Who Do You Think You Are?

About six months ago, I walked into our search room to find Dusty and the Fonds feverishly working away at their desks.

 "What on earth is going on?" I cried, "Are you ill?"

 Both looked up with glazed eyes and dopey smiles of joy.

"It has finally happened." Whispered Dusty.

 "The dream!" said the Fonds, " It has become our reality!"

Both leaped to their feet at the same time and screamed in my face "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH!!!!!!"

I wiped their spittle from my face and fell into a swoon.

Now.  Long-term readers may remember that we have gotten a teensy bit angry at WDYTYA in the past but that is only because we love it (We have a dysfunctional relationship.) In reality, being asked to research for the show is every archivist's dream and we had just won the equivalent of Best Picture Oscar, 100 metre dash at the Olympics or best haircut at the Smash Hit Poll Winners Party.

Imagine our desolation then when we could find no interesting, original documents to illustrate the mystery celebrity's family tree.

"There must be something that proves his birth date!" sobbed the Fonds.

"I've already picked out my outfit for the filming!" raged Dusty, "There must be a photo, something, ANYTHING!"

Readers, I wept a thousand tears.

Although it is clear from records in Canada that Sarah Millican(for it was she)'s, ancestor was an Orkneyman who travelled to the frozen North East of Canada to work for the Hudson's Bay Company we could find no primary documents of our own to lure the comic through to Kirkwall.

Instead, Sarah spoke to our esteemed colleague Janette of the Orkney Museum in Stromness where John Malcolm would have left Orkney for his new, very tough life.

If you missed the programme last night, it is well worth your time catching it on BBC iPlayer, it is a truly incredible tale of bravery, stoicism and the very Orcadian thirst for adventure. It's probably even more enjoyable when not watched through a veil of bitter tears...

Never mind, we are still clinging to our long-cherished hopes that Colin Firth's family originate from the Parish of Firth. Fingers crossed.

Weirdest Old Advert EVER.

What has this picture got to do with photography????!!!!

(Orcadian Newspaper 1936)

Please Meet Jason, the Unshrinkable Pants

Ahhh ha ha! I shall henceforth refer to my own underwear as 'Deborah'. You?

Oh Daddy, My Daddy!

This week in 1858 saw the birth of E. Nesbitt, author of many wonderful books including 'Five Children and It', 'The Railway Children', 'The Treasure Seekers', 'The House of Arden', 'The Story of the Amulet' and 'The Enchanted Castle' to name but a few.

In celebration, here are some examples of the magnificent Minervian library, a collection of nearly 100 stories and plays written by contemporaries of Nesbitt; Maria, Clara, Malcolm and Alfred Cowan. London born, but Orkney residents in 1865 when they began to write their tales as children, the Cowans wrote in notebooks, sheaves of paper held together by pins and handmade jotters. The Minervian library became a functioning lending library between friends and aquaintances.

(Orkney Archive Reference D98)


Instead of a Friday afternoon boogie, let's have a Friday afternoon weep as Bobbie greets her long lost, beloved father at the train station.(sob!)

Do you believe everything you read in the paper?

Whilst trawling through the pages of our Orcadian newspaper archive recently, I found a couple of interesting stories. In 1870, the paper did not just report news from Orkney but from all over the world.

Reported in the 5th March edition, these are both from the USA:

"A South Carolina paper declares that a young man who lost his wife last week married another while friends were making preparations for the funeral, and with his bride followed the remains sorrowfully to the grave"

Even Jeremy Kyle looks shocked at that story!









Then tragedy and a very cheeky comment:

"A young man at Muscatine, Iowa lately crawled into a boiler to clean it out, but the engineer, being ignorant of the fact, closed the door and fired up. The young man became uncomfortably warm, and in his horror discovered the boiler filling with water. His shrieks were unheard, but fortunately the engineer opened the door and the half-suffociated prisoner was released. A contemporary thinks it was shameful that the engineer should have spoiled so good a story by opening the door when he did"

John Rae at Home

Yoo-hoo! We have a new exhibition!

Don't you ever tire of hearing about all the thrilling Canadian Arctic adventuring that John Rae did, all the tediously competent, heroic journeys, facility with the Inuit people and culture and his eventual discovery of what really happened to Franklin and his men, blah, blah, blah?

Us too. You won't find any of that rubbish here, it's all about Rae's childhood, life in Britain, relationship with his neighbours and information on his parents.

We've put together the display to lead up to the John Rae 200 conference at the end of September in Stromness. Click on the link for more details about the conference.

Our display shows a little bit of John Rae's life in Orkney and Canada through his personal letters and some articles written about him.

We're very lucky to have a few letters written by John Rae to David Balfour in our Balfour Papers, archive collection reference D2. In 1852 John Rae had returned from his third arctic expedition and was staying with his mother in The Haven in Stromness. One example written on 11th Aug 1852 from his home in Stromness says, "I fear that you may think that I take a great liberty in requesting you to allow me a few days shooting on your moors above Clestrain, being desirous to take a look over ground on which I had poached sometimes when a boy."

On returning from Hudsons Bay to Stromness in 1854, after discovering the fate of the Franklin Expedition, he wrote to Mr Barrow regarding the reward of £10,000 and said, "Although every one with whom I converse on the subject, or rather who gives me then his opinion......seems to think that I am entitled to the award, yet I am not very sanguin of success and will not be very much disappointed if I do not get it. It is however a matter of so much importance to a poor man like myself and I trust My Lords of the Admiralty will decide either one way or other very soon as my future arrangement for life depend much upon their decision."

Retired and living in Berstane House in Kirkwall in 1866, John Rae wrote to his friend David Balfour inviting him to dinner, "I expect a wild turkey and some other game from Canada by the steamer which may or may not arrive and may or may not be eatable when it does". Strangely Mr Balfour does agree to have dinner with him...

By 30th Jan 1882, John Rae is living in London, but he still keeps up with goings on in Orkney as he writes, "I see by the papers that there has been great doings at your ancient borough [Kirkwall] in receiving Royalty" The royalty being Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh who toured Scotland in 1881.

In 1893 John Rae died in London and his body was returned to home Orkney to be buried in St Magnus Cathedral.   

We have transcribed all the letters mentioned above and a few more, so if you live in Orkney or are just visiting do pop in to see the complete exhibition. [This exhibition is now over but the original letters mentioned can be seen in the Orkney Archive on request]

Archive References: D2/2/4; D1/262/1; D29/8/7; D2/51/4

Let's Get Trollied On Lollies...

After so many months of hideous weather, it feels somewhat wrong to complain about the heat this week. Wrong. And yet also so right.... UUUURRRGGGHHH, it's stuffy!

There was a stash of ice-lollies in the freezer but some wily library staff got there first and ATE THEM ALL.

No matter, we'll just look at these cool, snowy pictures of Canada taken by Orcadians working for the Hudson's Bay Company to cool down instead:

J. W. Sinclair, lunch hour at Kingnait, Baffinland.

J.W. Sinclair, Baffin island or Herschel island.

Royal Canadian mounted policedogs, Aklavik, Invuit Region, North Western Territories. Taken by Canadian working in Canada.

Also, it has been a while since we all had a friday afternoon boogy. Pop down your pens and enjoy the archives unofficial theme tune for the Summer. We like to sing

 'We're in this job to get dusty, we're in this job to get dusty,

We're in this job to get dusty, we're in this job to get dusty'

Until the customers scream at us to shut up.

A Biscuit That Can Get You Drunk. FINALLY...

You know how it's really annoying that you can't pour wine down your throat whilst simultaneously cramming your face with biscuits? Problem over readers, problem solved:

Wine biscuits. Perfect for surreptitious staff-room drunkenness and for drowning your sorrows whilst wearing your over-sized mourning clothes.

Advert taken from 1940 edition of Peace's Orkney Almanac.

That's Just Dandy, Andy!

We have come a long way to show you this, dear readers.Ups and downs. Hell, and indeed, high water.

 First, there was the utter devastation we experienced when Andy Murray lost Wimbledon despite Kim wearing a lovely dress and his mum wearing her smart tartan coat. That was awful.

Then there was the sleepy joy of watching him win the US Open at about 1am. That was good.

We were pleased about that readers, don't get us wrong; it was wonderful. It's just that we wanted to watch him win whilst awake and whilst eating our tea. With the sun shining outside.

As you all know, that happened last Sunday. Sandwiches were munched, Pimms were quaffed and small toddlers were given whole Magnums to eat just so that they would sit still and BE QUIET during the nail-biting third set. We would have posted sooner but a series of teeth-grinding I.T. tribulations have prevented us until now. This is being typed whilst hunched over a laptop.

Readers there is a very fancy looking olde-style document which pleases us greatly. It is the proud bearer of many seals. We LOVE seals. We promised ourselves that when Andy finally won Wimbo, we would post a picture of it in celebration. BEHOLD:

That's it. The best we've got.

Isn't it fab?

(Why not pop over for another look at Lionel though? That's always worth doing when one is feeling jubilant)

Orkney Archive Reference D38/1692 (a)



Call The Midwife! (The Orcadian Edition)

Well this is an interesting book. Jannet Mowat of Victoria Street Kirkwall kept a midwifery account book from 1830-1855.

She started as a nurse and so the first few entries are for 'giving ingections' and 'attending you as a sick nurse', but soon the entries list the boys, 'lasses' and 'girrels' that she has delivered across Orkney. (Kirkwall, Evie, Sanday, North Ronaldsay and PapaWestray are all mentioned.)

Sometimes the baby's name is listed and sometimes they are listed as still born or 'to be a still child.' Prices seemed to vary from customer to customer with most paying about 5 shillings for Jannet's services but the rate rises to £2 or even £3 for some customers.

Does anyone have an idea of why this would be? (It's not inflation as it happens throughout the whole book and it doesn't look like some were paying in installments.)

P.S. She wrote her married name more than once on the back page of the notebook like girls do with boys they fancy at school!

P.P.S. We NEVER did this.

Would You Like to Go To Eynhallow?

Photo: Charles Tait Photographic, The Orkney Guide Book, Third Edition.

Who wouldn't? Eynhallow (from the Old Norse oyin helga, holy isle) is thought to be the site of Orkney's earliest monastic settlement and boasts the remains of a 12th century church.

Other names for Eynhallow include 'The Enchanted Isle' and 'The Disappearing Isle' as it was allegedly not always visible to human eyes and was the summer residence of mermaids and finfolk. Apparently, the only way to be sure to reach the island is for the pilot of the boat to never take his eyes from land and to be gripping iron at all times.

More Eynhallow folklore can be found here.

The uninhabited island is inaccessible for most of the year due to strong tides from both sides but the wonderful Orkney Heritage Society, put on a trip each year in July.

This year's trip should, weather permitting, take place on Monday 22nd July. Tickets are £20 for adults and £10 for under 12s and available from the Archive department (we are on the first floor of Orkney Library.) We accept cash or cheques and require the names of all ticket holders and a contact telephone number in the event of cancellation.

PLEASE NOTE, THE ARCHIVE IS CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS.

The boat shall depart from Tingwall at 7.15pm and shall leave Eynhallow at 10.15pm.

Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult and no dogs are permitted.


Information taken from:
The Orkney Guide Book, Third Edition by Charles Tait.
Eynhallow by John Mooney
www.orkneyjar.com

"A POX UPON YOU!!....."

...Is the curse we have been using of late after finding this amusing letter addressed to Alexander Watt, merchant in 1768.

In it, Robert Sandison expresses amazement that a young woman of their acquaintance is to marry a 'Parched, sapless soldier' saying 'a pox upon you young cow hearted fellows to let so many pretty charmers slip into the arms of old, worn out powder.'

He then bemoans his hangover: ''must now draw to a conclusion my Caput (head) being in great disorder after a Debauch last night...some of us Youngsters had a private dance with some ladies of our acquaintance & after seeing them home we had a severe frolick...' What does THAT mean I wonder?


Orkney Archive Reference D1/437/1

Missing Home...

We are almost finished cataloguing the Margaret Tait papers... only a couple of boxes to go now.

The last two boxes have been a treasure of unpublished poems and other pieces of writing. There are many gems but this excerpt taken from one handwritten page touched us today.

'I miss Buttquoy. I miss the sun streaming in.
I miss its openness, its airy spaces.
I miss the freedom of the staircase
It had a good feeling in it      not grand, not poky.
The grates were well placed in relation to the doors.
Everything there was pretty well right, in size and placing-
Good fireplaces, where a coal or peat fire heated the room
I liked the height of the rooms, I miss that too.'


(The Tait family home, Buttquoy house was vacated by Tait in 1975. Her colour film, Place Of Work, as well as a black and white companion piece Tailpiece, were filmed in the house in the last few months before her departure.)

We're Having a Bad Side-Bar Day...

Many apologies for the horrific look of our blog today... we are trying to fix it but our IT knowledge is not exceptional.

Blogger! Why have you forsaken us???

Spare a thought...

If ever you have been worried about your luggage going missing when on your holidays, spare a thought for this gentleman in 1900:

He and the other passengers certainly had a lucky escape...here's an extract from the Orcadian 28th April 1900:

And here's a photograph of the wreck:

As I said before, a lucky escape...but everyone was safely evacuated from the steamship.

One lady said:

You'll be pleased to know that our distressed luggage bereft gentleman did not get his luggage back, but did get compensation in the end.

Archive References: SC11/5/1900/21; Orcadian Newspaper April 28 1900; Photos TK410 & TK2983