Anthology – Rousay Remembered

Rousay Videos

Max Fletcher — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 10:06:05 +0000

A collection of links to videos with a Rousay content, hosted by YouTube. Click on the underlined titles to watch. The BBC2 documentary series Arena visited Rousay in 1977 to learn about the island’s film society. 1977 Rousay Film Society Orkney Magazine No 1 – The Drift Back. A film produced for the Orkney County Council’s Education Committee by Margaret Caroline Tait…

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Rousay Shipwreck – 1783

Max Fletcher — Fri, 22 May 2020 08:57:25 +0000

This is a reproduction of a hand-written document describing a shipwreck on the northern coast of Rousay in 1783-84 – and an investigation into the circumstances of its loss…..and plunder. Declarations of Archibald Stuart 1784 At Edinburgh the ? day of March 1784 The which day Compeared Archibald Stuart sometime shipmaster now merchant in the Island of Westray who being…

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Harvest Home – c.1953

Max Fletcher — Fri, 22 May 2020 08:38:33 +0000

[Back row, 1 – 26] 1. Jim Marwick, Feolquoy; 2. Arthur ‘Irvine’ Donaldson; 3. Neil Craigie, Deithe; 4. Billy Grieve, Fadoon; 5. ? ? ; 6. Roderick Marwick, Cogar; 7. Bill Grieve, Furse; 8. Gilbert Pirie; 9. John Thomson; 10. Judith Millar, Schoolhouse; 11. Ella Herdman (Craigie); 12. Freda Grieve (Murray); 13. Anita Craigie (Thomson); 14. ? ? ; 15. Cissy Gibson, Bigland; 16. Hugh Gibson…

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‘A Devil And His Bairns’

Max Fletcher — Fri, 22 May 2020 08:18:40 +0000

by Robert C. Marwick In 1783 Hugh Marwick and his father Magnus took over the joint tenancy of the farm of Scockness in Rousay. Hugh was only seventeen years old but in all other respects already a man and ready to take on the responsibilities of the partnership. Ten years later he married Betsy Sinclair from a neighbouring farm and in the course of the next eighteen years she…

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Homecoming

Max Fletcher — Fri, 22 May 2020 07:52:45 +0000

by Kathleen Craigie Crossing Eynhallow Sound on the little roll on – roll off ferry, the sun glinting on the turquoise sea like a thousand little mirrors, Tommy points to the sleek head of a selkie breaking through the shimmering shards of sea, eyes like wet, black saucers. “lt’s good luck to spot a selkie,” he says and my heart lurches toward the sea as I recall the legend of the Seal…

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Son of Fa’doon

Max Fletcher — Thu, 21 May 2020 16:32:03 +0000

by Robert C. Marwick David Craigie was by all accounts a pleasant and well liked young man. His uncle described him in a letter to a friend as having a lightsome turn and as the best natured lad he had ever seen. Like his elder sister Christina and his younger sister Elizabeth, David was born and brought up on the small croft of Fa’doon with its buildings tucked in under a brae…

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Press Gang

Max Fletcher — Thu, 21 May 2020 15:53:35 +0000

During the 19th Century in Orkney press gangs were used to search for and provide men to join the ship’s crews of his Majesty’s Royal Navy. The gangs were hated and feared as much as the excise men and there are numerous tales from all over the county of how they were duped and how many men managed to get away from them by using particular hiding places.

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1841 Statistical Account

Max Fletcher — Thu, 21 May 2020 15:05:46 +0000

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Poems: To and from Burroughs

Max Fletcher — Thu, 21 May 2020 14:07:45 +0000

The two poems below were given to The Orkney View by Tommy Gibson of Rousay. The ﬁrst was written by John Kirkness, jnr, tenant of Quoyostray, Rousay in 1853 to the laird, Frederick William Traill-Burroughs. At the time, Burroughs was serving with the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders in this country. Dear Sir forgive my boldness For intruding upon you Who have no sullen coldness To give you honour…

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Around A Parish Shore

Max Fletcher — Thu, 21 May 2020 13:40:56 +0000

Tommy Gibson of Rousay writes of boats and men lost in his area over the years. [Taken from the pages of issue No.83 of The Orkney View published in 1999, and reproduced with kind permission of the magazine’s editors and the author, who also supplied the photos] The parish of Rousay, Egilshay and Wyre is not renowned for its shipwrecks, unlike for example, Hoy, Sanday…

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