands . By Wm . Ersk in e , Esq. , Advocate .

194 TRO L H OUL A ND .

[ ITER

th e i r friends . A warlock of the pari sh of Wall s i s said to have amassed a con s iderabl e sumof money by assum ing such an i nflu ence over th e demons of the h i l l s h i s success bei ngdenoted by the apparen t recovery of ch i ldbed-women or ch i ldren from the di sease underwh ich they had laboured .

When the l imb of a Shetlander i s a ffected wi th paralys i s,a su sp ici on often ari ses that i t

has been e i ther touched by evi l spi ri ts , or that the sou nd'

member has been abstracted, an d

an i nsensib le mass of matter subst i tu ted i n i ts place . A tai lor n ow l ivi ng reports,that h e

was employed to work i n a farm house where there was an idi ot,who was supposed to bc a

bei ng left by th e T rows,i n the place of some i nd ividual that had been taken i n to th e h i l l s .

On e n igh t when th e v is i tor had j us t re ti red to h i s bed , l eavi ng the Changel i ng asleep by thefi re s ide , he was start led by the sound of musi c ; a t the same time, a large company offa i rie s en tered th e room , and began to best i r themselves i n a fest ive round . The i d iotsudden ly j umped up, and i n j o in i ng the i r gambol s, shewed a fam il iar i ty w i th the movementsof the dance, that none but a supernatural i nhab itan t of the h i l l s could be supposed topossess . The observer grew alarmed and sain ed h imself ; upon heari ng wh ich , al l the elvesimmed i ately fled i n most adm ired d i sorder ; but on e of the party, a female, more d i sconc e rted than the res t a t th i s i nhosp i table i n terrupt i on to thei r sports, touch ed the ta i lor

’s b igtoe as she left the room , when he los t the power of ever

'

afterwards movi ng that j oi n t .Such are th e deta i ls wh ich I was enab led to col lect

,relat ive to the Trows that i nhabi t

th e i nteri or of th e Shetland h i l l s . I n n o coun try are there more habi tat i on s remai n ing ofunc lean spi ri ts than i n Thule . Al l these had the i r origi n i n the mythology of the anci en tScand i nav ian s ; an d when Chri st ian i ty was i n troduced in to Shetland , a belief in the ex i stenceof gods

,gian ts or dwarfs

,st i l l remain ed

,wi th th i s qual ificat ion on ly

,that they were fal len

angel s of vari ous ranks belonging to the ki ngdom of darkness, who, i n the i r degraded s tate ,had been compel led to take up thei r abode i n mounta in s , spri ngs or seas .* These weretenets conven ien tly subservi en t to the office of exorc i sm

,wh ich con st i tu ted a lucrat i ve part

o f the emoluments of the i n feri or Cathol ic clergy, with whom O rkney and Shetland were inancien t t imes overrun . We may , therefore, reasonably expect that the i ndustry of thesePapi s ts w ou ld resemble that of the holy freres of England, so wel l descr ibed by GeofferyChaucer

That serche n every land and every streme ,As th ikk e as motes i n th e son ne-beme ,Bl i ss ing halles

,chambres

,k ichen es and bou res,

C itees and burghes, castles h igh and toures,Th rops an d bernes , shepen es and dai ri es,Th i s mak ets that ther ben no faeri es .”

Demon s or T rows were th us kept i n order by a ki nd of sp iri tual pol ice, wh ich prevented them ,

owing to the i n terference of exorc i sm , spe l ls, or charms, from break ing i n toh uman hab i tat ions

,or trespass i ng on the lands of the udal lers, to the inj ury of l ive-s tock

A doctr in e n ear l y s im i lar was in cu lcated by Debes in h is de scr ipt ionof Fe roe , and by O lau s Mag n u s.

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196 B AY OF SCAL LOWAY .

[ ITER I I I .

h igh,s trongly l i n t‘el led at the fron t wi th a large tr iangular ston e, wh i le other supports of the

same nature wh ich res ted on both wal ls , formed th e i n ternal s tructure of the entrance . The

passage , when bes ieged, would of course be blocked up by large s tones rol led from wi th i n thearea . The fortal ice was su rrounded by a d itch , n ow fi l led up, the breadth of wh ich wasth i rteen feet . An outer rampart secured th e whole

,1 9% feet broad . (See Fzg. 1 4 of the

Plate of A n tiqu ities.

A walk of three or four m i les , along a coast th i n ly i nhabi ted , leads to Ske lda Ness , abold headland

,worn i n deep recesses , the abode of raven s, sea—gull s, or wi ld pigeon s on e

of the larger caves i s sa id to have been i n former times the haun t of a Norwegian pirate .

Cross ing Ske lda Voe , an i n le t th ree m i les i n exten t, I reached Reaw ick , where the anc ien tfam i ly of th e Umph rays have a residence an ancestor of whom afforded

,by h i s vessel

,the

mean s whereby the Duke de Medina,th e commander of the Span i sh Armada

,escaped ,

afte r sh ipwreck,from D u n rossn ess to Dunki rk . Sel i e Voe

, (said to si gn ify, i n the Norse,a Herring Voe), l i es to the north-east , wh ich I reached i n a boat . Th i s i s an i n le t

,open to

the sea,an d about a m ile i n exten t ; th e banks of wh ich are adorned with a few good

houses,and by a neat man se . The sea i n th e v ic i n i ty abounds wi th haddocks

,wh i t i ngs

,

piltocks, and somet imes wi th mackare l . Kirkholm l i es off a po i n t of land to th e east of thebay being an i slet ce lebrated for the re fuge that i t afforded to the crew of a galleon belongi ng to the famous Span i sh Armada , wh ich sank on a haddock-sand n ear Reawick Head ,now cal led the Meeth . The Span iards havi ng effected thei r escape on the shore

,took

possess i on of Kirkholm , sank a wel l of good fresh water, fort ified th e banks w i th a wal l ,and bui l t for themselves several hu ts . Sands Voe

,which i s about half a m i le to th e east

,i s

a smal l open bay , n ear to wh ich are th e ru i n s of a very neat chapel , erected by theSpan iards duri ng the t ime they were deta ined i n Shet land ; i t was origi nal ly ded icated bythem to St Mary, as a tribu te of grati tude to the Virgi n for the i r preservat ion on the hospi tab leshore of Thu le .

* O n th e west of the i n le t, S i r Andrew Mi tchel l of Westshore, formerlybu i l t a large house

,th ree s toreys i n he ight

,wh ich i s n ow possessed by John Scott

,Esq.

The shore of the Voe was strewed over w i th the bodies of a n umerous herd of ca’i ng whales ,that had recently been driven on the sands and slaughtered.

BAY OF SCALLOWAY .

The rocks, holms and i s le t s i n the bay of Scalloway are very numerous , and them i neralogical examinati on of them

,wh ich I undertook

,was very ted ious ; my labour be ing

much impeded by the Shetland boatmen , who, n otwi th stand i ng they were engaged at aspecific sum

,for the purpose of land in g me at d i fferen t po in ts of the i s lands , were as im

pat ien t of the leas t delay as they were extort ionate i n th e i r charges . I n no part of grea t

A medal , that w as long in th e pos se ss ion of a Sh e tland fam i ly , commemorat ing the de feat of the Armada, is g ive n in Fig .

2 6 of the Plate of An tiqu i tie s , Appe n d ix . It is now in the hands of M r Ros s of Ed in bu rgh , late co l le c tor of the c u s toms in

Le rw ick . The co in ma te r iall y d iffe rs from on e r e lat ing to the same eve n t, that is desc r ibed in a n umbe r of th e Spec tator .

ITER BA Y or SCA L LOWA Y . 197

Bri ta i n i s boat-travel l i ng more extravagan t than i n Shetland . There are no regular ferrie san d al th ough the Magi strates of the coun ty have attempted to fix a rate of fares . and toexpress thei r determ i nat i on

,i n case of any d i spu tes com ing before them, to make i t th e i r

standard of reference , th e regu lat i on i s al together a dead letter . There are few gen tlemenwho

,i n th e tr ips that they make

,are n ot rowed by thei r own tenants , and they take such an

opportun i ty of i ngrat iat i ng themselves i n th e favour of the i r dependen ts , by payi ng themabove the i r du e ; i t i s , therefore , unfortunate that the sum thus given i s the leas t tha t i sdemanded from the stranger . I t i s a lso imposs ib le to bind the She tlander down to anyspec ific agreemen t — whatever sum he may con tract for as a fare

,he endeavours to

encrease,and there i s a grea t degree of unpleasan tness i n en ter i ng i n to a n ew agreement

duri ng the whole of th e passage, th i s being th e ch i ef obj ect of th e boatman’s gratui tou s con

versat ion wi th which th e passenger i s perpetual ly an noyed . All th i s meann ess m igh t havebeen expected from th e poor peasan t , when i n a debased state of vassalage, wh ich wou ldnatural ly prompt h im to treat the h igher ranks wi th m i stru s t an d artful ness bu t s i n ce thecoun try i s by no mean s what i t was hal f a cen tury ago , i t i s t ime that a d i fferent l i n e of conduct

,i nd icat ive of a more improved s ta te , should be adopted . The fi shermen whom I had

engaged from the pari sh’of Wal ls were under the i nfluence of an old boatman,whose nu

accommodat i ng an d surly d i sposi t ion,was i n perfect correspondence wi th the h ideous

appearance of h i s figure h i s person had been so long entrusted to Nature’s care alon e, thath i s beard hung down to h i s breas t ; he was i n truth

An u ncouth,salvage and u n c ivile wigh t

,

O f griesly h ew an d fou le i l l-favou r’d s igh tH i s face wi th smoke was tand

,an d e ies were blear’d

Hi s head and heard wi th sou t were i l l bedigh t,

His cole-black bandes did seeme to have been sear’dI n Smythes fi re-sp i tt i ng forge

,and n ayles l ike c lawes appear

’d .

”

The Shetlander i s too often i n the hab i t of cons idering the extort ion to wh ich he makes th estranger submi t , as of the same nature as th e r igh t that he assumes to plunder a wreck forhe enumerates under the blasphemous ti tl e of th e God-sends,

” a wreck,a drove of whales ,

and a boat-fare .

After land i ng on th e San d istu ra Rocks,wh ich ri se but a few fee t above the leve l of the

sea , I v is i ted the c lu ster of i sles composed of epidoti c si en i te or gne iss , named H ildaz oo ,Papa L i t tl e , Oxn a, L onga , and th e Cheyneys .* Burra i s a i sland of gne i ss

,abou t four m i le s

i n length and two i n bread th,rendered memorable i n Holland for the d i sas te r wh ich befe l

the Dutch navy i n the summer of the year 1 652 . The vesse l s were driven by a gale on thewest s ide of the i sland ; a fi re-sh ip was wrecked

,an d a man-of-war sank to the bottom .

The res t of the flee t ven tured amon g the smal l i s les an d rode i n safety . I n Burra, formerly

M r L ow has r emarked , that he fou nd on these ho lms the long -leaved sor re l , the sea g illiflow e r , the sw e e t sme l l ing gar l ick ,als o the L ye/wis d z

'

oz'

ca , peta l is r u é r z'

s ct a l é z'

s .

198 BA Y OF SCA L LOWAY . (ITER m ,

s tood a church,adorned w i th a sp i re

,but th e whol e i s n ow rased to the grou nd . House

I sland,wh ich l ie s so near to Burra as to be con nec ted wi th i t by a wooden bridge

,was

anc i ently the res idence of a S i nclai r who joi ned th e force that,i n defence of the righ ts of

the Udallers,opposed an d sl ew the Ear l of Cai th ness. He obtai n ed a resp ite

,along w i th

Sinclai r and Strom,for n i n eteen years . Great H avery i s a smal l i nhabi ted i sle, partly

formed of l imestone-rocks , respect ing wh ich there i s an id l e trad i ti on,tha t no mouse or rat

wi l l l ive i n i t,and that i t s ground i s of such a vi rtue, as to ki l l vermi n al th ough removed for

the purpose to any other place . Very far south l i es the pen insu lated em inence of StRonan’s

,j o i ned to the Main land by a low sand-bank , which , i n h igh t ides or gales , i s

occasi onally ove rflown . The foundat ion s appear of an old chapel ded i cated to S t N in ian,

common ly named Ronan , from the I r i sh appe llat ion given to the sai n t of Rz’

ngan . StN in ian was a Cambrian who z ealously preached Chris tian i ty i n the fifth cen tury to th eBri ton s of the prov ince of Valencia or sh i re of Gal loway . Dr Chalmers conce ives

,that the

chapel m igh t have been founded by some pious Columban s of th e s ix th cen tury i n thei rv i s i t to Shetland ; but th i s i s very doubtfu l . Both Shetland and O rkney were cons idered i na pagan sta te unt i l th e year 1 1 95, when O laus Tr igu esson , ki ng of Norway, converted th eearldom to the true fai th at th e poi n t of the sword . The account of the country

,that the

chapel was bui l t by a Dutch captai n a s the fulfi lmen t of a vow wh ich he had made to th esai n t for protect ion i n a storm at sea

,i s much more conj ectura l than th e noti on of the

learned an t iquary whom I have quoted . L i ttl e n ow remain s of St Ronan’s Chapel,al thou gh

i t i s s ti l l u sed as a buryi ng place . The lower s torey of the ki rk may be d i sti nc t ly traced ,wh ich having been once vau lted

,i s supposed to have served for a bury i ng place . The c l i ffs

of S t Ronan’s are very h igh,and

,wi th the i nsulated rocks adj o in i ng

,serve as a resort for

numerous varie ti es of gul l s,whose nests

,when I v i s i ted th i s place, w ere plundered for the

sake of the young bi rds named scories . I partook of a di nner of th em,but found th e flesh ,

as m igh t be expected , strong an d fi shy . The most sou therly i s le t be longi ng to the bay ofScal loway i s Co lsay, wh ich i s un i nhab i ted .

Near St Ronan’s i s a good es tate wh ich anci en tly belonged to the S tewarts of Bigtown ,

th e present represen tat ive of whom i s J ohn Bruce,Esq. of Simbester . B igtown was for

many years the resort of Scott i sh traders w ho t rafficked wi th th e nat ives for sa l t,or coal-fi sh,

as wel l a s of a Jew who was the great purchaser of th e feath ers of sea-fowl . O n an adjacen tpromontory named I reland

,once stood a ch urch wh ich was adorned w i th a lofty steeple .

But of three bu i ld i ngs of th i s k i nd s i tuated i n I re land , Burra and T i ngwall , that were saidto have been erected by th ree Norwegian s i sters

,i t i s unfortunate that not one should now

remai n .

*

I n sai l i ng north from B igtown , I passed Maywick , a smal l open i n let , to the east ofwh ich are the exten s ive dreary scatholds that form the Cl i ff H i l ls

,where a righ t of pasturage

was l ong a source of d i spu te between the proprietors of the i slands of Burra and House , andthe nat ives of Con ingsbu rgh on the Main land . Several p i tched batt les are said to have

The re is a smal l re l ig io u s ed ifice in O rk n ey , w h ich the se k irks of She t land ar e said to have mu ch r esembled a spe c ime n ,

the r e for e , o f the anc ie n t Scand in avian chu r ch is g ive n in the Plate of An t iqu i tie s that appears in the Appe nd ix of th is Work . (See

Fig . 1 7 .

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Z OO SCA L L OWAY TO B IGSETTER VOE.

(ITER III.

SCALLOWAY TO BIGSETTER VOE.

A l i t t le to th e north-west of Scal loway , I observed , for th e firs t t ime,a specimen of the

.

an c i en t Shetland plough , as i t was fixed agai n st t he wal l of a cottage . Th i s implemen t ofh usbandry i s of a very ancien t construct ion

,being si ngle-s t i l ted

,l i ke one that i s represen ted

by O lau s Magnus , as common to n orthern nat ions . A crooked piece of wood,bent to a

righ t angle , forms the beam of the plough , wh ich has a length of s ix feet an d a heigh t of twofee t and a half ; th e s i ngle st i l t at the top of i t con s i st s of an oak stave seven feet long .

Through th e lower end of the beam a square hole i s cu t , for th e i n troduction of a p iece ofoak abou t twen ty-two i nches in l ength , named th e Mercal , to wh ich i s affixed the sock and

sky. The cou lter stands nearly perpend icu lar to th e sock,wh i le a wedge driven bel ow or

above the mercal,regulates the depth of th e fu rrow . A slender mach in e of th i s sort

,wh ich

one man may l i ft wi th ease,i s dr iven by fou r oxen abreast . Two yokes

, joi ned by a doublerope

,are laid on th e i r necks ; a large one on the two outermost an imal s, and a smal l one

on the two i nnermost . The draugh t or chai n wi th wh ich the i r n ecks are connected to th eplough i s from e igh teen to twenty-four feet long. With th i s st range in st rumen t two labourerstake th e field . The holder of the plough stands on th e left of the pl i able sti l t . The driveror taller as h e i s named

,goes before the oxen

,walking backward the sound of h i s wh ip

sets th e catt le i n mot i on th e holder of the sti l t l i es on wi th h i s s ide ; th e earth i s tu rnedover ; the work i s executed to admirat ion , un t i l a large stone encoun ters th e coulter, an dth en crack go the j oi n ts of th e frame-work . Al l hands are now pressed in to service forrepa irs

,and the plough i s again se t to r igh ts . A lash of the caller’s wh ip agai n causes the

beasts to~

resume the i r tardy pace . Every th i ng i s carri ed on smooth ly un t i l a stifl furrowappears , when another imped imen t takes place . I t i s n ow necessary that the stubborn glebesh ou ld be broken down th i s i s accompl i shed ; th e labour of the plough i s agai n resumed ,an d

,by the help of Heaven

,i s at length happi ly completed " Such being th e operati on of

th i s prim i t ive mach i ne,every an tiquary must regret that an implemen t of so prec ious a

descript i on , e lucidat ive of th e earl iest state of Scandinavian agr icul tu re, i s going fast ou t ofu se

,c hi efly owi ng to the i n novati ng sp i ri t of the Shetland New

_

Agricu l tural Soc ie ty . (See

Plate of A n tiq. App. Fig.

But for tu rn i ng u p land , th e plough has been often la id as ide, and th e ancien t s lenderan d long-shafted spade of Shetland, wh ich has a blade a quarter of the bread th of thec ommon garden spade of Scotland, an d a conven i en t project i ng pi ece of wood for thea ppl icat i on of th e foot

,i s i n much greater requ i s i t i on , bei ng indeedwel l enough adapted for

t h e rugged an d ston y ground of the country . (SeePlate of A m‘z’

g. App. Fig.

I n tak ing a north-easte rly d i rect ion near to the head of Catfi rth Voe, where we approachth ick beds of l imestone

,a

'

fresh water loch may be observed,that has been celebrated by

Tor faeu s, under the n ame of Ge irhildar-vatn . When Iceland had been acciden tal ly d i s

ITER u p ] S CA L LOWAY TO BIGSETTER VOE. 201

covered i n th e n in th cen tury, Floke , a n orthern p i rate, attended by h i s daugh ter, wen t i nquest of the coun try of wh ich he had heard such favourable accoun ts . The compass wasn ot then known ; he th erefore took th ree raven s , wh ich he had consecrated to th e gods,seek ing

,by the i r d i rect i on of fl igh t, th e des ired land . L and i ng at Shetland wi th h i s

daugh ter,to wh ich place he was di rected by th e omens that h e had con su l ted , they arrivedat a lake

,where was a smal l i s le t v i s i ted by numerous b i rds , upon wh ich the un fortunate

damsel , probably i n quest of the i r eggs , attempted to land , and in her passage was drowned .

From th e fate wh ich be fe l her, th e lake was named Ge irhildar-vatn , of wh ich the modernname of Girlsta was probably a corrupt i on . I t i s added i n th e h i story of Iceland,that th efl igh t of th e th i rd raven wh ich Floke le t loose

,conducted h im to h i s p lace of dest i nat i on .

To th e south-wes t o f Girlsta, at a di s tance of a few miles, i s Wh i ten ess, where was oncea ch urch ded i cated to S t O l la, and named St O l la

’s Cha i r. Here i s a beaut i ful voe wh ichhas a cou rse exac tly paral le l to the long r idges of gne iss,

(

that, run n i ng from south-west tonorth-east

,const i tu te i t s lofty banks . I n th i s d i st r ict there i s much arable land i n closed.

The manure i n tended for i t, wh ich i s to be seen a t th e fron t of most cottages on the Mai nland

,i s a midden , con s i s t i ng of dung, of heather that has been cut for l i t ter, of sea—weed and

of earth or dry decomposed moss , named D zmj imou la’. Th i s compost

,wh ich ha s been

known from the remotes t an tiqui ty,i s an obj ect of such importance to th e Shetlander

,that

the i l l—j udged sacrifice wh ich h e often makes i n order to obtai n th e i ngred ien t of earth,migh t

be cons idered as the exaggerat ion of a travel l e r, i f i t were n ot attes ted by a comm ittee of th eShetland Agricu l tu ra l Soci ety , appo i n ted i n th e year 1 8 1 8

,to adj udge th e prem i ums for a

sou th-east d i stri c t of th e coun try . They state , that they were concerned to observe the exten tto wh ich the pern ic ious prac t i ce

,too common al l ove r th e coun try

,i s carri ed

,of cut ti ng up

the uncul t i vated ground s i n the n e ighbourhood of the pri nc ipal farms for manure ; that i thappen s unfortunately to be th e mos t improvabl e ground wh ich i s thus sacrificed, and thatone man was observed to have destroyed h i s very town—mai l l s for th i s purpose

,when th e

earth was not more than two or three i nch es deep .-Upon the appl i cat i on of the manure it

i s conveyed i n cassies,wh ich form an appendage to the k libbars or wooden saddles that are

fi tted to th e backs of th e.

she l t i es — though somet imes i t i s carri ed to th e land by women .

Carts are l i t tle k nown i n the country .

A walk of a mi le to th e north -west,l eads to the lake of Strom

,a fine expanse of water

that stretches far to th e north,an d l oses i t se l f among dark mountai n s of gnei s s . I n th e

m ids t of i t i s a small h olm , on wh ich are th e remai n s of an anci en t fortress, where, accordi n g to trad i t i on , a son of one of the Earl s of O rkney fled

,i n order to evade the wrath of h i s

father ; but meet ing w i th pursuers , h e was sla i n i n a contes t w i th th em on th e s trath ofT i ngwall . I n the v ici n i ty of th i s place , once li ved a Shetland gen tleman of the name ofS incla i r

,who

,i n the year 1530, gallan tly headed a num ber of udal lers that composed part

of the force wh ich th e Governor of O rkn ey rai sed i n oppos i t i on to th e des ign s of theScot t i sh Governmen t , when , i n favou r of the Earl of Cai th ness, i t was decreed, that udalr igh ts sh ould be exchanged for feudal serv i l i ty

,I n th i s con tes t th e Earl of Cai thness was

sla i n ; and i n 'th e subsequen t reconc il i at ion of the Monarch of Scot land to th e udal lers ,Edward S i nclai r of Strom

,wi th th i rty compan i on s i n arm s

,rece ived a resp i te from the Kin g

A A

202 SCA L L OWA Y TO BIGSETTER VOE.

[ITER I I I .

for a nom inal term of n in eteen years .

To th e sou th of the lake i s an i nle t ot th e sea,five m i les i n exten t

,that open s i n to th e

Bay of Scalloway . Ustan ess Voe an d th e L och of S trom communicate wi th each oth er bymeans of a smal l channel , over wh ich there i s a rude bridge ; and near th i s spot, st rata ofl imestone ri se i n to smal l em i n ences, con tri bu t ing, i n a great degree , to ferti l ize th e soi l .The arable land general ly preferred for cu l ture i s described as sandy

,or composed of a

m ixtu re of clay and gravel that approach es to a soft loam bu t often i t cons ist s of a blackmould rest ing on clay alone , or on clay and sand . I t i s u sual to give to land a di st i nct ionthat was n o doubt i n troduced i n to th e country by the Scot t i sh sett lers that i s

,i n to Infield

an’d O zztfi eld. I n Scotland,th e land ly ing n ear the homestead was kept for success ive

years i n t i l lage , an d under th e name of Infield, rece ived al l th e manure, mixed wi th earth ,wh ich th e farm afforded . Thus

,also i n Shetland , many inclosures n ear the house have

been dunged every year,and have been sown i n th e en d of Apri l wi th bear an d oats for

more than hal f a cen tu ry,wi thout ever ly ing fal low

,or hav ing produced a d i ffe ren t k ind of

gra in but th e Shetlanders have not altogether im i tated certa i n Scott i sh d i s tr ict s i n al low i ngno manure to any part of the land

,bu t that wh ich was properly infield . I n Perth sh i re

,fo r

i ns tance,any port ion of land wh ich lay i n a val ley a t a d i s tance from the house, and was

su ffic ien tly free from stones,was , unde r the name of ou tfield, al ternately kept i n corn , and

natura l l ey or w eedy wastes,without rece ivi ng the smal lest return of manu re

,except that

wh i ch was afforded by catt le,when i t was used for the purpose of foldi ng . But the outfield

of th e Shetlander, wh i ch i s often mossy , an d se ldom dra ined, has long rece ived each year aport ion of dung

,mixed wi th dou ff-mould

,earth , or sea-weed. The ground i s s l igh tly

harrowed,an d i s then sown i n th e e n d of March or begi n n i ng of Apri l w ith '

b lack oats .The dung wh ich has been carri ed ou t to the land durin g the win ter i s afterwards appl i ed t oth e su rface of the sown ground

,an d not be i ng in corporated wi th the so il , wastes away by

th e ac t i on of th e sun and rain . During the n ex t season,th e outfield l i es fal low an d thu s

i n al ternate years i t i s u nder t i l lage an d i n l ey . Sometimes the ground i s two yearslaboured, and l i es two years ley . I t h as been al so long customary i n the coun try to adopti n th e ou tfield a mode of marki ng ou t beds for oats that resembles the lazy-bed way ofScotland

,i n c idental to th e cul t ivat ion of potatoes . Moss-earth

,sand , & c . ,

are th rownup from an adjacen t d i tch , an d upon th i s substance oats are sown , wh ich th rive remarkably . I n the year 1 730, potatoes w ere in t roduced for th e fi rst t ime i n to Shetland,when i t became customary to obtai n from the i nfield i n al ternate years a c rop of th i svegetable ; an d , at th e presen t day , oat s, potatoes and bear are not unfrequen tly producedi n succes si on . O f la te years, cabbage have been much less cu l t i vated ; the i r u se as foodbeing superseded by potatoes. L astly, under th e encouragement given by the NewAgricul tu ral Soc ie ty lately founded i n Shetland , a complete n ew system of farm ing may bei n t ime expected . The a ttent ion of the gen tlemen of th e coun try i s laudably d i rected toa d ivi s ion of commons, as the groundwork of al l agricul tural improvement s ; but i n th emean t ime

,th e prem iums that are given for th e growth of turn ips, wh ich are found to

succeed remarkably well,—for th e break ing out of waste ground

,— for the improvemen t of

l ive stock ,— an d for th e cult ivat ion of art ificial grasses, —already prom ise th e most bene

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O4 SCAL L OWAY TO BIGSETTER VOE.

[ ITER III.

of Mr Ross were of a good s iz e, one of them , wh ich I weighed, bei ng 1 1111. 8 oz . I n th i sgen tleman’s garden sycamores seemed to th rive better than i n any other place i n Shetland .

Wiesdale Voe was formerly a port, to wh ich the O rkney men resorted for the purpose‘ of supply i ng Shet land wi th gra i n bu t th i s coun try now obtai ns i t from Scotland .

Although n umerous patch es of corn land appear in terspersed wherever th e travel ler tu rn sh i s eyes

,ye t i t i s lamen table to con sider the fatal i ty wh ich too often awai ts them ; i n

September heavy gales from the n orth and north-west may ari se wh ich wi l l des troy the momi n a s i ngl e n igh t . I n the year 1 792 , and for four years afterwards, a di sappoin tmen ttook place i n th e h arvest

,which

,combined w ith a great mortal i ty of the horned cattl e

and sheep,rendered the coun t ry almost a desert ; much of the cattl e wh i ch remai n ed

was sold to purchase grai n th e poor, who could not always obtai n the fry of the coalfi sh ,were obl iged to l ive on wi lks, l impets, an d other shel lfi sh . But, to the great cred i t of th epri ncipal landholders

,they v ied wi th each other i n k indly offices to the poor

,i n whi ch th ey

were l iberal ly ass i sted by the Bri t i sh Government . So variabl e i ndeed i s the cl imate,that

,

i n stead of th e crops be ing i n the yard i n th e m iddle of September,th i s even t does n ot often

occur before the end of O ctober, or even November. The corn i s th en cu t down wi th avery smal l s i ckle ; th e sh eaves are pu t u p i n smal l s tooks un t i l dry, carri ed i nto the cornyard

,bu i l t i n large’ s tacks

,taken i n to the barn when wan ted

,th resh ed wi th a flai l

,winnowed

and dried on ki l n s .The best pastures are to be found where l imestone prevai l s . Natural red and wh i te

c lover,with rye-grass and th e Vz

'

ez'

a sepz'

zem,may be observed growing spon taneously in

many parts of Shetland . I n August , after the expi rat i on of the l i ng fish e ry,th e nat ives cu t

heath,m ixed with other plan ts of the b ills

,for win ter fodder ; at the same t ime the grass i s

mown w ith a smal l scythe,of a con struct i on pecul iar to the coun try ; (See Plate ef A n tz

'

g. ,

App . Pig. 23 . I t i s th en al lowed to dry, and i s bu i l t i n to stacks. There i s one pract ice,

however,wh ich occu rs i n Wiesdale

,that Mr Shirre ff, who wi tnessed i t i n the I sland of

Br essay, has deservedly commended . When a moss i s bu t one peat deep,the inhabi tan ts

,

after obtai n i ng from i t thei r fuel , lay the sods wi th which the peat was covered i n a fine claybottom

,press them down with the feet

,an d derive from them good crops of grass , or when

broken up,good crops of corn .

After ascending an eminence to th e west ofWie sdale,I reached a narrow d i smal pass

named th e Sk iord, th e h igh h ill . of Wiesdale appeari ng above robed i n m i st,when

,for the

second t ime, I came in v iew of th e large i rregu lar Voe of B1gsetter ,‘

six mi les i n length,and

from one to two i n breadth . The products of the i n le t are valuable to the fi sherman,on

accoun t of the large quan t i ty of shel lfish i t y i elds for bai t, con s i st i ng ch iefly of th e M i tt/u s

media/us or yeog . The decl iv i ty of th e h igh h i l l s su rround ing i ts banks has to boast a tolerable populat ion

,and numerous patches of corn land

,the marauders of which were the wi ld

pigeon s that bu i ld among th e rocks . Not unfrequen tly al so th e grai n attracted to i t a s great

a number of larks, l i nnets , sparrows . redbreasts, wren s or bunt i ngs, as I have seen i n manyd i str i cts of Scotland . A ki rk has been erected on the west sh ore , for the admin istrat ion ofthe regular Scotch service

,and on the opposi te banks a smal l congregati on of the sec t of

Meth od i st s named Haldan i te s, meet every Sabbath i n a l i t tl e bu i ldi ng that con st i tutes the i r

m m A NCIENT DOMEST IC TROW or SHETL AND . 205

templ e . I n sk i rt i ng along the harbour,th e weather was part icularl y bo i sterou s ; n umerou s

sl ender r i l l s were ambl i ng down th e dales to pay the i r t ri bu te to th e voe . These occas ional ly served to supply some smal l m i l l , th e presence of wh ich was s ign ified by a low shed ofunhewn stones

,that s tretch ed across a d im i nu t ive streamlet

,over wh ich i t was poss ibl e i n

many places to str ide ; compared i ndeed wi th a water-mil l of Scotland or England , th egrind i n g apparatu s of Shetland seemed designed for a race of p igm ies .

The mi l l stones are commonly formed of a m icaceou s gne i ss, being from 30 to 36

i nches i n d i ame ter. Un der the frame work by wh ich they are supported,i s a sort of

horizon tal wheel,of the same d iameter as th e m i l l-stones named a Tz

'

r l , wh ich con s i s ts of as tou t cyl in drica l post of wood

,abou t 4 feet i n length , i n to wh i ch are m ort i sed twe lve smal l

float—boards, placed i n a slan ti ng d i rect i on , or at an obl ique angle . I t has a p ivot at i tsu nder end , wh ich run s on a h ol lowed i ron plate, fixed on a beam . A strong i ron spi ndlea ttach ed to th e upper end of th e t i rl

,passes th rough a hole i n the under m i l ls tone, an d i s

fi rm ly wedged i n the upper one . A trough conducts th e water that fal ls from the h i l l u ponthe feathers of the t i rl , at an i ncl inat ion o f 40

° or wh ich,givi ng mot ion to the upper

m i l ls tone,turn s i t s lowly round . To the hopper that surmount s th e upper m i l ls ton e

there i s a log of wood fas tened,wh ich

,s triki ng upon th e

'

uneven upper surface of th e s ton e,shakes th i s repos i tory for th e corn

,and makes i t come out

,wh i l st too qu ick an escape i s

checked by a device for lessen i ng the s ize of th e apertu re . Bu t sometimes there i s nohopper at al l , and a man pati en tly feeds the m i l l w i th h is hand . (See Plate of A n tiq. , App .

Such i s a descr ipt i on of th i s exqu i s i t e p i ece of mach i nery,th e i nven ti on of wh ic h i s

probably as old as th e t im e of Harold H arfagre . Capta i n Preston,th e au thor of an old

naut ical chart of Shetland,was

,duri ng h i s detent ion on th i s coast, by sh ipwreck , shewn a

Shetland m i l l,and was a t th e same time i n formed

,tha t i t had been for many years a

source of d ispu te between two landed propri e tors . The Engl i shman looked at h i s C iceron ewi th surpri se, and, s ign ifican tly eye i ng th e obj ect of con ten t i on , repl i ed , wi th a sneer,

“ I cancertai n ly conceive of no di spu te wh i ch such a s tructure ough t to have reasonably occas ioned ,—bu t whether i t i s a m i l l or n o .

”There i s , however, another sort of gri nd i ng apparatus ,

once u sed by th e Engl i sh and Scotch,wh ich I saw i n a cottage near Bigsetter Voe, that i s

wel l known under th e name of the Qaem . A hand-mill of th i s k i nd con s i st s of two stonesabout 2 1 i nches i n diameter

,that res t on a k ind of table . Near the edge of the upper s ton e,

i s a hand l e wh ich th e gri nder , (general ly a femal e of the h ouse ,) se izes and turn s round witha sort of centr i fugal movemen t , wh i lst the left hand i s employed i n supply ing wi th com ahole i n the cen tre . The meal then fl i e s outwards

,an d d rops from between the s tones on

the table , when i t i s every now an d th en scraped together an d taken away .

Th i s operat i on was,i n former t imes

,much al leviated by t he influence of a sh rewd an d

knavi sh sp i ri t named B row n ie,who

,i n return for th e atten ti on or neglect he experienced ,

was known to

And bootless make the breathless hou sew:fe churnA n d somet imes make the d ri nk to bear no harm .

”

206 A NCI ENT DOMEST IC TROW or SHET LAND . “TER M

I n most n orthern coun tries,bes ides Shetland

,th ere was scarce ly a fam i ly that i n

former t imes had not a domest ic trow i n the hous e of th i s descr ipt ion . Mr Douce,i n

h i s i l lu st rat ion s of Shakespeare,has shewn

,that the Samog itae , a people formerly in

hab i t i ng the shores of the Bal t i c, who remai ned idolatrou s as late as the 15th century , hada de i ty named Pu tseet, whom they en voked to l ive wi th them , by plac i ng i n the barn ,every n igh t

,a table covered wi th bread

,butter

,cheese

,an d ale . I f these were taken away ,

good fortune was to be expected but , i f th ey were left , n oth ing bu t bad l uck . Th i s spi ri ti s th e same as the Gobl i n-groom of th e Engl i sh

,who was an inmate of many houses s o lat e

as th e 1 7th cen tury, and would ass i s t in th resh i ng, churn in g , gri ndi ng mal t or mustard , andsweep ing the house at midn igh t ; a standing fee bei ng requ i red for h im each n igh t, of wh i teb read, and m i lk or cream ,

spread upon a table . A sim i lar tal l “ l ubbar—fi e nd,

” who i nShetland was hab i ted i n a brown garb of wadmel , used by h i s influence to ensure a goodgri nd i ng of com , a good brewing of ale, a good separat ion of bu tter dur ing churn ing, an d

'

protect i on for corn-s tacks aga in st the greates t storm that could blow. I n retu rn,therefore

,

for these ben ignan t offices,i t was usual to apply to Brown i e’s u se a sacrificial s ton e

,with i n

wh ich was a smal l cav i ty for th e recept ion of a l i t tle wort, upon the occas ion of e verybrew ing or when m i lk was to be ch urned

,i t was necessary that a part sh ould be spri nkled ,

wi th the same i n ten t,i n every corner of the h ouse . As Brown i e was thu s an usefu l k i nd of

i nmate,and as the acknowledgments wh i ch be requ i red were so moderate

,a Shet lander

would,i n days of Popery

,th i nk he had i l l spen t h i s money

,i f h e had employed an exorc i s t

t o ban i sh th e harmless Trow from beneath h i s roo f. There was also anothe r reason for notoflering h im any di stu rbance . According to O lau s Magnus, th e northern nati on s regardeddomest ic spi r i ts of th i s descrip t ion , as th e souls of men who had given themselves up , dur ingl ife

,to i l l ic i t pleasures, an d were doomed , as a pun i shmen t , to wander about the earth for a

certai n t ime,i n the pecul iar shape that they assumed , and to be bound to mortal s i n a k ind

of serv i tude . I t would have been , th erefore , an act of oppos i t i on to the h igh decree ofHeaven

,to . refu se th e penal labou rs of such s laves , and , i n a temporal poin t of v i ew ,

i twou ld have been a sorry descript i on of pol icy to turn away an u sefu l servan t

,although an

unearth ly one,who cou ld be kept at th e cheapes t of rates . But al l such sat i sfactory

arrangements were destroyed, u pon the i n troducti on i n to the coun try of the ReformedRel ig ion . The d ivi n e of th e school

.

of Calvi n i sm never affi rmed the non-en t i ty of B rown ie,

but , i n accu s ing h im of be ing a fal le n spi ri t leagued wi th Satan , main tai ned that th esacrifices rendered to h im were offeri ngs to th e dev i l . I t was

,therefore

,asserted

,that a

den ial of such acknowledgments wou ld c l early confi rm the text O f scripture, “ Resi s t th edevi l

,and h e wi l l flee from you .

”Thus we are i n formed by Brand

,that a young man

used to brew and somet imes read upon h i s b ible , to whom an O ld woman i n the h ousesaid

,that Brown i e was d i spleased wi th that book he read upon

,wh ich

,if he cont in ued to

do,th ey would get n o more service of Browni e ; but h e bei ng better i n s tructed from that

book , wh ich was Brown ie’s eyesore , and the obj ect of h i s wrath , when he brewed , he wouldnot suffer any sacrifice to be g iven to B rown i e, whereupon the fi rst and second brewingswere spi l t

,and for n o use ; th ough the wort wrough t wel l : yet i n a l i tt le t ime i t left off

work ing and grew cold bu t of the th i rd browst, or brewing, he had ale very good, though

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208 FOOD .

[ ITER 111.

him the means Of purchasi ng flour from Scotland , to com pen sate for the defici ency of h i sown crops

,which au tumnal storms may des t roy i n a s ingl e n igh t . The sources from which

the Shet lander derives h i s support i s , i ndeed, n o where so happi ly i l l ustrated as i n the toaststhat he gives i n h is hou rs of convivial i ty

,th e most popular of wh ich i s Death ta da head

or,i n less en igmat i cal words

,D eath to Me fi slz. I t was u sual about

s ix ty years ago,when a party had been assembled at J ohn smas

,a fest ival held at the time of

the l ing—fi she ry, for the pri nc ipal person of th e feas t to address h i s comrades after th e fol lowi ng manner Men and bre th ren , lat wi s rai se a b e lt. Here’s fi rst ta da Glo ry 0’God anda guid 0 w il' ai n pui r sau ls, wi r wordy land-mai ster, an wi r lovi n meat-m i ther, helt ta man ,death ta fi sh

,an guid growth i’da grund .

”. Abou t L ammas

,when from the length of the

that wears nae ha i r

n ight s,and the rapid i ty of the t ides

,l i nes w ere often los t

,th e convivi a l sen timen t was

,

But when the nati ves were aboutto qu i t th e l ing-fi she ry, and to return hom e to the harves t, th e toas t remembered i n thecottager’s cup was

,

“ God open the mouth of the gray fi sh,

* and hand h i s hand about dacorn . 1

“

These are the ch ief Observat i on s I have to make on the Husbandmen of Shetland . I tmay be l ikewi se bri efly remarked , that, wi th th e except i on of the i nhabi tan ts of L erwick ,few or no d i s t i nct t rades are to be found i n th e th i n ly i nhab i ted d i stri cts of the coun try ;almost every peasan t be ing th e fabri cator of h i s own r ivl i n s and shoes , as wel l as h i s owntai lor

,an d h i s own carpen ter. The anci en t acts of th e coun try

,that were d i rec ted aga in s t

commercial imposi t ion,appear

,however

,to i nd icate that there was formerly a much greater

exerc i se of separate profess i on s than at the present day. But these laws cou ld l i t tle preserveth e nat ives from be ing defrauded i n the i r tran sact ions wi th the h igher powers of the

Hel t ta man , death ta fi sh,and detrimen t ta no man .

’

coun try ; for, as th e standard weigh ts of Shetland were regulated by the Bysmer , i t wascommanded that n one should u se any in strument of th i s ki nd that had n ot been adjustedby authori ty . Clandest i ne mean s were

,th erefore

,devi sed

,for gradual ly ra is i ng the weigh ts ,

i n order to exact a proport i ona l i ncrease of fen -du ti es payable to the superi or i n ki nd . Fora descripti on of the Bysmer, see n ext page .

By'

g vay fi slz , ar e me an t the fry of the Coal-fi sh (Piltocks and S i l locks), in con trad ist inct ion to l ing , cod, tu sk , hallibu t ,haddock , & c . w h ich are ca l led Wh i te -fi sh .

t The in te rje ct ion that God may fra ud l u'

s lzamt'aé ou t da com , imp l ie s the w ish that the hand of the D ie ty may be e xte nded

to pr e se rve th e g rain from de stru ct ive tempe s ts .

N O TES TO ITER III. 209

1NIOTES TO ITER III.

NOTE X. Page 1 82 . O LDEST SHEEP-L AWS O F SHETLAND .

There i s a code of sheep laws,preserved i n Debes’s Descript i on of Fe roe

,wh ich i s

dated Opslo, A .D . 1040, being addressed from Hagen,Duke of Norway

,an d son of Ki ng

Magn us,to the B i shop of Fe roe and Mr Sefvort

,Provi nc ial Judge of Shetland

,named

here [ J et/an d .

From the tenor of th i s sh eep-ord inance,i t ev iden tly re lates to an enclosed sta te of the

coun t ry . The law s corrected th e grievances that arose from unmarked,s tray an d W i ld

sheep ,— from a clandest i n e mark ing of lambs ,— from trespasses upon fields or enclosures ,from keepi ng a superfluous number of sh eep-d ogs

,—and from sheep being inj ured or

destroyed by dogs not properly trai ned to th ei r office

NOTE XI. ANC IENT BYSMER O F SHETLAND .

The Bysm e r of Shetland,by wh ich i s es timated l i spunds

,has been described w i th such

accu racy by th e learned author of the “ Grievances of O rkney an d Shetland ,” that I shal l

g ive i t i n h i s own words . “ I t IS a lever,

” he remarks,

“ abou t three i nches d iameter ; fromthence

,i t gen tly tapers to the other en d, wh ich i s abou t on e i nch d iameter . From the

m idd le, al l along th i s smal l en d , i t i s marked wi th smal l i ron pi ns , at un equal d i s tances

BB

2 10 NOTES TO ITER III.

correspond i ng to , and exh ibi t i ng th e we igh t of the bodies we ighed from on e ru ark to twentyfour

,or a l i spund . The body or commodi ty to be weigh ed , i s hung by a h ook , i n the smal l

end of th e bysme r , which i s then horizon tal ly su spended by a cord going round i t ; the weighers t i l l sh i ft i ng the cord th i s and that way, t i l l th e commodi ty equ iponderates wi th th e grossend of the bysmer , wh ich serves as a coun terbalance to i t. Thus . th e p i n neares t th e cord ,at the time of equ i l ibr ium

,shews the weigh t of the commod i ty i n marks .” (See Plate of

A n tz'

gmtzes Appendzx, Fig. 2 2 .

I may observe , that th i s i n strument for weigh i ng 15 of the greates t an t iqu i ty i n Scandinav ia and i ts colon i es

,be ing represen ted i n th e fol lowing plate from O laus Magnus . (See

h i s H istoria de Gentibu s Septen tr ion alibu s, l ib . 1 3 , cap.

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:lltu ' 51515151.

WEST O F S HETLAND

L i ttl e know they the fi sh e r’s to i l some pain,

Whose labour w i th h i s age,st i l l growi ng

,spend s not

H i s care an d watch i ngs (oft m ispen t i n vai n),The early morn begin s

,dark even ing end s not .

To fool i sh men,that th i nk al l labour stands

I n trave l of the feet an d ti red hands 1

Ah wretched fi shers born to hate an d str i fe ;To others good

,but to you r rape an d spoi l .

Th i s i s th e briefes t sum of fi sher’s l i fe,

To sweat,to freeze

,to wa tch

,to fast

,to toi l .PH INEAS FLETCHER .

I SLAND O F MEI KLE ROE.

A iths Voe,wel l s i t uated for commencing an examinat ion of several d i stri cts , I en

gaged a boat,an d sai l i ng to th e narrow sound formed by th e i slands of Papa L i t tl e ,

Vem en try an d Meikle Roe , landed at th e lat ter place . I t would appear that the name ofRoe

,s ign ifican t i n th e ancien t Shetland language of Redness

,i s given to many spots wh ich ,

i n the aspect of thei r rocks,display th i s part i cular t in t . Meikl e Roe i s about th ree m i les i n

l ength an d two i n breadth,being i nhab i ted by scarcely more than a dozen fam i l i es ; i t s

su rface i s rendered un even by shape less crags of gran i te and green ston e, which are theabodes of the sea-eagle

,or by pool s that are resorted to by th e teal or the rain goose . The

2 14 DUTCH HERR I NG F I SHERY OF SHET LAND . [ ITER IV .

shore on th e east i s low ,bu t on the west i ts rocks are wrough t

,by th e i nroads of the se a ,

i n to steep precipices or excavat i on s,that stretch for a considerable d istance under ground ,

being the dark abode of seal s . These can on ly be penetrated i n the serenest weather i twas

,therefore

,unfortunate for my vi s i t, that th e murmur of th e waves, as they su l len ly

broke on the s ides of the caverns,migh t be heard at some l i tt le di s tance from the coast, i n

forb iddance of the gloomy pleasure of explor ing these di smal recesses . After several ine ffectual attempts to struggle th rough passages beset on each s ide by wh i te breakers

,tha t

burst wi th loud commot ion over di sj o i n ted rocks, our unsteady yawl was at length safelys teered i n to what appeared the gloomy mouth Of a cave : bu t we had not rowed many yards

,

when,emerging from a black and shady vault, we found ourselves float i ng upon a n arrow

c anal-shaped basi n abou t twen ty feet i n width , that was completely open to the sky and atthe same t ime

,th e ful l l igh t of th e su n burs t upon us i n i ts merid ian splendour . The

pellu c id water of th i s ret i red shelter, undi sturbed by a s i ngle ripple, beau t i fu l ly reflected th elofty perpend icular wal ls of gran i te

,th rough which i t extended i n a s traigh t course for a

cons iderable d i stance ; th e channel , resembl i ng, i n the u ndeviati ng regu lar i ty of i t s form ,

some stupendous work of h uman i ngenu i ty, where the sol id rock had been pi erced so as toform a deep secure cove . But Nature soon appeared to be the sole engin eer of th i s wel lw rough t excavat i on : i t was the resu lt of atmospheric elemen ts, acti ng for an i ncalculab lenumber Of years upon the soft and moulderi ng material s of a d ike or ve i n of gran i te

,

enclosed wi th i n a matri x of the same substance,but of a much firmer texture .

A narrow sound bounds the north of Meikle Roe, being so c losed i n by th e land thatabout seven or eigh t years ago a Span i sh vessel , wh ich was driven by force of tempest uponth i s horrid part of the coast

,could not see th e channel though c lose to i t s mouth

,and wen t

to p ieces,when the exert ion to steer the sh ip but a few yards to the sou th of the fatal rock

on wh ich she spl i t,would have conducted her safely i n to a deep confined bas in

,that i s calm

i n th e most s tormy weather .I n ow ‘

prepared to v i s i t th e pari sh of Northmav in e , off th e shores of which the greates tquan ti ty of l ing i s caught ; bu t as I shal l have occas i on , in adverti ng to th e c i rcumstance sthat gave ri se to the landed tenures of th e coun try , s trangely i nvolved i n i ts fi sheri es

,sl igh t ly

to not i ce the anc ien t Dutch herri ng fishery that was prosecuted on th e outs ide of th i s coast,

I shal l take th i s opportun ity of givi ng a conc i se v iew of i ts h i s tory .

H ISTORY OF TH E DUTCH HERR ING F ISHERY OF SHETLAND .

The h erri ng fi shery of Shetland carri ed on by the Dutch,was in anc ien t t imes an

undertaki ng of the greates t nat ional importance . Near th e close of the 15th cen tury, th esuccess of th i s people i nduced th e Scotch to take in to ser ious cons iderat i on the proprie ty of

embarking in the same pursu i t but the des ign was not carr ied i n to executi on . I n th e year1 633 , there were so many as 1500 Dutch herri ng busses, each Of 80 ton s burden

,employed

on th i s coast,wi th 20 armed sh ips carry ing 30 gun s each , and a fleet of dogger-boats to the

number Of about 400, each of 60 ton s burden . But n ot many years had elapsed i n the

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2 16 MAV I S GR I ND TO FEIDEL A ND .

[m m W ,

than Buchan Ness . Mr L ow describes the system that was pursued i n th e foll owingmann er : “ The j aggers

.

or doggers (from 30 to 35 i n n um ber), are numbered I st , 2d , 3d ,

4 th , & c .

,and i f th e fi rst j agger can get ten barre ls among th e fleet th e fi rs t n igh t

,she pro

ceeds home immed i ately, when noth ing i s more common than to sel l these herrings for ,g50per barrel

,as every i nd iv idual , almost, i n the eastern coun tri es l ook on th e fi rs t fru i ts of

th i s fi shery as med ic i ne . When the earl ies t jagger arr ives , a present of her cargo i simmed i ately sent to th e Pri nce Of O range, and then every one who can may purchase . The fi rst th ree jaggers go to Hol land

,a fourth to Hamburgh

,the others sa i l a s

they get cargoes,the last be i ng obl iged (for they are al l frei gh ted vessel s), to stay

on th e coast t i l l th e 15th Ju ly, i f she does not ge t a ful l load ing. Every one has hers tat ion and though th e fi sh ing busses belong to differen t compan ies

,yet i n d i spatch i ng the

jaggers,th ey take from every buss what herr i ng she has got

,and account to each other at

born e,as they are sold . After the jaggers are al l d i spatched

,th e busses con ti n ue fi sh i ng ti l l

they make up cargoes .

” The narrator speaks,at the same t ime

,of the remarkabl e clean li

ness of the Dutch,an d of the nat ional encouragemen t given to the fisheri es

, by renderi ngall provi s ion s an d materia ls used for them du ty free

,an d by boun ti es paid for the fi rst

herri ngs caugh t .Such are the parti culars relat ive to the ann ual v i s i ts that th e Dutch formerly paid to

these shores . The commerci al i n tercourse resu l ti ng from th em,great ly ass i s ted the

Shetlanders i n s truggl i ng for a bare subs i s tence, when the weigh ts and measures of thei rcountry had been clandesti nely ra i sed by the hand of power to more than twice th ei ranc i en t s tandard , for the purpose of exacti ng, i n the same proport i on , th e ren t, scat , wattle,and feudal du ti es paid i n k i nd to a superior .

I n the year 1 750, the Bri t i sh Governmen t fi rst d i rected the i r atten t i on to the herringfish ery ; and a company i n corporated i n the same year, ent i t led , T/ze Fr ee B r z

’tz'

sn zex/zz'

te

H er r ing Company , fi tted out vessel s that vi s i ted the Shet land coasts . They were,by mean s

of bount ies , so feebly encouraged by the Bri t i sh Government, that the twen ty busses wh ichthey at fi rs t owned , gradual ly dwi nd led to e igh t,— at wh ich number they stood for severalyears

,an d th e u ndertak ing was even tual ly given up, after the loss of hal f a mi l l i on of money

Sterl i ng . L ately,th e h erri ng fishery of Br i tai n has revived under much greater encourage

ment,bu t i t i s general ly conducted off more southerly coasts of Bri ta in than those of

Shetland . Two or th ree vessels are,I bel i eve

,fi tted out for the purpose from L erwick ; bu t

th e herri ng fi sh ery i s by no means a favouri te pursu i t i n the country .

“We have h i therto,

”

says a Shet land landholder, i n a le tter addressed to the H ighland Socie ty, “ con sidered i t asbeyond our reach , as precarious, and requ ir ing a great capi tal in sh ips, nets, cash and sal tthan we could afford .

MA Vi s GR IND TO FEIDEL A ND .

I again crossed th e narrow ridge of land named Brae , tha t s eparates Busta Voe from

F rom Mr Low 's MS . Tou r th rou g h O rkn ey and She t land , mu ch of my in fo rmation on the Du tch he rr in g fishe ry of the las t

ce n tu ry is de r ived . Se e also B rand's , Sir Robe r t Sibbald’s , and M r Gifl'

ord’s, De scr iption s of She tland.

ITER IV .) MAV I S GR I ND TO FEIDEL A ND . 2 17

Sou lam Voe,where were anci ently erected th e booth s of fore ign merchan ts

,when they

carri ed on a traffi ck wi th the nati ves for l i ng. The s i tuat ion was very cen tral , readi ly commu n icatin g wi th the North I sle s of Shetland , and , by an i sthmu s only one hundred yardsbroad , named Mavi s Gri nd , wi th the large pen i nsu la ted d i st r ic t of Northmav in e . From ther st of May to the 1 st of August (old s ty le), vessel s fre igh ted wi th goods for barter werecon stan t ly arri vi ng i n the coun try from Hamburgh

,L ubeck

,Bremen

,Denmark

,and more

lat te rly from Scot land an d England . The merchan t s,upon land ing, obtai ned e i ther booth s

ready cons tructed,or the priv i lege of erect i ng them upon some conven i en t s i te of ground

,

for wh ich th ey paid the landed propri etors of Shetland a most exorb i tant rate . They th enstored these bu i ld i ngs wi th a vari ety of art i cl es for sale or barter

,such as hooks

,l i nes

,

herr i ng-nets,several desc ript ion s of corn and flour

,a ki nd of Wheaten bread n amed Cr ingel

bread , sal t , fru i t s of al l k inds, mead , s trong beer, var iou s sorts of d is t i l led spi r i t s, part icu larlyon e named Com mu ter s

,coarse hempen cloth , together wi th fine l i nen s

,musl i ns

,and other

merchand ise . At the same t ime,th e nat ives got ready thei r yawls

,wh ich were then so

smal l that none con tai ned more than three or four men , and la id the i r l i nes for l ing, cod, ortu sk , i n the voes , or wi th i n the d i s tance of two or three leagues . They then gen eral lybrough t these fi sh for barte r to the doors of the booth s i n a wet state

,th ough sometimes

,

under the name of Stock-fi sh,they were previously dri ed i n skeos . O ther arti c les wh i ch

were di sposed of to th e s trangers , compri sed stock ings , wadmel , horses ,“ cows

,sheep

,seal s’

sk i n s,otte rs’sk in s

,butter

,an d o i l that had been extracted from the l ivers of fi sh . Booth s

were also opened i n other parts of the coun try , parti cu larly at Un st,Ye l l , Sumbu rgh , and

Hil l swick but when,i n th e begin n ing of the last cen tury , variou s acts of Parl iamen t were

framed , proh ibi t i ng the importi ng of foreign sal t , except i n Br i ti sh vessel s, and encouragi ng,by boun ti e s

,the exportat ion of fi sh cured at home, foreigners gradually left the l ing-fi shery

of Shetland to i t s own resources .

After passi ng Mav i s Gri nd,I coasted along th e s lop ing shores of Sou lam Voe

,

covered by a deep moss , and arrived at the Pen i n sula of Glus, d iv ided from the Mai n landby a narrow low bank of sand

,named an A ir . A sweeping shower of ra i n compel led me

to seek for she lter i n th e fi rs t habi tat ion that I cou ld fi nd . The owner of i t hav i ng beencaught by the same tempest

,had j us t ret i red to bed i nd isposed but h i s s i s ter

,on seei ng

that I was a s tranger (for th i s character n eeded no further i n troduct ion on th e hospi tablesoi l of Thule), pol i tely s tept forward and offered me every accommodat ion wh ich themans i on could afford

,—an i nv i tati on wh ich

,to a ra i n-drenched travel ler

,could not bu t be

acceptable . A blaz ing peat—fi re,and an excel len t d i sh of t rou t fresh from the lakes of

Roe n e ss Hi ll , soon made me forge t the late pel t ing of the s torm . Shetland i s,i n poi n t of

hospi tal i ty,what England was several cen turi e s ago.— what the Hebrides were much later.

I t i s o’te n wi th regre t observed , that hospi tal i ty d im in i shes wi th an increased populat i on .

Why should i t not ? A man may make h i s house an occas i onal solace to a scan ty col lec t ionof i nhab i tan ts

,but the more frequen t demands of th e same sort that wou ld accrue from

increas i ng v i l lages or town s,would n o longer render h i s hou se sacred to the dut i e s of

domesti c ret i remen t, bu t would convert i t i n to a publ i c i nn .

O n the fol low ing morn ing, I was welcomed by the gen tleman of the h ouse, and among

CC

2 18 MAVIS GRIND TO FEIDEL A ND . “TER I ,

the dai n t i es wi th wh ich our breakfas t-table was suppl i ed,a d i sh composed of smal l quarte rs

of lamb,dai n t i ly carbonadoed , an d of a most exqu i s i te flavour

,was pre—em i n en t thei r s i ze

was what might have been expected from . th e fleecy progeny of Shet land , not one of thembeing much more than twice the s ize of the l imb of a rabbi t. The morn i ng bei ng fine

,my

ki nd en tertai n er ass i s ted me i n my journey by a passage i n h i s yawl,which was bound to

the foot of Roen ess Hi ll , where h e was meditat i ng, among the lakes of that wi ld region , afi sh i ng excu rs ion and to the same place I was tempted to accompany h im wi th geologi calvi ews . After sa i l i ng along th e du l l l i ne of coast that i s Oppos i te to Glu s Voe

,we reached

the remai n s of an anc ien t church and a town , known by the name of O l laberry . Th i s wa sa s i tuat ion that

,in the commencement and middle of the las t cen tu ry

,formed a conven i en t

res idence for a few gen t lemen of Shetland , when , by the cessation of the peri od ical vi s i ts ofHamburgh traders

,and the decl i n e of th e Dutch herr ing-fi shery, they were obl iged themse lves

to turn exporters of fish . The coun try had long enj oyed a successfu l t raffic wi th the Dutch,

by sel l i ng them stock ings and fresh prov i s i on s ; nor was the commerc ial i n tercou rse lesslucrat ive than subsi sted wi th those foreigners who an nual ly set up booth s

,and stocked th em

w i th th e vari ou s commodi t i es that the Shetlanders requ i red,tak ing i n exchange l ing

, cod,

an d tu sk , wh ich they cured . But owing to th e various feudal imposi t i on s of th e co‘un try,

conjo i ned wi th the fraudulen t i ncrease of i ts we igh ts and measures,a ttribu table to the

S tewarts,Earl s of O rkney, and th e rapacious farmers of the Crown revenues , wh ich had

eventual ly more than doubled th e amoun t of the l i spund,i t was almost imposs ible that any

resources of commerce cou ld afford the tenan t th e mean s of a tolerab le subs i stence .

'When,

therefore,th e landlords saw that the herr ing-fi she ry was dwind l i ng away, and tha t the

fore igners who traded for l i ng were,by the new powers i ntrusted to c ustom-house officers

,

about to leave the con n try, noth i ng bu t ru i n th reatened th em , un l ess they would ava i l themselves of the encouragement given by success ive acts of Parl iamen t, towards the promot ionof th e Br i ti sh fi sheri es . Accord i ngly, they were compel led , in _

th e ir own defence,to be

the proper Successors of the foreign merchan ts , who had, for the u n in terrupted period of twocen turies

,been the ch i ef supporters of the Shetland fi shermen .

After passi ng th e smal l in let of Qu ayfi ord, we reached the spac ious harbour of Colafi ord , an d at th e north -west angle of i t landed at the foot of a large h i l l of gran i te , near towh ich i s an accumulat i on of large stone s

,bearing the form of a sepulch ral tumu lus

,an d

around i t a c i rcl e of cons iderable exten t. There i s a mons trous s to ry told concern ing it,as that a gian t propos ing to bu i ld a bridge over th e voe

,brough t these rude mate ria ls

i n tended for th e s tructure i n a maz'

sey an d about a m i le to the northward , the re i s a steepr idge of rocks named the Biorgs, on the summi t of wh ich i s a rude i nclosure , styled th eGian t’s Garden , where be secured th e catt le and other property that he had acqu ired byplunder. But the i n hab i tan ts con trived , e i th e r by force or stratagem ,

to th row h im over theprec i p ice

,when he was buri ed between two large upright stones

,st i l l ex i s t ing

,that are set

up at a d i stance of several yards from each other .I n traci ng the burn of Roer-water, we arrived i n our ascen t at an immense barren and

trackless wi lderness of red gran i t ic rocks, where the apparent d i stu rbance, i nduced by thepenetrat ion i nto the mass of a large d ike of greenstone , was exh ib i ted i n the deep hol lows of

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2 20 MAV I S GR I N D TO FEIDEL A ND . [ ITER IV.

paral le l to th e mural r idge of rocks named the Biergs, I arr ived at North Roe , where I metwi th a sim i lar welcome at the house of Mr S inclai r. A n extens ive l ing fi shery i s carr ied oni n th i s d i s tr ict

,th e usual mode of prosecut ing i t bei ng th rough the med ium of tenan ts .

The orig i n of the tenures that i nvolve th e obliga ti on to fi sh for land lords,may be t raced to

a date a l i ttle preced ing the m iddle of th e las t cen tu ry . When the foreign merchan tswho had almost exc lus ively conducted the Shetland l i ng fi shery for nearly two cen tur i es

,

had left these shores,in consequence of the boun t i es gran ted for the exportat ion of

fi sh from Great Bri ta i n,occasional compan i es of Scotch and Engl i sh merchants next

appeared . But,as I have before had occasi on to observe

,th e ch ief successors of the

fore igners were the landholders themselves , who cured and exported l i ng, ch iefly wi th aview

'

to procure for thei r tenants the only means that they possessed , of paying the i r ren ts .They had not

,however

,been ' long engaged i n thei r n ew occupat ion , before the foreign

markets a t Hamburgh and Bremen,from some unexpla i ned cause, began to fai l and th e

utmost commerc ial exert ion s of landholders could not ward off the di s tress of th e peasantry,

who were reduced to the mos t abj ect state of pen ury . Consequen tly,when i n the course of

a few years,th rough the means of a Greenock and L ondon company , conj oi ned wi th the

st imulus of a m ore advantageous boun ty offered by the Br i t i sh Grovernmen t, a renewa l ofthe exportat ion of l ing was med i tated

,and when i t was in tended that th e markets of

Portugal,and those of Barcelona and Al icant shou ld be fi rs t t ried, a new_

embarrassmentarose

,—the tenan ts were total ly i ncapaci tated by the i r d i stresses from purchas i ng the boats

and l i nes n ecessary for the fi shery , and un less sums suffic ien t for th e purpose cou ld beadvanced by the land lord, the attempt to renew th e l ing fishery must have proved abort ive .

Under such novel c i rcumstances, then , i t was found necessary to i n troduce i n to landedtenures

,a condi t ion of a very remarkable k i nd . The land lord al lowed h i s yearly tenan t to

be i n debt to h im for the boats and fi sh i ng l i nes necessary for th e tak i ng of l i ng,bu t requ i red

from h im th e obl igat ion,that al l the fi sh wh ic h he m igh t take duri ng the customary season

,

should be sold to h im at a st ipu lated rate . T h i s compl icated relat ion of landl ord and

tenan t has ever s i nce prevai led i n the coun try .

From the spac ious an d open bay of North Roe,I proceeded northwards, bu t, on

sett ing out,a heavy rai n came on , wh ich ob l iged me to take shel ter i n the house of a poor

woman , who was conten t i ng hersel f wi th a h umble repast of potatoes , and the scan ty nutrimen t that cou ld be picked off from the r ig or back-bone of a cod or l ing, wh ich had beenseparated i n th e process of curing . Th i s was a sort of fare

,that

,i n the language of Pennan t

,

migh t rather be called a permi ss i on to exist,than a support of v igou r. O n th e north of the

pari sh of Northmavin e , th e low b i l ly r idges, formed by the sea i n to deep fi ssures or caverns,

term i nate i n a l i ne of ragged coast, agreeably d ivers ified by a long narrow pen i n sula of greenland j u tt ing out far in to the Northern O cean , wh ich i s named Fiede lan d, an appel lat ion oftrue Scandi navian origi n

,that i s expla i ned by Debes

,i n h i s descript ion of Fe roe .

“ Heobserves

,that where grass i s found so abundan t and j u icy, that oxen feed thereon both

wi n ter and summer,such places are named and i t i s very remarkable

,he adds ,

that where there are any Fiedelan ds, th ey i nvariably turn to th e north-eas t and north .

Every where the coast i s awful ly wi ld, the pen i nsula i s broken on each s ide i n to steep

ITER IV. ]T H E HAAF . I

prec ip ices,exh ib i t i ng now and then a gaping chasm

,th rough wh ich the sea s truggl es

,wh i le

n umerous stacks ri se from the surface of a tu rbulen t ocean ,— the waves beati ng around themi n angry and tumultuous roar . Th i s i s a great stat i on for th e l ing fishery

,wh ich commences

i n the m iddle o f May,and ends on the 1 2 th of Augu s t . When any fi sh ermen resort

,for

the fi rs t t ime,to a conven ien t p lace of th i s k i nd

,they are al lowed by th e law to bu i ld for

themselves h uts , on any s i te wh i ch may be un inclosed, uncu l t ivated , and at a d i stance ofn ot more than 100 yards from the h igh water-mark . These are constructed of rude stones

,

wi thout any cement, be i ng made no larger than i s suffic ien t to con ta in a s ix-oared boat’s

crew . The men form the roof of th i n p ieces of wood,on wh ich they lay turf — they then

strew a l i tt le s traw upon the ground,and snatch from the i r severe labours a sh ort repose .

O n th e narrow i s thm us of low marshy land,that connec ts the pen i n su la of Fe idelan d to th e

Mai n land,i s i n terspersed

,wi th al l th e d i sorder of a gypsey encampmen t, a number of these

savage huts named summer lodg es, and i n th e centre of them i s a s ubstan t ia l booth , used bya factor for cu ri ng fi sh . Here I met wi th excel len t accommodat ion , owing to the k indnessof Mr H oseason

,who had sen t from h i s house at L ochend every refreshmen t I m igh t need

,

together wi th a comfortable bed for th e even ing . Fe ideland i s a p lace possess i ng no l i t t lei nteres t ; a remarkable busy scene i s presen ted by th e numerous crews sai l i ng to the Haaf,or return i ng from i t laden wi th fi sh some men are busi ly engaged in

'

we igh ing the s tock ofl i ng

, cod an d tu sk . as i t i s brough t i n to th e factors others i n spread i ng the i r l i n es on th erocks to dry

,or in cooking vic tuals for thei r comrades who may be employed on th e

haddock grounds,or i n brush ing

,spl i t t i ng and sa lt i ng the fi sh , that are brough t to th e door

of the booth . But to the natural i s t,Fe ide land p resen ts att rac t ion s of n o mean k ind the

numerous rare mari n e produc t ion s tha t are con t i nua lly d rawn up by the l i n es of the fi shermen

,wh ich a small perqui s i te m igh t i nduce them to preserve an d bring to the shore

,would

rich ly repay h im for l i nger i ng severa l days i n such a stat i on . See Sleetelz ofPlate

I shal l now take an opportim ity of giv i n g an accoun t of th e L i ngFi shery , as i t i s prosecu ted at

TH E HAAF .

The H aaf i s a name appl ied to any fi sh ing-ground on the outs ide of the coast, wherel i ng

,cod

,or tusk may be caught . Not much above a cen tury ago

,th e fi shery for l i ng and

cod was prosecuted much nearer shore than i t i s n ow,and fi sh i ng places des ignated Raz

’tfzs

,

were poin ted out by certai n land-marks cal led Mei th s,so that every one knew h i s own ra i th ,

and any undue encroachmen t upon i t was con s idered n o l ess i l legal an d act ionab le, than i fi t had been upon a landed i nclosure . The fi shermen

,however

,at the presen t day, find i t

thei r i n teres t to se ek for l i ng at a much greater d istance , even to th e extent of th i rty orforty m i les .

The men employed at th e Haaf are from 18 years of age and upwards. S ix tenantsj o i n in a boat, th e i r landlords import i ng for them frames ready model led and cut ou t i n

2 2 2 TH E HAAF . mm w .

Norway,* wh ich , when put together, form a yawl of s ix oars , from 1 8 to 1 9 feet i n keel , an ds i x i n beam i t i s al so furn i shed wi th a square sail.T

O n th e 25th of May, or on th e r st of June, th e fi sh ermen repai r to the i r several stat ion s .They ei ther endeavour

,wi th rod and l in e

,to procu re for bai t th e fry of the coal fi sh

,of th e

age of 1 2 mon th s,named Piltocks, or they obtai n at the e bb musse l s and l impets and then

goi ng ou t to sea si x m i les or more,lay the i r l i nes for haddocks, and after obtai n i ng a suffi

c i e n t supply of these fi sh , reserve th em for bai t .The Fiedeland Haaf being 30 or 40 m iles from land , th e fi sh ermen endeavour to leave

the i r stati on i n th e morn i ng of on e day, so as to be enabled to return i n the course of theday fol lowing. And i f

,ow ing to bo i sterou s weather

,they have suffered long detent ion i n

th ei r lodges,th e fi rs t boat that i s launched, i nduces every weather-bound crew to im i tate

the example ; i t i s , th erefore , no unusual c i rcumstance to see, i n a flee t of yawls,al l sa i l s

set,and al l oars pl i ed nearly at the same i n stan t of t ime . Each boat

,i n the fi rst tu rn that

i t makes,observes th e course of the sun , i and then str ives to be the fi rs t wh ich shal l arr ive

at the fi sh i ng stat i on .

Some few of the fi shermen , duri ng the i r voyage, superst i t i ou sly forbear to men t i on i nany other name than one that i s Norse , or i n some arb i trary word of thei r own coi nage ,subst i tu ted for i t

,vari ou s objects

,such

,for i n stance

,as a kn i fe

,a ch urch

,th e clergyman

,

th e devi l,or a cat . When after a tug of 30 or 40 miles , the crew has arrived at the Haaf,

they prepare to set the i r tow s,wh ich i s the name they des ignate th e l i nes by that are fi t ted

wi th l ing hooks . Forty-fi ve or fifty fathoms of tows con st i tute a ouglzt, and each bught i sfi tted wi th from n in e to fourteen hooks . I t i s usual to call twenty bughts a paekz

'

e,and th e

whole of th e pack ies that a boat carr ies i s afleet of tows . Thus,whi le a boat i n the sou th

or eas t of Shetland carr i es on ly two or th ree pack ies, a fleet of tows used on th e Fe ide lan dHaaf

,amounts . to no less than s ix, these be i ng ba i ted with seldom less than twelve h undred

hooks,prov ided wi th th ree buoys, and extend i ng to a d i s tance of from 5000 to 6000

fathoms .The depth at wh ich l ing are fi shed for varies from 50 to 100 fa thoms . In sett i ng th e

tows,one man cuts th e fish used for bai t i n to p ieces

,two men bai t and se t th e l ines

,an d

the remai n ing th ree or four row th e boat . They s i nk at certa i n '

d i s tances,what they cal l

Coppz'

e—stafles,th e fi rst that i s le t down be ing cal led th e Steetiz. These keep the tows

properly fixed to th e ground . When al l th is labou r i s fini shed,which

,i n moderate weather,

requ ires th ree or four hours,and when th e last buoy has floated

,the fi shermen res t for

A fr ie nd of m in e has in formed me , that the pr ice of boats has be e n almost tr ip led of late year s , by a most u n j u s t andopp r e ss ive mode of levying th e du t ies on impor tation s , at so mu ch for each pie ce of w ood , how eve r smal l , of w h ich th e boat cons ists , befor e it is pu t tog e the r . H e adds , that n oth ing bu t d ir e n e ce ss i ty cou ld in du ce th e poor pe ople to pu rchase mate r ia‘s atsu ch pr ice s . A boat is sa id to cost £20. 1 may add , that th e Ag r icu l tu ra l Soc ie ty of She tlan d has p rope r l y pe ti t ion ed for ar edu ct ion of the du t ie s u pon w ood .

1 Boats of th is s iz e are , says M r Sh ir r e ff , 20 to 2 4 fe e t from s tem to ste r n , th e depth 2 1 fee t to Each oar is from 10 to 14

fe e t lon g , an d the sa i l xsi fee t de ep , by 1 2 broad at the top , an d 14 at the bottom .

I Th is is a su pe r sti t ion n ot pecu l iar to e i the r Ce l t ic or Scan d inavian nation s . Sir Wal te r Scott has obse rved , that the Highlande r s , in mak ing the D ea f] , a sor t of ben ed ic tion w h ich they be stow in walk ing r ou nd the par ty to be propitiated , a lwaysobse rv e the cou rse of the su n . A nd w i tche s , on the othe r hand , make the ir c i rc le s w idder s/u

'

n s , as the Sco ttish d ia le ct e xpre s se s i t(w idde r -s z

'

n s or in oppos ition to the cou r se of the su n . D r He nde r son aga in obse rves , that in Ice land the al tar is alwaysle ft by tu r n ing to the r ig ht, or su nways.

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2 24 SAND VOE TO ROENESS VOE.

[ ITER IV .

A eeozm t of a Voyage to t/ze H aaf, as gi zlen by a E'

sizerman at Eeia’elana

’in Nor thmavin e.

Mony a fou l dae hae I seen at da Haaf ; b i t I t in k Mar tinaoaltimas‘ dae fi ear zzyear2

wi s da warst dae I ever saw . He wi s a bon ny morn ing, but a gri t l i ft i’da sea and a han tleo’brak . So I said to w ir men

,we hae a gu id n eoerfl o’hadd icks

,he’s bonny wather

,an d I

t i nk we’l l t ry da deep watte r . So we gat w ir tows and eapz'

staaes4 i n to th e boat, and w e set

aff,and we row’d oot upon h im t i l l we sank a’da la igh land

,and dan we began and laid

fr am ,5an d whan we ezi ist w ir ootez bow

,

6 de’el a s tane o’Shetland did we see,except da tap

o’Roen e ss h i l l and da Pob ies o’Un st. Noo lie beg u ia’ta g ro frae t/ze sua

’east. 7 -So whan

we had s i tten a wh i le , we tu ik wi r ooze/8 and began ta flail ;9 an d, fa i th , before we gat i n ee

pack ie o’tows

,four men cood doe nae mai r den keep a

’a tow at da mam We gat tw’o r’

tr ee“ fi sh and at last s i c a gri t we igh t cam upo’da l i ne,dat i t tu ik a’m i stren t to

bail,an d whan i t cam to da what wi s i t b i t a gri t dayve l of a skate . So I sai d ta

Tammy,darn her, cut here awa, wha

’s geean ta row under her s i c a dae ? So he tu ik da

skai i z” and sn eea’a’a tomoe.

‘5 And at last we got in wi r tows , an d , fa i th , we’d gotten a braw

puckle 0’fi sh . Noo,says I

,l ads

,i’God’s n ame , fi t a

’a mast an d sw ift d

’a sailfi

é,da eas t

t ide i s runn ing,an d we’l l sai l wast be sooth upon h im . So I gu id i’th e starn

,and ju st as

we gae sa i l,h e made a watter all

”

0’da fore ka ib, and when he brook , he took B ook ie” aff

0’da stai r ta/t,

‘8 and la i d h im i’da shot t . Dan I cri ed to Giooie,

‘9 for God’s sake tos tri k da head

'

oot 0’da dr ink kig and ow e” da boat da watter wi s up at da fasta oan o’sfi "

bi t w i’God’s h elp we gat h er toom’a"2 2 before an i th er watte r cam . Whan the east t ide ranaff

,noo sai d I

,lads , we

’l l tak doon da sa i l an row i n upon h im . So we did sae,— and whan

da wast t ide made , w e gae sai l agi n and ran east upon h im , an d fa i th we lay upo’Vallyfi eldi n Un st

,an d we wrough t on row ing an’sa i l i ng t i l l , by God

's Providence,we gat ashore

about aught o’clock at n igh t . 0 man , dat wis a fou l dae

I n the foregoing spec imen of th e modern Shet land d ialec t, a cur iou s c i rcumstance i st h e om i ss i on of th e neuter pron oun it, and th e person i ficat ion of every object by the wordsli e and s/ze. Although some Scott i sh ph rases are eviden tly i n troduced i n to th e language

,

yet th ey are del ivered w i t h an acu te pronunc iat i on an d accen t resembl i ng no provinc ial

d i alect of Bri ta in that I have ever heard , being no doubt referable to a Norwegian origi n .

SAND VOE TO ROENESS VOE.

The smal l t ract of country between Fe ide land and Sand Voe possesses not the leas ti n terest . Its bleak coast to the west affords a refuge for seal s and otters

,and i ts forlorn

1 Fe stum St Mar tin i Bu llie n tis ?2 Las t year .

3 A sufli cie n t quan t ity of ba it.4 Ston es u s ed for s in k ing th e l in e s or tow s .

5 Laid th e i r l in es to sea-ward .

6 Th rew the ir last or ou te r buoy ,

7 It began to blow an in c r eas ing br e e z e from the sou th~

east.

3 Bu oy .

9 Hau l .10Ke ep the l in e s at th e thow l on wh ich they r est in hau l ing .

11 Two or th r e e .

12 For all that.

13 Gu nwale of th e boat.14 Kn ife .

15Cu t the l in e to wh ich the hook is attached .

16 Pu t u p th e mast and r e e f the sai l .17 H e rc u les .

18 The afte rmost thwar t bu t on e .

19 Gi l be r t.20 Ba le .

21 Pieces ofw ood that cross the boat to str e ng the n it u nde r the

thwarts.

2? Empt ied .

ITER IV .1 SAND VOE TO ROENESS VOE. 2 25

i n land tracts for moun tai n sheep. Sand Voe i s a channel hemmed i n wi th i rregular ridgeshaped h i l ls , wh ich appear broken i n to many vari ous shapes , wh i le they stretch so far i n to th eland as almos t to mee t the i n le t of North Roe , and to i ntersec t wi th i t th e northern d i s tr ic tof Northmavin e . At Roe r Mi ll

,Mr Si nclair’s factor rece ives and cures th e fi sh that are

obta i ned at Uyea Haaf. L eavi ng Sand Voe to th e eas t,a desart range of prec ip ice s d i s

played i tsel f on the northern coas t , backed by th e ruddy emin ence of Roe n ess. AtUvea, t he north—westerly angl e of No rthmavin e , there is a large verdan t holm

,tha t

affords one of the ri ches t pastures for catt le wh ich is to be found i n the countryand on th e main land adj oi n i ng to i t, a number of fishermen have erected thei r rudesummer lodges . Wh il e th e fish i ng season lasts, th ese men repai r to the i r sta t ionevery Monday morn ing, and are employed un t i l the Fr iday or Saturday fo llowing . Duri ngth i s peri od they have but few hours for res t . O n th e return of a boat from th e Haaf, th e

fi shermen are firs t engaged i n spread ing ou t their tows to dry ; th en a part of th e men catch

piltocks wi th a rod and li ne, or procu re other k i nds of ba i t a t a d istance from shore, -wh i l e

others agai n mend th e tows , and cook v ic tual s for the next day’s voyage to the Haaf.

Owing to al l these succes s ive and rapid demands on th e t ime of a crew ,the i r sl eep must be

very trifl i ng,n ot exceedi ng

,as i s supposed, two or three hours i n the twen ty-four . When

piltock s and haddocks can not be procu red for ba i t, wh ich i s a rare c i rcumstance, hal i but ,cod

,tusk

,and even l i ng are subst i tuted .

I sai led from Uyea to Roe n ess Voe, along the range of vas t impendi ng cl iffs of gran i teopen to the Atlan ti c

,that form th e wes tern coast of Northmavin e . The remarkable i nva

s i on of a d ike of green stone, w h ich i s fan tast i cal ly d i splayed in a natu ral sec t ion of th emounta in of Roe n e ss,— the subord inate i nequal ity o f l esser crags that have been separatedby encroachments of th e sea

,- the numberless seal s that bask on low ledges, wi th i n dark

caverns,or that fol low th e boat

,eyeing i t w i th ev iden t marks o f curi os i ty

,—the stacks that

boldly r is e from the expan se of the ocean,togethe r wi th the d istan t Skerry of Ossa, i nhab i ted

by the greater gul ls,— these are the obj ects wh ich form th e i n terest i ng d i splay of coast and

mountai n scenery on the west of Nor thmavin e . I a t length arrived a t Roe n ess Voe,a

cons iderable i n le t,seve n m i les i n exten t , wh ich , wi th Quayfi rth Voe, nearly d ivides i n two

the pari sh of Northmav in e . To th e north i t Open s i n to the sea ; but as i t w i nds i n i tsi n land course round the steep h i l l of Roen ess, i t i s c losed i n by the land , and expanded l ikea lake . O n the sou th of the Voe there i s a cottage or two, wi th a few temporary huts , bu i l tfor th e accommodat ion of the nati ves employed during th e summer in the deep waterfi shery . Here

,al so

,may be seen a sol i tary knol l , tha t commemorate s an even t wh ich

took place i n the re ign of Charles I I . , when a Dutch s ixty-gun sh ip came i n to th i s es tuary,to harbour i n i t duri ng th e wi nte r. England be ing then at war wi th Hol land an expre sswas sen t by the Shet landers to the Bri t i sh Governmen t

,who d i spatched two fr igates to

Roen ess Voe . They there met wi th the enemy’s vessel , an engagemen t took place , andafter a severe con tes t she was captured . A number of the Hol landers be i ng k i l led, the i rbodies were i n terred at a place that i s st i l l named the Dutchman’s Knol l .

From the Voe I ascended Roen ess Hi l l by a very s teep s ide. I ts su rface aboundsw i th several alp i ne plan ts . I ts heigh t , wh ich i s the most con s iderable i n Shetland , has been

DD

2 2 6 F I SHING-TENURES OF SHETLAND .

[m m W ,

es t imated at 1 44 7 fee t . To th e north there was noth i ng i n v iew but th e red barren scalpof a mounta i n of gran i te

,afford i ng i n i ts hol lows a receptacl e for deep pool s of water

,

except a wood less t ract, the haun t of wi ld moun tai n sheep ,— th e prospect be ing closed bythe northern sea and th e Skerri e s of Fe ide land . O n my righ t was th e w ide e stuary of Yel lSound

,with i ts rocky promontori es

,and th e long paral le l ranges of mou n ta i n summ its and

i n termed iate hol lows that d i st i ngu i sh the I sland of Yell . I n an opposi te d i rect ion , wherethe western waves murmured at the foot of th e moun ta i n

,the eye migh t roam over the

w ide domai n of th e Atlan t i c . The immense bay of St Magnu s lay to th e sou th , w i thi ts several estuari es and swel l i ng shores

,th e bold i sland of Foula be ing i n d i stan t pe rspec

t ive . But to the south-east T hule has assumed her w i ldest dress,— she has decorated th i s

vas t col lec t i on o f l eafless moun tai n s,—th i s assem blage of rocks pi led upon rocks

,of d i fferent

shapes an d elevat ion s,

-wi th th ickly-studded lakes and voes,and wi th the habi tat ions of

men,al l i n their rudest form . O n th e h ighest part of Roen ess Hill , stands a watch-tower of

a ci rcu lar shape,composed of rude uncemented stones of gran i te, and capable of c on tain i ng

wi th i n i t abou t s i x people — it is doubtful , however; i f th e appearance i t presents i s that ofi ts origi nal form . The fishermen are carefu l i n preserv ing i t en ti re, s i nce i t i s found anuseful land-mark at sea .

F ISH ING-TENURES OF SHETLAND .

When a t Roen ess Voe,I was obl iged

,before I could pursue my tou r

,to set off for

Colafi ord, hal f a m il e d i stan t, and from thence to cross Yel l Sound . At the sou th-westangle of Yel l, the crew of a s ix-oared boat had come i n from the Fiede land Haaf, having i nbad weather los t the fleet of tows that th ey had la id

,th e value of wh ich was est imated at a

sum exceed ing twen ty pounds . Thus were gon e at on e stroke the profi ts of the year ; th epoor fel lows would be even indebted to the i r masters

, an d a season or two must pass overth ei r h eads

,before they wou ld be enabled to recover themselves from the i r mi sfortune . I

sha l l n eve r forget the l ooks of despai r that the men expressed,when th ey had to relate thei r

story,— how the hopes of support i ng the i r fam i ly wi th i ndependence were thus bl ighted .

An adj ec t dependence i s the consequence that en sues from the state of tenures i n Shetland .

The land lord let s h i s land for one year on ly,i n cons iderat ion of a certa i n rate that was

regu lated by the ancien t renta l of Shetland h e undertakes , at the same t ime, to advance atenan t the art i cles n ecessary for the l i ng-fi she ry, such as boats an d l i nes, requ i r ing from h imthe same profi t that a buyer wou ld expec t from a sel l er ; but i n l ieu of al l these offers, th etenan t mus t en ter i n to an obl igat i on to del i ver the fi sh wh ich he takes at a st ipulated price .A system such as th i s cannot but be obj ect ionable ; i t h ad i ts origi n i n the debased pol i t i cals tate of the country

,wh ich was occas ioned by the fraudu len t doubl ing of i ts we igh ts and

measures , an d by excess ive feudal exact ion s, al l of wh ich are attr ibutable to the number ofmesne lords and farmers of th e Crown-reven ues

,that i n anc ien t t imes ravaged O rkney and

Shetland . These oppress i on s so impoveri shed th e peasan try, that upon the revival of th el i ng-fi she ry, th e i r landlords were obl iged to fu rn i sh them on trus t, wi th boats and l i n es

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2 28 H IL LSW ICK .

[ ITER W ,

each fou r-oared boat I cwt . for each mark of land th ree quarters of a can or gal l on of oi l ,and from th ree to fou r marks of butte r. Such a re sums d i sbu rsed by the Shet land fi she rman to the church bu t to h i s immed iate land lord, or to h is superior, he owes scatt, landtax

,land-mai l ls , wattle , ox-money an d sheep-money, th ree days servi ce (th e same bei ng du e

to the cle rgyman,)pou ltry/ow ls (s imi lar to the Scotch can age), school-penny and hawkhen s.

The compl i cated system of Shet land tenu res, has been compla i ned of as givi ng ani l l egal en cou ragemen t to a number of clandes t in e traders i n fi sh . Thus

,when a n eedy

tenan t was obl iged to sel l h i s land lord al l th e l i ng , cod, or tu sk that h e caught , at a certa i nrate for each fish

,he was tempted to vi olate th i s cont ract

,by p r ivately d i spos ing of them ,

often at a bette r price,to p rivate dealers . The landlord could not always detect th is fraud ,

bu t in order to preven t th e larges t of th e l ing or cod from d isappearing , be paid h is tenan t acertai n sum , reckoned by th e weigh t of th e fi sh .

I engaged th e boat that had been so unfo rtunate as to lose i ts l i nes,to convey me

across Yel l Soun d . A sudden squal l came on,wh i ch , con sp i ri ng w i th th e rousts of th e

channel,gave me a complete wett i ng ; bu t land ing at Glus A i r late i n the even i ng, every

accommodati on was k i nd ly provided for me by Mr Henderson of H ard is ter , O n th e nextmorn in g I proceeded west

,moun ted on a shel ty

,over the soft scatholds of th e coun try,

frequen tly slack en ing th e re i n s . an d al low in g th e an imal to exert th e part i cular sagac i ty forwh ich he i s celebra ted

,by chus i ng for h imsel f the fi rmest road —I was not dece ived in

h im,for

,afte r l i t t le hesitation or floun der i ng

,he soon arr ived wi th me safe at

H ILL SWICK.

The Nes s of H i l l sw ick is a bold, narrow headland , two m iles in length , and n ot exc eed ing half a m i le i n b read th , being j oi ned to th e Mai nland by a narrow i s thmus ; i t i sbroken on the west and south i n to steep c l iffs

,th e easte rly banks slop ing gradual ly towards

th e shore. O n th e no rth-east, the re i s a smal l bay, contai n ing good anchorage for vessels,an d th e i s thmus has to boast of a parish k i rk , and two wel l bu i l t h ouses . The larges tmans i on i s occupi ed by Messrs Cheyne , having warehou ses an d cel lars attached to i t, an dbefore the door a spaciou s beach of stone s ca st u p from the sea

,wh ich in th i s coun try

,i s

part icularly valuable for d ry i ng fi sh . O n th e east of the Ness, a narrow stripe of landstretches ou t that i s named the Taing of Torness . The word Tai ng expresse s th e charac terof the low proj ecting cape ; and as for Tor n ess. th e an tiquary is at perfect l iberty to supposei t a corrupt ion of T/zor s N ess. As we approach the sou th of the Nes s , i t i s imposs ible tow i thhold our aston i shmen t at th e immense vei n s of red porphyry ram ify i ng among darkstrata of gne i ss

,and d i sto rt i ng them i n the most remarkable manner. The Hutton ian

would regard such ve in s as flung up by some i n ternal convu ls i on ; but they rather suggestthe compari son made by a French geologi st, i n the true spi ri t of pe troman ia, “ of a sea consol idated i n a s torm ,

the v iolence of wh ich may sti l l be seen i n i ts petrified waves . In

doubl ing th e headland, I arr ived at the Stack of Sound , where s trata of gne i ss an d hornblende presented the most pi ctu resque di s tors ion s that can wel l be imagined an d farther to

ITER IV . )HIL L SWICK . 2 29

th e north-west, perpendi cular c l i ffs arose, sh ewi ng an endless vari ety of bold advanc ing promon otor ies and deep i ndentat i on s or gios ; bu t at the most westerly poi n t of the Ness , th e su bl im i ty of the scene was complete . The sun shon e i n ful l spl endour

,and beamed on certa i n tal l

stacks , i ssu ing from ocean’s depth s l ike sea-encompassed towers . O n th i s accoun t, th ey havehad the same Scand i navi an name given to th em

,wh ich s im i lar shaped rocks st i l l hear i n

Feroe,of D renge or D ron gs. They presen t a vari e ty of shapes as they are seen from d ifferen t

parts at sea,having been often ed l ikened to a smal l fleet of vessel s w ith spread sai l s .

Nearer the shore , the sea s truggles th rough a clu ster of other crags, wh ich i n some place sr i se i n la rge masses above i ts surface

,and i n others

,appear th rough th e transparency of the

st ream,she lv ing to a fathomless depth . O n th e west, the Ness, whi ch i s exposed to th e

fury of th e western ocean,i s advanced i n to a lofty em in ence and near th e summ it of i t , a

red unhewn obel i sk of gran i te,man tled wi th grey moss

,be ing th e memorial of far remote

t imes,shews i ts venerable h ead . (See Plate 1 V.

The curi ng and dry i ng of fi sh taken at the Sten n ess Haaf, i s conducted at H i l l swi ckw i th great regulari ty, a bel l ri ngin g for th e cessat ion and resumpti on of labour. When aboat comes on shore

,th e l i ng

,cod and tusk that have been taken at th e Haaf, are i n a

gut ted state,and w i th thei r heads taken off

,del ivered by we igh t to the fac tor . A splitter ,

as h e i s cal led,then

,wi th a large kn ife

,cu ts a fish open from the head to the ta i l , and takes

ou t ha l f the back bone n ext th e h ead ; he n ow hands i t over to the washer, who , wi th a

heath brush,an d th e ass i s tance of the sea water

,clears away every part i cle of blood . When

al l th e fish are i n th i s way spl i t and wash ed,they are al lowed to d ra i n ; after wh ich comes

the salter,who places at th e bot tom of a large wooden vat a s tratum of sal t

,and over i t on e

of fish wi th th e sk in-s ide u ndermost,un t i l th e ches t i s fi l l ed wi th al te rnati ng layers

,and

above al l are laid heavy s tones to keep th e fi sh under th e p ickle . After remai n ing i n th evat some days , they are taken ou t , wel l washed and brushed i n a d irect i on from th e shou lderto th e ta i l

,and put up i n smal l h eaps ca lled clamps, i n order to al low th e water. to dra i n off.

The fi sh are next Spread out wi th th e sk i n-s ide u ndermost,an d exposed to th e act ion of th e

sun . on a beach composed of round stones,where they are agai n clamped , and thus al te r

h ately spread out,tu rned and d i sposed in to pi les of a gradual ly i n creas i ng si ze, unt i l dry.

They are afterwards bu i l t i n to a large s tack‘ named a steeple ; and , for the sake of equalpressu re

,the s teeple i s aga i n taken down and rebu i l t

,by wh ich mean s the fi sh that were the

uppermos t i n one steeple,are th e undermost i n another. When the d ry i ng , orpin ing , as i t

i s cal led, has been completed , wh i ch i s i nd i cated by a wh i te effloresce n ce appeari ng on thesurface named the bloom , the fi sh are transported to a dry ce llar l i ned wi th wood , and therepi led up cl osely

,or sh i pped off immed i ately to a market . A wel l cured fi sh i s sa id to be of

a green i sh-wh i te colour, and when held i n th e l igh t i s t ran slucen t.Whil e I was at Hill swick

,a sloop came i n to th e harbour

,belonging to Mr Gi fford of

Busta, l oaded w ith fi sh,wh ich had been taken from a cod-bank recen tly d i scovered to th e

west of Fou la.

’F Mr Stevenson,whose know ledge of th i s coas t i s very exten s ive, con s idered

Aw are of the impor tan c e of the d isc ove ry in a nat ional po in t of view , 1 omm i tted n o oppor tu n ity afforded th e to proc u reeve ry in fo rmat ion in my pow er , w i th r egard to i ts s i tu at ion

, ex te n t, and p rodu c t iven e ss ; and a ve ry br ie f accou n t of the resu l t ofmy in qu i ry was commu n icated to the pu bl ic in Jan u ary 1819 , and a mor e fu l l on e afte rwards th rou gh t the med ium of the Ed in bu rghPh i losoph ical j ou r na l . The tes timon ies wh ich I obtain ed from var iou s ind ividua l s, on l y d isag re ed on su bord inate po in ts.

2 30 REGENT’S FISHING BANK . “TER I“

i t of such importance, as to propose for i t th e name, wh ich I shal l fol low h im i n adopting, of

TH E REGENT’S F ISH ING BANK .

Th i s cod-bank has been described to me as hav ing a breadth averagi ng from fifteen totwen ty mi les

,

-as commenci ng from the west of We'stray,i n O rkney, and as having been

t raced i n a d i rec t i on n early N . by W.,un t i l Foula appears to the east , or even south-east ;

but i t i s very doubtfu l i f i ts exten t be known . The depth of th e water on th e bank i sest imated from 30 to 50 fathoms i ts su rface be ing i n some places rocky, and i n otherssandy i t i s al so covered wi th buck ies, mussel s, and razor-fi sh .

I n connect ion w i th th e h i story of th i s bank,i t may n ot be un i n terest i ng to learn if i t

was really known to th ose nat ions who cann ot be accused of a supi n eness i n th e prosecut ionof th ei r fi sheri e s

,and

,for th i s pu rpose

,my i nqui ri es wi l l be d i rec ted to the Dutch

,who

,

for nearly th ree cen tu ri es,have been the pri nc ipal fi sh ers frequen t ing th e coast of Shet land.

Capta i n Smi th,who

,i n the year 1 633 , by order of th e Earl of Pembroke, an d the Bri t i sh

Fi shery Company of L ondon,v i s i ted Shetland

,saw 1500 sa i l of busses, of 80 ton s each ,

taki ng herrings on th i s coast , and wi th them ,as h e adds

,

“ a smal l flee t of dogger-boats,

which were of th e burden of 60 ton s and upward,wh ich d id fi sh on ly w i th books and l i n es

for l ing and cod . Man y of th ese boats and busses came in to several haven s or sounds,to

fi t and trim themselves . O n e th i ng was observabl e, that w i th i n eigh t or ten .days after th edogger—boats wen t to sea

,th ey came i n to the sound agai n so fu l l laden a s they cou ld swim .

The certa i n n umber of dogger-boats I could not l earn , but the general report was abou tI n S i r Robert Sibbald’s descript ion of Shet land

,wri tte n A .O . 1 7 1 1 , we learn “ that

the Dutch employed hundreds of dogge r s for the taki ng of cod .

But i n the year 1 774 , th e mode of prosecut i ng the cod fi sh ery was wi tn essed andaccurately descr ibed by Mr L ow,

from whose manuscript tour i n She tland shal l make thefol lowi ng tran script . Bes ides th e herri ng busses, th e Dutch have doggers on the cod

fi sh ery. These are goi ng and com ing from early spri ng,th rough the whole summer . They

are fi tted out i n th i s manner,—th e owner of the dogger lays i n prov i s i on s , sal t and casks ,wh ich are paid for ou t of th e fi rs t re tu rns of th e voyage abou t a fourth of what remain s i sth e property of the owner of the dogger, and th e remai nder i s d i v ided among the crew.

Each dogger has ten men an d two boys,the hal f of whom sleep wh i le th e others are

employed in fi sh i ng. As soon as th ey catch a cod,they cu t i ts th roa t

,and soon after lay i t

i n sal t ; every man sal t i ng an d pack ing h i s own barrel . When these fi shermen come fi rston the coast

,they u se th e lesser lamprey for ba i t

,kept al ive i n fresh-water wel l s on board ,

and con t i nually st i rred (wh ich i s don e by the boys) wh il e i n harbours, to keep them inmot ion

,otherwi se th ey immediately d ie ; but at sea th i s i s don e by the mot ion of the sh ip .

They prefer th i s k i nd of ba i t to all others for a cod , bu t when there i s a fai lure of i t, each ofthe doggers i s provided wi th eigh t herri ng nets

,for catch ing herri ng after the mon th of J un e

comes on . To h inder the too rapid motion of th e vessel,wh ich would preven t the i r l i nes

from tak ing the bottom , each has what i s cal led a d rove-sa i l , or on e wh ich hangs under

400.

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a 3 2 HEL GA WATER .

ur e a lV.

northern coast . These are abundan tly found i n th e numerous voes of the coun try . Bu t i tu nfortunately happen s

,that when ves sel s run short of ba i t

,they are obl iged to qu i t the

fi sh i ng bank wi th al l exped i t i on , and th us susta i n a seri ou s loss , wh ich , as Mr L ow hasshewn

,was n ot th e case when the D u tch prosecu ted th e fi she ry

,who depended for the i r

firs t supply of bai t u pon the lampreys that they brought w i th them from thei r own coastsand afterwards upon the i r nets wh ich they spread out to take herri ng for the same purpose .

I t has been always supposed that the cod prepared i n Shetland wi l l mai n ta i n i t s preem inence over that of other places . The Newfoundland fi sh ermen are described asexpos i ng the i r fi sh

,after i t has been sal ted , on stand i ng flakes

,made by a sl igh t wattle

, and

supported by poles often 20 feet from the ground . But the humid i ty i s not near so wel lextracted from the fish as when , accord i ng to the Shetland method , they are careful ly laidout upon dry beaches. the stones of wh ich have been , duri ng wi n ter, exposed to the abradi ng act ion of the ocean , and are th us c leared from vegetable and an imal matte r.

The di scovery of the cod-bank has al ready proved of great importan c e to the country .

Employmen t has been given to many seamen , and an Opportun i ty has been afforded them,

by purchas i ng smal l shares of vesse ls manned by themselve s,of i nvest i ng

,to th e greates t

advan tage,th e pro fi ts of the i r severe labours i n remoter cl imates .* When we also take i n to

cons iderat ion , the improved State of ou r coast i ng navigat i on,i t may jus t i fy the expectat ion ,

that,from th i s northern sou rce

,an econom i cal and nutri t ious food may even tual ly come

w i th i n the reach of the populous d i stricts of ou r manufactur ing counti es , the allev iat ion ofwhose wan ts has always act ively engaged the attent i on of the mos t enl igh tened of ou rcoun trymen .

HEL GA WATER .

A mi le or two to the n orth -west of H i l l swick , among the h i l l s, is a very smal l pooln amed Helga Water, or the Water of Heal th . The reverence that was ancient ly paid tolakes or wel l s for thei r s upposed sanat ive v i rtues, forms a striki ng feature of the earlysupersition of O rkney and Shetland . I t was probably derived from the dry and parchedcoun tr ie s of the east

,be i ng early perpe tuated by the A s iat i c followers of Od i n , i n connect i on

w i th th e bub b l i ng s tream s that i ssue from the less arid so i l i n Europe ; or probably th eScand i nav ian s m igh t have cop ied the supe rsition from the Ce lts

,who paid homage to a

pecul iar god that pres ided over al l th e waters , under the name of N iord or Ne i th . I nShetland he was recogn i sed by the n ame of the Snoopz

'

ltee. Whil e the Romans confinedthe domi n ion of Neptun e to the seas , and gave the guard i an sh ip of wel l s an d fountai n s toNymph s

, in honour of whom they i n st i tuted certain fest ival s named Fon tinalia, the water

god of the Ce l ti c and Teuton ic tr ibes had not on ly a con trou l over the sea, but over al lr i ve rs

,lakes

,brooks , and spri ngs . Neckar (as the de i ty was named in the north of Europe)

was wont to assume the form of various animals,al so of a horseman

,or of a man i n a boat .

It is w or thy o f remark , that seve ral of the ve sse ls w h ich have fished th is season , have , for th e ir jo in t propr ie tors , sa i lors w hohave saved a l itt le mon ey in the n avy or in the G re e n land fi she ry. In Scal loway, a company of th is de se rvin g c lass of pe ople w e reh igh l y su cce5sfu l in the prosecu tion of the ir n ew objec t.

I n O rkney, the same spi r i t, under a d ifferen t appel lat ion , had someth i ng of a human shape ,though i ncl ined to th e natu re o f a horse

,and was decked with fu c i and other product ion s of

the sea i n Shetland,he took th e decided form of a sh el ty, making h i s most frequen t

haun ts near water-mi ll s,but when observed , hast i ly wi thd rawi ng h imsel f i n to a burn , or

van i sh i ng i n a flash of fi re .

Th i s de i ty,or water-t row

,i s th e same to whom the Edda recommends th e offer i ng of a

prayer for success in navigat ion,hun t ing and fi sh i ng

,s i nce h e gives to h i s votar ie s treasures ,

and eve n ki ngdoms . The i nhab itants of L ewi s formerly sacr i fi ced'

to h im,i n the hopes that

he would send them plen ty of sea-ware , for the pu rpose of en ri ch i ng thei r ground . Butal though he figures away wi th the north ern mythologi sts a s the ruler of wi nds , of waves , andof fi re

,h i s goodness was ever cons idered n o less u ncerta i n than th e dece i tfu l elemen ts ove r

wh ich he had command . The Scand i navian s , th erefore , den i ed that he was of th e truel i neage of the gods

,but deemed i t prud en t that some token of subm iss ion , though i t m igh t

be of the smal lest value, should be made to h im on accoun t of h i s power. I n St K ilda, i tcons i sted of Shel ls , pebbles, worn—ou t rags, pi n s , rusty na i l s , or some mean descript ion ofcurrency . The

'

L ew isme n , wi th more l i beral i ty , cast i n to the sea, at Hal lowt ide, a cup ofgood ale . I n Un st

,i t was customary to repai r to the h ead of a stream

,named Ye labu rn , or

the B urn of Heal th,and to th row

,as an acknow l edgmen t to the water-god

,th ree s tones on

an adjo i n i ng s i te of ground . The pool of Helga Water al so appears to have been formerlyvi s i ted by th e nat i ves w i th superst i t i ous v iews

,and wi th perhaps the same myster iou s cere

mon i es that were u sed from time immemorial in O rkney, such as walking round i t i n th ecou rse of the sun

,observing s tr ic t s i l ence i n th ei r perambulat ion s

,tak ing up water i n thei r

hands,an d cas t ing i t oh

'

th e i r heads . But when Ch ri st ian i ty was i n t roduced i n to th ecoun t ry

,an d when th e priest s found i t imposs ible to root from the people th e i r anc ien t

Pagan customs,i t i s not un l ikely that they took away the governmen t of th i s pool from a

water—de i ty,and gave i t to some favouri te sai n t . Thus there i s a rude s tone

,w i th a smal l

cavi ty i n i t,probably a natu ral one

,that he ld water

,which m igh t have been sanct ified with

Chri st ian ceremony,i n order to repay th e p i lgrimage made to i t by th e zealous imbibe r.

The water de i ty of the Cel ts and Teu tones was ever regarded with great alarm . I t wasa popular superst i t i on

,tha t when a person fe l l i n to th e water

,th e l ips of th i s god were

appl ied to h i s nostri l s , and th rough such a conveyance h i s b lood was sucked ou t ; hence theredness that appears i n the face of drowned person s . O n accoun t, there fore, of thesedestruc t ive propens i t ie s

,a Teuton i c name was awarded to h im of Nocka

,N ick u r , or Necker,

answering to the L at i n n em r e,an d givi ng or igi n

,as many profound a n t iquarian s have sup

posed,to th e name of 0u N ick

, that the Engl i sh have so long appl i ed to the dev i l . In

Scotland,th e appearance of th i s demon iaca l Neptun e i s always con s idered as a prognost ica

t ion of th e swel l i ng of r ivers,and of deaths taking place from d rown ing ; i t i s the n that h e

In Be n’s De scr ipt ion of O rkn ey

,w r itte n A .D . 1529 , th e g od is thu s de scr i bed In itu s e st alg is mar in is toto corpore ,

s im i l is e s t pu l lo eq u in o convo lu to p i l i s', membr um habe t s im i l e equ i no e t te S ticu los mag nos .

"

A n e xqu is ite s tory is at the same

t ime to ld of th e add re s se s w h ich he paid to a femal e of S tron say Mu l ie r i llic e rat formosa mar itata co lono for t i ; ipsa v e r ebatu r

spi r i tu max imo , invi to mar i to , con cu ban tibu s in u no thoro , e t n atu ralite r con c u bu it cum mu l i e re u t v idebatu r . M u l ie r tan demmace ra fac ta e s t pra: do lo r e . H or tatu s sum u t vacar e t p r e cation e e le emc syna e t jeju n io qu od e t fe c i t ; du ran te an no s icc ine

tu rbata e s t. —Bar ry’s O rk n e y , p . 4 35.

2 34 TA NGWICK TO ROENESS vos .

[m mIV.

comes under var ious shapes,such as th e r i ver—horse, or th e hu ll of th e waters . I n Shetland ,

th e same de i ty, th e Shoopiltee , assumes th e form of a beaut i fu l shel ty, i nvi t i ng some one tomoun t h im

,when he immed i ately run s i n to th e sea and d rown s h i s r ider.

When th e warlocks of Shetland communed wi th various demons , known by th e nameof Sea-t rows an d L and-t rows , th e benefic ial acquai n tance of an unearth ly nature would bemade w i th th e Shoopiltee . Joh n Sutherland , for i n stance, of Papa Stour, who, n ot half acen tury ago

,was accustomed, at th e d i stant Haaf, to hau l up, wheneve r h e was hungry, a

cod ready dressed , was perhaps i ndebted to h i s fr i endsh ip w i th th i s water-trow,for h i s

demon iacal repast .

'TA NGWICK TO ROENESS VOE.

Tangwick , ly i ng to th e west of H i ll sw ick , was, when I v i s i ted i t, th e res idence of Mr

Cheyne,th e represen tat ive of an anc ien t respectable fam i ly that sett led in Shetland from

A berdeen shire fi ‘ The shores near Tangwick are low ; farther to the wes t, as we approachSte n n ess

,D oreholm r i ses from the surface of the sea

,hol lowed ou t on the west by th e

i ncessan t acti on of th e waves and atmospheric e lemen ts,i nto a

'

spaciou s arch 70 fee t h igh .

The holm i s v i s i ted by th e black and wh ite gul l, th e pu ffi n (A lta A f rica) and the k i t tywake . Farthe r west

,dark redd ish rocks of secondary porphyry are formed by the sea i n to

Steep cl i ffs,and on approach ing Ste n n ess, a con s iderable n umber of the rude lodges of

fi sh ermen , overtopped wi th a factor’s booth , r i se above the black crags that l i ne the coast .The I s le of Sten n ess,and th e Skerry of Eshan ess, appear at a Short d i stance

,exposed to

th e uncon trol led fury of th e Western O cean . The i s le presen ts a scen e of u nequalleddesolat i on . I n stormy win ters, huge blocks of stones are overturned, or are removed farfrom the i r nat ive bed s , and h urried up a sl igh t accl iv i ty to a d i stance almost i nc red i bl e . I nthe w i n ter of 1 802

,a tabular-shaped mass

,8 feet 2 i nches by 7 fee t, and 5fee t I i nch th ick ,

was d i sl odged from i ts bed , an d removed to a d i s tance of from 80 to 90 feet . I In eaSu redth e recen t bed from wh ich a block had been carried away the preceding wi n ter (A .D .

an d found i t to be I 7% feet by 7 feet, an d th e depth 2 feet 8 i n ches . The removedmass had been borne to a d i stance of 30 feet, when i t was sh ivered i n to th i rteen or morelesser fragments

,some of wh ich were carri ed st i l l farther

,from 30 to 1 20 feet . A block 9

feet 2 i nches by 6% feet , and 4 feet th ick , was hurri ed up the accl iv i ty to a d i s tance of 150fee t . Such i s the devastat ion that has taken place amidst th i s wreck of natu re . Close toth e I sl e of Sten n ess i s th e Skerry of Eshan ess form idably ri s ing from th e sea, an d shewi ngon i ts westerly s ide a s teep prec ipice, agai n s t wh i ch a l l th e force of th e Atlan t i c seems tohave been expended : i t a ffords a refuge for myriads of k i t t iwakes, whose sh ri l l c ri es,mingl ing w i th the dash ing of the waters

,wi ldly accord wi th the terrific scene that i s pre

sen ted on every side .

Th is g e n t leman , s in ce I le ft She tland , d ied at a ve ry advan ced ag e . H is memory w i l l e ve r be he ld dear in the cou n try , for

th e ju d ic iou s and k in d tr eatme n t he she w ed to h is te nan try , and for the p roof that he e stabl ish ed of the e ffec ts w h ich a l i be ra ltreatm e n t to depe nde n ts m ig h t have in i n creas ing the i r ac t ive and in du str iou s sp ir it the r e su l t having bee n al ike be n efic ia l to bothlan d lord and te nan t.

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2 36 TA NGWICK TO ROENESS VOE.

[11m m

brough t together i n immense heaps,that appear as an accumulat i on of cub ical masses

,the

product of some quarry . See'

Plate V.)

From Nav i r I returned to Tangw ick , wi th the i n ten t to pu rsue my j ou rney the fol lowi ngday farther north , to Roen ess Voe, and i n my way passed Cross Ki rk , n ow almost erased tothe grou nd

,wh ich was one of the most famous ki rks i n Shetland . O rkney an d Shetland

were very late i n embrac ing th e tenets of Chri st ian i ty . The fi rs t person commi ss ionedby O lau s , K ing of Norway, to bapt ize th e pagan s of H ialtlan d, was S igi smund Bretteson

,a hero of Fe roe , whom the Scalds

,in marvel lou s s tori es of h i s prowess

,have

c elebrated i n the i r songs . But the l igh t of Ch ri st ian i ty was at fi rst feebly opposed t othe phan toms of th e Scand inavi an mythology . The temples a t Un st an d at oth er placesdedicated to Od i n , or to T hor, l ong re tai ned the i r i nfluence over the popular m ind . I nO rkney , i t was customary, even i n th e last cen tury, for lovers to meet w i th in th e largec irc le of s tones that had been i n th e earl i es t t imes ded icated to the ch i ef of the Scand i nav iangods . T hrough a large hole i n one of th e pi l lars, th e hands of the con tracti ng part ie s werej oi ned

,and the fai th they pl igh ted was named the prom ise of Od i n , to v i olate wh i ch wa s

i nfamou s . The ch i ef Ch ri s t ian Sa int of O rkney and Shetland was Magnus , once partaker,i n the 1 3 th cen tury, wi th H acon

,h i s cous i n , i n the earldom of O rkney . He was a meek

ruler,worthy a th rone i n th e period of the M il l en i um

,s i nce he refused to figh t agai n s t men

from whom he had rece ived n o i nj ury . H acon was h i s deadly foe,an d Magnus

,attended

wi th u narmed men of peace, went to meet h im , by appoin tmen t , i n an i sland of O rkn ey,hoping for conc i l i at i on

,wh i le H acon repai red th i th er, w i th warri ors wel l accoutred , an d

i n s tan tly doomed h i s cou s i n to death . Vainly did the pious Magnus en treat that h i sadversary would n ot by suc h an act lose the protect ion of heaven recommend i ng h im topronounce a sen tence of ban i shment— of impri sonmen t for l i fe

,conjoi ned even wi th th e

m u t i lat ion of l imbs,or th e privat i on of s igh t

,—any th i ng

,rather than take away an i nnocen t

l i fe . H acon was i n exorable ; h is v i ct im then , wi th al l th e forti tude of a martyr, ben t forwardh i s head, and an executi oner cu t i t off at a s i ngle blow. After h i s death

,he was sai n ted by

the Pope ; a grand cathedral was ded icated to h im i n Kirkwal l,and numbers repa i red to

h i s t omb,where

,w i th th e ass i stance of proper oblati on s and ceremon i es

,th ey were cured

of th ei r d i seases .*

All the eccles ias t i cal bui ld i ngs of Shetland appear to have been devoid of the leastShow an d ornament, the i ngenu ity of the arch i tec t ex tend i ng l i t tle farther than i n cons

'

tru ctin g a round vaul ted roof. The poin ted arch , the p i nnacled buttress , or the r ich stonecanopy

,never d ign ified the chapel s of humble H ialtlan d. Th e number of them

,however

,

was remarkably great . The pari sh of Yell , for i n s tance , boasted twen ty chapel s,when on ly

two or th ree are used at the presen t day. Many of these bu i ld i ngs may be attr ibuted toweal thy udal le rs , who general ly had a private oratory con t iguous to thei r dwel l i ngs otherswere erected by fore ign seamen , i n fu lfi lmen t of the i r vows to some tute lar sa i n t, who hadbeen m i racu lously preserved on th ese dreaded shores from sh ipw reck or from death . They

Amon g those in H ialtland who w e re m iracu lou sl y heal ed by th e in te rfe r e n ce of the Sain t , th e n ame s ar e r ecorded in th e

O rk n ey inga Saga of Be rg‘fi n r , A mu ndi Illhu gason , S ig u rdr Tandrason n of Dal e , 'l 'horbior n O lafson , Sig r id r daug h te r of S ig u rdu r

o f San nd , S ig r idr dau gh te r of A r n fr idar ofUn astad ir , and S igr idr of A umstr .

ITER IVJTA NGWICK TO ROENESS VOE. 2 37

w ere vari ously dedicated to O u r L ady, to S t O l la , to S t Magnus , to S t L awrence , to S tJ ohn , to S t Pau l , or to S t S i ney a .

O rkney and Shetland were la te i n rece iv i ng th e Reformed Rel ig i on ; an d when atl ength i t was ungrac iously i n troduced by such an unworthy professor of i t as L ord RobertStewart , th e c idevan t Abbot of Holyrood , n o w onder that i t should be necessary , at a veryla te peri od

,to i ssue ou t acts i n K i rkwal l

,forb idd i ng, under severe penal t i es , all idolat ry ,

such as walks an d pi lgr images . I n th e commencemen t of th e las t cen tu ry , many Romi shFest ival s were s t i l l preserved

,part icu larly those of Hal loween

,of S t Joh n’s Mass

,or

of Wh i tsun t ide . The people had thei r fasts , i n wh ich they eat fi sh,or

,i n con form i ty

w zth an ancien t chu rch decree,th ey i ndulged th emselves wi th the flesh of seal s

,wh ich was

a lm itted as a lawful subst i tu te , whenever i t cou ld be proved , tha t these an imal s , i n hav ingb een pursued , had betaken themselves fo r safe ty to sea , i n preference to dry land. But th egreatest compla in t that the c lergymen of th e Reformed Rel igi on had to make agai n s t the i rpar i sh ioners

,was for th e i r labour i n preserv ing the o ld chapel s that had been ded icated to

parti cular sa i n ts , or had been connected wi th the solemn izat io n of Cath ol i c Fest ival s , thatwere held i n abhorrence by the m in iste r of th e New L igh t . They were resorted to so la teas the begi nn ing of th e las t cen tu ry

,u pon every Eas ter Sunday

,or duri ng L en t . I t was

therefore recommended , that , i n order to puri fy these n orthern i slands from the sour dregso f Popi sh supers t i t i on and idolatry

,al l th e o ld chapels shou ld be rased , wh ich m igh t prove

as th e tak ing away of a nest egg. Cross-Kirk i n Nor thmav in e had been one of th e m ostn oted ed ifices i n Shetland

,for the superst i t ious reverence that was long pa id to i ts vacan t

wall s . The devotee cast among th e ru in s of the chu rch , as a rel igi ou s offer i ng, a smal l imageof silve r

,represent i ng any part i c u lar part of h i s body

,that m igh t be afflic ted wi th i l l ness —a

recovery was then ful ly an ti c ipated . Even the shel l-sna i l s that i nfes ted th e wal l s, w eresupposed to be possessed of part icu lar h eal i ng powers — th ey were dried , pu lveri sed andadm ini stered for the cure o f j aund i ce . I t was customary

,l ong after the abol i t ion of Popery ,

to walk at Can dle smas to the chapel,i n th e dead of n igh t

,wi th l igh ted cand les ; th i s be i ng

th e ceremony used i n memory of Chri st,th e Spi ri tua l L igh t . The tapers thu s sol emn i sed ,

would, no doubt, be converted to the popu lar use wh ich the i r w el l known v i rtues th roughou tal l Chri s tendom have from t ime immemoria l suggested ; th ey would be l igh ted u p wheneverth under was heard , or th e malevolence of demon s was apprehended . Bu t a t length cameMr Hercules S i ncla i r

,min i ster of Nor thmav in e

,mighty an d fervent i n zeal aga i nst all

idolatry, who, by ras i ng Cross-Ki rk to th e ground , succeeded , as B rand supposed, i n mak ingth e people of Northmavin e more c ivi l i sed than th e res t of the i r n eighbours . The crews ofthe numerous French privateers

,al so

,who

,a century ago

,landed in d i fferen t parts of th e

country , were coadj u tors i n S0 holy a work . They found th e old chapel s very conven ient ,in a coun try l ike Shetland desti tu te o f trees

,for afford ing them a supply of fi re-wood, an d,

th erefore , read i ly a ss i s ted i n the pi ous labour of demol i t i on .

There i s a graves tone i n Cross-Ki rk wh ich I overlooked,that conta in s a Run ic in sc r ip

t i on . The copy of i t,for wh ich I am indebted to th e MS . Tour of th e la te M r L ow ,

appears i n the Plate of Ant iqu i ti es , a t th e end of th i s work .

After agai n v i s i t ing Navi r,I arrived at Hamna Voe, a smal l bu t safe harbou r, tha t

38 HIL L SW ICK TO MAVIS GRIND . “TER I“

extends a mi le and a hal f i nto the land , where th e Messrs Cheyne have a factor’s booth for

th e curing of l i ng here al so are a few fi sh in g-lodges . The remai n s of th ree upr igh t

stones denote TIze Gian t’s Grave, respect i ng wh ich trad i t i on i s s i lent. I t i s said , that anan ci en t weapon was found i n th i s v ic i n i ty , wh i ch , by the Ant iquari es of Ed i nburgh , waspronounced to be a Roman Pugio . But th e shores of Hamna Voe deserves th e mostparticular not ice

,for giv i ng b i rth to a n at ive practition e r _ of med ic i n e , who wel l deserves the

erecti on of a monument to h i s name,for h i s success fu l " treatmen t of the smal l-pox . Th i s

d i sease,wh ich i n i ts dreaded vi s i ts , had period ical ly appeared once i n about twen ty years, com

mi tred great ravages i n Shetland . Brand was told a cen tuary ago, that upon i t s occu rrence ,a th i rd of the i nhabi tan ts had d ied of th i s complai n t . Mr Bruce of Ur i e es t imated then umber

,forty years ago

,at a s ixth . Not very long ago started up a successful i nocu lator

for vari ola,i n th e person of Joh n Wi l l iamson of Hamna Voe

,who

,wi thou t recommend i ng

that any med ic i nes should be given as preparatory to th e i n fect i on,or even duri ng i ts

progress,proposed to use matter that had been deprived of i ts v i ru lence

,by bei ng fi rs t dri ed

i n peat-smoke,—then covered with camphor, -buried i n th e earth

,and retai ned i n th i s

s i tuat i on for so long a peri od as seven or eigh t years . I n the appl icat ion of i t,be careful ly

ra i sed wi th a kn ife,a very l i ttle of th e outer sk i n of the arm

,so that n o blood sh ou ld fol low ,

an d i n s i nuated beneath i t , th e smal les t poss ible port i on of th e v i rus , heal i ng the woundwi th a common cabbage leaf. I t was confiden tly main ta i ned by the Reverend Mr D ish i ngton of Yel l

,who publ i shed th i s accoun t

,that several thousand persons were thus i noculated

,

wi thout the loss of a s ingle pat i en t ; and that there was not an i n stance i n wh ich the in fect i on had not taken place, and made i t s appearance at th e usual t ime .

The large tract of cou n try that l i es between Hamna Voe and Roen ess Voe i s devo id ofth e smal les t degree of i n terest . I ts banks are i nden ted by the sea i n to numerous gios and

i t s h i l l s are long,i rregular, bleak an d un i nhabi ted . From Roen ess Voe I returned t o

H i l lswick,wi th th e i n ten t ion to take my leave of Northmavin e not

,however

,withou t

feel i ng the deepest obl igat i on s to Messrs Cheyne , for the u nremi tt i ng attent i on paid me,duri ng the long peri od that I was employed i n exam in ing the geology of the par i sh .

H I LLSWICK TO MAV IS GR IND.

From H i l l sw ick Ness to Mav i s Grind, a d i stance of e igh t m iles , a wi ld tract of b ills i sexh ib i ted

,not gentle i n the i r ascen t, bu t broken i n to n umerous smal l c raggy em i nences,

th i n ly i nhabi ted . Every heigh t we ascend shews some new mountai n lake,or on th e coast

some deep i nden tat ion and extens ive voe wind i ng far i n to the land . Near Magn u sse tte r

Voe,appears the smal l holm of Eagleshaw,

where a perpend icular ve i n of greenstone,softer

m .

than th e i ncl uded mass of the same ki nd wi th i n wh ich i t i s con ta i ned,has yielded to a pro

cess of d i s i n tegrati on , so as to convey the idea of a deep ren t, d iv id ing th e i s land i n to twounequal parts . Th i s appearance has given b irth to a monstrou s tale . The two son s of adeceased udal ler, i n shari ng the i r father

’s money between them,made use of a cyl i ndr ica l

wooden vessel, named a cog , wh ich, being unequally d iv ided with in , by means of a tran sverse

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2 40 REGU L ATION S OF PAR I SHES .

[ ITER IV.

lastly,prevent any s tranger from being employed wi thout a tes t imonial i n h i s favour from

the e lders and ran se lmen of h i s own pari sh .

I t i s almost u seless to i nqu i re what must be the fate of such inqu i si tor ial funct ion s .The soci e ty for th e reformati on of man ners, as wel l as the anc ien t ranselman , gradual lyfe l l i nto con tempt . Under such c i rcumstances

,a comple te laxi ty of moral s m ust have

ensued,i f th e clergymen of th e coun try had not ava i led th em selves of the opportun i ty

afforded them of exerc i s i ng the i r own proper prov ince,—of succeed i ng to th e duty of

correc ti ng domest i c immoral i t i es , wh ich had been improperly en trusted to a c iv i l officer .The i ncreased i nfluence wh ich th e m in i ster has S i nce possessed

,appears

,however

,to have

been i n n o smal l degree st rength ened by ki rk—sess i on s , and by th e heavy penal ti es of theanc ien t coun try acts denounced agai n s t such offence s as profane cu rs i ng and sweari ng

,

v i olat i on s of the Sabbath,or the refusal of a h ouseholder to afford h i s fam i ly i n s truct ions i n

rel igion an d moral i ty . But th i s ascendancy,as I have had frequen t occas i on to w i tness

,has

been no less mainta i ned by the atten ti on th at th e pastor pays to h i s pari sh i oners,i n gi v i ng

them solace or ass i s tance , du r ing h ou rs of di stress or S icknes s . The reverence w i th wh ichhe i s consequen tly held among th e people

,of whom he i s a rea l guard ian

,has ren ered th e

occa si ona l pub l i c censu re s wh ich he bestows,a pun i shment of th e most dreaded k i nd , and

h ighly effect ive among detach ed i slands,that , from the frequen t absence of landed posses

sors of ci v i l rank,cannot be otherw i se under proper con troul . I have , i ndeed , no where

seen more di scree t and orderly pari sh i oners than are to be found i n Shetland .

*

T he cause of educati on has n ever m et wi th l ibera l e ncouragemen t i n Shetland . Acentury ago

,th ere was not even a school for the weal th ier c lasse s , “ whereby

,sa id Brand

,

“ many prom i s i ng an d pregnan t ingenys were lost bu t shortly afterwards,th e poor were

taugh t by a master sen t over by th e Soc iety for th e Propaga ti on of Ch ri st ian Knowledge .

I n the year 1 7 24 , th e landholders of th e coun try m e t and establ ished a school i n eachpari sh

,obl ig i ng paren ts

,under a heavy penal ty , to send the i r ch i ldren th i th er. Afterwards

,

for a long period,th e educati on of th e poor was agai n neglected . At the presen t day, how

ever,many school s are es tabl i shed i n d i fferen t parts of the coun try

,al th ough some of them

appear to be i l l a ttended .

The manner i n wh i ch the poor are supported meri ts part i cu lar n ot i ce . I n early t imes,

i t was a part icula r duty of th e ran selman to see that there were no vagran t or id le person s i nh i s quarter or d i s tri ct , an d h e was empowered to order them to service

,or to award th em

pun i shmen t. But i n cases of real poverty,a mode was adopted , tha t st i l l prevai l s . At the

presen t day a parish i s d iv ided i n to a certai n n umber of parts , named Quarters, to each ofwh i ch the support of a defini te n umber of poor i s en trus ted . Every householder rece ives“ apauper i n to h is fam i ly for a l im i ted n umber of days an d n ights , proporti onal to the amounto f the mark s of land that h e occupi es . Thus the poor are cont i n ual ly transferred fromhouse to house . There are a lso weekly col lect ion s and contribu t ion s at each sacramen t

Tw e lve m in is te rs con s t i tu te the Pr esbyte ry of She tland , and to each of th em is e n tr u sted two or th r e e k i rks. Th e i r chu rchd is c ip l in e in k i rk-se s s io n s , is con s ti tu ted by e lde rs , and they se nd u p year l y on e of the i r membe r s as a comm iss ion e r to the Ge n e ra lA ss embly of Sco tland . A t fi r s t, th e Pr e sby te ry had the pow e r of p rese n tat ion s , bu t , by the act of Qu e e n An n e r e s tor ing patronag e ,it devo lved to the su pe r ior of the cou n try, his cho ice ofm in isters to vacan t k i rks be i ng con fi rmed by a popu lar cal l .

ITER IV. ]A ITH SVOE TO CL OUSETTER. 2 4 1

week,from wh ich source raimen t i s procured for the i nd igen t , or the i r funera l-expen ces

defrayed . When ch i ldren have los t thei r paren ts,th ei r support i s en trusted to some fam i ly

,

th e expen ce of i t be i ng defrayed un t i l they are ten years of age, when they are con s idered asbelonging to th e h ouse i n wh i ch they were reared . The extraord inary calam i t i es of i nd iv iduals are provided for by specia l col l ec t i on s .

A ITH SVOE TO CL OUSETTER.

I aga i n arr ived at A ithsvoe , and after v i s i t i ng Papa L i tt l e, i nhabi ted by on e or twofami l i es

,crossed over to the i s land of Vemen try. In th i s s i ngle spot, not more than three

m i les i n l ength,al l th e vari et i es of a Shet land landscape are exh ibi ted , —the fi ssu red c l i ff,

th e barren crag or knol l,on wh ich few tufts of vegetat ion hang

,—the low

,fert i l e grassy

patch,or th e s t i l l and dark moun tai n lake — the rocky gi o deeply i nden t in g th e

“ coast,th e

bold promon tory j ut t ing out far i n to the sea, or th e long-windi ng voe . Vemen try i s i n somany places i n tersected by i t s i n le t s, that Mr D ickson , th e i n te l l igen t Scot t i sh farmer whooccupies th e i sland, has by short dikes from sea to sea, formed many i nc losu res, conven i en tfor pastu ri ng i n them black cat tl e or sheep . A lofty h i l l of gran ite ri ses on the north

,where

may be traced the foundati on-s tones of a round watch-tower,abou t 15 feet in diameter,

con tai n i ng w i th i n i t an i rregular cavi ty , that i s en tered by a stra i t passage abou t two fee tlong an d one broad , be ing narrow near the en trance, but w iden ing ou t at i ts Oppos i teextrem ity z

— th e length of i ts i n ternal cav i ty i s ten feet ; i t s n arrowest Width five,and i ts

greates t ten fee t ; i t appears to have been roofed wi th large flat p i eces of gran i te . The

cavi ty was probably i n tended for con ta i n ing the peat or fue l n ece ssary for l igh t ing a fi re togive an alarm in case of i nvas ion . We read i n early O rcadian An nal s , of a spy be inglanded on Fai r-I s le , who was comm iss ioned to secretly drench the wood ‘ with water

,

w h ich was s tored up for the purpose of bei ng k indled,whenever an en emy appeared

off th e coast . Mr Pennan t has remarked,i n h i s Not ice of the Shetlan d Isles

,that

the Norwegians had anc ien tly the i r' ze'ard-maa’izer , or watch-man , a sort of cen t i nel whostood on the tOp of a Vord Hi l l , and chal lenged al l that came i n s igh t . In O rkney, sola te as the i 7th ce ntury , i t

"was ordered,that every bai l i ff should

,in h i s respect ive di s tri c t,

have a signal of th i s k i nd,and that wh en a blaz e was seen on Whiteford H i l l

,each shou ld

fi re the beacon of h i s own watch .

I n return i ng to A ithsvoe , I was i nduced to ascend th e lofty em inence of Scallow fi eld,from wh ich the prospect i s i n most d i rect ion s confined

,except on th e west

,where a succes

s ion of barren and naked em inences arose,wh i le th e waters of d istan t lakes appeared more

than usual ly dark and gloomy . Th i s was th e di stri c t I was now about to vi s i t ; but toexplore th e strata of such a wi ld t rac t

,th e geognost ough t to be endowed wi th a more than

common share of petroman ia

And h i ther to approach he wi l l n ot dare,Where deserts

,rocks

,an d h ills no succou r g ive,

24 2’A ITH SVOE TO CL OUSETTER.

[ ITER IV .

Where desolat ion and n o comforts are ,Where few can do no good

,many not l ive .

Bes ides,w e have th e oc ean to prepare

Some oth er place i f th i s shou ld not rel i eve .

I proceeded to th e h i l l of A ithsn ess, where a greater quan t i ty of bog i ron—ore occursthan i s often to be seen i n the coun try , and became th e opg ester or i nmate of a farmer ofthat place . H is house was s i tuated on the sou th s ide of the h i l l of A ithsn ess, upon thebrow of the accl ivi ty . A steep brown h i l l rose to th e north

,washed at i t s base by a trans

paren t pool . The farm-house was bu i l t of th e rough unhewn stones of th e coun try ; muchgree n outfie ld

,wel l cul t ivated

,appeari ng i n various patches along the val ley . S tone-d ike s

ran around the dwel l i ng i n a zig—zag d i rect ion,enc los ing i t l ike so many ou tworks of a

forti fi cati on . O n a smal l adj oi n i ng em i nence were th e remai ns of a skeo, where was onceprepared the blown fi sh and v ivda that furn i sh ed a del i c iou s repast for the anc ien t udal ler.Before the door were placed a few stepping stones , somewhat difficu lt to trace , and in tendedto preven t a plunge , knee-deep, i n to the immense bed of compost that lay reek ing al laround . The vi s i tor, after enteri ng a dark and gloomy byre wh ich forms a part of th e tenemen t

,—after grazin g the heel s of the cows on the left of h im , and feel ing careful ly along the

surface of a part i t ion to h i s r igh t , may de tec t th e latch of a door that leads to a spaciousapartmen t conta i n i ng a fi re-place i n th e m iddle of it

,— where th e floor i s of c lay

,—where the

wal ls are th ickly coated over w i th soot,—where are two long forms

,on wh ich th e servan ts

of each sex are sea ted , th e m i stress of the h ouse bei ng d is t i ngu i shed by a h igh and separatecha i r

,-where

,i n one coner

,i s a favouri te cal f qu ietly regal ing i tse lf wi th a bowl of m i lk

,

an d where are two or th ree surly had-dogs stretch ed on th e hearth , perfectly happy in th esoc ie ty of a m i racu lou s quan ti ty of cocks , hen s, and ch icken s, a sow and a playfu l l i t te r ofyoung ones . A rude part i t i on d ivides, from the mai n room ,

a smal l private apartmen t,

i nc lud i ng w i th i n the recesses of i ts wal l s two or three'

press beds . The state dormi tory,

however,reserved for th e 0pgeste r , i s reached by scal i ng a wooden ladder, on each s ide of

wh ich are stored barrel s of meal or oats,dusty tows

,fi sh ing

-nets,s i l lock-rods

,an d vari ou s

ki nds of hand-l i n es the m iddle of the room be ing reserved for a curtai n l ess bed . Theremay th e inmate , after commendi ng h imself to the guardian sh ip of al l good spi ri t s , con s ignh imself to repose

,an d r i se i n the morn ing cheered by the unobstructed rays of the sun

,that

l igh t the room from an open fissure i n the roof.West from A ithsn ess i s Uyea Sound , a channel two m iles and a hal f i n exten t, wh ich ,

i n i ts tortuous course, winds around the extended base of the i s land of Veme n try, oftengl id i ng th rough the s tra i tened confines of protrud i ng capes , or emergi ng i n a proudsweep , so as at l eng th to j oi n the wide expan se of the Bay of St Magn us . These shoresafford numerous coverts for sea-otters, whose sk in s were once i n great requi s i t i on as anart icle of commerce by the Hamburghers . The i r food

,wh ich they col lect from the sea

,

pri nc ipally con s i st s of the conger eel . At Son son ess, the w i nding voes and clear lake s ofC lou sette r , are wi ld ly d i sordered by the i rregular encroachments of the h i l l s among wh ichthey run . Nature

,from mere rocks and water

,wi thout th e ass i s tance of a si ngle tree

,has

presented ceaseless vari et i es of i nteresti ng scenery . Nun sbu rgh, a bold eminence, r i ses to

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244 ONZ IE F IRTH TO NOREAY .

[ ITER xv ,

th e di stan t extremi t i es of the country . I f i t were not i ndeed for th e fri end ly office s ofm in i s ters of pari sh es

,or th e pri nc ipa l h eri tors of 't he coun try

,who are i n the h ab i t of d istr i

buti ng medici nes grat i s , the poor i nhab i tan ts wou ld be st i l l more d istressed .

I n Shet land there are several nat ive popu lar medic i nes . Scurvy gras s,for i n stance; i s

u sed i n cu taneous complai n ts,bu tter-mi lk i n d ropsy

,th e shel l s of whelk s ca lc i n ed an d

pounded for dyspeps ia,an d a vari ety of steati te named in the coun try H aber

,

'for excor iation s . Bu t th e mode of lett i ng blood , k n own ‘

from time immemorial, deserves th emost part i cu lar n oti ce . When th e nat ive ch i ru rgeon i s cal led i n

,he fi rs t bathes the . part

from wh ich the detract ion i s to be made,wi th warm water

, and th en draws forth h i s cuppi ngmach i n e

,which cons i s ts of noth i ng more than th e upper part of a ramis horn perforated at

the top,an d bound round wi th a soft p iece of co tton or wool len rag . I n applying i t to the

sk in , he sucks out a l i tt le of the i ncluded a ir, takes off the horn , makes upon th e su rface of

the part that has thus been gen tly ra i sed s i x or s even sl igh t in c i s i on s,agai n fixes th e cuppingi nst rument

,freely draws out the a i r by the reappl icat i on of h i s l ips to i t

,and

,e i ther by

i n s i nuat i ng h i s tongue wi th i n the perforat ion , or by twi st i ng round i t a pi ece of leathe r orbladder, preven ts th e i ngress of fresh ai r. He next u ses coarse c loths

,wrung ou t wi th warm

water, to s t imulate th e flowing of the blood , and when th e horn i s half fi l l ed , i t leaves theski n and fal l s down . The same process i s repeated several t imes

,un t i l a sufficien t deplet ion

has been made . I t i s worthy of remark , that the African negroes , described by Park , havea s im i lar mode of cupp ing but I shou ld pay an undeserved affron t to the nat ives of Thule ,by adding, that, on the theory of a philosopher, who mainta i n s that th e manners of anu ncu lt i vated people are in al l per iod s and coun tr ies the same

,such a coinc idence ough t to

have been expect ed .

*

I n so variable a c l imate as that of Shetland,Ph th i s i s pulmonal i s , pneumon ia, croup ,

and scrofu la,are

,as we m ight expect

,very frequen t . There IS a great vari ety of cutaneou s

com pla i n ts, t in ea cap i t i s bei ng the most common . S ibben s,a di sease h i therto i l l defined

,

I saw occas i onal ly . Brand describes a leprosy that was very prevalent about a cen tury ago,i nd icated

,as he says

,

“ by th e ha i rs fal l i ng from the eye-brows,and th e nose fal l i ng i n . I t

was con s idered as i n fect ious, and huts were erected for the recept ion of the lepers , i n orderthat they m igh t be separated from the rest of the commun i ty . Owing to some pecu lar ity offood

,conj oi ned wi th th e n ature of the cl imate

,dyspeps ia an d l ive r complai n t s are very

common .

'

If,however

,the reports of i nstances of great longev i ty are to be depended upon ,

as th ey appear i n Buchanan’s h i story , or i n the stat i s t i cal accoun ts of d ifferen t pari sh es thathave been publ i shed

,severa l remarkable ages appear from 90 to l o5, an d even 1 20. A nat ive

of Wall s,of th e n ame of L aurence

,i s sai d at the age of 100 to have married a wi fe, and when

1 40 years old to have gone ou t to sea i n h i s l i t t l e boat . But Brand, th e honest m i ss i onary,heard of a case far more wonderful —of a man of th e n ame of '

l‘

airv1lle,who l ived 1 80

years,an d dur ing al l th i s t ime never drank bee r or ale . He was descended from a fam ily

remarkable for th ei r longev i ty,h i s father havi ng atta in ed even a greater age than h imself.

Th is n ative cu pp ing in strumen t of She tland , has be en w e l l desc r i be d bv D r Coplan d in h is D ispu tatio Med ica Inau g u ralis deRhe umatismo, (A .D . whe re the effective n ess of th is mode of de tract ing blood is spoken of w ith mu ch comme ndation . D r

Scott of Le rw ick , w ho po l i te l y prese n ted me w i th an in strumen t of th is k in d, e n te r tain s the same sen t imen t r espe cting it.

ITER IV. ]ONZ IE F I RTH TO NORBA Y. 245

From O n z ie Fi rth , I ascended a h igh promon tory, name the Ne in g of Br indaste r, bese tw i th dangerou s i slets and stacks , wh ich have too often proved fatal to vessel s that have bee nd riven on thi s i n s id iou s sh ore . The rapaci ty exerc i sed on such occa s i on s by th e nat ive s o fth is w i ld d i s tr ict has been often reprobated . Thei r d i stan t Scand i navian progen i tors werel i t tle add ic ted to the v i l e pract ice of plundering wreck s. The Norwegians,

” says Pennan t,“ stat i on ed on a ward h i l l an officer, whom they named a Gackman , who was appoi n ted togive n ot ice i f h e saw a sh i p i n d is tress ; and

,adds the same w r i ter; “ he was al lowed a

large horn of generous l iquor,whi ch he had always by h im ,

to keep up h i s sp i r i ts .” EarlPa trick Stewart

,however

,i ssued forth an edic t

,th e most c rue l that perhaps ever en tered

i nto the code of any despot,impos i ng a personal pu n i shmen t , an d a fine , th e amoun t of

wh ich depended on h i s own pleasure,upon any on e who shou ld be found givi ng re l i ef

t o vessel s d i stressed “

by tempe s t . I t i s by no mean s improbable that so barbarous aned i c t , thu s publ i c ly proc la imed , should have been on e of th e firs t causes that producedtha t i nsens ib i l i ty to the crime of steal i ng from a wreck

,wh ich has been tran sm itted

through succes s ive generat i ons to th e prese n t son s of Thu le . Not long before I vi s i tedO n z ie Firth , a vesse l was st randed i n th e v ic i n i ty . The vu l tu res of th e coas t immedi

ately flocked to th e spot ; the master loud ly remons trated agai n s t th e objec t of thevi s i t , an d maintai n ed that the vessel c ou ld be got off : th e She tlanders , on the con trary,as a j us tificat ion for th e i r medi tated plunder, asserted that she came under the i r pecu l iardefin i t ion of a w r eck . A scuffle en sued ; when th e captai n , overpowered by n umbers ,was th reatened wi th death

,i f h e opposed the v iews of th e savage and rapacious mul t i

t ude by whom he was su rrounded . But i f th e p i l lage from vessel s dr iven on th ese shoresbe reconci led to a Shetlander’s con sc i ence as a god-send, or, i f th e pi l feri ng of sheep out of ascathold be con s idered by h im as not belonging to the proh ib i t ion con tai ned i n the eigh thart i c le of the Decalogue, i t would be an i nj ust i ce to h i s character n ot to s tate , that aga i n s to ther temptati on s to d i shonesty

,h e i s proof to a remarkable degree .

* I t i s, i n fact, fromthe earl ie st period of youth that th e Shetlander i s taugh t to regard an attack upon a wreckas n o less commendable than was p i racy to the anc ien t Scand i nav ian sea-ki ngs

,one of whom

has , by a northern Scald, been thu s lauded

Tolf vetra nam At twelve years beganTyggi a t heria . The ki ng to plunder.

I t i s doubtful i n what manner the anc ien t Scand inavian i nhab i tan ts of Shetland re

imbursed themselve s for the i r exert i on s to save l ives or property when a sh ip was i n dangerbut there can be no doubt

,tha t when Earl Patrick became superi or of the coun try, be

d iv ided a wreck i n the manner most agreeable to h im,and w ithou t reference to any exi st ing

law. When Shet land, however, was i n a more set t led s ta te, i t was ordered that a th i rd o fthe sh i p and cargo wh ichmigh t go ashore , should accrue to the proprietor of the ground a

Not two m i les from O n z ie F ir th , the con te n ts of my tru n ks , ow ing to the loss of my keys , w e re ind iscr im inate l y e xposed , i na smal l hou se , to more than a scor e of eyes , for seve ral days tog e the r , bu t I was pe rfectl y easy w ith r eg ard to the safe ty of my

prope r ty ; n or was I in th is , or any othe r in stance of the l ike k ind , de ce ived in the con fide n ce I had p laced in the cottag e rs ofShe tland .

246 ONZ IE FIRTH TO NOREA Y .

[ITER W

th i rd to th e salvers,and a th i rd to the owner ; or in defaul t of claim w i th i n th e year

,to the

King.

* When the Earl of Morton , was i nvested wi th the righ ts : of Admi ral ty, b e , wi th agreat sen se of j ust ice

,refused to give th e propri eto r of the gr ound any greater al lowance

than was necessary for th e damage that he sustai ned,— th i s be i ng awarded to h im by a

Court of Adm iral ty,as a k ind of prem ium at 'th e same t ime

,salvages were rated accord ing

to the trouble and charge that had been i ncurred . I understand, that, at the presen t day,th ere i s an Admi ra lty Court empowered to j udge al l c i rcumstances regardi ng the wrecks ofShetland , wh ich cons i s ts of a j udge, a c lerk , and a procurator-fi scal. When a wreckhappens , and non e of the mari nes are saved, i t i s th e duty of the procu rator-fi scal to statethe c i rcumstances to the j udge, who appoi n ts a person to take charge of what part of theproperty may remai n , to sel l i t , and publ ic ly to advert i s e that the proceeds are lodged i ncourt

,un t i l an owner appears ; and i f, after the lapse of a year and a day, no claim he

made,the property devolves to the Adm i ral .

Bu r rafi ord, an open bay, l i es to the wes t of the Ne ing, affordi ng no shelter for vessel s ,contai n i ng sunken rocks, and bese t on each s ide by dangerous rocky crags . A burgh

,

s i tuated i n a holm, gives i t s name to the in le t . Th i s bui ld ing of uncemen ted stones has as i ngle wal l 1 3 feet th ick , wi th eleven smal l roun d apar tmen ts , each of the d iameter of 5feet,wh ich were entered from wi th i n th e i n ternal a rea of the bu rgh the roofs of them were notvaul ted

,but formed of s tones, that, proj ect i ng ove r each other, drew to a poi n t. The area

i ncluded wi th in the fort, was 3 1 feet . The burgh was we l l p rotec ted by th e sea on al ls ides. See Plate of A n tiq. Append.

When vi s i t i ng th i s Voe, I was , by the extreme laten ess of th e even i ng, under thenecess i ty of ava i l i ng mysel f of the custom of the country , when a s tranger i s perplexed for alodgi ng

,wh ich was to seek for hosp i tal i ty in th e nearest conven ien t house on my way . My

boatman led me to a smal l creek,at th e head of Bu rrafi ord, where th e sett ing sun brightened

i n to a fi ne purple,a wi ld i n termi xture of crag and lake . The smoke arose from a low

house,bu i lt of u nhewn stones, after th e most anc ien t fash ion of the coun try -it was th e

H ead B u z’

l or Manor-house of a smal l landed possessor of A ithsting , named the L ai rd ofFogr igate . O n open i ng th e door, I passed through a double range of servan ts of bothsexes

,who occupied forms disposed along each s ide of the room

,and made su i table obe is

ance to the Izoy saea’et or h igh seat of the house

,fi l led by the lai rd h imself

,wi th al l th e

patriarchal d ign i ty worthy that prim i t ive state of manners descri bed i n an ancien t poem ofthe 8 th cen tury .

Mei r settiz t han nM iddra fletiaEn n a’hlid hvarah ié n salkyn na.

Rigs-Mal .Song of Ki ng E r z

'

e.

Th is law I was tau g ht thr ee m i le s w e st of O n z ie F ir th . A l i ttl e g ir l was tempted , w i th the offe r of a sh i l l ing , to tak e am i le 5wal k , and fi nd an umbr e l la for me that I had le ft on the shore ofKilista Voe . She soon brou g h t i t back , w ith an in t imat ionfrom he r fathe r , that, accord in g to the law of the cou n try , she was e n t i tl ed to a th ird of its va lu e for sa lvag e . I ne x t expec ted a

s im i lar demand of a th ird of th is w r eck from the propr ie tor of the g rou nd, bu t the c laim was g rac iou s l y waved.

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2 48 ONZ IE FIRTH TO NOREAY .

(m mw ,

The parish of Sandn ess te rm i nates on th e west part of th e coast,where i s exposed a

large val ley, that is en rich ed wi th several patches of good corn land, and that may boasth ou ses and cottages of a neater appearance than usual

,as well as a good pari sh ki rk . I t i s

watered by one or two fresh-w ater lakes, th e larges t of wh ich con tai n s a holm ,the av iary for

myriads of gul l s . The h igh h i l l of Sandness ri ses to th e south,amids t fogs and vapours .

The north of the val ley i s shel tered by an elevated r idge. of land gradual ly ascendi ng fromi t and on atta i n i ng the summi t of th i s s teep, wh iph is c lothed by Nature i n her best robeof green

,crumbl ing perpendicu lar c l iffs appear beneath , impenden t over a sandy shore an

un i n terrupted vi ew i s at the same t ime commanded of the Bay of S t Magnus,where

,am idst

project ing and reced in g moun ta i ns , Roen ess Hil l towers above th e whole . Mr L ow wasshewn a stone fixed i n the wal l of the pari sh ki rk of Sandness

,of so old a date as to requ i re

for i ts i n terpretat i on an an t iquary possessed of th e accompl i shments of a n orthern hero,who

was versed in th e knowledge of th e n ewer as well as of the older Run ic characters .

En . Kon r natu m i n imus En n Konr vngrNovi t Runas

,Kunn i runar

Ant iquas Runas , A e'fi n n runar

e t su i tempor is Runas . O c alldr runar .Song of K7ng E r ie.

Mr Pennan t,who has shewn 'a drawin g made by Mr L ow of th i s i nscript i on , conce ived

i t to be of a date not later than the ten th or eleven th centu ry . I t was one of the commandsof Odin , that over the graves of the great, huge heaps of earth shou ld be rai sed, bu t thatover th ose who had performed s ignal ach ievemen ts

,h igh s tones shou ld be e rected

,i n scribed

with Run ic characters,which ever commanded i n Scandin avia a supers ti t i ous awe. To add

,

th erefore,to the sanct i ty of an early Chri st ian Church , the rel ic of th i s kind exi st i ng i n

Sandness m igh t have been removed wi th i n i ts pale . I t certa i nly, as Mr L ow has asserted,commanded , so late as th e las t cen tu ry , a . myster iou s sort of regard, though unconnectedwi th any tradi t i on relat ive to i t s u se or origi n . I n the same period , some . re l i c appeared ofth e anci en t mode i n wh i ch a, respect to Pagan sepul tures was test ified.

“ I t was usual,

”

said a m i n i s ter of Un st,

“ when any one met a . funeral , to l i ft up three c lods , and to throwthem

,one by one , after th e corpse .

I was surpri sed to observe,that

,i n the k i rk-yard of Sandness, n o less than i n other

buryi ng places of Shetland,few or no sepulchra l stones should be set up - to record the

names or vi rtues of those who were sleeping wi th the i r fathers . But, i n th i s n eglec t , th erewas much true ph i losophy

'Where wi ll you have your vir tuous name safe la id ,I n gorgeous. tombs, i n sacred cel l s secure ?Do you not see those p rostrate heaps betray

’d

Your father’s bones,and cou ld not keep them sure ?

A n d wi l l you trus t dece itfu l stones fai r laid ,And th ink they wil l be to your honour t ruer ?

No,no un spari ng t im e wi l l proudly send

A warran t un to w ra th,that w i th one frown

Wi l l a l l th ese mock’r ie s of va i n glory rend

,

A n d make them (as before) u n grac’d, u nknown

Poor idle honou rs , that can i l l defendYour memorie s

,that can not keep thei r own .

D A N IEL’S M zzsop/zz'

lu s.

I t certa i nly appears,that wh i le among th e Scand i nav ian i nhab i tants of Shetland

,the re

are more scan ty h onorary Observances paid to th e dead than are preserved by th e descendan ts of Cel ti c tribes , thesupe rsitiou s not ion s en tertai n ed on th e subj ec t of death are no lessfew . Second s igh t has been cla imed by none except by a fam i ly wh i ch i s no t Norwegian

,

th e representat ive of whom was a lways supposed to be gi fted by a power of foret'

el l i ngth e t ime of h i s own decease .

* s fer s or ghosts are, however, very common ly seen ,part icularly by the sagaci ou s shel ty . When a med i cal gent leman

,of the las t cen tury

,was

return ing home from vi s i t i ng a female whom he had left— at l ea st al i ve,th e sh el ty on wh ich

he rode sudden ly began to snort and gal lop ; and on looki ng beh i nd h im to see the causeof the alarm ,

h e saw th e spectered fortn of the pat ien t he had v i s i ted,and soon after

wards h eard of her death , wh ich took place at the exact t ime when she took i t i n h erhead to fr igh ten th e shelty and h i s rider. There i s al so a popular bel i ef among th elower cla ss

,that i f two i n fan ts who have got no tee th

,meet in th e same room

,on e of

th em w i l l immediate ly afterwards di e . When a death takes place,there are few or no

popu lar customs observed rela t ing to i t, differ ing from the mos t fam i l ia r ones i n Scotland aplate

,as i n that coun try

,i s se t on th e body con tai n i ng sal t

,th e reason for wh i c h ceremony

i t i s d ifficu l t to expla i n,un les s we adm i t th e force of what a learned expou nder has remarked

,

that “ the Devi l loveth n o sal t to h i s meat,for that i s a sign of e tern i ty

,and u sed by God’s

commandment i n al l sacr i fi ces .”

PA PA STOUR .

I now prepared to set off for Papa Stou r, an i s land derivi ng i ts name from certa i n I ri shPapae or Pries ts , who , i n the earl i es t period of Chri st ian i ty, e i th er sough t i n I re land , as wel las i n th e i slands to th e north of B ri tai n

,places of refuge duri ng some commotion i n the i r

country,or came over to propagate the Gospel . I n Shet land , th ree i slands bear the n ame

of Papa, the largest of them bei ng named Papa S tou r, or th e Great Papa ]L

The sa i l from Norbay to Papa S tou r i s across a very troub led channel , where there i san Oppos i t ion of t ides

,occas ioned by the meet i ng of on e cu rren t that sets i n to the Bay of S t

The last head of th is fam i l y e xe r c ised su ch a pow e r wh e n he happen ed to be in a larg e par ty of com pany. H e sudde n l ylooked g rave , and on be i n g qu e st ion ed as to the cau se of h is se r iou sn e ss , de c lar ed that in a for tn ig h t h is sp i r i t w ou ld be hove r in gove r them in th e air . The death took p lace at the time fore to ld , as an eve n t, qf cou r se .

1 In the d ip loma g ive n in Wa l lace’s O rk n ey , dated A .D . 1 406 , in orde r to asce r tain th e r ig h t ofW i l l iam S in c lai r to the Ear ldom of O rkn e y

, th e r e is a ve ry obscu r e trad i tion ,scarce l y des e rvi ng th e n ot ice bes tow ed u pon it by An t iquar ie s , on the su bj ect of

tw o n at ion s name d the Pe ti and Papac , w ho w e re u tte r l y de s troyed by Haro ld H ar fag re . The Papac w e r e th e I r ish pr ie sts bu t

by the Pe t i , a race of Pic ts is u nde r stood ,— th is n ame be in g in d isc r im inate l y g ive r. by the Sco tch in the 15th ce n tu ry , to any

de sc r i pt ion of ear l y tr i be s or nation s of whom th ey had bu t ind ist in ct trad it ion s. Nor ther n h istor ian s assu re u s, that the peop lew hom Haro ld su bdued w e r e Norw eg ian p i rate s.

250 PAPA STOUR .

[ ITER IV .

Magnus,and another ‘

in to Papa Sound . H ou seavoe i s i ndicated at a d i stance by a plai nwell-bu i l t wh i te house

,— by several cottages that l i n e i t s shores, and by an uni n terrupted l i n e

of ri ch arable land . The even ing was calm , an d so tran sparen t was'

the water,that our yawl

appeared suspended i n m id-a i r,over meadows of yel low

,green

,or red tangle

,gl i s ten i ng wi th

the wh i te she l ls that cl ung to the i r fibres . From the su rface of th e water'

s started up red

barren s tacks of porphyry,scooped by the attr i t i on of the sea i nto a hundred shapes .

O n e of th ese i n su lated rocks, named Frau -a-S iaek , or the L ady’s Stack , —access ibl e to nonebu t th e best of cl imbers , i s c rowned on th e summ i t by the remai n s of a smal l bu i ldi ng, thatwas origi nally bui l t by a Norwegian L ady

,to preserve hersel f from the sol ic i tat i on s of

su i tors,when sh e had en tered i n to a vow of pure cel ibacy . The ascen t to the house was

con sidered almost un surmountable,except by the help of ropes . But a daun tless lover, an

udal ler from Islesbu rgh , con tr ived i n the dark secrecy of even ing to sca le th e s tack , an d,

after the fi rst surpri se was overcome, so far i ngrat iated h imself i n the fai r devotee’s affec

t i on,that

,i n a fatal hour

,sh e was i nduced

To tru s t th e opportun i ty of n igh t,

And the i l l c oun sel of a desart place,

With the ri ch worth of her vi rg in i ty .

”

When the con sequence of th e L ady’s faux pas cou ld n o l onger be concealed,Frau-a

S tack became th e scofl'

of th e i sland,and was deserted by i ts fa i r and frai l tenan t . The

house was soon afterwards un roofed and reduced to ru in,i n con tempt of the vow of

chast i ty that had been broken .

*

Anoth er i n sulated rock ri se s above the surface of th e water,wh ich the sea has worn

i n to long wind ing cavern s . The boat i n wh ich I sai led en tered a vau l t i nvolved i n gloom ,

when,after turn ing an angle

,th e water began to gl i tter as i f i t con ta i ned i n i t d i fferen t

gems,an d sudden ly a burs t of day-l igh t broke i n u pon us , th rough an i rregular open i ng a t

the top of the cave . Th i s perforat ion,n ot more than twenty yards i n i ts greates t d im en

s i on s,served to l igh t up the en trance to a dark an d vaulted den , through wh ich th e ripples

of th e swe l l i ng t ide were, i n thei r passage, converted by Echo , i n to low an d d i s tan t murmurs .The coast on th e sou th and west of Papa Stour con t i nued to be w ild an d rugged

,

where , from low proj ecti ng ledges that impended over the sea , the Shet lander m igh t beseen angl i ng for h i s n ightly meal of si l locks

Abou t h i s h ead a rocky canopy,

A n d craggy hangings round a shadow th rew,

Rebutt ing Phoebus’parch ing fervencyI n to h i s bosom zephyr softly flew

,

Hard by h i s feet the sea came wav ing by,The wh i l e to seas and rocks (poor swai n) he sang ;Th e wh i le to seas and rocks an s’r ing loud echoes rang.

An o the r trad it ion is , that an u dal l e r con fin ed h is dau gh te r in th is rock , in orde r to preven t h e r from l iste n ing to the so l ic i tat ion s of a favou red su i tor ; bu t Love soon scal ed the be e tl ing c l iff, whe n th e same con sequ e n ce s e n su ed wh ich befe l the Norw eg ianlady.

—l may add,that , ste ep as the c l iff is

, it has be e n sca led by seve ral in habi tan ts of Papa, and even by a youn g lady dwe l l ingin the is land , who asce nded it w i thou t the he lp of a r ope .

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352 FESTIVITIES OF SHETLAND . ITER IV.

from land to th e newly di scovered fi sh ing-bank , on wh ich other ves sel s appeared to have

been profi tably engaged . The con sequen t d i fference of succe ss i n each vessel was remarkable . Whi lst sympath i si n '

g i n th e d i sappo in tmen t wh ich the proprie tor experi enced i n theempty hold of the fi rs t s loop wh ich came i n to the harbour, th e subsequent entrance of th eother

,r ich wi th th e product of the new bank

,amply compen sated for the fai lu re of the les s

adven turous crew . I n retu rn i ng to H ou sea Voe , I observed at North House the gatewayof an old mans ion that belonged to the Mou ats of Bauqu hally, i n Ban ffsh i re, wher e m igh tbe traced the armorial beari ngs of th e fam i ly , with th e i n script i on “ fl/07mA lto.

”The kirk

,

a n eat s tructure, an d not very old, is s i tuated n ear the cen tre o f th e i s land . A merchan t,

from Hol land,gave to i t

,about a cen tury ago , a bell , a s i lver cup for th e admin i strat i on of

the sacramen t , and a curious copper bason for h old i ng water i n bapt i sms , on wh ich appearedseveral rel igi ous emblems . I did n ot see a s ton e i n th e k i rk

,conce ived by Brand to have

been th e grave-ston e of a man of note,but, by anoth er v i s i tan t, to been an ancien t sh ip

anchonI had at length fin i shed my survey of th e I sland of Papa Stour

,having been hosp itably

en terta i ned duri ng my stay at th e h ouse of Mr Henderson . Amon g the da i n t i e s of aShetland gen tleman’s table, th e Tu sk-fi sh must be a lways cons idered pre-emin en t ; i t i s i ntru th th e most del i c iou s of the Gadus speci es

,and Thu le n o less deserves a p ilgrimage to i t

from the ep icure on accoun t of th i s d i sh , than Plymouth , for the sake of eat i ng Joh n Dorie s .A nother favouri te Shetland dai n ty i s known by th e name of Cr opping mogg z

'

es,cons i st i ng of

the l iver of the cod m ixed wi th flour an d sp ice, and boi led i n the fi sh’s stomach th i s pre

paration , when met wi th at th e houses of the more opulent i nhabi tants, i s excel len t —in th eplai n er form of lit/cr ed magg z

'

es,th e flour an d sp ice bei ng absen t , i t regales the fish ermen at

the i r summer lodges . The an ci en t Scand i nav ian beverage of B land, prepared from th eserum of m i lk

,i s met wi th a t almost eve ry h ouse . There i s a great variety of shel l-fi sh to

be found i n Shetland,that m ight add to the varie ti es of a table

,part icu larly lobsters, wh ich

Occur i n abundance near Papa S tour, but non e of these are very favouri te ki nds of food .

FEST I V IT IES OF SHETLAND .

Papa Stour i s th e only i sland i n th e coun try where the anc ien t Norwegian amusementof the swor d-dan ce has been preserved, an d where i t s t i l l con tin ues, i n Thule, to begu i le th etediousness of a long win ter’s even i ng . At the shortes t day, th e sun i s not more than fivehou rs an d a quarter above the hori zon .

* To d i ss ipate, th erefore , th e graver phan toms ofthe n igh t

,the careless Shetlander spends

,i n the convivial i ty of an assembled party

,th e

hard earn ings wh ich he has rece ived for h is summer’s labours on the seas of Green land , an di t i s then that he i nvokes the spi ri t of conv iv ial i ty,

Whose beauty gi lds the more than m idn igh t darkness,

And makes i t grateful as the dawn of day.

”

It has be e n remarked by M r Mouat, in his Le tter to the H igh land Soc ie ty , that the su n is 5hou r s and 25m in u te s abovethe hor iz on , bu t ow ing to re fract ion , th e dayl igh t is , in c l ear w eather , pro long ed to abou t 7 hou r s a nd a half.

ITER IV . ]253

When th e anc ien t udal ler gave an en tertai nmen t, i t was open -to th e whole cou n try ;bu t st rangers from the sou th , wi th more rigid not ion s of economy, corrected the gen erou scu stom

,by renderi ng such feasts l i able to the scrut in iz i ng i nfluence of th e Ran selman or

bai l i ff,who was empowered to levy a fi ne to th e amount of forty sh i l l i ngs Scots upon any

on e who came to feasts un i nv i ted . Marriages a lso,wh ich are ch i efly con tracted duri ng the

win ter,serve to draw togeth er a large party, who , not many years ago, u sed to meet on the

n igh t before the solemn i ty took place . I t was then u sual for th e bridegroom to have h i sfeet formally washed i n water by h i s men

,though i n wealthy houses wi ne was used for th e

purpose . A ring was thrown i n to th e t ub,—~a scramble for

'

i t en sued,th e finder be ing th e

person who would be fi rs t marri ed . O n th e eve before th e marriage , th e bride and bridegroom were not al lowed to s leep under th e same roof ; and on the wedd ing-n igh t, th ebr idegroom’s men endeavoured to s teal the bride from her maiden s

,and a s im i lar design on

th e bridegroom was made by the bride’s ma ids,

— k i sses bei ng th e u sual forfe i ture exactedfrom the negl igen t party . L as t of al l took place th e th rowing of the stock i ng

,and

,as an

o ld wri ter s ty les such k ind of amusemen ts,many oth er pretty sorcer ies .” The bride,

when in bed , th rew the s tock ing of her righ t foot over her l eft shou lder, and th e i nd ividualo n whom i t fel l , was pred ic ted to be th e fi rs t who shou ld be marri ed . Many of thes ecustoms are , howeve r, a t the presen t day , much la id as ide bu t th ere i s a sport st i l l re ta i nedon occas i ons of fest iv i ty

,that dese rves parti cular not ice .

A mart ia l dan ce was practi sed by many early nat ion s,as by th e German s and th e

Gaul s ; i t was a l so known to the Cure tes or Priests of Cybele . O lau s Magnus, i n h i saccoun t of the manners of the Northmen

,describes an an ci en t m i l i tary dance as be ing com

mon to them , wh ich from the i l l us trat ion h e has given of i t i n a plate, seems to have beenach i eved by s i x person s . I t was accompan i ed by a pipe and song

,—th e music being at fi rst

s low, and gradual ly encreas i ng i n cele ri ty . The dancers held the i r swords , wh ich weresheathed, i n an

‘

erect pos i t i on,— they then danced a trip le rou nd

,—released the i r b lade s

from the scabbards , —held them erect,—repeated th e tripl e round

,— grasped th e h i l ts and

poi n ts of each others swords,and exten ding them

,moved gen tly round

,—changed the i r

order, and th rew themselves i n to th e figure of a h exagon,n amed a rose. They aga in , by

d rawing back and ra i s i ng the i r swords,destroyed the figure wh ich they had made , i n order

that over the head of each other a four—squared rose m igh t be formed . L astly , they forc ib lyrattled together th e s ides of the i r swords

,and by a retrograde movemen t ended th e i r sport .

The sword~dan ce performed by th e Curetes of Papa Stour,i s not u n l ike that described

by O lau s Magn us but s i nce the res idence of Scott i sh set tlers i n the coun try, i t has susta i nedsome mod ificat ion , by bei ng rendered th e sequel to a sort of drama performed by sevenmen , i n th e characters of the Seven Champion s of Chri stendom . I n th i s state, th erefore, i tw i l l n ow be not iced .

We shal l suppose Yule to be arrived,wh ich i s always announced at break of day by th e

fi ddles str ik i ng up th e D ay-daw n , an anci en t Norwegian tune , that , being assoc iated wi th

gaiety an d fest ivi ty,i s n ever heard wi thout emot ion s of del igh t. As the even ing approaches ,

pi les of turf are l igh ted up i n th e apartmen t where wassa i l i s to be kept ; young and old ofeach sex make thei r appearance

,and

,after the wh i sky has gone l iberal ly round, i t i s

254 SWORD -DANCE.

[ ITER IV .

an nounced that th e sword-dancers are maki ng the i r appearance

The ac tors are at hand , and , by th ei r show,You shal l know al l that you are l ike to know .

The company th en seat th emselves on the forms , tubs , beds , an d benches, that servethe place of chai rs

,l eav i ng a large space i n the m iddle of the room for the exh ibi ti on . The

fiddle st rike u p a Norn melody, and at the sound of i t a warri or en ters i n th e character ofSt George

,or th e master of Seven Champion s of Ch ri s tendom

,a whi te hempen sh i rt be i ng

th rown over h i s c lothes,i n tended to represen t th e anc ien t sh i rt of mai l that th e Northman

wore,and a formidable look in g sword bei ng gi rt to h i s s ide

,con structed from th e i ron-hoop

of a barrel . St George th en stalks forward and makes h i s bow,th e musi c ceasi ng wh i le h e

del ivers h i s

PROLOGUE.

Brave gen tl es al l w i th i n th i s bow’r,

i f ye del igh t i n any sport,

Come see me dance upon th i s floor you,m in stre l man

,play me a

The Minstre l strikes up : the master bows an d dances .

Now have I danced w ith heart and hand , brave gen tl es al l,as you may see

For I’ve been tri ed i n many a land , i n B ri tai n,France

,Spai n

,I taly .

I have been tri ed wi th th i s good sword of s teel,yet never d id a man yet make me

Draws h i s sword,flouri shes i t

,and return s i t to h i s s ide .

For i n my body there i s s trength,

as by my manhood may be seenAnd I

,with th i s good sword of length , i n peri l s often times have been .

A n d over champion s was I k ing, and,by the st rength of th i s r igh t hand

,

O nce on a day I k i l led fi fteen , and left them dead upon the land .

Therefore,brave mi n stre l , do not care, to play to me a porte most l igh t,

That I no longer may forbear to dance i n al l these gen t les’s igh t

The Master then bows,and

,whi le th e mus ic plays

,agai n dances ; and thu s , after

havi ng “r id h i s prologue l ike a rough col t, knowing not th e s top , — he gives not ice of th e

further en terta i nment that i s i n tended .

Brave gentles al l be n ot afraid,

~ although my s igh t makes you abas’d,

That w i th me have s ix champion s stay’d,

whom by my manhood I have rais’d .

For s i nce I’ve dan c’d, I th i nk i t best to cal l my brethren i n your s igh t,

That I may have a l i tt le rest,

that they may dance wi th al l thei r m igh t ;

In the r st v olumc of the Ed in bu rgh An t iquar ian Tran sac tion s , p . 486, I fi nd it r emarked , that “to the wande r in g harpe r s

w e ar e indebted for that spe c ie s ofmu s ic w h ich is n ow scarc e l y kn ow n,—I mean the Por t. Almost eve ry g r eat fam i ly had a par t,

that w e n t by th e n ame of the fam i l y. O f th e few that are st i l l p re se rved , ar e Por t Le n nox , Por t Gordon , Por t Se ton ,and Por t

Atho l e ,w h ich ar e al l of th em e xce l l e n t in the i r k in d . The Por t is n ot of th e mar t ia l stra in of th e ma r ch , as some have conj e ctu red ;

those above -named be ing all in the pla in t ive strain , and modu lated for the harp.”

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256 SWORD-DANCE.

[ ITER IV.

Thou stou t I tal ia n , come thou here thy name i s Anthony most stou t,

Draw out thy sword that i s most c lear,

a nd figh t thou wi thou t d read or doub t .Thy leg shake bow thy n eck thou lou t some courtesy shew on th is floor

,

For we shal l have another bout before we pass ou t of th i s bow’r.”

Anthony draws and dances .

Thou k indly Scotsman,come thou here Andrew’s thy name of Scot t i s h land

Draw ou t thy sword that i s mos t c lear, and by th e s trength of thy righ t hand,

Figh t for thy k i ng wi th al l thy heart, figh t to confi rm h i s loyal band,

Make al l h i s enem ies to smart,

and leave them dead upon the land .

”

Andrew draws an d dances .

The Minstrel now flouri shes h i s bow wi th spi r i t,and the sword dance commences .

The Master gi ves a s ignal to h i s bre th ren , who stand i n rank with thei r swords recl i ned onon th e i r righ t shoulders

,wh i l e he dances a pas seal . He then strikes the sword of James of

Spai n,who moves out of l i ne , dances and str ikes th e sword of Denn i s then Denn i s sports

,

a toe on the floor, and i n the same manner bri ngs Dav id out of l in e , and thus eachchampion i s success ive ly made to caper about th e room .

The Champion s then extend th e i r sword s ou t at fu l l l eng th , when each of them i s seent o grasp h is own sword with h i s r igh t hand

,and th e poin t o f h i s left hand ne igh bour’s sword

wi th h i s le ft hand an d being thus formed i n to a c i rc le,lzz

'

lt ana'poz

'

n t,as it i s named

,they

dance a double roundel .The Champ ion s hold thei r sword s i n a vaul ted di rect i on , and, headed by th e Master,

success ively pass under them they then j ump over th ei r swords — th i s movemen t bri ng ingth e weapon s i n to a cross pos i t ion , from wh ich they are re leased by each dancer pass i ngu nder h i s right hand sword . A singl e roundel

,h i l t and poi n t , i s th en performed as before .

The roundel i s i nterrupted by th e Master, who run s under the sword of h i s r igh t hand,and then jumps over i t backwards ; h i s B reth ren success ively do th e same . The Masterthen passes under h i s r igh t hand sword

,and i s fol lowed i n th i s movement by th e rest . Thus

they con t in ue to dance , un t i l a s ignal i s gi ven by the i r D i rector, when they form in to aci rcle

,swords tended , and grasping h i l t and poi n t as before . After a roundel has been

danced,th e Champions j ump over thei r righ t hand sword, by wh ich mean s th e i r back i s to

the c i rc l e,and the i r hands across the i r backs

,and i n th i s form they dance round un ti l th e

Master cal l s “ loose "” They then respect ively pass u nder the i r r igh t hand swords, and arei n a ci rcle as before .

The Master now lays down h i s own sword, and se iz ing hold of th e poi nt of James’s

sword,turn s h imsel f

,James , and the rest of the champ ion s, i n to a clue, an d th e swords

be ing held i n a vaul ted pos i t ion , he passes under them ,and thus removes out of the c i rcl e

,

be ing fo l lowed i n the same manner by th e other Kn igh ts . A repet i t i on of all,or part of the

movements al ready described , th en ensues.The Master and h i s Breth ren , i n the n ext place , th row themselves i n to a c i rcl e, each

hold i ng h i s arms across h i s breast , and wi th the i r swords , form a figure i n tended to represen ta sh i eld ; th i s bei ng so compact, that each Champion al ternate ly dances wi th i t upon h i sh ead . The sh i e ld i s th en la id down upon the floor

,when each Kn igh t, lay ing h old of th e

ITER l n ]GU ISARDS . 257

h i l t and poi n t wh ich h e before h eld , and plac in g h i s arms across h i s breast, extricates h i ssword from the sh ield, by a figure di rectly oppos i te to that by whi ch i t had been formed .

Th i s movemen t fin i sh es the Sword-dance . The Master then grave ly s teps forward anddel ivers the fol lowing

EPI LOGUE.

Mars does rul e,he bends h i s brows , h e makes u s all aghast

After the few hou rs we s tay here , Venu s w i l l ru l e at last .

Farewe ll , farewel l , brave gen tl es all , that here in do remai n,

I w i sh you heal th and happi n es s t i l l I retu rn agai n .

The whol e of th e champion s then repeat the las t verse .

Farewel l,farewel l

,brave gen tles al l

,that here in do remai n

,

We wish you heal th and happi n ess t i l l we re turn aga i n .

*

Whe n in frol i cs and dances, th e prophecy of S t George has been fu lfi l led, that Venu swou ld rul e at last

,

” i t i s n ot unu sual to hear of the an nouncemen t of the gu isards. Anumber of men en ter the room dres sed i n a fan tast i c man ner

,thei r i n ner c loth es be ing con

c ealed by a wh i te sh i r t a s a su rtout , wh ich i s confined , at th e wai s tband, by a short pett i coatformed of loose st raw, that reaches to the knee . The whole are under the controu l of ad i rector, named a seadlerj

’who i s d i st i ngu i shed from h i s comrades by a very h igh s trawcap

,th e top of wh ich i s ornamented wi th rib bon s . He i s the proper arbiter elegen tz

’am m of

h i s party,regu lat i ng th e i r movemen ts

,and th e order i n wh ich they shou ld al ternately dance

w i th the females as sembled . The amusemen t thu s afforded i s th e same that may be foundin any pol i te r masquerade

,s i nce i t depends upon th e gu i sards be ing able to concea l from

th e company wh o th ey are :The great del igh t , howeve r, of the anci en t udalle r

’s conviv ia l hours was i n th e rec i tat i on of Norwegian bal lads . Shetland was

,from t ime immemorial

,celebrated for i ts nat ive

poet s . Ronald,Earl of O rkn ey, bei ng i n the year 1 151 sh i pwrecked n ear Gu lberswick , was

v i s i ted by two poets , Odd i Glumson th e L i t t l e, and A rmodr . The Earl , who composedverses h imsel f w i th grea t fluency an d elegance

,found them so we l l sk i l led in th e same

art, that h e rece ived them among the number of h i s retai n ers , and took them wi th h im on

h i s trave l s to th e Holy L and . O n th e occas ion o f a publ ic feas t, he gave to A rmodr, asan ackn owledgment for h i s poet i c talen ts

,a golden spear. Not longer ago than seventy

years,a number of popular h i stor ic ballads exi s ted i n Shetland , the las t person who

The words of th is d rama are taken from an offic ial p r o mpt-book , fo r wh ich I am indebted to a lady of the island ; a fewg lar ing i n te r po lat ion s have be e n om itted , and the w ords have be e n cor re cted accord ing to othe r rec itation s.

f A n anc ie n t She tland name g ive n to the p i lot of a Senda or twelve-cared boat.t The cu stom of payin g vis i ts to par ties u nde r the d isg u ise of a mask , is de l ineated in a plate g iven in O lau s Magn us’s

H istory of th e Nor th e rn Nation s. Se e O lau s Mag n u s , d i Gen tibu s S epten tn’ona lz

’bu s . Lib. x i i i . , cap. 43.

258 ANCIENT NORSE ROMA NCES or SHETLAND .

[m mW ,

could rec i te th em being Wi l l iam Henry, a farmer of Gu ttorm,i n the i sland of Fou la

,

who was v is i ted i n the year 1 774 by Mr L ow .

“ I do not remember,says th i s touri s t

,

i n a le tte r t o Mr George Paton of Edi nbu rgh , preserved i n the Advocates’L ib rary ,“ i f I left you a copy of a Norse. bal lad . I wi sh you would try i f Dr Percy could make anyth ing of i t . I f you have no copy , I shal l send an exact on e , th ough I cannot depend on theorth ography

,as I w rote i t from an honest coun try man’s m outh

,who could ne i ther read nor

w ri te,but had th e most retent ive memory I ever h eard of. He

,I am afraid

,i s by th i s t ime

dead,as he was then old and much decayed but , when I saw h im ,

he was so much pleasedw i th my curios i ty

,-an d now an d th en a d ram of gin

,— that be repeated an d sang th e whol e

day. Some k inds of poetry,as th e h istori cal bal lads an d romances

,wh i ch Wi ll iam Hen ry

c ou ld rec i te , were , as h e s tated , never sung bu t on a wi n ter’s eveni ng at th e fi re -s ide . The

subject of one of them , as explai ned by th i s aged and las t m i n stre l of H ialtland , was

The Str zfe of t/ze Ear l of Or kn ey,on aerazm t of his M ar r iage w i i/z the Ki ng of

N orway’s daug/zfer .

H ildina, th e daughter of the King of Norway, was beloved by H iluge , a court i er, whosepreten si on s to her hand

,though supported by the approval of the Crow n

,she d i scou raged .

While th i s Sovere ign,accompan ied by h i s favouri te, was engaged i n a d i stant war w i th some

northern poten tate,on e of th e Earl s of O rkney, i n h i s rambles on th e coast on Norway , met

w i th th e fai r Princess , and became enamoured of he r charms . Nor did h i s accompl ishmen tsobta i n for h im less favour i n the lady’s eyes , as sh e even tual ly gave her hand to th i s n ewlover

,and fled wi th h im to the shores of O rkney, in order to avoid th e w rath of h er s i re .

When th e K ing,on return ing from the wars

,had learned what had happened

,th e dari ng

p r esumpt ion of the Earl , i n obta i n i ng an unsanct i oned al l iance wi th th e Crown , exasperatedh itn to the greates t degree ; wh i le H iluge fel t n o less w ounded under the poignancy ofs l igh ted love . Both were impat i en t to grat i fy the i r revengefu l feel i ngs

,and, for th i s pu rpose ,

se t sa i l wi th a s tron g force,and landed at O rkney . By th e persuasi on of H ild in a, th e Earl

met h er father unarmed,and

,th rowing h imself upon h i s mercy

,eloquen tly besough t from

h im a reconc i lemen t to the n upt ial s . The monarch’s affect ion for h i s daughter,wh ich

n oth ing could whol ly subdue,made him re len t bu t n o sooner had h i s son-in -law left h im

,

to commun icate th e j oyfu l resu l t of the conference to h i s spouse , than the court i er, byresort ing to al l th e artfu l mean s h e could dev ise

,by rem i ndi ng the Ki ng of the affron t com

m itted agai n s t the royal d ign i ty, succeeded i n i nducing h im to reca l h i s promi se offorgiveness . Noth i ng, then , cou ld prevent the d i spute from be ing dec ided by th e swordalon e . H iluge an d the Earl met arm to arm thei r combat was desperate

,but the con test

proved fata l to O rkney’s chi ef, who was cleft to the earth by h i s fierce and overwhelm ingadversary. The victor cut off the head of the un fortunate bridegroom , and beari ng awayth i s d readfu l s ignal of h i s tri umph , th rew i t, bedewed wi th blood, at H ildina 5 feet, aecompany ing the bru tal act wi th th e mos t sarcas t i c reproaches . The lady, after recovering fromth e horror wi th wh ich she was s t ruck at the s igh t , fe lt her injured pride return , and told the

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2 60 VE SKERRIES .

[ ITER W ,

The A wen s are amang th e cows i n th e byre, up wi’t L igh tfoot,l i nk i t awa’

,boys

L i nk up the pot,and pu t on a gude fi re, we’l l s i t t i l l cocks do craw

,boys .

The Shaalds of Foula, & c .

Now for a l igh t and a pot of gude beer, u p wi’t L igh tfoot

,l i nk i t awa’

,boys

We’l l dri nk a gude fish i ng again s t the next year,

and the Shaalds wi l l pay for a’, boys .The Shaalds of Fou l a, & c .

VE SKERR IES .

(In eludz'

flg an accou n t of tile Super stifz'

ons a/ the S lzellaml Seas .)

With the inten t ion of vis i t i ng the Ve Skerri es,I passed severa l low rocks ly i ng a l i ttl e

be low the surface of the wate r. I nequali t i e s of th i s k i nd,named i n Sh e tland B aas , and

i n Feroe Boffves, wh ich in terrupt the currents of t ide , an d rai se immense h igh waves thatbreak

,may be found at vari ous depths

,some of them having upon them as much as twen ty

fathoms of water. When the sea i s d i stu rbed, th e breaki ng i s repeated a few t imes, said tonot exceed seven

,and before i t recommences

,a long i n te rval of st i l lness succeeds . I t

i s a popular op in ion,that th e breaki ng of a Baa may be i nduced by hot weather —that

when i t takes place in calm weather, an approach ing stor m i s i nd icated, and that though aBaa appear perfectly st i ll

,i f a boat approach or go ove r the place where i t l i es, a breaki ng,

often fatal to the crew,immediate ly ensues .* Debes n oti ces the la tter c i rcumstance ,

and wi th much i ngen uity supposes,that

,a magneti c sympathy possessed by the h idden

rock , attracts th e i ron of the boat, wh ich the shal low water, i n its magneti c an t ipathy, “ notbe ing ab le to endu re, r iseth i tself.

” I have been assured that the Shetlanders,whose im

ag ination s have conce ived of strange wonders i n the seas, en terta i n s im i lar n oti ons of th eex i stence of submarin e magnet ic rocks . The opin i ons

,in deed

,wh ich they en terta i ned

during the last cen tu ry,and whi ch are scarcely forgotten at the presen t day, of the ocean , or

of i ts i nhabi tant s,have al l th e wi ldness i n them of th e popular not i on s exi st i ng on th e same

subject among Norwegian fi shermen,and are s t i l l blended wi th the mythology of the north .

Formerly,whenever a crew at the Haaf met wi th some immense and unusual vi s i tan t of the

seas, as a fi n n e r , i‘ a grampu s or a porpoi se

,i t was converted by them i n to a sea-trow . i The

kraken or botven , which appears l ike a float i ng i sland,send ing forth ten tacula as h igh . as th e

masts of a sh ip ,§ and the great sea-snake wi th h i s form idable mane ,”are monsters that have

The re is a rock n ear Mavis G r ind, named Tairv ille 's Baa , con n ec ted w i th the name of an an c ie n t Norw eg ian se tt le r , whos l ew in a de u l , fough t at Papa Stou r , a g en tleman of ran k , and r es istedall the attempts that w e re made to br in g h im to a tr ial forth e act, l iving by de predat ion s in the cou n try. H e is said to have pe r ish ed in a boat w i th man y of h is son s , on the Baa that bear sh is name . M r L ow was shew n in Papa S tou r a c i rcu lar in c losu re of ston e s , wh e r e the d u e l al luded to was said to have be e n fou gh t.

f The Fin n e r of She tland may con s ist of the Ba laenopte ra g i bbar , thc Ju bartes or Rorqual of La Cepede . O n e of the latte rk ind w as k i l led in Bal ta Soun d , A .D . 1 817 .

1 Brand desc r i be s cer tain sea-trow s as g r eat ro l l ing creatu r es tumbl ing in the w ate r . Some of them , adds the same au thor ,

come among the fi she rmen’s n e ts , break th em and take them aw ay.

A few years s in ce , an affidavit was take n by a Jus t ice of the Peace in She tland , r e lative to a mon ste r of th is k ind , that “asse en at a d istan ce fron t the shore off the is lan d of Bu rra. It appeared

,said the men , l ike the hu l l of a larg e sh i p , bu t on approach

ing it n eare r , they saw that it was in fin i te l y larg e r , and r e sembled the back of a mon ste r . It is also said , that par t of the r emain sof a dead k rake n we re fou nd abou t 70 years ago dr iven to the mou th ofa larg e wave in the is lan d of Me ik le Roe .

IITh e e x iste nce of the sea'snak e f—a mon s te r fi fty-fi ve fe e t long , is placed beyond a dou bt, by the an ima l that was thrown on

m mm SUPERSTITION S o r TH E SHETL A ND SEAS.

been occas ional ly recogn i sed,and the i r occurrence i s much connected wi th the demonology

of the Shetland seas. I f we could,i ndeed , conj ure up al l th e creatures that e i th er do

actual ly exi st,or ron ly l ive i n the imagi nati on of the nat ives, an h ideous host of monsters

would present themselves i n array.

Most ugly shapes and horrible aspec ts,Such as Dame Nature’s sel f mote feare to see,O r shame that ever should so fowle defectsFrom her most cunn ing hand

,escaped bee ,

All dreadfu l portraicts of deform itee .

”

The appearance assumed by the malevolen t Neptune of the Shetlanders , named theSh00piltee ,

* bear a complete or near resemblance to that o f a h orse . O f mermen and merwoman , many strange stori e s are to ld . Beneath the depths of the ocean

,an atmosphere

exis ts adapted to the respi ri ng organ s of certai n be ings,resembl i ng, i n form ,

th e humanrace, who are possessed of su rpass ing beau ty, of l im i ted supernatural powers , and l iable toth e i nc iden t of dea th . They dwel l i n a w ide terri tory of the globe far below th e region offi shes , over wh ich th e sea, l i ke the cloudy canopy of our sky, l oft i ly rol l s, and they possesshabi tat ion s constructed of the pearly and coral-l i n e producti on s of th e oceanfr Hav i nglungs not adapted to a watery m ed ium

,but to th e nature of atmospheri c a i r, i t would be

imposs ible for them to pass th rough the vo lume of waters that i n tervenes between th e submarin e and subra-marin e world

,i f i t were not for the extraord inary power that they i nheri t,

of en teri ng the sk i n of some an imal capable of exi s t i ng i n the sea,wh ich they are enabled to

occupy by a sort of demon iacal possessi on . O n e shape that they put on , i s that of an an imalh uman above th e waste

,yet t erm i nat ing below i n the ta i l and fin s of a fi sh , bu t the most

favouri te form i s of the larger seal or Haaf—fi sh for, i n possessi ng an amph ib ious nature,they are enabled not only to exi st i n th e ocean

,but to land on some rock, where th ey

frequen tly l igh ten themselves of the i r sea-dress, resume the i r proper shape , and wi th muchcuri osi ty exam ine the nature of the upper world belongi ng to th e h uman race . Un fortu

nately, however, each merman or merwoman , possess bu t one sk i n , enabl i ng the i ndiv idua lto ascend th e seas , and i f, on vi s i t i ng the abode of man , the garb shou ld be lost, th e hapl es sbe i ng must unavoidably become an i nhabi tan t of our earth .

I effected a land i ng,not w ithou t cons iderable d iffi cu lty, on one of the low

'

rocks that

shor e in O rkn e y, the ve r te brae of w h ich are to be se e n in th e Ed in bu rgh M u seum. The fa i th in th e Edda of the g reat s e rpen t.that Thor fish ed for , did n ot, as D r Pe rcy conc e ives . g ive r ise to the n o t ion of the se a-snake , bu t a r ea l sea-snake was the fou ndat ion of the fable . I have heard , in She tland , of a sea-se rpe n t be ing see n (if? the I s le of S te n n e s , Vai ley I s land , and D u n rossn e ss .

Sir Robe rt S i bbald says , that the She tlande rs “some times catch w i th the ir n e ts and hooks T r iton s , they ca l l them

Shoup i ltin s . Th is accou n t does n ot ag re e w ith the su pe rst i t ion o f the pr ese n t day. The re is on l y on e shoup iltin or shou p ilte e ,

w hose charac te r is that of N ick u r , th e demon iacal Neptu n e of the Nor th of Eu rope .

i I cou ld obta in l i tt le sat isfac tion from the She tlande r s r e lative to the natu re of the cou n try be n eath th e sea ; bu t a nat ive of

the Is le ofMan on ce vis i ted it by mean s of a d iving-be l l , that dr ew afte r it a rope dou ble the d istance of the moon from the ear th.

Afte r pass ing the r eg ion of fishes , h e desce nded in to a 'se r e n e atmosphe r e,and at le ng th ar r ived at the bottom of the su bmar in e

wor ld , w h ich was paved w ith coral an d u nk n ow n sh in in g pe bbles , w he re w e re larg e stre e ts and squar e s on eve ry s ide , pyram ids ofc rysta l , and bu i ld in g s of mothe r of pear l . The in te r ior of the hou ses boasted w a l ls of jaspe r , floo rs of d iamonds , topaz es, and othe r

prec iou s s ton e s , chai rs and table s of amber , and come ly me rmen and pr e tty me rmaids for in habi tan ts , w ho w e re g r eatl y alarmed at

the s ig h t of the d iv ing -be l l and its occu pan t. -See Waldron 's Is le of Man , and Sir Walte r Scott's M in stre lsy of the Scott ishBorder , vol. i i i . p. 300.

26 2 SUPERSTITION S OF TH E SHETL AND SEAS .

[ITER I V .

forms a part of the Skerri es,seven or eigh t m i les n orth-wes t of Papa Stou r. Th is i s a

dangerous reef for ves sel s,— th e sea around be ing agi tated by oppos i te t ides

,wh i le i n th e

win ter i t i s so washed over with th e waves as ~ to be scarcely v i s ible . From the shelv i ngcrags of these Skerri es , n umerous large seal s sough t thei r safety i n the ocean , wh i le othersless t imorous

,drew near th e boat and gazed at u s wi th attent i on ; but these m igh t have

been the d i sgu i sed submari ne i n habi tan ts of ocean’s depth s , -ph i losophers,perhaps

,i n th ei r

own world,avai l i ng th emselves of the opportun i ty of exami n i ng th e geognosy of our port ion

of th e earth’s crust, and th e ex ternal characters and habi ts of“ th e Homo Sapiens of supra

mari n e systemat ic wri te rs . The Ve Skerri es are, accord i ng to popular bel ief, th e part icu larretreat of th e fa i r son s and daugh ters of the sea , where th ey are defended by a raging surf,that con ti nual ly beats around them , from the obtrus ive gaze and in terference of mortal shere they re lease themselve s from the 'sk i n s wi th i n wh ich they are i n th ral led, and , assum ingthe most exqu i s i te human forms that ever were opposed to earth ly eyes

,i nha le the upper

atmosphere dest i ned for th e human race , and , by the moon’s brigh t beams

,enj oy the i r m id

n igh t revel s .

As the green-hai red den izens of th e ocean are mortal,th e vi s i ts that th ey pay th e upper.

world are <

‘

n ot always u nattended wi th peri l . O n the authori ty of Brand,i t appears

,that i n

maki ng the i r way th rough the ocean , there was much danger i n thei r bei ng en tangled amongthe mesh es spread ou t for tak ing herri ng ; i n wh i ch case they were certai n to obta i n a soundbeat ing from th e fishermen . I t often happen ed , th erefore , that they wou ld contrive to breakthrough th e nets , or to th e vexat ion of the Shetlanders, bear them away . Somet imes

,how

ever, a m ore d i sastrous fate attended , th ese be ings . A damsel , who , i n swimming th rough

th e i n termed iate expan se of the ocean , had assumed the pecul iar hal f-fi shy form under wh icha mermaid i n her d i sgu i se very frequen tly appears , was caugh t by a l ing hook that had beenlaid

,which

,from the narrat ive of Brand , appears to have en tered her ch i n , and come ou t a t

her upper l ip . When she was brough t to th e side of th e boat , on e of the crew fearing thath er appearance den oted misch ief, took out h is kn i fe , and stabbed her to the heart —the

l uckless mermaiden fel l backwards , em i tted a mournfu l c ry , an d d i sappeared for ever . The

m urderer never afterwards prospered i n h i s affa i rs , but, unt i l h i s death , was haun ted by anold merman , who cont i nually upbra ided h im wi th the crime he had commi tted . But th egreates t danger to wh ich these rangers of th e sea seem l iable

,are

,from the morta l h urts

that they rece ive,upon tak ing on themselves th e form of th e larger seal s or H aaf fi sh for

when shot under th i s shape , the blood no sooner i ssues forth from the wound, an d mixesw i th th e ocean’s bri ne , than i t possesses th e supernatu ral power of caus i ng an awfu l

-

swe l land break of the sea, i n th e v ic i n i ty of the spot where the vict im ,

from a sen se of the pai ni nfl i c ted , has been seen to d i ve . O n th e Ve Skerri es

,th e in habi tan ts of submarine depth s

are l iable to con s iderable peri l , wheneve r the natives of Papa Stour repai r th i ther , at certa i nt imes of the year

,for the purpose of at tack ing the seals

,as they l i e i n th e hol low of a certai n

c rag . A story i s told of a boat’s crew that landed wi th.

th i s des ign at one of th e Stacksthey s tunned a number of these an imal s, and, i n th i s state , s triped them of the i r skin s , wi ththe fat attached to them ,

— left th e carcases on th e rock , an d were about to set off for theshore of Papa Stour, when such a tremendo us swel l arose, that every one flew quickly to

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2 64 SANDNESS TO VA IL EY .

[ITER IV.

'it swi ftly away

,and placed i t i n concea lmen t . On return i ng to th e shore , he met th e fa i res t

dam sel that was ever gazed upon by mortal eyes,lamen t i ng th e robbery

,by wh ich she

should become an exi le from her submari n e fri ends,and a tenan t of the upper world .

Vai nly she implored th e rest i tu t ion of h er property th e man had d runk deeply of love,and

was i n exorable,—but offered her protect i on benea th h i s roof as h i s betrothed spouse . The

me r lady,perce iv i ng that sh e must become an i nhabi tan t of the earth

,found that she cou ld

not do better than accept of the offer ; Th is s trange connub ial at tachment subs i sted formany years

,and several ch i ldren were the frui t s of i t

,who retai ned no farther marks of the i r

origi n than i n the resemblance wh ich a sort of web between th e i r fingers,and a part icular

bend of the i r hands , b ore to the fore feet of a seal ,— th i s pecu l iari ty be ing possessed by th edescendan ts of th e fam i ly at th e presen t day. The Shet lander’s l ove for h i s me rw ife was

unbounded bu t h i s a ffect i on was cold ly retu rned. The lady would often steal alon e to th edesert s trand , and on a s ignal be i ng given , a large seal wou ld make h i s appearance, wi thwhom she would hold

,i n an unknow n tongue

,an anx iou s con ference . Years had thu s

gl ided away , when i t happen ed that one of the ch i ldren , i n the cou rse of h is play, foundconcealed beneath a stack of com a seal’s sk i n , and , del igh ted with th e prize, ran w i th i t toh i s mother. Her eyes gl i s ten ed w i th rapture,— sh e gaze d u pon i t as her own

,— as th e

mean s by wh i ch she could pass th rough the ocean that l ed to her nat ive h ome,— she burs t

forth i n to an ecs tacy of j oy,wh ich was on ly moderated when sh e beheld her ch i ldren

,

whom she was now abou t to leave, -and , after hast i ly embrac i ng them ,fled wi th al l speed

towards th e sea-s ide . The husband immediately retu rned,—l earn ed the d i scovery that had

taken plac e,

- ran to overtake h i s wi fe , but on ly arr i ved in t ime to see h er t ran sformat ion ofshape completed

,—to see her

,i n the form of a seal

,bound from th e ledge of a rock in to

th e sea . The large an imal of the same ki nd wi th whom she had held a secre t conversesoon appeared

,and ev iden tly congratu lated her

,i n the most tender manner

,on her escape .

But,before sh e d ived to unknown depth s , sh e cast a part ing glance a t th e wretched

Shetlander,whose despa i ri ng look s exc i ted i n her breas t a few tran s i en t feel i ngs of com

m i serat i on .

“ Farewel l,

” sa id she to h im,and may al l good attend you . I loved you

very wel l when I res ided u pon earth,but I always loved my fi rst h usband much better.”

These i nhabi tan t s of a submari ne world were, i n th e later periods of Chri st ian i ty , regardedas fal len angel s

,who were compel led to take refuge i n the seas : They had , th erefore, th e

name of Sea-T rows given to them ,as belonging to the dom in ion of the Pri nce of Darkness .

Brand appears to have confi rmed th i s v i ew, by assen t i ng, to the opi n ion of the sai lors, tha ti t was th e dev i l

,who i n th e shape of great rol l i ng creatu res , broke thei r nets ; adding; “ I t

seem s to be more than probable that ev i l sp i ri ts frequen t both land and sea .

”

SANDNESS TO VAI LEY.

I n an i n land course from Sandness , on the Mai n land, to Vai ley, there i s n ot a s i ngl ehab itat i on h i l l s

,that afl

'

ord receptac le s for n umerous loch s, and covered w ith a th ick brownmoss

,are surmoun ted by h igher ri s i ng heaths

,which presen t a barren and bleak pi cture of

mm W , WITCIICRA FT . 2 65

more than usual wi ldness . Along th e coast,wh ich i s b roken i n to steep prec ip ice s and

gios,there are several patches of cul t ivat ion . O n the rocks of Deepdal e, a sh ip fre igh ted

wi th t imber had recen tly gone i n to pi eces ; the few i nd iv idual s, whose l ives were saved ,havin g

'

effected th ei r escape , by bei ng thrown upon a frigh tfu l c l iff, which , i n a dark n ight ,th ey contrived to scale, and i n the morn ing reached th e smal l town of Dale . As soon asthey re lated the i r story, every boat i n the v ic i n i ty was launched, for the sake of plunder.

At Vai ley,a more en l ivened prospect i s pre sented

,from the many voes wh ich lead

i n to the sound,and from i ts populou s and wel l cu l t i vated shores . The i s land, on wh i ch

a handsome house i s bu i l t, i s th e res iden ce of Joh n Scott, Esq. ,th e propri etor. There

are several burgh s i n th i s v ic i n i ty , one of wh ich i s s i tuated on a holm at the loch of Burrola nd

,having a double concen tr i c wal l , wi th di tche s that were fi l l ed wi th water from the loch

,

and commun icat i ng wi th the shore , by means of s teppi ng stones . I found i n th i s v ic i n i tysome tenan ts who had been re leased from the obl igat ion of fi sh i ng. They sold th ei r fish toYaggem , by wh ich can t ph rase , derived from the vesse l s tha t attended the Dutch busses andtook home th e first h erri ngs, an en terpri s i ng se t of young men were origi nal ly designated,who

,hav ing few or no boats themselves employed at th e Haaf

,purchased fi sh from th e

nat ive s at a h igher price than that wh ich land lords paid . There was an old tradi t ion re

spect i ng Vai ley , that n ei th er cat n or mi ce would l ive i n i t , and, as a cat was seen th ere,about a cen tu ry ago, at th e t ime a gen tleman was affl ic ted wi th i l lness , i t was j udged that th ecreature cou ld be noth ing but a noted witch of the v ic i n i ty i n d i sgu ise . O n th e popularn ot i on s enterta i ned at presen t, and more part i cularly in th e las t two cen turi es, respec ti ng th ew i tchcraft of Shetland, I have h i therto said n oth in g

,and th i s ta sk I shal l fulfi l on the

presen t occas ion .

W ITCHCRAFT OF SHETLAND.

Magic was origi nal ly sanc ti oned i n Scand inavia by Odi n , and , during th e Pagan stateof O rkney and Shetland, was prac t i s ed by i nd ividuals of th e h ighest rank . The mother ofThor fi n

,Earl of O rkney, who l ived i n the r 1 th cen tury, gave to her son a s tandard, em

broidered wi th the s i gnal of a raven , te l l i ng h im ,that i f the fa tes had i n tended he should

have l ived for ever,she would have nursed h im much longer i n h i s cradle but that l i fe

was fin i shed more honourably wi th gl ory, than lengthened out w i th d i shonour —tha tal th ough th e standard on wh ich she had expended al l her magic art p ortended v ic tory toh im before i t was carri ed, ye t i t m igh t bri ng death to th e bearer. The females who, inScand i nav ia, or i ts colon ies, had most d i st ingu i shed th emse lves i n th e art of d iv i nat ion ,were de ified after thei r decease, under th e n ame of Norn ies, or Des ti n ies and i t was supposed

,that upon the complet i on of the i r apotheos i s, they had the power of con trol l i ng

h uman even ts . U rda th e past,Verdand i th e presen t, and Sku lda th e fu tu re, mounted swi ft

horses,and wi th drawn swords travel led th rough the ai r and over th e seas, i n order to selec t

the part icu lar mortal s who were to d i e i n battle,and to conduct them to Valhal la — they

were th e handmaids of Od in , and dwel t i n a beauti fu l c i ty. Bu t Norn ies of a subordinate

66 WITCHCRAFT.

[ ITER lV.

character l ived i n caves some of them were descended from the gods,some from gen i i

,and

others from the mal ignan t dwarfs . They ass i s ted at the bi rth of ch i ldren,and determ ined

the i r fate and age : th e Norn ies of good orig i n di spen s ing ri ches and honour ; and theNorn ies of wicked descen t doom ing certai n i ndiv idual s to poverty and i nfamy , or to deathi n th e flower of l i fe.

The esteem i n wh ich the Pagan professors of magi c were h eld‘, was fi rst d im in i shedupon the i n troduct ion of Chri s t ian i ty, when i t was far from bein g bel i eved that the de i t i esof the Edda were fabulous be ings , but that they were fal len angels i n league wi th the Prin ceof Darkness

,who

,un t i l the appearance of our Savi our

,had been allowed to range on th e

earth uncon trol led,and to i nvolve the world i n sp i ri t ual darkness and delu s ion . I t was then

supposed , that wi tches and warlocks , by a compact wi th Satan h imsel f, were enabled to command th e ass i s tance of the demon s of the Pagan s

,who

,having been driven from Heaven

,

took shel ter i n cavern s,seas

,and lakes

,or became th e drudging domest ic sp ir i t s of part i cular

fami l ies . An op i n i on prec i sely s im i lar was en tertai n ed among th e early Reformers of th eCh ri sti an Church .

The forms i n wh ich the demons appeared,wi th whom the magic ian s of Shetland com

mu n ed , were often th ose wh ich had been fam il iar to Pagan t imes . The raven , for i n stance,whose language the anc i en t d ivi ner boasted he cou ld understand

,

* had a supernatural knowledge of th e secret aflairs of men

, and th e h idden th i ngs of Natu re . Od i n had always i nattendance two ravens

,who wou ld s i t upon h i s shou lders

,—who wou ld fly th e world over

,

a nd , at d in ner t ime , return , for th e purpose of wh i spering i n h i s ears al l th e occurrencesthey had e i ther heard or seen . I n l ike manner

,a wi tch of Shetland , who, i n th e m idd l e of

th e 1 7th century, held converse wi th th e Pr in ce of Darkness , was seen goi ng to and fromBrecon to H i l lsw ick , wh i l e the devi l s, who were her fam i l iars, appeared to her i n the l ikenes sof two corb ie s

,that hopped on each side of her al l the way . As th i s appearance was mai n

tain ed to be con trary to the nature of wi ld fowls , i t formed one of th e charges again s t th eunhappy woman

,for wh i ch she was condemned to be worr i ed and burn t at a s take . I t was

also customary for a fam i l iar to appear under the form of a cat ; and somet imes h e pu t on ahuman shape

,as when , abou t fi fty years ago, be assi s ted the wi fe of a warlock in Papa Stour

to delve , duri ng th e t ime that he r hu sband was engaged at the Haaf. As soon as the devi lhad abandoned a Shetlan d wi tch

,he was seen under the shape of a fiery ba ll . S incla i r, i n

h i s I nv i s ibl e World D i scovered,assures u s

,that when Helen Stewart and her daugh ter

were brough t to the gibbet to be burned,th e poor gi rl was so stupi fi ed that she was though t

to be th en possessed by Satan ; for after sh e had hung some l i tt le t ime at the gibbet, ab lack pi tchy bal l foamed ou t of h er mouth , whi ch , after th e fi re was k indled

,grew to the

bigness of a walnu t , an d then flew up l ike squ ibs i n to the ai r,— th i s be ing a vi s ible sign tha t

the devi l was gone out of her.

The su pe rnatu ral powe rs that w e re the boast of the anc ie n t Scand inavian mag ic ian s , are thu s r ec i ted in the song of Kin g

In te llexit qu id garr ian t aves , Klok n am fu g ia

potu it ig n em res ting u e re , kyr ra e ldaflu ctu s compe scer e , saeva 0c sve fi a

do lores len ire . sorgi r laeg ia.

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2 68 WITCHCRAFT .

[m mw ,

reve lat ion of th e j udgment of th e A lm ightie . O n th i s i rrefragable proof of murder,

admi tted,as th e i nd ic tmen t expres sed

,not on ly i n th i s country bu t l ikewise i n most fore ign

k ingdoms,th e unfortunate woman was executed .

I t was usual wi th th e Shetland dealers i n sorcery,l ike the anci en t magic ian s of Scand i

navia,to u se i n can tat i on s . “ I know a song,” sa id Od i n , “ of su ch vi rtue

,that were I

caugh t i n a storm I can h ush th e winds , and render the ai r perfec tly calm .

” But thewarlocks and wi tches of Thule u sed , by the same mean s , to rai se tempests, th e lay be ingaccompan ied by some s imple process , that denoted the advancement that was made towardsthe a ttai nmen t of the malevolen t obj ect . About fi fty years ago

,a woman

,of the pari sh of

D u n rossn ess,known to have a deadly enm i ty again s t a boat’s crew that had set off for th e

Haaf, took a wooden bason , named a mp,an d al lowed i t to float on th e surface of a tub of

water ; then , to avo id exc i t i ng a su spic ion of h er dev i lry, she wen t on wi th her u sual domest iclabou rs

,and

,as i f to l igh ten th e burden of them

,sang an old Norse d itty . After a verse or

two had been rec i ted,sh e sen t a ch i ld to the tub

,and bade h im tel l h er i f th e cap was

w fi zmzmz'

lled,or tu rn ed ups ide down . Her orders were obeyed , and i n tel l igence were soon

brough t to her,that the water was begin n ing to be agi ta ted, bu t that the bowl was afloat .

She then con ti nued h er i ncan tat ion , and once more broke i t off, by request i ng the ch i ld togo aga i n to th e tub

,and le t h er know i f th e cap was whumm illed. The l i t t le messenger

soon return ed wi th the n ews that there was a strange swel l i n the water,wh ich caused th e

bowl to be sadly tossed about . The wi tch then sang st i l l more loudly,and

,for the th ird

t ime,sen t the ch i ld to th e tub to report the state of the bason

,who immediately hastened

back with the i nformat ion that the water was fright fu lly troub led,an d that the cap was

whumm illed . The enchantress, wi th an ai r of mal ignan t sat i sfacti on , then ceased her song,and sa id

,

“The Turn i s don e .

”O n th e same day, n ews came that a fi sh i ng yau l had been

los t i n th e Roust,and that th e whole of th e crew had been drowned . A s im i lar story i s

told of some women i n the i sland of Fe tlar, who, when a boat’s crew had peri shed i n the

bay of Funzie,were detected s i t t i ng round a wel l , mutter i ng mysteriou s words over a wooden

bowl that was supernatu rally agi tated . The accompan imen t of a magica l i ncan tat ion by someprocess

,i ndicative of the progress of the magical purpose that i s med i tated, may be found

i n many of the wi ld superst i t i on s of Scand inav ia an d i ts colon i es. Wh i le the Norn ies orDest i n i e s of Pagan t imes were w i th i n th e recesses of a gloomy cave

,doom ing i n a wi ld song

the fate of th e warriors who were to fal l wit h th e Earl of O rkney i n an engagemen t on th eI ri sh coast

,they were employed on a strange loom

,where human entrai l s furn i shed th e

material s for the warp,foemen s

’heads for t read le s , swords dipped i n gore for shu ttles anddarts for woofs . When th e incan tat i on was ended, th e women each tore a port i on of th ecloth

, and, mount ing thei r horses, s ix rode away towards the n orth,and s i x to the sou th .

There i s al so i n Scandi nav ia an anc ien t rhyme , named th e Quern Song , wherei n two females laves of a gigan ti c form si ng a strange d i t ty, wh i le they are employed i n labouring on aquern of immense magn itude

,i n wh i ch they gri nd ri ch es to a sea-k ing ; but, bei ng d issatis

fi ed wi th th e oppress ion of the i r master, i n maki ng them pers i s t th roughout the whole of then igh t i n the i r labour

,they gr i nd again s t the same warrior a destruct ive army .

Another mode,by wh ich the magic ian of Shetland obtai ned a power over Nature’s

m m m WITCHCR AFT . 2 69

operati on s,was by mean s of knots , th e superst i t i ous regard for them seem ing to have ari sen

from the u se to wh ich they were from th e remotest per iod appl i ed as memorial s of even ts ,or as i nviolable pledges of agreemen t, i nd icat ing that they were not to be loosened .

* I t hasbeen affi rmed

,tha t the most an c ien t Run i c characters im i tated the variety of knots that were

made on such occas i on s ;T and i f th i s be the case, we can eas i ly accoun t for s im i lar magi caleffects bei ng ascribed to them ,

as to the symbol s of wh ich they were mere su bstitu tes i The

Fin s were long notorious for con trol l i ng, by such mean s, even ts depend ing on th e atmos

phe re , or for un ty i ng the w i nds .” And Brand rela tes a story of a wi tch of Shetland , whomade nearly the same use of knots as Od i n did of th e Ru nae, by wh ich they were succeeded :for wh i le the God , by vi rtue of wri tten spel l s , could make a ,wi tch , when r id i ng through th eclouds

,m iss her aim

,the Shetland sorceress

,upon see i ng a fowl wh i ch a sea—eagle was

carry ing th rough the ai r , has taken a s tri ng, and after havmg cas t some knots upon i t , th eb i rd of prey has le t i ts capt ive fal l i n to th e ocean

,from w h ich i t has been immed iately

recovered by a boat . A r ti fi ces of th i s k i nd were al so appl ied to the cure of d i seases th i su se of them be ing i ndeed fam i l iar to other countr ie s . When

,for i n s tanc e

,an old woman of

Shetland has been cal led i n to cure a sprai ned l imb,sh e has t ied around i t a p i ece of wool len

th read,on wh ich was made a certa i n number of knots

,and after mu tt erin g dur i ng th e

operat i on certa i n myster ious words,a cure has been soon effected . These charm s were ,

two cen tur i es ago,supposed to have been con struc ted by th e Devi l

,from whom wi tches

rece ived them . Thus,i n an i nd ictmen t agai n s t Mar ion Pardon of H il l swick, i t appeared i n

ev idence , that Swen e , her hu sband , was labouring i n a peat-moss, wi th several other scatholders , among whom was a poor fel low, en feebled by d i sease . A Shetlander of th e party,i n a sneeri ng way , asked Swen e i f h e could not prevai l upon h i s wi fe to go to he rpobe§ th edevi l

,an d bid h im loose a kn ot, th at the s ick man m igh t be enabled to cast h i s peats .When th e Pagan magi c of the North was mod ified by th e i n troduct ion of Chri s ti an i ty,

i t was supposed that many di seases were i nduced by a sort of demon iacal possessi on thattook place i n d i fferen t parts of the body

,and that a cure was to be effected by obl igi ng the

demon to en ter th e body of some other an imal . When a Shetland witch , therefore, had , bya compact wi th the pri nce of darkness

,obtai ned a command over subordinate evi l spi ri t s,

she could charge them to en ter th e mortal t e nemen t of flesh belonging to e i ther man orbeast , an d to cause afli iction even unto death . Marion Pardon of H i ll swi ck , by a power ofth i s k ind, cast fi ts upon Janet Robertson , bu t be ing th reatened with th e terror of the law ,

removed th e d i sease (or rath er th e demon that i nduced i t), by throw ing i t upon two ki n ethat shortly afterwards exp ired . She al so v i s i ted wi th s i ckness the w ife of a neighbour,but, under fear of legal con sequences, cast i t upon a calf that soon afterwards ran mad andd i ed . I n another case

,after infl i c t i ng i l ln ess upon a man

,sh e cured h im by putt ing her

H e nce the tru e love r's k not, fam i l iar at the p re se n t day, and the k not emblema tic of fr iendsh i p.

i In H ick e s’s The sau r u s , it is stated , In sc r iption um Ru nae in h od is s ive gy r is , n odor um inscu lptze leg u n tu r , propte rea qu od

apud ve te r e s se p ten tr ional e s g en tes n odu s amor is , fi de i , am ic i tia: symbo l um fu isse vide tu r , u t qu od in solub ilem p ie tatis e t afl'

ec tu s

n e xum s ign ifi cav it."

Bu t w hen the se le tte rs w e r e carved on w ood , they su stain ed a con s ide rable al te rat ion , be ing rathe r mean t to

r e semb le Spr ig s that w e r e cu t from the tops of tre es.—Davies’Ce ltic R esea r ches , p . 3 14.

1 Thu s Od in , by the mean s of Ru n ic characte rs , assumed the powe r of ra is ing the dead to l ife .

Foste r-fathe r , or n u rse's hu sband .

2 70 WITCHCRAFT .

[ ITER W .

finger on h i s leg and th en on the ground , th ree t imes to and fro but on the rumour of th ecure spreadi ng abroad

,th e beldam grew angry at th e exposure

,and caused th e d i sease to

return . She agai n was earnes tly entreated to restore th e pat ien t once more to a s tate ofheal th

,—an object that she effected, by send i ng h im a bannock to eat prepared from her

own hands,and by casti ng th e di sease on one of h i s cows , to whom i t proved fatal .

I t appears,that an exert i on of the supernatural powers possessed by warlocks and

wi tches,was often requested for both good and bad purposes . john Sutherlan d of Papa

Stour, who l ived about fi fty years ago , was i n the hab i t of procuri ng a fai r breeze for anyboats that were wi nd-bound . There i s a t rad i t i on i n th e coun try

,connected wi th a melan

choly d i sas ter whi ch once befe l a respectabl e fami ly i n Shet land , relat ive to a Norwegianlady

,who be ing sl igh ted by a young gent leman , bribed a bag to bri ng the di rest m i sery to

the house wi th whom she had been refused an al l iance . The t ime selected for th e purpose,

'was when the son s were about to be ferr i ed across a voe and i n order to i nduce the wholeof th e he i rs-male of th e race to take the boat. a shelty that had been secured for the med itated j ourney of on e of them , was in a mysteri ous manner conveyed away from h i s te ther.The four youth s, accompan ied by a cous i n , set sai l at the close of th e even i ng —there wasscarcely a r ipple on the water

,and not a noi se nor a cry was heard

,yet when the anxious

paren ts,impat i ent of the i r return

,i n st i tu ted a search after them

,they found noth ing bu t th e

boat wh i ch had drifted ashore wi th l i t t le damage . When. th e dark deed of enchan tmen t had

been accompl i shed,th e shelty that had been los t was brough t back to h i s tether i n as secret

a manner as he had di sappeared .

There can be l i t t le doub t, but that i n a supersti t i ou s age, an i ndividual th us consu ltedand treated as a common charmer, would i n t ime become hersel f impressed wi th th e sameconce i t

,bei ng strongly tempted to make a free su rrender of h er m ind to th i s sel f-delus i on

,

by the conven ien t power wh i ch she would find hersel f possessed of,under the supernatural

character at tr ibuted to her. “ Ch i ldren cannot sm i le upon a wi tch ,” says an old wri ter,“ wi thout the hazard of a perpetua l wry mouth a very nobleman’s reques t may be den iedmore safely than her peti t i on s for butter

,m i lk or smal l beer and a great lad i e’s or queen’s

name may be less doubtful ly de rided .

”There were , however, several ways i n wh ich i t was

supposed that the power of th e sorceress could be resi sted,the ch i ef of whi ch was , by d raw

i ng some of her blood .

* A female,u pon whom Marion Pardon of H i l lswick had , i n her

ven e fi c ial heart, cast a terrible and fearfu l madness , was coun sell ed to draw blood from thewi tch

,and th i s she performed by runn i ng foul upon her

,and bi t i ng two of her fingers ,

when a recovery took place . Scmetime s a magic ian was Open ly charged wi th thediabol ical deeds wh ich had been comm i tted, on th e pri nc iple of th e text i n Scriptu re,Res ist the dev i l and he w i l l flee from you .

”Th e effect of the myst ic craft would then

immediately cease . Thus , when Marion Pardon had taken away the profi t from certa i nki ne

,thei r m i lk was shewn to the dame, and the owner got back her profi t . When another

cow produced noth i ng but blood , th e fluid was open ly exposed before h er eyes , an d th e

A n umbe r of e xampl es are g ive n in M r El l i s 5 ed i t ion of B rand's Pop u lar An tiqu i t ie s , to shew the ve ry pr evale n t op in ion ,that draw ing blood from a w i tch r ende r ed he r e n chan tm e n ts in effe ctual . Thu s , in the fi rst par t of H en ry the IVth , ac t r st, Tal botsays to the Pu ce l le d’O r lean s , B lood I w i l l draw on the e , thou ar t a w i tch .

"

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2 7 2 WITCHCRAFT .

[ ITER l v

th e Cathol ic pr iest, = and the elemen t was namedfor espoken water“

; boats were then spri nkledwi th i t ; an d l imbs were wash ed wi th i t, for the purpose of telling ou t pain s . When a beastwas wou nded wi th el f-shot , th e m in ing or b less ing wi tch would find out th e hole

,i n scrutable

to common eyes, in .which the arrow en tered,‘and would wash th e place wi th forespoken

wate r. By the appl icat ion of th i s fluid were th e effects combated of an ev i l eye,or of an

ev i l tongue . There was a con s iderable advan tage i n exerci s i ng a profess i on of wi tchcraftthus mod ified

,wh ich adm it ted i n to i t Chri s t ian ceremo n ies

,i nasmuch as i t had for i ts avowed

object deeds that were opposed to the des ign s of th e devi l . Nor ‘could a col lus i on w i thSatan be suspected, so that supernatural act s m igh t be attempted wi thout the fear of acapi ta l convic t i on of th e law.

The last mod ificat ion which’took place of w i tchcraft,arose from a doctr i ne taugh t by

th e Reformers respect i ng th e efficacy of the Gospel i'n ban i sh ing from the land al l demon s .“ Now do I not hear,

” says Brand , after h e had v i s i ted Shetland, of any such appearance sthe devi l makes i n th ese i sles

,so great and many are the bless i ngs wh ich attend a Gospel

d i spensat ion th e brown i es,fai ries, and other evi l sp i ri ts that haun ted and were fam i l iar i n

our houses,were d i sm issed

,and fled at th e breaki ng ou t of ou r Reformati on (i f we may

except but a few places n ot yet wel l re formed from Popi sh'

d regs), as th e Heathen oracleswere s i lenced at the coming of ou r L ord

,and the goi ng forth of h i s

'

Apostl es so that ourfi rst n oble Reformers m igh t have returned and said to the i r mas ter

,as th e Seventy d id

,

Lord,even t/ze do m

'

ls ar e su bject to u s t/zr oug/z thy name.

’A n d though th i s restrai n t put

upon th e dev i l was far la te r i n these northern places than wi th us,t o whom the l igh t of a

preached Gospel did more eas i ly sh i n e, yet now al so do these northern i s les enj oy thefru i ts of th i s restra i n t. Such was th e Opi n ion of the Reformers i n the commencemen t ofthe last cen tu ry ; and i t d i ffered from one that had been enterta i ned by th e Roman Churchi n an importan t part icu lar. The Cathol i c d iv i ne never arrogated to h imsel f th e power ofban i sh i ng th e trows of Shetland from the i r nat ive rocks, streams

,

’

or seas, but h e conceived ,that

,by means of exorc i sms

,he cou ld preclude them from part icular s i tes of ground .

The Reformer, however, supposed , that th e l igh t of the Gospe l would, by i t s e ffulgence,penetrate i n to th e very dom ic i les of unclean spi ri ts , and expe l th em to unknown regions .

When a v i ew l ike th i s gained ground , i t w i l l scarce ly c reate surpri se that the B ibleshou ld become no less usefu l an in st rument i n th e hands of charmers than crosses, forespoken water

,and benedic t ion s . ~ I t was recommended

,that the lonely wanderer by n igh t

among the bleak scatholds of Thule, should bear i n h i s hands the Holy Scriptu res, as ameans of screen ing h imself from the attacks of the trows or demon s of the h i l l s . The

i n conven ience ar i s i ng from such a superst i t ious regard paid to the Gospel , i s wel l i l l ust ratedin a case that came

,i n the year 1 708, before th e m in i sters and elders i n O rkney , where

not ion s sim ilar to those of. She tland prevai led . Will i am Sten sgar of Southside , being afflic tedwi th a pai n i n h i s l imbs

,probably rheumati c

,wh ich con fined h im to h i s bed, Cathari ne

Taylor,a poor cripple beggar woman , i n repute as a charmer, was sen t for to tel l ou t th e

pa i n . She came to the man about'an hour before su nrise , and by her d i rect ion s he fol lowed

h er to a gateway named a slap or g r ind ; th e w ife accompanying wi th a stoup of ,water. Herethe syb i l hal ted ; the patien t la id bare h i s kn ee , _

and sh e touched i t wi th her hands, repeat

ITER IV . ]W ITCHCRAFT . 2 73

i ng a t th e same t ime th e following words . As I was goi ng by the way, I met the L ord

jesus Ch ri st i n the l i keness of another man he asked me what t id ings I had to tel l . I sa idI had n o t id i ngs to tel l

,bu t I am ful l of pai n s , and I can nei th er gang nor stand . Thou

shal t go to th e h oly k i rk,an d th ou shal t gang i t round about

,and then s i t down upon thy

kn ees an d say thy prayers to th e L ord , an d th en thou shal t be as h eal as the hour whenChri st was bor n . Afte r th i s ravi ng nonsen se

,wh ich by her con fess i on sh e had learned

when a ch i ld from an old woman . she appl ied to th e knee the lawfu l charm of th e Gospel ,by repeat i ng over i t th e tw en ty-th i rd Psalm

,upon which th e evi l spi r i t that cau sed th e

d i sease was tolled ou l,an d fa i rly t ran sferred i n to the stoup of water. She then empt ied th e

vesse l on the slap,with the malevolen t i n ten t ion that the d i sease

, (or, to speak morecorrectly , th e demon tha t i nduced it), shou ld take possess i on of th e fi rs t un lucky w igh t tha tm igh t pass th e st i l e ; an d when a new habi ta t i on was th us secured for the evi l sp i ri t

,th e

possibi l i ty of the irivalid experienc i ng a return of th e compla in t would be completely obviated . Whi le, however, th e charmer was employed i n conceal i ng, by mean s of feal an d tu rf,th e water that had been spi l t on th e ground , so that n o suspic i on of th e i n ten t ion m igh t beexci ted , sh e was detec ted by a n eighbou r, who, suspec ti ng some dev i l ry, forced an entranceth rough another part of the d ike an d safely passed over. Bu t th ere was anoth er man whopassed th rough th e slap before su n-r i s i ng

,that was immediately afterwards overtaken wi th

bod i ly i nd i spos i t i on . Th i s case affords a good i l lu strat ion of the gospel sorcery, wh ich was anatural resu l t of the superst i t i ous vi ew en terta i n ed by th e early Reformers

,respect ing th e

p ower of the Scriptures i n expe ll i ng”

demon s . Brand was,i ndeed

,so con founded when h e

v i s i ted O rkn ey and Shetland,at th e m i xtu re of Pagan

,Popi sh an d Gospe l , superst i t i on s

w h ich preva i led,that h e was total ly unable to j ust i fy any of them as authori sed by the

doctri nes of th e New L igh t,bu t den ounced th e pract ice of them as a hel l i sh art an d

t remendous devi l ry,an d n ot th e product of Nature’s operat ion .

* God so perm i tt i ng i t,h e adds

,

“ to be in h i s holy an d w i se providence,for th e further pun i shmen t and j udicia l

b i nding of those who fol low such un lawful courses,and th e devi l thereby engaging h i s slaves

more i n h i s se rv i ce . Yet not always th e e ffects des i red and expected do fol low, that al l mayknow th e dev i l i s a chai ned one , an d can do noth in g w i thout the perm issi on of a sovereignGod , who i s L ord over al l .

These are many of th e part i culars I have to offer respecti ng the Witchcraft of Shetland ,as i t has ex i s ted from the earl i est peri od ,

as 'wel l a s th e mod ificat ion s that i t has undergone,from the i n troducti on of Ch ri s tian i ty i n to the coun try . A bel i ef i n most of th e superst i t ion senumerated i s st i l l en tertai n ed , such as i n the power of tak ing away profi ts , or caus ingaffl ic t ion s by an ev i l eye or tongue ; bu t as th e doors of j us t i ce are shu t again s t compla in tsof th e malevolence of warlocks or wi tches

,who on ly th rive under persecu t ion , th e scarci ty

of them at the presen t day i s more attr ibutable to the l i t t le di s tu rbance wh ich they mee t

Charme r s of the de scr i pt ion r eprobated by B rand ove r-ran Eng land , be in g know n by the names of w ise mm , w ir e w omen

cu n n ing or loom ing w om en ,'w irr

'

te w z'

i c/zos or bless i ng w itclros . A n old w r ite r has remarked , that it w ou ld be be tte r for the landif all w i tch es

,e spec ia l l y the bl e ss i ng w i tch , m ig ht su ffe r death . M e n ,

”h e adds , do common l y hate an d sp it at the damn ifying

sor ce r e r , as u nwor th ie to l ive amon g th em ,whe reas they flie u n to the othe r in n ecess itie , they depe nd u pon h im as the ir god , and

by th is m ean s thou sands ar e car r ied away to the ir fina l con fu s ion . Death , the re fore , is the ju st and de se rved po r tion of the good

w itch .

"

2 74 ISL AND OF FOU L A .

(”ER IE

wi th from the laws , than to the wan t of i nducement tha t there may be for the imag i nat ionto endow them wi th the at tr ibu tes of sorcery . Th e charmers , who st i l l exerc i se the i r profession , find stolen goods an d cure d i seases . O n e practi ce fam i l iar i n former times i s st i l lknown . I t has been long a popular bel ief

,that when any person i s emac iated wi th s i ck

n ess,h i s heart i s worn away th i s i s attr ibuted to th e agency of trows . The pati en t then

seeks out a cunn ing woman , who, wi th several myst i c ceremon i es , m e l ts some lead , an dal lows i t to drop th rough an open s i eve i n to cold water . I f an image

,beari ng some fai n t

resemblance to the heart,i s,after a certai n number of t ri al s

,produced, i t i s an i nd i cat ion

that'

the charm has been successfu l ; but i f n o such figure appears , i t i s a s ign that the decayof th i s organ i s i rremediable .

(For tbc c/ziqf azzt/zor ily , fi om zer/zicb t/zis accou n t cf t/ze W’itc/zcr aft of Shetland is dr aw n

up,con sisting of a tr i alfor IVitclzcr ofz, dated A .D . 1 644 , see Note X11] . pag e 2 80.

Appended to it is a descr iption by M iss Campbell , of tile mode of casting H ear ts .

I SLAND OF FOULA .

From Vai l ey I set sai l for Foula,— a bold i s land r i s i ng from the su rface of western sea,

at a d i stance of e igh t leagues from the mai n land , and toweri ng i nto th e sky .

A place there i s,where proud ly rais’d th ere stands

A huge aspi r ing rock n e ighb’r in g th e sk ies,

Whose su rly brow imperi ously commandsThe sea h i s bounds , that a t h i s proud feet l ies ;A n d spurn s the waves that i n rebell i ou s bandsA ssau l t h i s empi re and agai n st h im ri se . DAN IELS.

The i s land , when v i ewed from sea , presen ts th e appearance of five h i l l s,m ost of them

be ing of a conoid form,named th e Noup

,L iora Field , th e Snen g, Comma Field, and th e

Kaim,th e h ighest of wh ich has been est imated at 1 300 feet . On the north , a smal l i n su

lated rock appeared,that had al l th e appearance

,when v iewed at a d istance

,of the ru i ned

arch of a rel igi ou s bu i ld ing . The boat l i ngered a short t ime among the banks on th e eastof the i sland to catch cod for ba i t u sed at the Haaf and so fas t did we take them

,that ou r

boat m igh t have soon been fi l led .

O n our passage, numbers of the Ca’i ng whales appeared and

,n earer th e i sland

,th ere

were many of th e sma l le r seal s,or Tang fi s/z , so named from being supposed to l ive among

the Tong , or larger fuc i that grow near the shore . The phrenolog is ts of Pari s,j udging from

the form and size of th e cran i um of th e seal,have hazarded an opi n ion , that he i s possessed

of uncommon i n te l l igence . I am confi rmed i n th e same not ion,from a di fferen t k i nd of

observat ion . These an imal s , i f taken youn g, are sa id to be eas i ly domesti cated , when theyread i ly assume th e habi ts of the dog ; shewing attachment to parti cu lar i nd ividuals of thehuman spec ies, repa iring to th e water i n quest of fi sh , and return i ng to the roof where theyhave experie nced k i ndness .

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2 76 CONCL USION .

[ ITER IV,.

i s o f the subl imes t descr ipt ion . The spectator l ooks down from a perpendicu lar h e igh t of1 100 or 1 200 feet

,and sees below the wide Atlan t i c rol l its t ide . Dense columns of birds

hover th rough the a i r, con s i s t i ng of maws, k ittywakes, lyres , sea-parrots , or gu llemots — th ecormoran ts occupy th e lowes t port ion s of th e cl iffs

,the k ittywak es wh i ten the ledges of one

di st i nc t cl i ff,gull s are found on another

,and lyres on a th i rd . The welki n i s darkened

w i th thei r fl igh t nor i s th e sea less covered wi th them,as they search the waters i n quest

of food . But when th e wi nter appears , th e colony i s fled,an d th e rude harmony produced

by the i r variou s screams, i s succeeded by a desart s t i l l nes s . From the bri nk of th i s awfulprec ip ice the adventurous fowler i s , by means of a rope t ied round h i s body, l et down manyfathoms h e then lands on th e ledges, where the vari ous sea b irds nest le, being st i l l as re

gardless as h i s ancestors of the des tructi on that awai ts th e fal l i ng of some loose s tones froma crag

,or th e un twist i ng of a cord . I t was formerly sa id of the Foula man

,h i s g u tc/zer

(grandfather)g u id oe/or e, h i s father gu id before , and he m u s t expect to go over the Sn e ugt oo .

”

I ascended several of‘ the h ighest poi n ts of th e rocks of Foula . O n e of them i s

occupied by the Bonxi e , or Scua Gul l , th e terror of the feathered race, bu t so n obl em i nded

,as to prefer wagi ng war wi th bi rds larger than h imse lf. The Eagle forbears to

make an attack upon lambs wh i le Scua i s presen t ; on wh ich accoun t he was long conside red a pr iv i l eged bi rd , th e act of destroy ing h im being v i s i ted with a severe penal ty . O n

th e summi t of L io rafi e ld i s a smal l hole wi th i n wh ich severa l barre l s of l i nes are said to havebeen let down wi thou t find i ng a bottom . I t i s covered wi th a flag

,which I had th e

temeri ty to remove , notwi thstandi ng an anc ien t superst i t ion , that h e who the fi rs t t ime i supon the i s land

,opens th e L ior a or ven t that leads to th i s subterraneous abode of T rows

,

d i e s immediately afterwards . O n the summi t of Foula there i s a V i ew,on th e south

,of th e

d i stan t shores of O rkney ; but on the east , H ialtlan d i s ful ly exposed in al l i ts nat i ve wi ldness

,appeari ng as one long range of desolate h i l l s .

FOULA BRESSAY SOUND.

I found a large boat sa i l i ng to Vai ley from the Haaf,and avai led mysel f of the oppor

tu n ity of taki ng a passage i n i t, bu t havi ng offended the demon of L iora-fi eld , by exposi ngto the l igh t of day

,th e open i ng that led to h i s secret hab i tat i on w i th i n the h i l l

,a peri lous i f

n ot fata l passage across the w i de channel we had to c ross , fol lowed as a matter of cou rse .

Accordingly,th e wind sprung up

,th e waters began to swel l

,our heav i ly fre igh ted boat

sh ipped much water,and at length the main-sa i l gave way, so that after a passage of eigh t

hours,not unattended wi th danger, we wi th d ifficul ty arr ived i n port .

The approach of autumn now gave me not ice to qu i t the i s lands of Shetland . The

Green land vessel s were con stantly arr iv i ng i n the harbours to bri ng back th e seamen whomthey had taken with them early i n th e spri ng to the North ern Seas . The short n igh ts preventi ng th e fi shers from sai l i ng to the Haaf

,th ey were catch i ng, by means of handl i nes, l i ng

and cod,wh ich were al lowed to remai n in sal t u nt i l begi nn i ng of the spring. Heavy

gales were com ing on , wh ich , comb in i ng w i th th e spray of the sea that was flung up , i nsome places destroyed th e crops i n a s ingle n igh t .* The sh ipwreck of a Russ ian vesse l hadoccurred on the coast , on wh ich occas i on I observed a numbe r of boats crews toi l ing wi thal l th e i r m igh t a t the i r oars

,for the sake of plunde r. But the mos t decided i nd icat i on of

th e season was th e bri ll iancy wi th wh ich the even i ng was l igh ted up by the aurora boreal i s ;s treamers of a redd i sh -yel low colou r dart i ng over the heaven s w i th a tremu lous and curvedmot ion .

I soon arr ived at B ressay Sound , named i n Norwegian Annals B redeyiar Sound , whereth e flee t of K ing Haco was moored for severa l days after sa i l ing from Norway, i n an u n su cc essfu l expedi t i on aga i nst Scotland .

“ The l eader of h i s people,

” says Stu rlas, “u n rn oored

the ploughers [sh ips] of th e ocean , an d ra i sed aloft th e expanded wi ngs [sa i ls ,] of h i s skyblue doves [sh ips]. O u r Sovereign ri ch i n the spo i l s [gold,] of th e sea-snake

’s den , v i ewedth e ret i r i ng haven from the stern of h i s snort i ng s teed [sh ip] adorned wi th ruddy

At L erwick , to wh ich place I re turned , there i s a n obj ect th e most desi rable to atravel ler

,— a c omfortable i n n . 1 Fo r too often i n rambl i ng over the bleak scatholds of th e

coun try, th e t ravel le r i s apt to long for th e accommodat i on so expat iated upon by goodMaster I saac Walton

,

“ An hones t ale-house,where we shal l find a c leanly room

,lavender

i n the wi ndow s, and twenty bal lads stuck about the wal l .” He who may wi sh to explore th emos t secluded part s of Shetland

,and to proceed wi th a t rue Spi ri t of i ndependence, wi l l find

no grea t d i fficulty i n i nduc i ng th e cottagers to accept of an adequate remunerat i on forrece ivi ng h im beneath the i r roof. But wi th these free n ot i ons

,he must subm i t to great

i nconven ience, ch iefly ari s i ng from the wan t of c lean l i nes s th at s tamps th e character of th eShetland hovel s th i s wan t of comfort

,however

,wi ll be at any t ime preferred , rather than

be reduced to the necessi ty of s eek ing for gratu i tous c omfort in more commod ious habi tat i on s ; yet, as I have often experi enced , too frequent ly i s th i s re luctance subdued, by th egenerou s i nvi tat i on that has met on h i s l onesome way the un i n troduced and weary s trange r.

The hospi tal i ty of Shetland has l ong been recorded by th e n orthern poets , and theres t i l l remai ns i n the coun try al l th e pract ice of i t tha t was recommended i n the H avamaal

of Od in .

“ To th e gues t,who en ters your dwel l i ng wi th frozen knees

,give the warmth

of you r fi re ; an d h e who hath travel led over the mounta in s hath n eed of food and wel ld ried garmen ts . The v ic in i ty of L erwi ck i s assoc iated wi th the h ospi ta l i ty shewn toRonald Earl of O rkney

,when

,i n company wi th Harold

,h i s partn er i n th e earldom , h e was

Whe n th e w inds blow in g reat force , says a de scr i be r of She tland , the su rg es r ise in p ropor tion , dash ing vio l e n tlyaga in s t the rocks . The w h i te sa l t froth wh ich is forced u p aga in st the h ighe st promon tor ies , m ixes w ith the air in c i rc u lation is

ca r r ied ove r lands u nde r cu l t ivat ion fa l ls , as it passe s , on the cor n s d r ie s and harde ns u pon th em , by w h ich its farthe r g row th isimpeded and the most san g u in e hope s of the poor farme r de s troye d. The s traw eve n

,as we l l as the hay , be come s u n fi t for any

pu rpos e in hu sbandry .—Con s ider a tion s on the Fi sher i es in til e S cottish Is lan ds , 1 7.

i Exped it ion of King Haco aga in st Scotland .—Tran s lated by Joh n son .

1 Th is was kept by a ve ry c ivi l fam i l y of the n ame of S in c lair , and posse sses ve ry g ood accommodat ion . The re is an oppor

t u n ity of se e ing in th is p lace the convivia l i ty of th e cou n ty , w h ich is qu ite as mu ch as an indu str iou s pain s-tak ing land lord w ou ldd e s i re . Hon e st Barnaby w ou ld have be e n qu i te at home in th is plac e , the w i ld sce n e arou nd h im bear in g n o fai n t re semblan ce tothat ofKigh ley .

Ardu i co l le s , ar idae val les lae t i tame n su n t sodale s ,

Fes tivan te s c t juc u ndi , ac si dom in i essen t mu nd i .

2 78 CONCL USION .

[m m W ,

cast upon some rocks near Gu lbe rsw ick . Much treasure , wi th wh ich the vessel was loaded ,became lost ; but th e Earl st i l l preserved h i s good spi ri ts, and amused h imsel f du ri ng then ight i n compos i ng Sportive verses . I n th e morn ing , when a land i ng was effected , the doorsOf the i nhabi tan ts were thrown Open for the accommodat i on O f th e party and as the Earlwas exceedingly wet

,he was presen ted with th e common garb Of th e cou ntry, wh ich con

si s ted,as h e remarked

,of a rough-ski n ned

,th i ck-napped leath er coat

,wh ich he wore wi th

pleasure,as he had taken leave Of h i s s ea-horse,

” and as the splendour of garmen ts wasth en to h im O f l i t tl e avai l . The Earl sent twelve of h i s compan i ons i n m i sfortune to Ei narOf

‘

Gu lbe rsw ick , but the proud udal ler , over-anx ious to take the lead i n hosp i tal i ty, sen t amessage , that he would not recei ve th em ,

unless th e Earl h imself would condescend to beh i s guest . Ronald

,however

,expressed l i t tl e fear O f the th reat be ing put i n to execu ti on .

*

I now prepared to leave H ialtland, and ava i led myself O f a passage pol i tely offered mei n h i s Maj esty’s brig th e Nimrod , by Capta i n Dal l i ng . Bu t I did not leave the countrywi thout pay i ng a th i rd v i si t to Un st, where I had di scovered the ch romate of i ron .

Th i s ore has,Of late years, been an Obj ect O f commercial importance , on accoun t Of the

u se to wh ich i t has been converted, i n afford i ng th e means Of procuri ng a yel low pigmen t forthe u se O f the Arts . Although found i n some parts of th e Con t i nen t , th e coun try fromwhich i t was most frequen tly Obta i ned was America

,wh i l e the expe n ce of bri ngi ng i t over

was very cons iderable . The chrome of th i s subs tance also promises to be Of much use i ni ts appl icat i on to the dy i ng Of s i lk

,wool , l i nen and cotton , as i s shewn i n th e account which

has been given i n the Jou rnal s of the experimen ts O f M . J . L . L assaign e .

My d i scovery of the ch romate O f i ron took place i n the autumn Of 1 8 1 7, and wasfi rst announced to the pub l ic th rough the med i um Of Dr Thomson’s Journal

,i n a short

n ot ice wri t ten by Professor Jam ieson . The i n format ion attracted th e at ten t ion noton ly of sc ien tific m ineralogi sts

,but O f the manufacturi ng chem i sts “

; and , as I had beenpreven ted

,by the lateness and i nc lemency of the season i n wh ich I v i s i ted Shet land

,

from devot ing as much t ime to th e prosecu t i on O f th i s d i scovery as the importance Of i tmeri ted , I was i nduced, i n th e fol lowing year, to pay a second vi s i t to th i s remote d i s tr i ctO f Bri ta i n . My wish then was to asc erta i n the general s i te of ground i n wh ich th i s oreoccu rred i n th e usual form O f imbedded masses and ve i n s

,an d to render th e proprie

tors of th e land aware O f i t s d i s t i nct i ve charac te r,an d of i ts importance

,i n order tha t

the search after i t m ight be con t i nued when I was absent . 1‘ I n this O bj ec t I was perfectlysuccessfu l ; and my second vi s i t to Shetland afforded me at the same t ime the Oppor tun i ty

The joc u lar charac te r of the Ear l is thu s shew n in the O rk n eyin g a Sag a :

In eor um de in g ratiam , ing e n te s foc i , ad qu e s se fove ban t,su ccedu n tu r anc i l la in te r im ing ressa valde tr emu it e t lo cu ta

e st qua: n on in te llexe r e , ast Comes se eju s ling u am pe r c ipe r e asse re bat.

I n halas adhu c A sa , H u tu tu tu ud i sed eho ?

A tata ta in aqua jace t, Pe ril uam fr ig e sco ad ig n em .

1 Wh e n the in te l l ig e n ce of my d is cove ry of the ch romate of i ron had ar r ived in She tland , afte r my fi rst vis i t to that cou n try ,the re w e re few landed pr opr ie tors w ho cou ld pe rsuade themse lve s that i t w as of th e least impor tan ce ,

so Ofte n had th ey had be e nde ce ived by vis i tors w ho had come ove r

,impr e ss ing them w i th false n ot ion s of the valu e of m i n e s an d m in e rals . To M r Edmon

s ton e of Bune ss , how eve r , I su ccsssfu lly addr e ssed myse l f, and spe n t some days in po in t ing ou t to th is g e n t leman , and h is se rvan ts ,th e characte r of the or e wh ich was str ew ed ove r th e h i l ls in aston ish in g abu ndan ce for , ow in g to the r esem blan ce that it bor e to a

k i nd of d ial lag e or ho r n ble nde , it was re peated ly m istake n fo r th is s u bstan ce . Accord in g l y , in fo l low ing u p the se in str u c tion s , hepe rce ived , fo r the fi r st t ime , that a val uable b e d of th is ore awa ited the Ope ration of the m in er , w i th in scarce l y more than a h u ndr ed

yards of h is ow n doo r .

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2 80 NOTES TO ITER Iv .

NOTES TO ITER IV.

NOTE XII. Page 258 . ANCIENT NORSE ROMANCES o r SHETLAND .

The argumen t of the Shetland romance given i n page 258, as explain ed by Will iamHenry of Gu ttorm,

has appeared i n pri n t, for the fi rst t ime , from Mr L ow’s MSS . I would

have in serted th e words wh ich were taken down by th i s Touri s t, but as they have al readyappeared i n Dr Barry’s H istory of O rkney (page a reprin t i s scarce ly demanded . Imay observe

,that the imperfec t orthography of the poem

,owing to th e transcr iber’s ign or

ance of th e northern languages,rendered i t to D r Percy whol ly un i n tel l igible . A gen tl e

man,however, of E di nburgh

,wel l ve rsed i n Dan i sh l i teratu re, had some i nten tion of

tran sm itt ing the bal lad to Copenhagen,under th e imp ress i on that i t wou ld there stand a

Chance of be ing i nterpreted . I n Dr Barry’s work (page 482 and may be also found afew anci en t Shetland words

,col lected by Mr L ow from Fou la , as we l l as the L ord

’s Prayeri n 'Norse

,which i t i s unnecessary to republ i sh .

NOTE XI I I . Page 259 . W ITCHCRAFT or SHETLAND.

TR IAL OF W ITCHES IN SHETLAND, A .D . 1 644 .

In ten t upon Pan n el Mar ion Peebles al ias Pardon e,spou se to Sw en e

I n the fi rst,you th e said Marion Peebles alias Pardon e , i s Indytit and accu sit for the

si n fu l and damnable renounci ng of God , your Fai th an d Bapt i sm,givi ng and cast ing of

yoursel f,body and sau l , i n the hands of the Devi l , following, exerci s i ng, usi ng and pract i s i ng

of th e fearfu ll and damnable c raft of Wi tchcraft, Sorcer ie , and Charm ing, i n manner fol low

ing, v iz .I n the first

,you are Indytit and accu sit for comi ng i n the month of

NOTES TO ITER Iv . 2 8 1

Jim jc . and th i rty years,to th e h ou se of John Bank s i n Tu r v ise tte r

,an d Janet Robertson

,

h i s spouse,with a w icked

,dev i l i sh an d mal ic iou s i n ten t i on to cast Wi tchcraft an d S ickness

upon t hem ; an d m issi ng th e said'

Jan e t there , for go ing to Su rse tte r , where sh e then was,an d after cu rs ing an d scold i ng h er, tel l i ng he r that she should repen t what sh e had don e toyour daugh ter and good s—on . A n d for that immed i a tely w i th the vi O 1d ye

,by your devi l i sh

art of w i tchc raft,d id cas t s i ckness upon th e sa id Jan et

,who immediately upon your depar

tu 1e,fe l l m an extraord i nary an d unk i nd ly s ickn ess , an d lay e igh t weeks , tak ing her shou rs and

pai n s by ti ts,at m idday and m idn igh t, an d so co

’ii tin u ed most terr ibl y tormen ted her sa ids i ckne ss bei ng cast i n upon her by you r said devi l i sh w i tchc raft

, duri ng th e sai d space , un t i lthe sa id Joh n Banks came to you and th rea tened you , at wh ich t im e ye gaif h im a gu l l ionof s i lver [25 Z ia/218], to hold h i s peace an d conceal th e same , prom i s i ng to h im that n oth i ngshould a i l h i s w i fe . And thereafte r

,for that ye sen t her ane Cheese of th e breadth of on e

loof,composed by you r sa id dev i l i sh art of w i tchcraft

,wh i ch ane jink e-rol l , and des i r ing he r

th e sa id J an et to ea t th e same , when (whereof th e sa id Janet refused to eat,) yet immedi

ately she grew w ell,b u t two of her k in e d i ed , th e sai d s ickness be ing casten upon them by

your said w i cked an d devi l i sh art of wi tchcraft .2 . Wz

'

le/zer ajt.— L ikeas also , you are indytit and accu sit,for that by your sa id art Of

devi l i sh w i tchcraft,ye d id

,upon the recovery of the said Janet

,cast th e same si cknes s upon

Mari on Banks , s i ste r to th e sa id Joh n Banks , wh i ch troubled her after th e same manner,tormen t i ng her for twen ty days

,unt i l tha t one O sla i n O ln asfi rth , com ing to you , by d i rce

t i on of th e sa id Joh n Bank s , an d warned you hereo f, whereupon,by you r sa id dev i l i sh

w i tchc raft,the said s icknes s was taken off th e said M ari on and casten upon a young cow of

th e said Joh n’s, wh ich took wod rome , [madm an] and d i ed wi th i n twen ty-fou r hours,wh ich

ye can not deny .

3 . Ye the sa id Marion arc indytit, for that you being very shroudlysu spec ted

,an d ccmmon ly bru ited as a common wi tch

,ye com in g al ong upon some Of you r

said dev i l i sh and w i cked i n ten t i on s to umqu il Edward H alcro i n O ve ru re , qr . he was

d ich t ing bear to steep fo r malt , you be ing of wicked i n ten ti on , by your sa id devi l ish c raft,

d id undo the sa id making of mal t,an d he su specti ng you

,after he had reproved you for

m i nd i n g you about h im ,ye sa id to h im al l would be we l l to uch ing th e sa id mak ing, a s i t so

fel l ou t ; so taki ng upon you an d acknowledgin g by your word is you r power i n the sai dw i cked an d dev i l i sh art of w i tchcraft . That

,after that

,he be ing there sc row in g corn s , and

ye pers i s t i ng in you r sa id w i cked and dev i l i sh i n ten t i on s to u ndo and provock th e saidEdwd . you d id th ereby marr an d undo twa whole mak ings of th e same bear

, qlk never d idgood

, qlk ye rank wi tch cannot deny.

4 . Wi le/zer oft— I tem ,th e said Mari on i s in dytit and accu sit for that i n Apri l 1 64 1 , th e

sd . Edwd . comi ng to your houss,after ye had urged h im to take m ea t

,h e took resolu t ion

to go to th e war [sea-w eed ] having n ot in ten t ion before, an d goin g with Suen o you r husbandto the g io he id [n ar r ow cr eek zoz

'

l/z l ug/z r oe/es] where they w ere u si t to go down,h e bei ng

affrayit to go down fi rst,desyr it you r hu sband to go before h im ,

quba refus ing to go,the

. aid Edw .d wen t , whereon h e go ing down an d s tepping upon a ston e wh ich was ever a su restep before, ye the said Marion , be yor . sa id w i cked and devi l i sh art of wi tchcra ft , maid th esaid stone to lows an d fall dow n w i t h h im

,whereby h i s l i fe was i n great pe r ill, yet saved to

th e admirat ion of all the beholders . A n d ye be in g accu sit for tak ing the said occasi on andcryme upon you , an se r it tha t i t was not for hi s gu d , but for H elen Thomson h i s spou s gudtha t h e was sav i t.

5.— I tem

,ye th e said Mari on are indyttit an d accu sit for that ye by yor sai d

wicked and dev i l i sh art of w i tchcraft,d id cas t ane terrible an d fearful madn es an d s i cknes s

upon ane Madda Scuddasdou ghte r , your aw i n fri end , becau s sh e wold n ot hyd wi th you ,yron sh e con tin u it m ost te rr ib lie tormen tit, an d throw the tormen t of th e sd . d i sease

,sh e

was caryit manytimes to run upon her aw i n s i ster yt. keepi t her, an d d ive rs so as to havedevor it th em i n her madn es , an d so con tin u it a z e ir an d hal f an e z e ir , t i l l sh e, being counsallit he O f H ildisw ick , ran u pon the sd . Marion and drew blood of you

,with i n

Jas . H alcros hows , bi t i n g twa of yr . fingers t i l l th ey b lcd, whereupon th e sa id MaddaScuddadoughte r recove r it of her d i sease, an d came to her ryt sin c es, thereby man i festly

2 8 2 NOTES TO ITER Iv .

shewing,an d approving you r sd . t rade , an d exerc i s ing of you , said Mari on Pardon e

,your

sd . dev i l i sh an d wicked craft Of w i tchcraft, torment ing an d abus ing thereby Of weak Chri st ian s

, Godd is people , again es qu hom ye carrie ev i l w i l l an d malice,wh ich ye rank w i tc h

cann ot den y .

6 .—I te 1n

,ye th e sd . Marion Fardown ar indyttit an d accu sit for that

z e e rs syne, James H alc ro i n H illdisw ick having a cow that ye al ledged hadpush ed a cow of yours , ye i n revenge th ereof, by yr. sa id dev i l i sh art of wi tchcraft , made thesd . James h i s cow,

mi lk noth ing but blood , whereas you r awi n cow had no harm i n herm ilk ; whereupon they su spec t ing you , shewi t th e sd . bloody m i lk to Marion Kilti you rservan t

,quba desyr it O f you th e same bloody m i lk for Godd is cau s to shew you , an d sa id

sh e hou pit th e cow sou ld be w e i l qu hilk having got ten , an d com ing therewith to your hou s,

an d shaw i ng i t to you , th ereafter th e cow grew we i l , thairby shewing an d proving you rsd . dev i l i sh prac tyce Of th e art O f wi tchcraft .

7. IVzte/zemft.

— I tem , ye th e said Marion are in dyttit an d accu sit for that you havinga’n o 1 64 2 z e irs

,hyr it ane cow from Androw Sm i th , younger i n H ild isw ick , wh ich ye keep i t

frae the bu l l,when sh e wald have taken bul l

,an d th e sd . Andro gett i ng knowledge thereof,

cau sit the same to be brough t to the bu l l an d bul l i t aga i ns t your wi l l . The next year whensh e calved

,ye by your sd . devi l i sh art Of wi tchc raft

,took away her proffe it and m i lk , sa tha t

she m i lked noth i ng bu t water, quh ilk stin k ed an d tasted O f sharn a long tyme , t i l l that you

comm in g by th e sd . Andro h i s hou s,he suspect i ng you

,cau sed you to m i lk her and l ook to

her,after wh i ch doi ng , immed iately th e sd . cow s m ilk cam to i ts own natu re

,— thairby

i nd i ca ti ng an d shewi ng your sd . dev i l i sh,an d wicked

,and abhomi nabl e ai rt and practyce of

w i tchcraft,— an d qu hilk ye cannot deny ,8 .

—I te1n,ye th e said Marion ar 1ndyttit an d accu sit, for that i n ann o

ye “

c om ing by ane p ies Of grass quhair in Andro Smith elder i n Vide fi e ld had s ix k i n etede r it, qu hair in til ye wen t , an d ou t of wh i lk grass ye an d your son , afte r you had lou sit andtaken the kyn e

,fel l i n scou ld in g wi th an d abus i t th e sa id And ro , an d sa id to h im that h e

sou ld n ot have so many kyn e to eat grass an d m i lk th e nex t z e ir ; accord i ng to the qlkword is , sa i t fel l ou t thereafter ; for that by your sd . devi l i sh art of wi tchcraft

,th e sd . hai l

s ix kyne d i ed befoir th e n ex t hal f ye ir , al l fat and god l ik e by that same order, as they werelou sit by you on teth er , begi n n in g at th e fi rst cow , (qu h ilk was ane black cow , qlk ye lou sit,qlk d ied 20 days before Yule, fat an d tyd i e ,)an d so fu rth i n success ion the res t, by your sd .

devi l i sh w i tchcraft,con form to your sd . ven e fi c ial, w icked an d mal ic ious powers

, qlk yecannot deny .

9 . lVr’

te/zeraft. -I tem,ye th e sd . Marion ar in dyttit and accu sit for that ye irs

syn e,ye coming to th e sa id Andro Smyth elder

,an d desyring h im len you an e of h i s hors ,

t o go to Urafi r th to lead peatis, qlk he r e fu sit to do , ye ou t of a wicked an d mal ic ious h eartsaid to h im tha t h e wou ld repen t i t ; whereupon ye by your sd . w ickeed an d devi l i sh ai rt ofw i tchcraft

,an d for ou ttin g of your mal ic e, and for keep in g of your said devi l i sh prome is,

w i th i n augh t days th ereafter d id k i l l an e of h i s bes t warke hors,an d w i th i n hal f ane z e ir

th ereafter other th ree of h i s sd . hors ; thairby shewing bai th i n you r words an d deeds , you rw icked an d dev i l i sh sk i l l con cern ing th e pract i se of th e fu rsd. devi l i sh and abhomin abl e ai r tof w i tchcraft

, qlk ye cannot deny .

I o .

—I tem,you th e sd . Marion ar in dyttit and accu s it

,for that

years syn e,ye bei ng su spectit to have cast i n s ickness upon th e said Andro Sm i th elder his

oy, qrof she lay long ben umed an d sen seless , ye com ing tym e foirsd . to the bous of Overu re ,an d they challenging an d quarrel l i ng you therfor, ye fel l i n to cu rs ing an d sweari ng, an d wen tto th e dore, qr ane calf was s tand i ng i n the dore besyd you , qrupon i n you r sd . wicked an d

dev i l i sh mal i ce , be you r sd . detes table craft of wi tchcraft, ye did cast s i ckness tha t i t presen tlie run mad

,cracy

,and d ied .

1 1 . W:'

lelzer aff.— I tem , ye th e sa id Marion are indyttit and accu sit for com ing toAndro Erasmu sson

’s house i n Eshan ess, qr . b e having ane cow three days calved

be fo ir , qrupon as ye lu ik it, ye immed iately be ai rt and devilr ie cast s ickness , that she imm ediatlie crap tog idder , that n o lyf was looked for h er ; t i l l th ey sen t for you , and cau sit you .

lay your hand upon her , qrupon scho then immediatlie recover it, and was we i l ,— thereby

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284 NOTES TO ITER Iv .

vehemen t and deadlie d i seas and si ckness , torme n tit th ereby fra th e cron n of h i s h ead tothe sole of h i s fute

,that there was no lyff expectit of h im . Q uhairfor h i s nybers, k naw ing

your detestab le brute of wi tchcraft,and your pou ir at your said pract i s i ng, and that on

whomsoever your cursed charm fel l,sum notable an d extraordinar m isch ieff and e vile

follow it to yame, they d id advys h im to send for you , to Shaw that there wi s n a lyff for h im ,

and that they al l su spectit you for cas t i ng th e sam i n upon h im . Q u pairupon , after manydinyellis to cum an d see h im ,

at las t you cam to h im , quheh shewi ng you h i s d i seas an ds i ckness

,togidde r wi th the rack ing pai n thereof, impu tit by h im an d u the r is to be your ac t’

an d do ing, Andro thae rfor prayit you to lay your hand upon h im ,wh ich you wold n ot do

,

nor be na in treattie n ither of h im nor of you r n ybu res moved thereto , t i l l that they a l l thatwere i n the bous

,being wear ied of your refusal

,wen t furth grive t

,and prayit you for Godd is

cause to lay your hand upon h im ; an d then a t las t,bei ng mov it thereto

,us ing your sa id

ve n e fi cal and damn ab il Charms an d wi tchcraft, ye d id uncover h i s leg, an d pat you r fingerthereon

,and on the ground th ree several tymes

,to and fra qrby immed iatlie , by your sa id

ai rt of w rtchc raft an d charms, he fe l l , an d sa id h i s pei n and d i seas was desolvit frae thecrown of h i s head to th e sole Of h i s fu te ; at qlk tyme he was before her tu cth sa heavylyd i seased frae top to toe , th rough al l h i s body , wi th swel l i ng i n h i s bandes , lykw ise arm i s ,l eges and knees

,that h e was unab le to move or turn h imsel f i n th e bed ; but after your said

tu tch,he became able to s i t up , and turn h imsel f i n the bed , an d with i n twa dayes , was

fu llie recove r it, an d wen t furth Q uh ilk su dden recove r ie,togidde r wi th your forme and

manner Of charm ing, an d cu re rn g of be your said tu teh and charmes bei ng spread abroadamang your nybe rs, and the same cum in g to you r ears, abou t 1 4 days after h i s r ecover ie , yesa id to your nybbe rs, emgrace on them that had bewi tched you , that wald not wi tch you oerthe bankes [mg/z r oe/by s/zor e] quhairupon imm ed iatlie aga i n h e fel l aga in i n the sd . sick n es

wors than be fo ir , an d payn et away w i th s ic extre rn etic of s ick n es, that he sen t to you again e ,desyr ing meat out of your hand ; an d after l ong in treatie , ye wald not cum to h im wi th i t,l east your w i tchcraft an d charru es aga i n sou ld cum to lyt, but sen t wt . Swen e you r husband ,

ane bannock,

* afte r long stryving betwix t the sd . Swe n e an d you, qlk of you sou ld give the

samin to h im ; qlk be hav ing eaten , he agai n recove r it prese n tlie thereafte r, and the sd .

s ick n es was cass in be you upon ane cow ,perta i n i ng also to Andro , qlk th en d ied . Q lk

hai l p rem is wer wrough t an d done be your sd . de testab le and devi l i sh ai rt of wi tchcraft an dcharm ing

, qlk ye cannot deny .

I tem,ye the sd . Mari on

,ar indyttit an d accu sit for that

,you bearing ane d eadlie an d

ven e fi call mal ice i n your heart agai n s th e sd . umqu ill Edward H alc ro i n O ve ru re, (as i n

your former dettayes and accu sation is pers i st i ng in ,)an d in c r iss ing your mal ice an d d ive lishi n ten t iones of you r w icked heart

,an d tak i ng occas i on to renew an d bri ng your wicked

i n ten t i on by your sd . wicked a i rt of w i tchcraft,to work h i s r uyin e and death ,— (bei ng set on

edge be a spe itch Spoken be h im to th e sd . Swe n e your husband,when h e was cast i n [tat

z’zzg ] peates to h im in Voi r [seed time] last year, as th e sd . Andro Brown also was cast i npeatis to h im ,

hav ing callit to you r sd . husband , an d bade h im go to you , to desyre you togo to your pobe [n ame

’s husban d] th e devi l ] , an d b id h im loose an c knot , that the sd . Andro

B rown myt be able , be ing then ve r ie waik,to cas t o u t h is bank of peates —

qu rpon ye an dthe sd . Swen e bei ng angri e , awaitting your occas i on to prac ti se your said abom inable a i r tand craft of wi tchcraft

,to des troy an d pu t down the sd . Edward H alc ro , and havi ng cove

nan t i t and con ve rsit wi th the dev ill to bri ng the sa im to pass , (as ane declarat ion O f umqu i llJve n it Fraser, wi tch , whom you desyr it th e devill to move her to ass i s t you doth prove , qlkthe both before and after her convic t ion d id te s tiffi e ,) ye be you r sd . w i cked , de t estable ,abh’ominable an d deve lish ai rt Of w itchcraft

,be i ng transformed i n the lykn es of an pel lack

qu haill, (at the [counsel of the sd. Swen e ,] an d be your consen t an d wish , th e devrll changi ng your sp i ri t , qlk fled i n the same qu haill and the said Edward be ing at sey wi thMalcolm Smyth , sone unto Helen C lou stin , h i s spou s, an d Nicol Smyth , son c to Gri sse l

.Bruce i n Glui s,and Fin land

,servan t to the sd . Edward , al l four i n an e fi sh in g-boat

com ing frae th e sey at the north ban k is of H ild isw ick , on ane fa i r morn ing, th e day Of

Marg inal Note in the handw r i ting of the Mode rator , the n con fe ssit, she sen t the Ban nock .

NOTES TO ITER IV. 2 850

last bypas t,ye d id cum under the sa id boat and ove rtu rn it her wi th ease, and drowned

and devo ir it thame i n ye sey, righ t at the shore, when the re wi s na danger u therwayis, norhazard to have cass i n thame away, i t be i ng s ik fa i r w idder, as said i s . L ykwais when thesaid umqu ill Edward wis fu nd wi th th e sa id umqu ill and you and th e saidSwino your husband wi r sen t for, and brough t to see thame, and .to lay you r hand s on thame

dayis after sa id death and away cast ing, qu haire thei r b lu id was evan i sh ed and

d esolved from every natural cours or caus to sh i e and run , the said umqu ill Edward bled atthe collir bai n or craig bane, and th e sa id i n th e hand and fingers, gush ingout blu id thereat to the great admi rat i on of th e beholders and revelati on of the j udgmen t o fth e A lmytie . A n d by wh ich lyk occasion is and mi racu lous works of God, made man i fest i nmurders

,an d th e murderers , whereby be many frequent occasion es brough t to l igh t, and th e

fn u rde re rs be the sd . proof brough t to j udgment , convi ct an d condemned , not on lie i n th i sk ingdom

,al so th is countr ie

, bu t lykwayis i n mais t forr in Chri st iane k ingdomis ; an d be soman i e frequen t preceden tis and pract i s i ng of an d tu itch ing m u rde r is and mu rde re r is

n otou rllie know n , so that th e foirsaid murder and wi tchcraft of the sad i s persons, wi th th erest of thei r compan ion s , th rough your sa id hu sbands deed , art, part , rad an d cou n sall

, i sman i fes t an d c le ir to not on lie th rough and by the foirsaid precede n tis of your mal ice,wicked and malish is pract ises , by wi tchcraft, con fe ssion is an d declarat ion s of the saidumqu ill Janet Fraser, w i tch , revealed to h er as said i s , and quba w is desyr it by h im to concu r an d ass i s t wi th you to the doi ng thereof ; but lykwais be th e declarati on an d reve lat i onof th e j usti ce and judgme n tis of God , th rough the said issu e ing of bl u id from the bod ies ,qrby booth you and your sai d husband are found tak i n , an d proven i n the art of your saidw i tchcraft and murder ; and spec iallie when th e sa id Marion Peebles alias Pardou n , n ow an

pannel, qu h ilk ye booth rank wi tch and mu rde r ir

,can not deny .

L yk eas ye the said Marion , indyttit and accu sit as ane common rank wi tch , charmerand dec eave r , and quaha wer al l you r dayes , then lx . years an d more , been so report andhalden

,bearing yourself sa, consu l t i ng

,r iv ing wi th the devill i n h i s caus, who d id

change lyk n is appeari ng to you seve rallie ; for that ye bei ng c um ing fra Brecke n to H i ldesw ick

,i n th e mon th of last

, qu he n.

you w i r to be apprehen dit and sent i n forthe foirsayid c rymes to suffer

,th e dev ill th ere i n t he way

,did converse an d appear to you ,

both 1n your go i ng to and frae Brecke n an d H ild isw ick , i n the lykn es of twa corb ies, ane onevery s ide of you , c los at your s ides , goi ng an d happing alon g is the way w i th you to B i ld i sw ick

,an d stayid where you wen t, not leav ing you three quarters of a myle , t i l l Robert

Ramsay ove r tu ik you,when they came ful l flygo ht to th e sey , and the corn land

an d h i ll s ; he then d id chal lenge you anen t th e said i s corbi es,of the cause of thai r so far

accompany ing you,sa ne i r and sa far way

,i t no t bei ng the n atu ir of wyld fu illis to fol low sa

far,an d keep pace sa ne i r approach in g ony man or woman . Ye then d id cast a glos upon i t,

say ing they sm e llit bread on you, qu h ilk made them , (t o qu hom ye sayd ye was cast i ng

bread) to co in e,—qu h ilk wis on lie a l i e maid by you

,con ce e ling . At your re tu rn e they

con tin u it wi th you,an d con ve rsit u t sup ra, als far back agan e as seoi r an d th re tte in . As

lykways , you have not on lie behavid yoursel f as sayd i s, as ane common rank witch , alwayisgivi ng yourself to charm is

, an d never know i ng the trew God , and quhom th e tru ly se n tifyedChryst ar, not sa much as to learn e the L ord is Prayer, nor to repeat th e samen i n al l yourlyfe time , but ar reprob it from God ; has given yoursel f, boith sau l an d bod ie , to serv ing th el )ev ill

,and bund up i n h im

,that you wi l l not mus ter power

,nor w i l l cas t off the Devi l ], sa

mutch as to fol low learn i ng to repeat th e L ordis Prayer, aman g ist Goddis m in i sters andch i ldren , but ar, and has been al l your dayis an e wicked, devi l i sh , fearfu l an d abhom inab lec urser ; quhave r ye ever cursed , ane them ye d isen d it and wish it ev i l to, eve r ie ev i l sick n es,herme and death follow it thereupon

,th row your d iabol ica l tongue, wi tchcraft and

c urs i ng . A n d has ever behav it yourself as ane common wi tch and charmer, taker away ofyour nybe r

’s profe its of the i r roumes , landes , cornes , grass , butte r , key , she ip, and wul , and

a charmer and healer of sum, an d caste r o f s icknesses upon u the rs, and everi e way l iv ing a

damnable , wicked and d iabol i cal lyff, con trari e to God an d h i s commandmen ts . Quhilk

you cannot deny, and quhairfo ir you the sa id Marion ough t and sou ld undergo the tryal ofane assyse , an d being c on victit and adj udged thairfoir to th e death , and your ha il landi s, i f

2 86 NOTES TO ITER IV.

any be,ye have foirfattit

,and your moveab il goods escheat and i nbrough t to h i s Maj esty’s

use,conforme to the lawi s and daylie pract i se of th is realme .

*

The Breth ren cons ideri ng the prem ises at supr a i n the former sh eets of paper .NICO I. WHYTE

,Moder ator .

(Signed) W. ROBERT MURRAY , 6718.Pr ooin .

Curia Just i c iar. vicecomitatu s de Zetland, ten to apud Scal loway Banks , i n castro ibidem,

per ve n erab i les vi ros Mag istrum Jacobum Mouat de O llabe rr ie , Johan n em Stewart de B igtoun

, e t Patr icum Umph ray de Sand , Vicecom itatu s ac J ust ic iar D epu tatu s, die viges imoprimo Mart i s 1 644 .

Curia tenta e t l egi t ima afli rmata.

The qu hilk day compear it James Gray , Pror-fi scal, and produ c it th e d i ttay of wi tchcraftg iven aga in s Marion Pardon and Margare t Gu th ramdaughte r wi tches, pan n e ls, and desyr it'they'

sou ld be acc u sit, and the said d i t ty put to the t rial O f an assyz e ; whereupon th e J udgesDeputes ordain ed them to be cal led

,upon wh ich the Pror-fi scal ask it i nst rumen ts of Court. ~

A SSYZ E.

Jas . Mouat of H amn e Voe . Man i s Fi nlayson i n Bu rrolan d .

O l la Man son of Ilesbrou gb . Man i s Swa i nson i n Ton g in e .

Andro Manson of Mang iste r. Willm . T u llocht i n Ske lbe r r ie .

Thos . Manson i n Brau re . O l la Wi l l iamson i n Glus .L aurene Gresvillson e in Tanw ick . John O rn son e

,sen ior i n En is fi rtb .

Jas . Gryerson e i n Se tter.O l la Gunner i n Sul lom .

Jas . A ndrewson e in '

Uz ea.

Andrew Smyt, younger i n H ildsw icke .

The A ssyz e being recav it,sworn an d adm ittit ; and , after read i ng the d i ttay , an d ex

am inat ion of the pen n e les thereupon , and having recav it the depositiu n es O f d ivers famouswi tnesses

, qu h ilk we r swor n e tu tch ing th e d i t tays , provi ng them ,as lykwayes i n con s idera

t ion of thei r confess ions,an d i n stances marki t an d se t downe i n an d upon the said d ittayis .

T hey pass ing out O f j udgment, an d recon s ideri ng the said i s d ittayis , togidde r wi th the said isdeposition es Of wi tnesses, havi ng n am it O l la Man son e of Ilesbu rgh c han ce llar ; and afterexami n ing the bail poyn tis an d consu l tat ion O f the delus ion s an d con fess i ones of the s aidMari on

,fyllis h i r, that the bail poyn tis O f d i t tay are agai n s h er

,bo ith general an d spec ial,

except theft O f Thomas Of Urab iste r not provi n,an d anen t Edward H alc ro’s malt

, qu he re in

they res t c lau se u re , an dT hey al l i n one vo ice n lls her O f th e haill poyn tis O f d i t tay produ c it, an d rem ittis

se n ten s to the Judges, an d dome to th e demps ter. I n wi t h es qrof su b sc r ib it be th echan ce llar

(S igned) O L L AW MA GNA SSO NE.

Con tin u is sen tence to th e morow xxijMartii 1 644 .

The Judges adj udges and decern s the pan n e lls to be taken brough t hence to the plac eof execu t i on to the Hi l l of Berri e , an d th ere wyryt at an e s tak , and brun t i n ashes , be tw ix

an d 2 aftirn oon e, qlk Andro of O ffi r , dempster, gave for dome .

[ respecting t/zefor egoing Tr ial of lVi z‘e/zes,t/ze or igin al doew n en i was in Me possession of a

Prove n al so Ma r t. Q n thay war wak in g e r , scho sp e i r it qr he r h u sban d w is, q11 answ e tin g h e r spe i r in g gain s h e r h u s ban d ,

scho ass e r ti t h e lay tu tch i n g h e r hand , and w ou ld no t su ffe r h e r to con fe s s .—The No te i s 111 the handw r it i ng of the Modem t o r .

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2 88 A D D IT ION S TO ITER Iv .

many curi ou s de tached c i rcumstances relat i ve to the fi sheri es of Shetland, as th ey were conducted severa l years ago , a few O f wh ich I shal l extract .

D escr iption Of tllo H aaf abou t fifty year s ago, zer/zen su ccou r ing wessels w er e

employed zn g uardi ng cr ew s.

The various art icles for th e grand fi shery be ing prov ided , th e nat ives push i n a body ,al l round th e i s lands , on the same day, wh ich i s common ly the I s t of June , an d a k ind ofannual j ub i lee . They soon reached th e Haaf — “

Th ere they immed iately se t to work,

and persevere w i th th e mos t un rem i t t ing d i l igenc e duri ng the season , wh ich only lasts Sixweek s ; for when th e sun dec l i n es to th e south , the n igh ts grow dark , an d th e succouri ngvessel s frequen tly l ose s igh t Of th e boats u nde r the i r care . These boat s l eft to themselves

,

st r ive to push for th e shore,amidst th e greates t danger , espec ial ly when th ey are stat ion ed

on th e west O f th e Shetlands , abou t 15or To l eagues ou t at sea ; and O ften m i serably peri shwi th i n s igh t of th e shore

,where th e w ive s and ch i ldren of the poor fi shers are the melan

choly wi tnesses Of the i r sad catast rophe , wi thou t be ing abl e to a fford th em any ass istan ce .

”

Many adven turers from the south have for several years past fi sh ed on these coast sw i th uncommon success

,and greatly improved th i s importan t branch of trade . They arrive

on th e coast i n smal l ves sel s of 60 or 20 ton s ; and after purchasi ng thei r boats i n thecountry

,and h i r ing th ei r fi shers by th e month or season mai n tenance i ncluded ; th ey pu t

th ree boats,commonly w i th five men i n each

,under the care of on e vessel th e most ex

pe r ien ced man i n every boat i s made patron or sk ipper.”— “ They proceed to what d i stance

th ese sk ippers d i rect , towing thei r boats wi th proper ropes , placed i n such a manner, thatthey do not ru n fou l of on e an oth er, at any t ime during th e passage . The first day th e meni n each boat ass i st i n beat ing the l i n es

,an d have them al l ready for th e n igh t’s fi sh i ng .

When they are abou t to th row the i r l i nes,th e ve ssel s bri ng to

,an d th e boats are manned

th ey then pu t Off togethe r from the vessel,row i ng d i fferen t ways from each othe r

,on a

certa i n poi n t of the compass,with wh ich each boat i s suppl ied ; an d when they come to the

des igned spot,th ey cast the i r fi rs t buoy . Wh i le th e boats are fish in g

,th e succou ri ng ve ssel s

run arou nd them,tel l i ng them the hour of the n igh t , keeping close to the fi shers

,an d

ch eeri ng them to support the i r sp i r i t s i n th i s dangerou s an d fat igu ing busi ness . Abou t anhou r after sunri se

,th ey begin to take i n th e l i n es

,an d when that i s don e , they return to the

sh ips , where th ey throw th e i r fi sh on board , an d moor the i r boats properly astern , at n ecessary i n terval s. The di fferen t crews , after hav ing refreshed themselves, an d taken some rest ,return to the i r fi sh about noon

,and vi e w i th each other who shal l cure them the best .”

A PPEND IX.

I n th i s Append ix , I shall i n sert a few art icle s I have om i tted treat i ng of.

B r essay— In page 109 , i t m igh t have been stated , that Bressay was th e anc ien t

property Of th e Hendersons O f Gard i e,th e eldes t branch of an early Scand inavian fam i ly

,

descended from a grand Fowde,sen t to Shetland by the King of Denmark i n the 1 sth

tu ry,whose commi ss i on was, unt i l a late date , carefu lly preserved . The i r names ceased

t o be regular pa tronym ics about a cen tury and a hal f ago . At that t ime the i r esta te,wh ich

was th e largest i n the coun try,was d iv ided , accord i ng to th e laws of udal success ion , among

s i x son s . The I s land of Bressay became the prope rty of the late Thomas Mouat, Esq. ofGarth , by marriage wi th the n i ec e an d he i ress of the late James Henderson , Esq. of Gardie .

I t Is now in possess i on of h i s neph ew Wil l i am Mouat , Esq.

Coal—fi s/z. —In page 78, th e part icular manne r i n wh i ch th e fi sh ing of the Gadu scarbon ar iu s i s conduc ted , was n ot descr ibed . But i n a pamph let publ i shed A .D . 1 787 ,

en ti t led Considerat i on s on th e Fi sh eri es i n th e Scot t i sh I slands,i t i s part i cu larly men t ioned,

and I understand that i t i s conducted i n th e same manner at th e presen t day . The coalfi sh are taken i n th e Rou sts of Sumburgh and Scaw .

“ The yawl con tai n s th ree an d somet im es fou r men , for th e cole-fi she ry. Each of theboats i s rowed by two men the others are placed one at the s tern and another at th e h ead,w i th floati ng l i n es th rown out On th e t ide-s ide th e hook being ba i ted wi th the wh i tes t partof the bel ly of th e cole , cu t nearest to the s ize of a herr i ng . The rowers d i rec t th e boat asc lose to the edge of the broken water as they can wi th safety ; for were they to fal l i n to thet ide

,they must peri sh

,as no ass i stance cou ld be given them . They exert the i r u tmost

s trength on th i s occas i on,to keep the hook always on th e surface

,whi l s t th e fi shers fix

the i r eyes on the bai t,as the more the wate r i s ra i sed by the forc e of the t ide, th e more

successfu l the fi sh i ng proves,as th e dece i t i s better concealed . Whenever the col es come

to th e surface of the water,they are then i n quest of herrings

,and i f the fi shers fi n d any i n

the i r s tomach s,th ey deem i t a treasu re

,an d apply smal l p ieces of i t over th e other ba i t.

When the t ide i s run an d th e fi sh follows,h e d rags for i t, by putt i ng to the l i ne a lead or

sinker,wh ich i s commonly a pound an d a hal f weigh t ; th i s be i ng let down i n to th e wate r

to th e depth of twen ty fathoms or more , he haul s i t up wi th al l qu ickness possible . Thusth e decepti on takes plac e most powerful ly, and the fi sh a im ing at the herring i n mot i on

, and

seemingly runn i ng away, i s th e more easi ly taken . Th i s spec ies a lways plunges deeper i n tothe water

,i n proport i on as the t ide wears weak .

”

2 90 APPEND IX.

lV/zales.

— In page 1 72 , i t m igh t have been Observed wi th regard to any whale bei ngdriven ashore, that , accord i ng to the old laws of Shetland , i t was not a droi t of Admiral ty ,unless i t was too large to be drawn by four oxen .

Sbeep-Pastn r es .

— In page 1 85, I was apprehen sive of havi ng too strongly reprobated th epract ice of rooi ng sheep

,wh i ch i s m uch abused

,from the neglect of selec t i ng a proper t ime

for the operat ion, (i f, i ndeed , any t ime be j ust ifiable for its adopt i on ,)when the wool i s not

natural ly loosened . I fi n d,how ever

,that Mr L ow , i n h i s Fauna O rcade n sis, i s i nfin i tely

m ore dec i sive than mysel f i n protest i ng aga i ns t the prac t ice . He call s the penns,i n wh ich

the roo i ng i s performed,a plac e Of exec ution , where th e wool i s torn , not shorn , O ff th e

backs O f the sheep, —“ah Operati on , he adds, “ that brings the whole blood i n to the i r sk i n

,

an d i s not only d i sgust i ng,but

,i f the season proves harsh

,i s th e cause of great des truc t ion .

”

Miss Campbel l,th e w ri ter whom I have la tely quoted , Observes , that “ the wool i s n ot cu t

Off with sheers,bu t pul led u p by th e roots , and the an imal i s l eft qu i te naked that

,too

,i n

the mon th Of May , when the weather i s often extremely cold an d s tormy i n Zetland . I t i ssupposed tha t th e wool gets coarse from be ing cu t, and th i s barbarous pract ice i s con t inuedfor the sake Of preserving wool very fi ne .

”

Reg en t’s E

'

s/ting B ank , pag e 230.— I have rece ived a few add i t i onal part i culars respe c t

i ng th i s bank,from a young man

,Arthu r H alc ro

,employed i n fish ing upon i t this year, who

a ttended me th rough th e vari ou s parts Of Shetland,when I v i s i ted the country . He states

,

that forty vessel s were th i s summer employed on th e bank , who m et with th e greates tsuccess

,wheneve r th e weathe r was favourable . Th e depth O f water on i t

,he con s iders to

be from 4 6 to 70 fathoms ; an d he supposes i t to term i nate i n a poin t from wh ich Foula l ie sE. by S .

Popu lation — In Shet land th i s i s a curi ou s i nvest igat ion , bu t i t requ ir ies so many data "

before we can accoun t for the variat ion s i t has exh ibi ted,that I would rather decl i n e th e

task of enter ing upon the subj ect at al l,than treat of i t m ost imperfectly . The number Of

i nhabi tan ts was est imated i n th e year 1 755at i n the year 1 793 at and i n1 8 10 at Mr Sheri ff

,i n the la tter peri od

,conce ived

,that the cu l ti vated land did not

exc eed or 50 square m i les ; that the populat ion was equal to any part of the Bri t i shEmpi re where great tow n s d id not prevai l , an d that there were not fewer than 4 60 person supon each square mark of land that i s cu l t ivated ; the Scathold add ing l i t tle to wealth an dsupport .

A n cien t M u sic of S/zetland .

—In page 253 an d 259 al lu s ion was made to the Day-Dawnand to the Foula Reel

,two Shetland a irs

,th e fi rs t O f them be ing very anci en t . Ey t he

k indn e ss O f M r Henderson Of Bard iste r,I have procured a copy of these melodies, as they

have been set by Mi ss Kemp of Ed i n burgh , a teacher of acknowledged musical taste an dabi l i t i es

,to whom I fee l part icu larly obl iged for th i s favour. A nat ive Shetland song, to th e

tun e of the Foula Reel,first appeared among an i ngen ious col lect ion of poems

,wr i tten by

M iss Chalmers of L erw ick,and i t i s cop ied from t hem e i n page 259 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

IN D EX.

A ith svoe , 182.

A g r ic u l tu ral Socie ty , 202, an d Preface .

A rmada , S pan ish , shipw r eck of, on th e She tlan dcoast , 4 , 29, 196.

Baa , 260.

Bai l iff , an cie n t , of She tland , 100, 101.B ai l iasta ,

K irk of, 157.

Bal ta Sou n d ,163 .

B ig se tte r Voe , 204.

B lack cattle , 168 , 177.B lan d , 177 , 252.

B ledoc , 207 .

Boats , 9 , 222.

Boatmen , 197.

Boo th s , 169 .

Bot hwe ll , Earl of, an e cdote of, 112.

B oumack s of O rkn ey , 136 .

B rossay an d Brossay Sou n d , 109 , 111,B r oon ie s , 207.

B row n i e (a domest ic tr ow ,)205to 207 .

B u idy, 207 .

Bu i ll 184 .

B u i ll , Head , 125.B u rgh ,

Baron s of , 114.

B u rg hs , an c i e n t , 86 , 107 149, 156 , 171, 195, 850.

B u r ra Voe , i n Ye ll , 169B u r r olan d , 89.

Bu sta , 181.

B ysm er , 209 .

Ca’in g

-whale , see Delph i n u s dedu ctor.Camag e , 135.

Carb u n cle , supe rst i t ion re lat in g to , 275.Carm e lan , (ve sse l so n amed), sh ipw reck of, 117.

Cassi e s , o r s t raw-baske ts . 179.

Casual ties of su pe rior i ty, 134.

Catfi r th , 113.

Ch r i stian i ty , i n trodu ct ion of, 162, 236 .

Ch romate of Iron , 164 , 278, and Preface .

Chape ls , old , 198, 203 , 236.

Cl iff-H i lls , 71.

Coal-fi sh , 78 , 289. (See also S i llocks an d Piltock s .)Cod

h

Fi sh

)e r y, 230, 251, 290. (See also L in g Fi s

e ry.

Colafi or'

d Voe , 218.

Con i n g sb u r g , 91.

Cor nwate r s , 259.

Costume of th e Natives , 9, 24, 82, 188.

Cottag es , 21, 243.

C r u c i fi e ld , 160.

Cu llsw ick , 195.

Cu pp in g , mode of, 244.

D ay-daw n , an an c ie n t ai r , 253.

Death s an d Fu n e rals , cu stoms an d su pe rsti t ion s1 e lati n g to , 248, 249.

Delph i n u s ded u c t-or , or ca’i ng whale ,

D e pe n dan ts or Retain e IS i n t roduced by L ordpRob e r t S te u art , 75.

of Scotlan d , b ou n d by on ob l igation ofmam ou t 140.

B ik e s , 168 , 203 .

D or eholm , 234.

D u n r ossn ess , 8 , 13.

Eag le shaw , 238.

Eshan e ss , 234.

Eswick , 114.

Fai r Isle , 4 , 27.

F e idelan d , 220.

Fe st ivi ties , 252.

Fetlar , Islan d of, 148.

Feve r s , ravag es of, 243:F i sh i n g S tation , description of, 221.Fitfi e l-Head , 8 , 70.

Fi ts prevalen t d u rin g d ivi n e se rvice , 158.

F ladi b i ste r , 92.

F lok e , (a p i rate ,)an ecdote of, 201.Food , 207 .

Fonde o r Fow de , 100, 101.Fou la Ree l , 291.

Forti fi ed si te s of g i ou n d , 72,Fou la , Islan d of, 274.

F rau a-S tac ,k 250.

Fu n z ie , 150.

Gar thsn ess , 72.

Gio , de fi n i t ion of, 73 .

Gi r lsta, Lake of, 201.Godse n ds , 197 .

G rass um , 43 , 132.

G r u tn e ss Voe , 12.

Gu e , 259.

Gu i sards , 257 .

G u lbe r sw ick , 278.

Haaf , 221, 288.

Habi tat ion s , an cien t and mode rn . (See also Co t t~ag e s), 167 , 241, 246.

H ad dog s , 184.

H amb u rgh Trade rs , 169 , 217.

Harves t , 204 , 276.

H ascosea , 169.

Hawk-h e n s , 134 , 176.

H e lga Wate r , 232.

H e lye r , 170.

H e rman e ss , 158.

H e r rin g-F ish e ry, 214.

H i llsw i ck , 228 .

Hoga, 199.

Hospi tali ty g en e ral Iemark s

In fi e ld , 202.

Iron -m i t a , 71.

pyI ite s , 72.

INDEX.

011 , 277.

J u ri sd ic t ion of Shetlan d , h istory of, 99 , 143. (Seealso H istory of Udal le IS.

J ugga, 171.

Ke lp , 169 , 207 .

K i rk-Holm ,196.

Kim -M i lk , 177 , 207 .

Kive r in s , 188 .

K le b e r , 244.

Kl ibbar , 179.

Kn o ts,su pe rst i t ion s of, 269.

Lagman . (Se e Lawman an d Fou de.)L at ltu d e of Sh e tlan d , 1.

Lan d mai l l , 43 .

L an g uago, 11, 224 , 275.L awman , 102. (Se e also Fonde .

L aw-book, an c ie n t , 102.

L aw r ig ht-man , 39 , 101.

L aw tin g s , 99, 149. 160.L ew i sme n , 79 , 275.

L e rw i r k , 107 .

L igh t hou se (Sumbn h ,

L i n e s , fi sh i n g . (Se e L i n g an d Cod F i sh er ies.)L in g -fi sh e 1y , 216 , 220, 225, m , 229, 288.

L i ts or D ye s , 188.

L odg e s , F i sh e rm en s’, 221.

L on g evi ty , 244 .

L on g i tu de, of Sh e tlan d, 1.L u bba, 183.

L u gg i e’s Kn oll , 111.

L u n n a, 114.

Ma i seys , 180.Mag n u s , St , , 236 .

Man re n t . (See Depen dan ts.

Man u re , 201.

Mai k of Lan d , 35, 131.Udal le rs. )

Marriag e s , 247 , 253 .

Mavis G ri n d , 216.

M ed ic in e s , an c ie n t , 244 .

M ed i na S idon ia, Du ke of,A rmada.)

M e ikle Roe, 214.

M e ith s, 221 .

M i ll , 205.

Mogg ies l ive 1ed an d moppingMolu cca b ean s , 1

"

11.

M ou n ess Cast le , 164.

Mou sa, 8 6.

M u sic , 258.

Nat ives , phys iog n omy of, 23 .

Navi r , G ri n d of,Noss , 109.

O pgeste r , an d cu stom of opgeO tte r s , 242.

(See H is tory of th e

an ecdote of. (See

252.

ster ie , 128.

O x an d sh e e p silve l , (or pen n y), 48 , 112.O u tfi e ld , 202.

2 9

O u tsk e r r ie s , 116.

Papa S tou r , 249.

Parish es , r eg u lation s of, 239.Pas tu res , 204.

Pat r on ym ics, 247.

Peat , 178Pi ltock s , 2

5.

Plou gh , 200.

Poor , (Paroch ial Reg u lation s), 240.

Popu lat ion , 290.

Pou l try-fow ls ,Pu t ti n g -ston e , 275.

Quar f, 199.

Q u e n dal , 12, 19, 69.

Q u e rn , 205.

R 1admen ,103.

Raith s , 221.

Ran se lme n , 39 , 100, 143 , 239.

Reg e n t’s F i sh in g Ban k , 230, 290.

Re n ta l , an ci e n t , 133.R iv l in s , 24 .

Reads, 106 .

Roe n e ss Voe an d H il l , 225.Roe r Water , 218.

Roman A n t iqu i ties, 13, 30, 148 , 156 .

Roman ce s , an cie n t Norse , 258 , 280.

Ron an s, 198.

Room s , 167 .

Rou s ts, 77 , 156 , 163 , 289.

Ru e i n g , 185, 290.

Ru n ic I n scri pt ion s , 237 , 248.

San dlodg e (M in es), 90, 142.

San dn e ss , 264 .

San d Voe , (Nor thmavi n e), 224.San dw ick , 81.

Saxavo r d ,159.

Saxe’s Ke t tle , 164.

Scal loway ,93 .

Bay of, 196.

Seat , 36.

S cath olds , 37 , 70, 199 .

Scraada , h ole s of, 235.S e n a Gu ll , 276.

Scu dle r , 257 .

Sea ls , 166 , 251, 261, 274.

Seas , su pe rs ti tion s of, 260.

Seate r , 177 .

Sepu lch ral remai n s , 69, 166 , 182 ,218, 237 , 238 , 248.

Sh e e p , 70, 182, 209 , 290.

Sh e l l -fi sh fou n d i n S umb u rgh , 81.

Sh e l ty , 70, 157 , 179.

Sh e t lan d ,h i story of, dark pe r iod , l 3.

—Su bd u ed b yHarold , 34 .

— Become s pledged to Scotlan d , 42.(S e e H i story of th e Udal le rs. )

Shyn d-b il l . 122.

Shoopi ltee , 234 , 261.

S i llocks , 25, 31, 182,S in clai rs , of Hou se Islan d , 198.

O rkn ey , (Fou r b rothe rs), 115.S trom ,

201.Skeo , 169, 207 .

Ske rry Figh t , 118.

Spad e , 179 , 200.

S pe rre , Mali s , fe ud of, 199.Ste e pled Chape ls , 198.

S te i n barte s , 83 , 141.Ste n n e ss , 235.

S tock-fi sh , 170, 207.

S ton e-A xes . (Se e S te in bartes.)S tewarts , Earl Rob e rt , 74. (See also H istor y of

th e Udal le rs.)

294 INDEX.

Patr ick , 93. D itto.

S trom , L ake of, 202.

S umb u rgh , 73.

Sw in e , 70, 177.

Sword-dan ce , 252.

Tai t , D avid Gilb ert, 151.Tan gwi ck , 234.

Te i n ds , 137, 227Temple s , Scan d i navian , 159.

Ten an ts , k i n dly , 132.

Ten u res, Fe udal , i llu stration s of, 132.

Udal , 119.

F ish in g , 226.Th u l e , 275.

T i n gwal l , 98.

Toasts , 208.

Torsk or Tu sk fi sh , 116, % 2.Town s , 167 .

Tow n -mai ls,177.

Tow s , 222.

T rees , 178.

Trade s , 208 .

Trolhou lan d , 189.

Trow s , 189.

Sea , 160, 264.

Tu skar , 179.

Vai ley , 264 .

Vario la, mode of treatin g , by J ohn Wi ll iamson , 238.

Ve Ske r ri es , 262.

Vem en try , 241.

Vi ll ian s , of Ur e , 235.Viseck s , 259.

V ivda , 170, 207 .

Voe , 73 .

Volcan ic Produ cts , 150.

Vord H i lls , 159, 226 , 241 , &c .

Udal Lan ds, or ig i n an d de fi n i t ion of 36 , 37 , an d 115.

—Te n u re s , n atu r e of, 119 to 121.

—Law s , or ig in an d d ive r si ty of , 121 to 131, an d 145.

— Law s , pe rfe c t ly d is ti n c t from Feu dal con d it ion s , 131, 132.

Udal le rs , h i s tory of. Mode of adju st i n g a mark oflan d , 35to 37 What par t of th e i r lan d s w e rel iab le to scat , an d th e i r mode of pay in g i t , 37 .

O ppre ssed b y th e mothe r cou n t ry of Norway ,38. Sh e t lan d con sti tu ted i n to a Fow dr ie , 38 .

Re lat ion s of Udal le rs to the Earl of O rkn ey , 39.

B u rde n s of t i th e s , umboth s an d wat tle , 40.

O r i g in of law s of u dal s u cce ssion , 40. Lan dsdu rin g th e Nor weg ian Gove r nm e n t n eve r feudalised , 41. T he Earldom of O rkn ey , i n c lu d in gS h e tlan d ,

acc ru e s to Hen ry S i n c lai r of Scotlan d , 42 . O rkn ey an d Sh e t lan d b e come p ledged

to th e Scottish Crown ,w i th a s tipu lat ion that

th e i r an c ie n t law s shou ld b e p re se i ved in violate ,

42.—Fe udal i ty fi rst i n trod u ced i n to She tlan d in

i ts m i ldes t form . 43.— Udal le rs d is t i n g u ish

themse lve s fr om fe u dal ten an ts b v th e n ame

of Rothm e n or Roythme n,44.

—New Sco t ti shse ttle rs e n deavou r to set as ide th e old law s ofu dal su cce ssion , an d i n t rodu ce n ew e r on es , morefavo u rab le to p rim og en i tu re , 44 , l 45.

—Udal le r su n de r S i r J a. S in clai r , r e s ist th e i nvas ion ofth e i r u dal r igh ts , by d efeat in g th e Ear l of

Cai th n e ss , 45.- Lord Rob e r t S te uart b ecomes

fe uar of O rkn ey an d She tlan d ,45.

—'J h e C row nc reates a n um be r of fe udal vassals , 45.

—G ran tto Lord Rob e rt S te uart revoked i n favou r of th eEarl of Bosw e ll , who was c reated D u ke ofO r kn e y , 46 .

—Probab le i n te n t ion s of S c o tlan dn eve r to part w i th O rkn ey an d Sh e tlan d , 46.

Lord Robe r t S tewart , re i n stated as fe uar of

O r kn ey an d She tlan d , who exchan g es h i s A bbeyof Holyrood for th e tem poral e states of th eBi shopr ic of O rkn ey , 47.

—O pp ression s of th eu dal le r s u n de r h im , in h is e n deavou r s to w r es tfrom th em the ir e states

,47 , 48.

— Lord Rob er t d eposed , an d imp ri son ed for h is pe rsec u t ion s , 48 .

—Re in ~xtated i n h is possess ion s , w i th th eadd i t ion al pow e rs of J u sti c iar also c reatedEar l of O rkn ey an d Lord of Z e tlan d , an d afte ra tem porary e xc lu s ion from th e posse ssnon ofth e B i shop r ic , re stored to it , 49.

-Agai nd is posed , 50. Earldom g ran ted to L ordChan ce l l or of Sco tlan d an d th e Lor d J u s ticeC l e rk , 50.

— Lord Rob e rt S te uar t re in stated , whoass um es the pow e r , i n con sequ e n ce of h i s n ew

g ran t , of ove r r u l i n g th e dec re e s of Cou rt w i threg ard to u dal lan ds , an d of con fi scatin g e state s ,50,52.

—Patrick Ste uar t, son to Robe rt , i s i nve stedw i th th e Ear ldom , who e xe r c ise s pow e rs of them os t i l legal k i nd i n h i s d es ig n s on u dal lan ds ,52,53 .—De posed , 53 .

—H is e states n ot i mmed iate lyd e clared to b e forfe i ted an d for w hat reason ,54 ,

-O r kn e y an d Sh e tlan d agai n an n exed to th eC row n , an d arran g eme n ts i n con sequ e n ce , 55.

(1 ran ted to Farm e r s , 56.—A l te r ed state of u dal

te n u r e s after th e forfe i tu re ofEarl Pat r ick , 56 ;57 .

- Tyran n ie s of th e Tacksm en to whomO rkn ey an d She tlan d w e re Jet , 57 . Euc r oachme n ts on th e posse ssion s of th e u dalle rsby th e n ew se t t le rs , 59.

—Earl of Mortonacqu i r es possession of th e C r ow n e state s ofO rkn ey an d Sh e tlan d

, on th e p lea of a mor tgag e , an d u su rps a d i rect su pe rior i ty ove r u dallan d s , 60. an d Sh e tlan d se i z ed u pon

by Cromw e ll , 60.—A g i n r e sto r ed , on p l ea. o f a

mor tgag e , to the Mor ton fam i ly , 61.—Dou g lass

of S pyn i e , F i c tor of th e Crow n re n ts , fe u da l ise sn early all th e udal lan ds , an d adds to th e

d i stre sse s of th e u dal l e rs, (11.— De nmark fai l s i n

ob tai n in g an ack n ow ledgm en t that O r kn e y an dShe t lan d we re h e ld i n p l edg e to thi s pow e r , 62.

—O rkn ey an d Sh e tlan d r e-an n exed to th e

Crow n , b y the can ce l l in g of the c la ims of th e

M or ton Fam ily , 64 .— (1r k u ey an d S he t lan d le t

ou t to Tac ksm e n , 65.—~ S tate of B i sh o ps

’re n ts ,66 .—Earl of Morton r e in s tated ,

w i th n ew

pow e rs , 66 .—H e ob ta i n s a d i schar g e of th e

reve r sio n , b u t is de pr ive d of th e ju ri sd i c t i on ofth e i slan ds

, (16 .

— S e l l s h is i n te re s t i n th e i s lan dsto S i r Law re n ce D u n das , 6 6.

—Eife cts ar i si n gfrom th e an ci e n t in ju r ie s wh ich O rkn ey an d

Sh e tlan d have su stai n ed , 67 .—Te rm i nat ion of a

law -su i t b r ou gh t by S i r Law r e n ce l 'u n das ,r e lative to th e lan ded ten u res of Sh e tlan d , 138.

Un icorn Rock, 112.

Urn s , an c ie n t se pu lch ral , 166 , 182.

Uyea Sou n d , (U n st), 165.

Wadme l , 35, 187 ,Wate r , su c e r stition s respec t i n g , 164 , 232 , 272.

1Vattle , 48 , 134 .

W eapon s of War , an c ien t, 85, 141.

W e igh ts an d Measu res , 133, 209.

Whale s , 261, 290. See also De lph i n u s Dedu cto r.Whalsey, 116 .

Wh i ten e ss , 201.

W i tch c raft , h i s tory of, 265, 280.

W001, 187 .

W'recks

,245

,265, 277.

Yagg e r s, 214 , 265.

Yaw l s . Se e boats.

Ye lab u r n , 164 .

Ye l l, 169.

Ye ll Sou n d , 172.