Alice, Margaret and Their Rivers

The St Magnus Festival has drawn to a close once more and, yet again, some fabulously talented performers have thrilled, moved and delighted both Orkney dwellers and visitors alike.

The poet Alice Oswald performed her work in both Stromness and Kirkwall and amazed audiences by reciting lengthy selections from several of her collections FROM MEMORY. With one foot tapping in time with her poetry's rythymn, back-lit by the stained glass sunlight of King Street Halls, she seemed, as a fellow audience member put it, 'a force of nature'.

On Monday, she shared a couple of excerpts from Dart, her T.S. Eliot Prize-winning 2002 poem which follows the River Dart from its source - Cranmere Pool on Dartmoor - to the sea.

This reminded me of Margaret Tait's film Orquil Burn which followed a body of water from the sea in search of its source. When writing about its making, Tait said:

"Strange, strange people asked me why I went from sea to source and not from source to sea. 'Why not' they said, so so puzzled, not the more obvious the more logical direction of source to sea. It was a voyage of discovery. Exploration. They wanted me to know beforehand where it started, what it all is. A river is known in its busy part. You follow it up. Those puzzled people think you know it all, so you can start with the Source, the cause, and demonstrate the issue. All already known." D97/32

Diary of Orquil Burn production, D97/11/2

Transcript of Orquil Burn commentary D97/12/1

Leaflet for Orquil Burn D97/12/1

Still from Orquil Burn - Scottish Screen Archive.



Havin' a yarn...

We are an award-winning archive, yes, (see below) but we are not afraid to admit our weaknesses which are as follows:

We are too fond of Tunnocks teacakes. We shut them in drawers and put Orkney Library bags over them but they call to us still.

We are too good at singing. The customers have complained about our pitch - perfect 10am renditions of 'Nessun Dorma'. When that last high note is hit, the ensuing vibrations shuffle documents out of page order and cause pencils to wobble.

We are too polite and  forgiving of chatter. Masochists must look elsewhere for 'strict librarian/archivist' thrills.

We have too few examples of Orkney knitting patterns in our collection.

The images above are taken from Orkney Archive D1/254 which is a notebook kept from childhood by Helen Nicolson of Brims, Longhope. Helen was born in 1853 and died in 1938. She kept careful note of the knitting patterns she used and even included an example of a pattern tucked inside the front cover.

There are many books on Fair Isle knitting and we have a handful on Shetland patterns, but why no Orkney tomes? We are frequently asked for examples of Orcadian patterns and Helen's book is the only one which we can provide.

Perhaps we should start an appeal?

We are humbled, it's been a journey, We'd like to thank our parents...

We are overjoyed to announce that we've won something! Ok, it's a library award but we're claiming it anyway! And it was awarded by a professor and president so he's got to know what he's talking about.

The Golden Book Stamp Awards were conceived of as a light-hearted way of acknowledging some of the creative and imaginative work being undertaken in Scotland's libraries.  Some people think stamping-books is all librarians do so the use of the date stamp for the awards is intended to challenge some of these perceptions in a humorous way.

Professor Peter Reid, President of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIPS), said: "It is so important to recognise and acknowledge the excellent and innovative work being done in libraries across Scotland to enrich our wider society.  I am delighted to recognise Orkney Library and Archive with the technology award for its achievement in the use of social media. I am particularly impressed with its Archive blog which brings to life the richness of the archive collection and the crucial role it plays in safeguarding and promoting the Islands cultural heritage.  This award is thoroughly well-deserved".

A Wee Friday Afternoon Quiz

a) What on earth are these animals supposed to be? Sheep? Rabbits? Goats? Llamas? Wolves wearing ram masks?   (D8/E24)

b) What is this woman thinking?                                (L6524-3)

c) What should we have for our tea?

I Didn't Call Him a Liar, Just an Untruthsayer!

Today, we have been looking through the Orphir Church records on behalf of a family history researcher. We didn't find the people we were looking for, but were reminded of how small some of supposed crimes brought to the church elders' attention were and how disproportionate the punishments.

The children of Thomas Inksetter of Buxa were twice hauled up in front of the Church committee for the sin of 'breach of Sabbath'. In May 1728, they were flouting the Lord's day 'in taking a sheep with their dog'; and in October 1732 they were spotted by some neighbours 'carrying a burden in time of Divine worship'.

That's right, not only were they seen CARRYING SOMETHING on the Sabbath, they were carrying it while the Church was in session. The investigation into this incident went on for several weeks, with both children being brought before the elders and either denying all or saying they were too sick to attend. (The classic get-out clause from P.E. lessons to Sabbath Breach chidings.)

At no point does anyone ask why the witnesses to their crime were not at church either...

Later on in the saga, the burden is sensationally  revealed to have been a quantity of butter 'stealth from David Louttit on the same day.'

Catherine Slatter was accused of 'uttering imprecations' against neighbour Elspeth Scott when quarrelling about a piece of grass; this charge was stoutly denied and both women were told to grow up ( or 'exhorted to peace and a better agreement'.)

Three women were charged with the 'sin of uncleanness', (fornication, that old chestnut) in the same Church session. One Margaret Inksetter was accused of carrying the child of a married man, one Margaret Garrioch was pregnant by her boss's son and one Marjory Gorie admitted that she had been 'in her naked bed' in the presence of one James Cloustone but that he had been fully clothed throughout and that there had been 'no carnal dealing.' She may have been lying though as she had his baby several months later.

Couples accused of ante-nuptial fornication could either sit in the 'Publick place of repentance', a sort of 18th century naughty chair, or pay a fine of £4 which, considering that a male domestic servant's yearly wage in the 1790s was not much over £5*, was a considerable price.

The best entry is Peter Garrioch's complaint against the 'abuse' he suffered from William Knarston. According to Peter, William called him 'a Knave and a Lyar before one witness.' William poo-pooed this telling of events, insisting that 'he only called him an untruth-sayer.'

This verbal trickery did not fool the Church elders and William was fined 40 shillings by the Civil magistrate.





* Kirkwall and St. Ola, Statistical Account of Scotland 1791-1799

Duke Drives the School Bus in Westray

To celebrate the Royal Diamond Jubilee, Orkney Archive staff have put up a small display in the foyer of the library. The display shows pictures, photos and newspaper cuttings of visits to Orkney and some information on anniversary beacons.


Two of the photos shown are of the Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visiting Westray during their first visit to Orkney after the coronation on the 12th August 1960. Here we see the Queen laughing at Prince Philip trying to drive the school bus. (OA Ref: L1138/1)

The Orcadian newspaper says that after landing in Westray:

“The Duke soon had his eye on the bright red glittering school bus standing nearby – a Morris van BS 5933. “Is this what I have to drive?” he asked the driver Mr David Hume, who was standing beside it. The Queen got into the front passenger seat and the rest of the entourage piled in the back. The Duke looked at the controls for a few seconds and the gear positions were pointed out to him by Mr Hume. The engine started and they went rather tentatively at first then after a slight crashing of the first gear change with more confidence.”

The Duke then drove them all to Pierowall School.

And here we see the Queen and the Duke after receiving the gift of a handbag. (OA Ref: L1137/2)

The Orcadian says: “Westray’s gift to the Queen was handed over by Miss Agnes Logie. It was truly an island gift for it was a sealskin handbag made by Mrs Mary Kent."


After the visit the Orcadian goes on to say:

“The Royal Party once more crowded into the school bus and the Duke stepped on the accelerator. As he handed back to the usual driver at Gill Pier he remarked that he had a little trouble finding one of the gears but added with a smile “…but its still all there.””

Steaming

S.S. Orcadia, photographed by Tom Kent c.1900

Summer is drawing near (we hope!) and tourists are beginning to arrive and take advantage of the many and frequent ferries that make it easy to travel between our islands, but things have not always been so straightforward.

In the years before 1865 the north isles of Orkney led a far more isolated existence than today. Sailing boats had plied the routes before that time, but journeys were often long and unpleasant with the boats at the mercy of wind and tide. Some sailed so low in the water that they were described as “specially constructed for the immersion of passengers”! Consequently, travel between the islands was a rarity for most of the inhabitants. This was all about to change.

In February 1865 a new steamship, S.S. Orcadia, was being fitted out at Leith and was expected to arrive at Kirkwall within the next few weeks. She was 95 feet (29 metres) in length, had a 20 feet (6 metres) beam and an average speed of 8 knots. The sole owner and operator was Captain George Robertson, a native of Stronsay, and he proposed to sail between the North isles on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays of each week. On Thursdays she would travel to the Moray Firth, returning on Friday.

S.S. Orcadia made her first trip on Wednesday 15 March 1865, when she was greeted at Westray and Eday by the firing of guns. Within the first week of the service S.S. Orcadia had begun to change life in the outer isles. On one market day in Kirkwall she arrived with forty passengers, able for the first time to arrive early enough to reap full benefit from a day in town. The return journey northwards included one passenger, a Kirkwall resident, who had been born and brought up in Pierowall, Westray, but had not returned to her home in the intervening eighteen years.

Such was the success of Captain Robertson’s venture that S.S. Orcadia soon became inadequate for the demand. A larger vessel was beyond the means of one man so the Orkney Steam Navigation Company came into being in 1868, with George Robertson as manager. The records of this company (1867 - 1962) are available to view in Orkney Archive, collection D25.

My two weeks with Marjorie

I saw an owl on the way to work and an oystercatcher on the way home!

Orkney library and archives is a very special place. I have been fortunate enough to spend two weeks here on a cataloguing placement. It’s been just incredible. I’ve been surrounded by the fabulous archive collections of George Mackay Brown, Edwin Muir and the papers of the Highland Park Distillery to name just a few. I’ve seen the search room alive with researchers from all backgrounds being enthused by the both the collections and the friendly and helpful staff.

My commute to work from Stromness to Kirkwall has been the talk of the lively, friendly staff room. Imagine seeing an owl on the way to work. It was a far cry from my usual crush from Archway to Euston on the Northern Line!

As part of a cataloguing placement the archives staff: David and Lucy found me a real treat. I have been cataloguing the personal papers of an incredible woman who was devoted to life on Orkney: Marjorie Linklater (1909-1997).

Born in Edinburgh in 1909, she met Eric Linklater (1899-1974), the well known Scottish novelist in 1932, marrying him the following year, after which they lived at Merkister in the parish of Harray.

In 1947 the couple left Orkney to live in Easter Ross and it was not until 1974, after the death of Eric that Marjorie chose to return to Orkney where she lived at 20 Main Street, Kirkwall, until her death in June 1997. It is from this period that the group of records in the collection originate where she championed campaigns for both the environment and the arts.

She threw herself into a diverse range of activities and was a tireless campaigner on a number of issues. Most significantly, she spear-headed the "No Uranium" campaign (1979-1980), which successfully prevented a proposed plan to mine uranium near Stromness.

She became Secretary of the Stormy Bank Group which lobbied against the dumping of nuclear waste in the seas off Orkney. She was also instrumental in mobilising opposition to expansion of the Dounreay complex in Caithness. 

With Laura Grimond, she was a driving force in the Orkney Heritage Society, and one of the original promoters, and founder chairwoman, of the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness. She was also involved in the St. Magnus Festival in which she inaugurated the Johnsmas Foy.

If all this were not enough. Marjorie’s collection also unearthed some material from Orkney’s famous poet and writer George Mackay Brown. The collection contains three charming notes to Marjorie from George which illustrate a close and touching friendship and their shared passion for the arts. The collection also contains a copy of his poem ‘Uranium’ which he wrote around the time of Marjorie’s active role in the ‘No Uranium’ Campaign.

In the true spirit of Orcadian life, news spread across the island that I was working on the collection and her daughter Kristin visited the archives, saw the collection and was able to relive some memories of her mother’s remarkable life. It added an extra dimension to my cataloguing experience to meet Kristin and talk about her mother.

Twenty boxes have now been added to the catalogue and the public can see them for the first time within the search room of the Orkney Archive. They are catalogued under D90: Marjorie Linklater Papers.

She was truly a remarkable woman and I can’t help reflecting on how Orkney has benefited from her campaigning legacies. I didn’t spend all my time in Orkney in the archives. I had the most amazing day last Sunday in the glorious North Ronaldsay sunshine. Special thanks to Billy Muir for making me so welcome. It seems impossible to imagine that perhaps without her tireless campaigning against nuclear waste dumping and uranium mining these beautiful islands could have been very different.

Huge thanks to everyone at Orkney Library and Archive for making my stay so welcoming. I wish you the very best of luck with the Bookseller’s Library of the Year award which will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on the 14^th May. I’ll be rooting for you. You so deserve to win.

Sharon Messenger is Archives Assistant at the Wellcome Library, London and a graduate student on the Diploma course in Archives and Records Management at University College London.

20 Main Street Kirkwall. Home of Marjorie Linklater 1974-1997. Credit: Sharon Messenger

Marjorie Linklater on Rousay with the Orkney Heritage Society. 25^th August 1979.

Credit: Shearer Photographic Collection. Orkney Library and Archives.

Letter to Marjorie Linklater from George Mackay Brown, dated 16^th January 1979.

Credit: Orkney Library and Archives. D90/1/3

Margaret Tait, Poems, Stories and Writings

A few days ago, we received an advance copy of this book on Margaret Tait:

The author, Dr Sarah Neely has visited us several times to consult the Margaret Tait collection and we are delighted to finally see the fruits of her labours in print.

Margaret Tait is known (when she is known) primarily for her films but her poetry is just as wonderful. Frank and funny, weird and wonderful, magical and matter of fact, her three collections of poetry, origins and elements, Subjects and Sequences and  The Hen and the Bees, as well as some unpublished poems shall finally be available to be read by the audience they deserve

The sky has finally broken blue after a day of cutting winds and so here is an appropriate excerpt from Subjects and Sequences:

But in the land of the North there are no trees:
In the land of Pomona the apples don't grow.
In the Spring there is no blossom sweet as song
Nor song like honey in the perfumed night.
Instead, we have the flashing white
Seagull cutting the iridescent blue,
The crying blue of sea and sky, the white
Of flying clouds and birds. Oh, who
Would sip the honey in the dark and lose the light?

from Pomona

Nessie Goes North?

We are currently researching the 'Deepdale monster', an eerily prehistoric looking carcass washed up at Holm in 1942. The discovery prompted a flurry of expert analysis and more frivolous newspaper articles.

Put down what you are eating/drinking now as I am about to show you a picture of the remains, groooooo!

There was a lot of scepticism in Orkney as there have been several claimed sightings of sea serpents and monsters of the deep in Orcadian waters which have not been verified. Many thought that this beast may just be two dead seals in an advanced state of decomposition.

The above image was published in The Orkney Blast of 13th February 1942 and was drawn by the Provost of Stromness, Mr J. G.Marwick who went to examine the remains and described what he saw:

"The outstanding features of this monster were it's small head, long neck, massive hump, long sinuous back parts and the queer, rudder-like appendage, which one could describe, perhaps, as a fin and which projected from its lower side some distance from the tail."

Remind you of anything?

One of the theories at the time was that the Loch Ness Monster had popped up to Orkney for a holiday. As the Orkney Blast of 30th January 1942 stated, "it is plausible for the creature to have escaped from Loch Ness and to have found its way to the waters off the Orkney mainland."
The Scotsman of the same date also pointed out that "the famous inhabitant of Loch Ness has not been seen for many months..."

Sadly, more sensible people stepped in at this point and Dr A. C. Stephen, Keeper of the Natural History Department of the Royal Scottish Museum said " I have examined the sketches and it seems to me, there is no doubt that the remains are those of a shark." (Orkney Blast, 6th February 1942) He suggested that the creature was a basking shark due to it's large size (25 to 28 feet).

Boo, how dull.

Look, look, look, look, look!!!!!!

We are on a list! Of libraries! Good libraries, who may earn a prize! Read all about it on our sister blog from Stromness library here, and then come back and join us as we dance about in celebration in the manner of Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air!

Join us, do!

If ye will persist in Emigration...

With so much talk on the tv and in the newspapers about the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, I wondered what the reaction was like in Orkney. The first report of the disaster appeared in the Orcadian on the 20th April 1912 on the front page. Quite small and unassuming in the bottom right hand corner.

By the following week the news had spread and the ministers from the churches aired their views from the pulpits.

The Rev. John Pitcairn from St Magnus Cathedral said:

The Rev. George Millar from the Paterson U P Church said:

And the Rev. J Christie from the North U.F Church compared the death toll with the population of Stromness:

Ironically in the papers at the same time many adverts still appeared enticing people away from Orkney with offers of work in a new land, such as this one which looks to us now like a scene from a John Wayne or Clint Eastwood film:

And even on the same pages as news of the disaster were adverts like this one:

Many local shops capitalised on the trend of emigration with adverts like these:

I'd really like to know what "Dudds and Spracks" and "Catchy Boots" were.

By the following week more information was reported about the sinking and the heroism of some of the passengers:

And the suffering of the survivors:

And this final review in the Orcadian on 27th April 1912:

What's your Motto of the Month?

Ours is "If you know a good thing - pass it on"

So we will...

We have recently been re-organising our collections of SWRI papers and have found that we are doing well with six groups represented. St Andrews & Tankerness; Costa; Deerness; Harray; Rousay and St. Ola, as well as some Orkney Federation minutes too.  Below is the first minute of the Harray Branch from Aug 1936.

Together this makes up thirteen boxes. The new collection number is D127. We would like to thank all the staff who recently helped collate this collection together.

The collection includes minute books, membership lists, handicraft schedules; federation booklets; 15 minute sketch books, correspondence, tea rota books, anniversary and birthday celebrations, and many more interesting items.

Shown here is the first minute of the St. Ola Branch from Aug 1924.

I know there are more groups out there, so if you're looking for somewhere to store all your old minute books and documents, look no further, we'll be happy to take them!

For more information on the present groups of the Scottish Womens Rural Institute try their website at http://www.swri.org.uk/

Little Arrows

With the sad news that Darts legend Jocky Wilson died on Saturday I thought we'd look back at his first visit to Orkney (he visited, professionally anyway, twice).

World Champion Darts player Jocky Wilson in the Queens Hotel, Kirkwall,

June 1982

Jocky, aged 32 at the time, is seen in this photograph enjoying a pint in the Queens Hotel, Kirkwall. He was booked to play 20 local darts players for which he was to receive the handsome sum of £400. After the event Jocky told a local reporter that he had been a bit disappointed with his form on the night as he lost the first two games, but he did manage to beat the other eighteen!

For you statisticians out there during the whole event Jocky scored six 180s, sixteen 140s, eight 100 plus and sixty 100s.

Jocky is proudly showing his teeth in this photograph, every one of them false. Famously he had lost all his teeth by the age of 28 due to a combination of a love of sweets and a lack of brushing (take heed kids!) so when he won the World Championship he spent £1200 of his winnings getting some new ones made. He told a local reporter, however, that he removed them when he was playing darts because "the vodkas and coke don't taste right with them in".

Light My Fire

In the present age of soaring fuel costs it's easy to think that things were better back in the "good old days". Well, unfortunately not!!

I'm currently cataloguing the records of an Orkney Estate, D15: The Halcro Johnston papers. The records reveal the history of the Coubister Estate in the Parish of Orphir and, once cataloguing is complete, will be an extremely valuable source for researchers interested in family history, farming techniques and practices, and a host of other topics too.

I came across the following two documents yesterday which reveal a startling rise in the cost of the tenant's main source of fuel, peat.

Both documents are lists of subscribers who have paid for the right to cut peats in the property of Greenigoe. The first, dated 23 June 1865, states that the subscribers agree to pay three shillings for each tusker of peats they cut.

D15/6/2/6: List of subscribers 23 June 1865

However, less than a year later on 24 April 1866 the subscribers agree to pay four shillings for each tusker. A price rise of 33%!

D15/6/2/6: List of subscribers 24 April 1866

Not only that but, to rub salt in the wound, the Laird has also restricted the amount of cutting time allowed to ten hours a day and raised the price again to five shillings for peat cut in the month of August.

A tusker is an implement used to cut peats and traditionally a tusker of peats was measured as the amount of peat a man could cut from sunrise to sunset. This obviously varied depending on the fitness and stamina of the cutter as well as the differing length of day throughout the year, and on one reported occasion three men took turns throughout the day and managed to cut double the normal quantity!