Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, 1654
Name: | Blaeu, Joan, 1596-1673 |
Title: | Nova Orcadvm Descriptio Chorographica |
Pagination: | 142-143 |
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Translation of text:
is visible to all) are notified that they should attend to repel the crisis. On all the peaks of the highest mountains in other islands of the Orkneys, such a heap, for such a purpose, is placed to be set alight.
At the western base of this mountain lies in the sea the first of the northern Orkney islands, Damsay, close to the Mainland, a mile long and narrow. Fertile, grassy, and not unfortunate in fishing; no poisonous animal is born here, nor on the neighbouring holm, a little smaller than Damsay; no more do mice or shrews, and if such are imported from elsewhere, at once they either die or rush into the sea to die.
The Mainland, where it turns west from Kirkwall, and on both sides in many places, rises into various mountains, and yet it is fertile and is more richly provided with all commodities than almost any other island in these parts. It has nine rural parishes with churches: Firth, Stenness (where the house of the Ballantine family is situated), on a lake four miles long and spacious except at the mouth, where it is crossed by a wooden bridge, called in the vernacular Waith; it produces trout, like smaller salmon in size, and other fish; a large part of the winter diet consists of these, either salted and placed in many jars or hung from beams to be smoked. Orphir, Harray, where the land is level, fertile and lovely, and the Gothic language is most vigorous; Stromness, in which, not far from a promontory whose vernacular name is the black Craig, that is black rock, there is a most elegant house, constructed at the expense of Graham, last bishop of Orkney, called in the vernacular Breckness. Sandwick, where there is another extremely elegant dwelling with a chapel, built from the base up at the expense of its Priest, near a lake frequented by swans. Birsay, with a most respectable barony, on whose western shore, near a peninsula called Brough of Birsay, is situated a very charming palace, skilfully constructed of squared stone in the form of a monastery, with a well in the middle of the courtyard, and with two very long porticos variously painted, besides many other things pleasant to see. Evie, Rendall.
The whole west side of the Mainland, girded with many promontories and harsh rocks, faces the open sea, with no islands or rocks to be seen in it. In different places on the Mainland, as on some other islands of the Orkneys, there are mines of tin and lead, as fine as any to be found in Britain.
The second northern island of the Orkneys is Eynhallow, small, set in a narrow but by far the cruellest sea, on the side of the Mainland, noted for fishing on account of the rapidity of the tide that flows past on both sides.
Next to the north, with a narrow sea between, is Rousay, eight miles long and six wide, looking down on the sea with many huge and high promontories, and rising into very high mountains covered with deep and thick heather; on the shores are numerous buildings, and it is blessed with peat, fishing, rabbits, moorland birds, and crops.
More than a mile to the east of here is the island of Vera (in the vernacular Viera), two miles long and narrow, more productive of crops than of peat, the want of which is supplied from neighbouring Rousay.
After Viera, three miles to the north east (13), lies the island of Gairsay, with holms, but one larger (called in the vernacular ‘the Hen of Gairsay’), rising into a very high pyramidal mountain, and abundant in the same commodities as Rousay.
From Gairsay three miles to the north is Eglisa (in the vernacular Egilsay), about two miles long and a mile wide, fruitful, but lacking peat; what it uses is brought from Rousay by boat, over a sea very rough because of the tide. Here there is a church with a very high tower rising to a point, where there is a story that St Magnus, tutelary saint of the Orkneys, is buried; and a house not far from the church, very charming.
From Egilsay to the east, the island of Siapinsa (in the vernacular Shapinsay) is situated opposite Kirkwall, from which it is three miles distant; it is six miles long and about three wide. It has a harbour (whose name is Ellwick), quite commodious, and a holm nearby, called Helliar Holm, large and grassy. Shapinsay itself enjoys various buildings, but in particular a dwelling called in the vernacular Sound; and also moorland, in which excellent peats and moorland birds are found. It is almost all level and low, and has one Minister assigned to it.
About five miles south west from here, in a very savage and boundingly rising sea, lies North Fara, about three miles long, but restricted, with few buildings, and not unfortunate in commodities, for the custom of the country; there are two grassy holms to be seen between it and
The island of Westray, three miles distant, the farthest west of all the Orkneys, whence it has got its name. It is eight miles long, in places five, but in others three wide. It is girt with various promontories, some higher to the south and west, others lower. Placed in a most ferocious sea, it has frequent country houses and is adorned with a very strong castle (Noltland in the vernacular). In moors, excellently filled rabbit burrows, an anchorage (which is called Fer Voe[?]), fishing, crops, and many other commodities, especially men of noble spirit, it yields to no island of the Orkneys.
About two miles to the north of this is the island of PapaWestray, almost three miles long, a mile and a half wide; adorned with a quite commodious harbour, between the island itself and the neighbouring holm; it is quite well populated, and filled with the commodities such as the larger Westray itself enjoys. One cleric serves both.
From Papa Westray about seven miles to the east lies the island of Eday, about ten miles long, in some places five miles wide, in others much narrower. Almost the whole land consists of moor, absolutely full of moorland birds; for this reason buildings are rare here, on account of the lack of fruitful soil. The main ones are two, one on the east shore (called Greentoft), the other on the west, near the place called the Calf of Eday, magnificently constructed some years ago by the Earl of Carrick, and adorned with twelve salt-pans, partly placed on the island itself, partly on the Calf of Eday; in these excellent and quite fine salt is produced daily. Near this house is a gulf of the sea in which is a very commodious harbour; and on a very high promontory near the harbour good hawks nest and are each year exported from here, as too in many other promontories of other islands of the Orkneys. Eday abounds in outstanding stones for play on ice in winter-time.
About four miles to the south east from Eday lies Stronsay, nearly six miles long and more than three wide, very well known to Scottish and Dutch ship-masters, going to fish in Shetland, on account of the convenience of its excellent anchorage and harbour. It is very fertile, and accordingly has frequent buildings, three especially, Huip facing Eday, Holland and Housebay, looking to a rock (Auskerry in the vernacular) very fortunate for fishing and situated about a mile from Stronsay itself. There is no moor and correspondingly no peat in the whole of Stronsay, except in one part, where it looks to Shapinsay (from which, to the south, it is ten miles distant, with a most savage strait between). This part of Stronsay is called Roithisholm. Roithisholm is a peninsula, fertile and moorland country (from which peats are taken for use in all the rest of the island), and walled in on each side with many high promontories.
Near the coast of Stronsay, close to the harbour, to the west lies an island, called Papa Stronsay, more than a mile long but narrow, all fertile but not abundant in peaty land. It is well enough, for its size, equipped with buildings and other conveniences. One church Pastor is in charge of Eday, Stronsay and Papa Stronsay.
Beyond Papa Stronsay to the south west lies Sanday, the largest island of all the Orkneys after the Mainland, twelve miles long, from a promontory in the vernacular Spur Ness to a low promontory in the vernacular Lopness or Tafts Ness; about eight miles wide from Hacks Ness to the east and Whitemill Point to the west, but in other places, especially in the middle, narrow. And to the north it is so low (for it rises higher to the south) that to sailors ignorant of the island and still at a long distance from it at sea, it is not visible at all; and hence shipwreck often occurs to those who sail there at night. The inhabitants of Sanday earnestly and often desire this to happen, so that they get a supply of material for fire from the wrecked ships, for there is no moorland or peaty ground in the whole island. Now they prepare food and drink for themselves, either with straw, or with animal dung, or with long stalks and leaves, as of seaweed (of which there is a great amount both here and in all the islands of the Orkneys) dried in the sun in summer-time, and carefully saved like treasure for this purpose. Richer people here (as do also the more powerful inhabitants of North Ronaldsay, where there is no moorland) have peats brought to their house from Eday in large boats over the most fearful sea and at very long intervals, and sometimes at shorter ones. It is full of many rich rabbit-burrows (whence comes the greatest part of the natives’ food, after fish), variously spread through the whole island. There are here very many buildings, and a great supply everywhere of sheep, cattle, crops, hay, and grass on land, and of various fish from the sea. The soil too is very dry even in the harshest winter, and sandy, whence too the name was given to this island. There are two churches here and two Pastors, one of whom also labours in the church of North Ronaldsay.
About three miles from here to the south west is North Ronaldsay, three miles and more long, and more than a mile wide, flat, low and dry, adorned with the church of St Olaf (about whom see earlier), and sharing in the same conveniences and inconveniences with Sanday, from which it is separated by far the most terrifying sea.
This may suffice on all the islands of the Orkneys.
In summer-time, and sometimes also in the winter, the air in the Orkneys is most temperate and salubrious, and is most conducive both to the health and to the longevity of the inhabitants.
The soil there is for the most part thin, mixed often with stones of greater or smaller size; and not deep, resting as it were on one solid rock, accordingly they do not put the blade of the plough, short as it is, deep into the earth. They cleave the earth sometimes with four horses alone, sometime with two plus two oxen or two cows, and entrust the small grains as they are to the furrows. The fertiliser which in addition to animal dung they mostly use to enrich the soil is sea-weed, torn in great storms from the rocks and thrown up on the shore.
Their production of crops, especially of barley (but oats, of which they do not have such a great supply, they keep at home), is so great that when well cut, cleaned and put into baskets (in the vernacular they call them ‘cassies’), that is sacks, skilfully made from straw, they send it abroad for sale.