. It dates from
. The village of
. Other remains from that era include the
and other standing stones. Many of the Neolithic settlements were abandoned around
due to changes in the climate.
" or round towers. If, as seems likely, the
established a footing in the islands towards the beginning of the 6th century, their success was short-lived, and the Picts regained power and kept it until dispossessed by the
in the 9th century. In the wake of the Scots, incursionists followed the
about 565. They were companions of
and their efforts to convert the folk to Christianity seem to have impressed the popular imagination, for several islands bear the epithet "Papa" in commemoration of the preachers.
existed in the British Isles from 1079 till 1266. In 1164 it was split into the Kingdom of the
.
, i. e. the
, and Mann. (ð is pronounced th as in father). (Ref. to Manxnotebook) Even today, the Bishop of the
. The cash dowry was never paid, so the islands were forfeited to the
. In 1471, James bestowed the castle and lands of
.
. After the
was transferred in its entirety to Scapa Flow while a decision was to be made on its future; however, the German sailors opened their sea-cocks and scuttled all the ships. Most ships were salvaged, but the remaining wrecks are now a favoured haunt of recreational divers. One month into
in Scapa Flow. As a result
were built to close most of the access channels; these had the additional advantage of creating causeways whereby travellers can go from island to island by road instead of being obliged to rely on boats.
Main article: The Mainland, Orkney The Mainland The northern group of islands is the most extensive and consists of a large number of moderately sized islands, linked to the Mainland by ferries. Most of the islands described as "
holms" are very small.
The North Isles Auskerry is south of Stronsay and has a population of 5 (2001 census). It has been designated a Special Protection Area due to its importance as a nesting area for Arctic Tern and Storm Petrel.
Eday extends to 11 sq miles; it is the 9th largest island. The centre is moorland and the island's main industries have been peat extraction and limestone quarrying. It is connected to the Mainland by ferry (Backaland to Kirkwall) and air.
Egilsay lies east of Rousay. It is largely farmland and is known for its corncrakes, although none have been seen for a number of years, and for the only surviving, but roofless, round-towered church in Orkney. It is connected indirectly with the Mainland by ferry via Wyre and Rousay. St Magnus is said to have been executed on Egilsay.
Gairsay is inhabited by one family, who issue their own postage stamps (permitted due to the lack of a Royal Mail service).
North Ronaldsay lies 4 km north of its nearest neighbour, Sanday. Its climate is changeable and frequently inclement, with the surrounding waters being stormy and treacherous. Of significance are a bird observatory, Britain's tallest land based lighthouse tower and an unusual dry stane dyke along the shoreline built to keep the seaweed eating North Ronaldsay sheep off of the arable land. It is connected to the Mainland by air and ferry.
Papa Stronsay lies north east of Stronsay. A fertile island, it was once an important centre for herring curing, but was abandoned in the 1970s. It is has been home to a Transalpine Redemptorist monastery (called Golgotha monastery) since 1999.
Papa Westray, also known as Papay, has a population of 70. Of significance are an RSPB nature reserve (terns and skuas), the Knap of Howar (probably the oldest preserved house in northern Europe), a 12th century recently restored church (St Boniface Kirk) and other neolithic and Viking remains. It is connected to Westray and the Mainland by air and ferry.
Rousay is the joint 3rd largest (19 sq miles) island about 3 km north of Orkney's Mainland. In the 2001 census, it had a population of 212. Farming, fishing, fish-farming, craft and tourism provide most of the income. There is one circular road round the island, about 14 miles long, and most arable land lies in the few hundred yards between this and the coastline. Seals and otters can be found as can many remains of past occupation.
Sanday is the largest of the North Isles, with a population of approximately 500. As with most other Orkney islands, farming, fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. Attractions include the 5,000-year-old Quoyness
chambered cairn.
Shapinsay is the 8th largest island at 12 sq mile. It is connected to the Mainland by ferry (Balfour to Kirkwall). Shapinsay is known for the Iron Age Broch of Burroughston and the Dishan Tower, sea caves and cliffs, and for birds including pintail, wigeon and shovelers, and Balfour Castle.
Stronsay has a population of 343 and is the 7th largest island. Its main village is
Whitehall.
Westray has a population of 550 and is the 6th largest island. It is connected by ferry and air to Mainland and Papa Westray.
Wyre lies south-east of Rousay and has a population of about 18. Cubbie Roo's castle (1150) is possibly the oldest castle in Scotland.
Inhabited islands Calf of Eday,
Damsay,
Eynhallow,
Faray,
Helliar Holm,
Holm of Faray,
Holm of Huip,
Holm of Papa,
Holm of Scockness,
Kili Holm,
Linga Holm,
Muckle Green Holm,
Rusk Holm,
Sweyn Holm Others The southern group of islands surrounds
Scapa Flow. Hoy is the highest of the Orkney Isles, while South Ronaldsay, Burray and Lamb Holm are linked to the Mainland by the
Churchill Barriers. The
Pentland Skerries lie further south, close to the Scottish mainland.
The South Isles Burray lies to the east of Scapa Flow and is linked by causesway to Glimps Holm and South Ronaldsay. It is home to the Orkney Fossil Museum and has a population of 357 (2001 census).
Flotta is known for its large oil terminal and is linked by ferry to Houton across the Scapa Flow on the Mainland, and to Lyness and Longhope on Hoy. During the both World Wars the island was home to a naval base.
Graemsay has a population of around 30. Birds include oystercatchers, ringed plovers, redshank and curlew. it is linked by ferry to Stromness on the Mainland and Moaness on Hoy.
Hoy with an area of 55 square miles is the second largest island. Significant features are the highest vertical sea-cliffs in the UK, the
Old Man of Hoy, the most northerly surviving natural woodland in the British Isles, the most northerly Martello Towers, the highest point in Orkney, the main naval base for Scapa Flow in both World Wars, an unusual rock-cut tomb and an RSPB reserve (skuas and red-throated divers)
South Ronaldsay is linked by causeway to Burray. With an area of 19 sq miles it is the joint third largest island. Of significance are Boys' Ploughing Match, the Tomb of the Eagles (neolithic). It is connected by ferry to the Scottish mainland (Burwick to John o' Groats and St. Margaret's Hope to Gills Bay).
South Walls has a population of 120 and is sometimes considered to be part of Hoy, to which it is linked by the Ayre. It forms the south side of Longhope harbour.
Inhabited islands Calf of Flotta,
Cava,
Copinsay,
Corn Holm,
Fara,
Glims Holm,
Hunda,
Lamb Holm (home of the
Italian Chapel),
Rysa Little,
Switha,
Swona Others Orkney is represented in the
House of Commons as part of the
Orkney and Shetland constituency, which elects one
Member of Parliament (MP) by the
first past the post system of election. The current MP is
Alistair Carmichael of the
Liberal Democrats.
In the
Scottish Parliament the
Orkney constituency elects one
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post system. The current MSP is
Liam McArthur of the Liberal Democrats. Before McArthur the MSP was
Jim Wallace, who was previously
Deputy First Minister. Orkney is within the
Highlands and Islands electoral region.
Orkney Islands Council consists of 21 members, all of whom are
independent, that is they are not members of a political party.
A political party, the
Orkney Movement, exists which supports devolution for Orkney from the rest of Scotland. The
Orkney and Shetland Movement (a coalition of the Orkney movement and its equivalent for Shetland) stood for election in the
1987 UK general election, coming in 4th place.
Politics The
Pentland Firth is a seaway which separates Orkney from the mainland of Scotland. The firth is 11 km wide between
Brough Ness on the island of
South Ronaldsay and
Duncansby Head in
Caithness.
Orkney lies between 58° 41' and 59° 24' North, and 2° 22' and 3° 26' West, measuring 80 km from northeast to southwest and 47 km from east to west, and covers 973 km². Except for some sharply rising sandstone hills and rugged cliffs on the west of the larger ones, the islands are mainly lowlying.
The hilliest island is
Hoy; the highest point in Orkney,
Ward Hill, is to be found there. The only other islands containing heights of any importance are the Mainland, with (another) Ward Hill (268 m) and Wideford Hill; and Rousay. Nearly all of the islands possess lochs (lakes):
The Loch of Harray and
The Loch of Stenness on the Mainland attain noteworthy proportions. The rivers are merely streams draining the high land. Excepting on the west fronts of the Mainland, Hoy and Rousay, the coastline of the islands is deeply indented, and the islands themselves are divided from each other by straits generally called "sounds" or "firths". However, off the northeast of Hoy the designation "Bring Deeps" is used. South of the Mainland is
Scapa Flow and to the southwest of Eday is found the
Fall of Warness.
The names of the islands indicate their nature: the terminal "a" or "ay" represents the Norse
ey, meaning "island". The islets are usually styled "holms" and the isolated rocks "skerries".
The
tidal currents, or races, or "roosts" (as some of them are called locally, from the
Icelandic) off many of the isles run with high velocity, and whirlpools are of frequent occurrence, occasionally strong enough to prove a source of danger to small craft.
The islands are notable for the absence of trees, which is partly accounted for by the amount of wind (although the climate in general is temperate). The formation of
peat is evidence that this was not always the case, and deliberate deforestation is believed to have taken place at some stage prior to the
Neolithic, the use of stone in settlements such as
Skara Brae being evidence of the lack of availability of timber for building.
Most of the land is taken up by farms, and agriculture is by far the most important sector of the economy, with fishing also being a major occupation. Orkney exports
beef,
cheese,
whisky,
beer,
fish and
seafood.
Geography The superficial rock is almost entirely
Old Red Sandstone. As in the neighbouring mainland county of
Caithness, these rocks rest upon the
metamorphic rocks of the eastern
schists, as may be seen on Mainland, where a narrow strip is exposed between Stromness and Inganess, and again in the small island of Graemsay; they are represented by grey
gneiss and
granite.
The upper division of the Old Red Sandstone is found only on Hoy, where it forms the Old Man of Hoy and neighbouring cliffs on the northwest coast. The
Old Man of Hoy presents a characteristic section, for it exhibits a thick pile of massive, current-bedded red
sandstones resting upon a thin bed of amygdaloidal
porphyrite near the foot of the pinnacle. This, in its turn, lies unconformably upon steeply inclined flagstones. This bed of
volcanic rock may be followed northward in the cliffs, and it may be noticed that it thickens considerably in that direction.
The Lower Old Red Sandstone is represented by well-bedded flagstones over most of the islands; in the south of the Mainland these are faulted against an overlying series of massive red
sandstones, but a gradual passage from the flagstones to the sandstones may be followed from Westray southeastwards into Eday. A strong synclinal fold traverses Eday and Shapinsay, the axis being North and South. Near Haco's Ness in Shapinsay there is a small exposure of amygdaloidal
diabase, which is older than that on Hoy.
Many indications of ice action are found on these islands; striated surfaces are to be seen on the cliffs in Eday and Westray, in Kirkwall Bay and on Stennie Hill in Eday; boulder
clay, with marine shells, and with many boulders of rocks foreign to the islands (
chalk, oolitic limestone,
flint, etc), which must have been brought up from the region of Moray Firth, rests upon the old strata in many places. Local
moraines are found in some of the valleys in Mainland and Hoy.
Geology Orkney is subdivided into 21
parishes or
wards that have no more administrative significance but are used for statistical purposes
[1]:
Pickaquoy
Berstane and Work
Warrenfield
Lynnfield
Brandyquoy
Papdale
Scapa and Kirkwall South West
Shapinsay and Kirkwall Harbour
Stromness North
Stromness South, Graemsay and North Hoy
Orphir, Walls and Flotta
Firth and Sunnybrae
Harray and Stenness
Evie, Rendall, Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre
Birsay and Dounby
Sandwick and Stromness Landward
St Andrew's Deerness and Wideford
Holm and Burray
South Ronaldsay
Sanday, North Ronaldsay and Stronsay
Papa Westray, Westray and Eday
Subdivisions The climate is remarkably temperate and steady for such a northerly latitude. The average temperature for the year is 8 °C (46 °F), for winter 4 °C (39 °F) and for summer 12 °C (54 °F). The winter months are January, February and March, the last being the coldest. Spring never begins before April, and it is the middle of June before the warmth grows comfortable. September is frequently the finest month, and at the end of October or the beginning of November the "peedie" (or little) summer or milder weather may occur.
The average annual rainfall varies from 850 mm (33 in.) to 940 mm (37 in.). Fogs occur during summer and early autumn, and furious gales may be expected four or five times in the year.
To tourists, one of the fascinations of the islands is their nightless summers. On the longest day, the sun rises at 03:00 and sets at 21:25 (both GMT)— and darkness is unknown. It is possible to read at midnight and very few stars can be seen in the night sky. Winter, however, is long. On the shortest day the sun rises at 09:10 and sets at 15:17.
The soil generally is a sandy
loam or a strong but friable clay, and very fertile. Large quantities of
seaweed as well as
lime and
marl are available for manure.
Climate The
woollen trade once promised to reach considerable dimensions, but towards the end of the 18th century was superseded by the
linen (for which
flax came to be largely grown); and when this in turn collapsed before the products of the mills of
Dundee,
Dunfermline and
Glasgow,
straw-plaiting was taken up, though only to be killed in due time by the competition of the south. The
kelp industry was formerly of at least minor importance.
For several centuries the
Dutch practically monopolised the
herring fishery, but when their supremacy was destroyed by the salt duty, the Orcadians failed to seize the opportunity thus presented, and
George Barry (died 1805) recorded that in his day the fisheries were almost totally neglected. The industry, however, revived, concentrating on herring,
cod and
ling, but also catching
lobsters and
crabs.
In the 17th century, Orcadians formed the overwhelming majority of employees of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada. The harsh climate of the Orkneys and the Orcadian reputation for sobriety made them ideal candidates for the rigours of the Canadian north. Today, many of the
Métis people of western Canada trace their history to the Orkneys.
In recent years, the Orkney economy has seen growth in areas other than the traditional agriculture, livestock farming, and fishing. These include tourism; food and beverage manufacture; jewellery, knitwear, and other crafts production; construction; and oil transportation through the
Flotta oil terminal. Public services also play a significant role.
Orkney has signficant wind, and marine energy resources and
renewable energy has recently come into prominence. The
European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) is a new Scottish Executive-backed research facility that has installed a wave testing system at Billia Croo on the Orkney mainland and a tidal power testing station on the nearby island of
Eday.
Economy Transport The main airport in Orkney is
Kirkwall Airport, operated by
Highland and Islands Airports.
Loganair, a franchise of
British Airways provides services to the Scottish Mainland (
Aberdeen,
Edinburgh,
Glasgow,
Inverness, and
Wick), as well as to
Sumburgh Airport in Shetland.
Within Orkney, the council operates airfields on most of the larger islands including
Stronsay,
Eday,
North Ronaldsay,
Westray,
Papa Westray, and
Sanday. The shortest scheduled air service in the world, between the islands of Westray and Papa Westray, is scheduled at two minutes duration but can take less than one minute if the wind is in the right direction.
Air Ferries serve both to link Orkney to the rest of Scotland, and also to link together the various islands of the Orkney archipelago. Ferry services operate between Orkney and the Scottish Mainland and Shetland on the following routes:
Inter-island ferry services connect all the inhabited islands to Orkney Mainland, and are operated by
Orkney Ferries, a company owned by
Orkney Islands Council.
Lerwick to
Kirkwall (operated by
Northlink Ferries)
Aberdeen to
Kirkwall (operated by Northlink Ferries)
Scrabster to
Stromness (operated by Northlink Ferries)
Gills Bay to
St Margaret's Hope (operated by
Pentland Ferries)
John o' Groats to
Burwick on
South Ronaldsay (seasonal passenger only service, operated by
John o' Groats Ferries)
Ferry There are ideas being discussed to build an undersea tunnel between Orkney and the Scottish Mainland, at a length of about 9-10 miles (15-16 km) or (more likely) one connecting Orkney Mainland to Shapinsay.
Road The commercial stations,
MFR Moray Firth Radio and
Northsound 2 can also be heard on parts of the islands, with poor reception.
Ofcom granted a community radio licence to
The Superstation Orkney in September 2005.The station will start broadcasting in late October 2007.
Press - Orkney is served by two weekly local newspapers,
The Orcadian and
Orkney Today both published every Thursday.
Radio - A local BBC radio station,
BBC Radio Orkney, the local opt-out of
BBC Radio Scotland, broadcasts twice daily, with local news and entertainment.
Media Located in West Mainland is the 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney', a designated
UNESCO World Heritage Site. This comprises a group of Neolithic monuments which consist of a large chambered tomb (
Maes Howe), two ceremonial stone circles (the
Standing Stones of Stenness and the
Ring of Brodgar) and a settlement (
Skara Brae), together with a number of unexcavated burial, ceremonial and settlement sites. The group constitutes a major prehistoric cultural landscape which gives a graphic depiction of life in this remote archipelago in the far north of Scotland some 5,000 years ago.
Viking settlers comprehensively occupied Orkney, and the islands became a possession of
Norway until being given to
Scotland during the
15th century as part of a dowry settlement. Evidence of the Viking presence is widespread, and includes the settlement at the
Brough of Birsay, the vast majority of
place names, and
runic inscriptions at Maeshowe and other ancient sites.
Heritage At the beginning of recorded history the islands were inhabited by the
Picts, whose language is unknown. Opinions on the nature of
Pictish vary from its having been a
Celtic language, to its not having been
Indo-European at all. Katherine Forsyth claims that the Ogham script on the
Buckquoy spindle-whorl is evidence for the pre-Norse existence of
Old Irish in Orkney..
Language An
Orcadian is a native of Orkney, a term that reflects a strongly held identity with a tradition of understatement. This designation is celebrated in the Orkney Trout Fishing Association's "Ferryloupers Trophy", demonstrating that it was originally a non-derogatory appellation although it can be used in a derogatory manner.
Orcadians In family name alphabetical order:
James Atkine (1613-1687), bishop first of Moray and afterwards of Galloway
William Balfour Baikie (1825-1864), traveller in
Africa George Mackay Brown (1921-1996), poet, author, playwright
Mary Brunton (1778-1818), author of
Self-Control,
Discipline and other novels
Stanley Cursiter (1887-1976), artist
William Towrie Cutt (1898-1981), author
Walter Traill Dennison (1826-1894), Orcadian
folklorist Magnus Erlendsson (Saint Magnus) (c.1070-c.1117), Earl of Orkney c.1105-1117
Matthew Forster Heddle (1828-1897), mineralogist, author of
The Mineralogy of Scotland Malcolm Laing (1762-1818), author of the
History of Scotland from the Union of the Crowns to the Union of the Kingdoms Samuel Laing (1780-1868), author of
A Residence in Norway, and translator of the
Heimskringla, the Icelandic chronicle of the kings of Norway Samuel Laing (1812-1897), chairman of the London, Brighton & South Coast railway, and introducer of the system of "parliamentary" trains with fares of one penny a mile
Magnus Linklater (b.1942), journalist, son of Eric Linklater
John D Mackay (b.1909), headmaster and Orkney patriot
Murdoch McKenzie (d.1797), hydrographer
Edwin Muir (1887-1959), author and poet
Dr. John Rae (1813-1893),
Arctic explorer
Rognvald Kali Kolsson (Saint Rognvald) (c.1103-1158), Earl of Orkney 1136-1158
Julyan Sinclair, television presenter
William Sinclair (1766-1818), Chief Factor at the Hudsons Bay Company
Thomas Stewart Traill (1781-1862), professor of medical
jurisprudence at Edinburgh University and editor of the 8th edition of the
Encyclopaedia Britannica Cameron Stout (b.1971)winner of
Big Brother in 2003, brother of
Julyan Sinclair William Walls (1819-1893), lawyer and industrialist
Wrigley twins Jennifer and Hazel, international folk duo
Well-known Orcadians Rev.
Matthew Armour[2] (1820-1903),
Sanday's radical
Free Kirk Minister Sir
Peter Maxwell Davies (b.1934), composer and
Master of the Queen's Music Lt.-Col. George Faulknor Francis Horwood (1838-1897),
Deputy Lieutenant of Orkney
Andrew Greig (b.1951), Scottish writer
Jo Grimond (1913-1993),
Liberal Party leader and
MP for
Orkney and Shetland 1950-1983
David Harvey (b.1948), footballer
Eric Linklater (1899-1974), novelist, playwright, journalist, essayist and poet
William Sichel (b.1951), ultra distance runner
Luke Sutherland (b.1971), writer of novels
Jelly Roll,
Sweetmeat and
Venus as a Boy Notes List of places in Orkney List of Orkney islands Bishop of Orkney Earl of Orkney Orkneyinga saga Trow Udal Law Churchill Barriers Orkney vole
Society
C-23A
The Norðr-eyjar
Islands
Viscounts Burnham (1919)
Theatrical adaptations