Old Orkney Photograph Phun

Dusty and I began our morning when our Very Orcadian Colleague invited us to inspect these fantastic photos. He often brings through examples of interest, mirth or mystery and these delighted us.


The first is a positive image printed on glass of a group of four.

Photographs of this vintage rarely include people smiling as the exposure times were too long for sitters to hold a smile for. Dusty and I thought the woman looked particularly grim and wondered if she was having a bad day. VOC informed us that they were 'probably all in clamps' to keep them still (photographers used posing rods and neck rests to help sitters to remain static) and wondered why we were not more intrigued by the fellow on the right who was feeling his fellow sitter's ear and holding what appeared to be a small pipe.

What's his deal?

The instruction not to smile clearly caused this wee lass some mirth and we were amazed by how modern this picture seemed. It could have been taken yesterday. VOC thought it was early twentieth century and guessed from THE WALL BEHIND HER that it was taken on the isle of Westray.

The Orkney Photographic Archive comprises of close to 70,000 images of people, places, transport, archaeological digs, sporting events, terrifying creatures, mystery (poo-like) objects and many, many more subjects and/or events. Most of these are available to peruse in the Archive Search Room on the first floor of Orkney Library.

We can photocopy and scan images we own the copyright of and VOC can makephotographic prints for you in his Tardis-like darkroom.

Update: VOC investigated the origin of this photograph and it was indeed taken on Westray.





Archive in a Pandemic A-Z: O is for

OPEN, ORKNEY ROOM and ODD THINGS

Keen observers may have noticed we have skipped a week. This was due to our inability to see the screen through the tears of woe from losing our esteemed leader to retirement last week. Finally our wet squelchy faces are more normal looking and the public feel it's safe to come in again. 

For we are OPEN! Yes, unlike mainland Scotland, Orkney is currently* in Level 3 which means that the Library and Archive can remain open. Our opening hours are here and you have to book in advance. 

The reason you have to book in advance is so that through emails or telephone calls we can establish what sort of archives or Orkney Room books you would like to see. Then we can make sure the items you request are sitting on the table by the time you come in. So your time here can be used up by looking at the items you want to see, rather than having to search for them. This method also reduces the interaction between staff and visitors on the day of the booking. 

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ORKNEY ROOM 

Our local studies room has been redesigned so that visitors are well spaced out. 

Excess furniture has been removed so that there is room to move around while keeping your distance from other visitors. 

The computer catalogue is available to use in the Orkney Room, we just ask visitors to sanitise their hands before and after using it.

We allow browsing of the shelves, and ask people to leave any books they have touched on the quarantine table. 

Quarantine Table

Used books are set aside for 72 hours before being re-shelved. 

Sadly our beloved card catalogues can not be used during this time of restriction, as we've no way to monitor which cards have been touched or a way to clean the cards without damaging them. 

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ODD things from the Orkney Room:

Extract from Peace's Almanac 1885

ODD things from the Archive:

L8555-2 PHOTO Probably the parade in celebration of the Coronation of King George VI on 12th May 1937. 

Spotted by our eagle-eyed VOC**, this 1937 Kirkwall fair float carries a CORONA washing machine. I'm not sure if it was an actual make of washing machine or just a joke on the day of the Coronation. But it would be NOT popular today. 

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*fingers crossed this status doesn't change by the time I publish this on Monday 25th January..

** VOC = Very Orcadian Colleague.

20 Days of Orkney Trees #14

Most of the archive staff are not Orkney-born and so we often ask our Very Orcadian Colleague to enlighten us when puzzled by local dialect, confused by 'Orcadian ways' or curious about growing up in the County.

I asked VOC about his early tree memories and he talked about a small wood being planted outside his school. Said wood is now full of hefty -trunked trees but our colleague remembers them being 'nothing but sticks'.

I asked what year this could have been was told to mind my own beeswax. Undeterred, I looked through the Phoenix Photographic collection (Dougie Shearer's archive) and found this great shot of all the tiny, newly planted saplings with the path winding through them. I think this photo dates from the early 1960s but don't tell VOC I said that...

Iron Box of Jewels #4

Our last post has inspired our group and other researchers to try different sources and find more information about James Keith and the jewels. 

We now have two leads for the origin of the jewels:
a) with James Keith from Benholm and Dunnottar Castles or 
b) a shipwreck in Shetland.
Option a) was our first lead and the family which were intricately connected with the Keiths during this time period were the Strachans. The Clan Strachan Society website has information on the story of the robbery from Benholm Castle 

I wrote to the Clan Historian, who replied with the following information:

I would refer you to an article in our newsletter, page 3. I wrote it from a Strachan perspective, but it has some information you may be interested in, much of it from the book "Bonnet Lairds" by Colin Thornton-Kemsley:

"early 1623, while the Earl Marischal, then aged 70, was away from his castle of Dunnottar, his Countess, her son James and Sir Alexander Strachan - in secret and cover of darkness - carried the whole furnishings and valuables from Benholm Castle and Dunnottar to Thornton, where the Countess went to live with the Laird while the Earl Marischal was still alive"

Thornton Castle, near Laurencekirk

Regarding your blog, it was not just James Keith and his mother, but Alexander Strachan of Thornton (his mom's lover) who all took belongings and valuables from Dunnottar and Benholm back to Thornton, where they all lived while the Earl Marischal was still alive. This tells you about the relationship (or lack thereof) James Keith had with his father. The three of them took up residence at Thornton thereafter. Also

After some legal banter back and forth, a settlement was agreed upon by the parties. The Countess Marischal, now married to Strachan, had to yield up the heirlooms but she was permitted to retain her share of the jewellery and a large proportion of the plenishings. The lands and barony of Benholm were conveyed by James Keith to his stepfather Sir Alexander Strachan who then surrendered them to the new Earl Marischal.

It appears James was born about 1600, and Alexander Strachan of Thornton was born 1587. It is my opinion that Alexander and Margaret were both dead before 1648, when the Thornton Estate was taken possession by a remote relative, James Strachan of Inchtuthill (Alexander Strachan had no children). I would suggest a high probability the case of jewels were his mothers (Margaret Ogilvy, the ex-countess Marischal), and were likely given to him by his step-father Sir Alexander Strachan of Thornton, Bart. when she died. I would also suggest a moderate to high probability that James Keith was residing at Thornton, with his mother and step-father between 1624 to no later than 1647-1648. Alexander Strachan of Thornton, who despite the scandal, maintained a high political profile/office with the Crown and was frequently absent from Thornton. It seems reasonable to think James Keith remained at Thornton to manage the Estate for his mother and step-father."

One question remains to me that if the jewels rightfully belonged to James Keith, then why were they to be conveyed to the Earl of Morton when possible? 

Option b) might explain this. Our last post (Iron Box of Jewels #3) was shared on the Institute for Northern Studies Facebook page and we received this suggestion from Colin Dicke:

"On the 2nd March 1653 the VOC [Dutch East India Company] flute Lastdrager went aground on the Island of Yell in Shetland. The ship had previously been damaged in a storm as it attempted to navigate the English Channel on the way to Batavia (present day Jakarta).

It was rumoured that the ship was so heavily laden with contraband that the Captain would not allow the cargo to be unloaded for proper repairs to be undertaken on the island of Texel. So when it set sail again, it was already in poor condition when it was hit by a second storm, and quickly broke up on the rocks.  One survivor was an 18 year old boy who later gave a detailed account of the events that followed. After finding refuge in a blacksmiths workshop, the boy (Johannes) and the other 22 survivors managed to rescue a few chests of silver and brandy. Johannes troubles were only beginning, however, as the men drank the brandy and squabbled over the silver, with some attempting to kill the others to make away with their share. Johannes however managed to convince a smaller group to attempt to get back to Holland, and together they managed to recruit the assistance of the local laird, Ninian Neven. With the aid of Neven, the remaining crew managed to fend off other attacks from the breakaway group. And, using some of the retrieved silver they purchased a ship suitable to take them back to Holland. The remaining treasure was buried nearby.

The Lastdrager may have looked like this

On the 29th March (Johannes gives the date as 8th April), James Keith of Benholm arrived in Yell with a band of 60 soldiers in search for the shipwrecked treasure. According to Johannes, Keith was unsuccessful in stealing any of the silver, but in the skirmish that ensued Nevens daughter was attacked, then shot. She died soon afterwards. Eventually Johannes and the others made his way back to Holland and in the following year to his destination of Batavia. On the 11th January 1684 he was appointed Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. In the 1970s the site of the shipwreck was dived by the underwater archaeologist Robert Stenuit, who recovered many items including early examples of golf clubs and clay pipes. No more silver or valuables have been publicly recovered.

This may be irrelevant to your quest, but it could well be possible that Keith was able to recover some of the contraband treasure. Some of which may be referred to in the documents you cite."

So, if Keith was able to recover some of the treasure and as he still factor for the Earldom Estate at the time would he have acted on behalf of the Earl of Morton? Would that be why the jewels should be passed on to the Earl when he came out of exile? The Palaeography Group are currently transcribing a document from 1653 which mentions James Keith, Shetland and silver. Hopefully it will shed some more light on this particular story. 

One of our regular followers helped us to discover a word in the original document which we were puzzling over. The word looked like pikworth at first and we thought it might be a measure of gold, as the phrase looked like "a pikeworth case of gold".

Extract from Morton Earldom Papers GD150/2531/4

Our follower GenKnit (and her daughter) soon discovered that we were wrong and that the word was in fact "piketooth" which today would be "toothpick" and therefore the phrase would be a "a piketooth case of gold". Here is what one might have looked like, taken from this website.

Thank you to all who have helped so far. We will continue to research this mystery and report any findings we make. If you have any ideas for information, please comment below or contact Orkney Library & Archive through our Facebook or Twitter pages. http://www.orkneylibrary.org.uk/

We're All Goin' On An Archives Holiday!

It is getting to that time of year when we get slightly busier and the customers start to get a lot less local.

It is lovely to get visitors but it sometimes seems a shame that people have to travel so far to do their research. (Many travel from Australia and Canada each year.)

So we are leaving. We shall hire a big bus, Cliff Richard style and take a road trip South. We shall affix an enormous speaker to the roof which shall blast our theme tune  as we go and we'll just take the archives on the road okay? I'll just let the others in on my brilliant new outreach plans....

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I just ran this idea past Dusty who fell into a deep swoon after shrieking " the archives away from their strongrooms... NEVER!" and had to be revived with old treasure hunt chocolates and meths from the cleaning cupboard.

The Fonds just assumed I was joking and clipped me on the ear with a commonty of Rendall.

VOC has locked himself into the darkroom with the Tom Kent negatives.

So the plan's off.

"Thanks for nothing guys!" I hear you shout; "what if we can't visit? What then huh? HUH?"

Then simply get in touch dear readers: we conduct much of our research by phone, letter and email.
Contact details are here.
Or keep reading our blog posts.

Fly Me To Dunoon

Today, in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk upon the surface of the moon. All over earth, human beings huddled around their glowing television sets to watch this unprecedented event unfold. It was immense; a historical moment which no-one would ever forget.

"How simple to commemorate this day," I thought, "I shall simply post whatever the Orcadian and its letter-writing readers had to say about such a momentous symbol of human endeavour. I shall check the relevant paper immediately."

Above, you can see the cover of The Orcadian which succeeded the moon landing. The main stories are about the proposed flying doctor service, council house allocations and the Junior Inter-County Sports tournament between Orkney and Shetland. The front-page photograph is of a child jumping over a stick. Not, you will notice, a man walking on an orb hitherto undisturbed by a human toe.

Puzzled, I turned the pages, gradually coming to the end of the next week's paper. No mention. Not a word, sentence or picture.

Not being an Orcadian myself, I wondered if, for some reason, Orcadians were just not bothered by this event that had transfixed others. I put my query to a Very Orcadian Colleague:

"No...", he mused, "we did know aboot it. But all the Sooth papers probably had it covered, so they'll hiv thought 'Why bother?'"

"Ah" I said, "perhaps I should check the paper before the moon landing as there were probably anticipatory articles in the run up to the event"

"Ah no", VOC demurred "that wouldna be the Orcadian way. We would hiv all been waiting to see if it actually happened first."

"I see," I said. "Do we have any spacey things to post today then?"

I was directed to the photographs of Sandy Wylie, former technician at Kirkwall Grammar School and an inventor and photographer of note. he took some beautiful photographs through telescopes and lenses (which he ground himself) and below you can see his images of stars and the moon.