SEPTEMBER, 2013 - "We
arrived at the airport in Sumburgh and set off for Lerwick, a town that in
the past relied on the Dutch herring industry and didn’t become the capital
until the 17c. At the harbour is a memorial to the crew of the whaler Diana,
a whaling ship that in 1866 got trapped in the ice at Baffin Bay for six
months. The Captain and many of the crew died. As many of them were from
Lerwick the memorial was built. In 1869 while making her way from the Davis
straight she encountered a strong gale and was washed into the Donna hook
sands on the Lincolnshire Coast and broke up. Her loss ended the whaling
industry in Hull.
The Customs House used to be The
Tollbooth dated 1770 and housed the Sheriff’s Court and Prison. Outside is a
Lodberry a place for loading and unloading ships. Lerwick had a reputation for
smuggling. In recent times an assortment of barrels, kegs and jars have been
found in cellars and tunnels under the streets.
Our next stop was Scalloway,
Shetland’s capital in 17c. Shielded from Atlantic gales by the rugged isles of
Trondra and Burra, its harbour was a refuge for ships. Scalloway Castle was
built by forced labour for Earl Patrick Stewart in 1599, and was occupied for
less than a century and is now roofless. On the waterfront is a memorial to the
Shetland Bus Heroes who made the village their base in WW2. They used to rescue
Norwegians from their Nazi occupied homeland. A model of one of these little
boats stands on top of this memorial.
In Weisdale there are a lot of
ruined Bods (small cottages), where people were moved on to make room for sheep.
There are very few trees on the Shetlands because the strong wind kills them.
The only shops are in Lerwick with a few in Scalloway, and only a few tea rooms
exist. The dramatic cliffs at Eshaness are made from lava. and volcanic ash.
Johnny Notions’s Bod belonged to
Johnny Williamson who invented a type of smallpox vaccine which saved 3,000
people in the villages. He lived between 1740 and 1804 and was given the
nickname Johnny Notions.
On the last Tuesday in January
nearly 800 torch-bearing guizers march behind a Viking galley which is burnt
with great ceremony. This is called Up Helly A and the leader of the procession
is called the Jarl. Jarls spend all year building the galley, their costumes and
shields, and torches, which are made from 4ft poles with hessian sacks rolled
and nailed with a cement base applied to prevent flames going down the torch
pole. The torches are soaked in paraffin with each one absorbing over half a
gallon and weigh over 14 pounds.
Artefacts in Lerwick museum include
early houses, implements, waterproof shoes made from animal skins as well as a
costume worn by a Skekler and his assistant to bring luck to a bride and groom
(known as straw boys).
The Napoleonic war broke out in
1793 and the Royal Navy started press gangs. When the Navy tried to take Ursula
Smith’s two brothers she resisted them, but was unsuccessful and a Lieutenant
Wilson returned and beat her with the butt of his pistol, breaking her tooth,
bursting her cheek, and cutting her eye. As she tried to get away he hit her on
the head with his sword. Next day she was taken to Lerwick where her wounds were
dressed and she reported the incident to the authorities. Lieutenant Wilson was
convicted for assault and endangering her life, but he was only sentenced to 14
days in prison.
Another lady of note was Betty
Mouat who as a frail 60-year-old, in 1886, went on the packet boat, Columbine,
to sell her knitting in Lerwick. The wind became violent and the skipper and the
mate were blown overboard, the other sailors tried to rescue them in a little
lifeboat, but to their horror they saw the Columbine had sailed off on its own.
A steam freighter went out but there was no sign so they assumed it was lost.
Nine days later, with only milk and biscuits to eat, Betty and, the Columbine
washed up on the coast of Norway. It was seen as a miracle and Queen Victoria
sent her £20. She lived to 93, 32 years after her ordeal.
The Town Hall in Lerwick has
wonderful stained glass windows and carvings. There are also ceiling shields.
Another trip was to the Bod of Gremista, later home to Arthur Anderson, who
started out by salting fish, went to sea, and eventually became head of P&O.
Our final visit was to Jarlshof.
Here some 100 years ago a violent storm exposed massive stonework under a grass
mound, above the sandy beaches at East Voe, near Sumburgh Six main levels from
stone age hut 4,000 years old, through to Iron Age Broch, to Viking Village, a
farmstead and a wheelhouse emerged. Nearby is Betty Mouats Bod, while Scatness
Broch stands in the field next door. The last view of Sumburgh is the
lighthouse, built by Robert Stevenson who accompanied Sir Walter Scott on a
cruise to the Shetlands in 1814. This inspired Scott’s book The Pirate
which is set around Fitful Head and gave Jarlshof its name."
(Best wishes from Jackie Towler)