OOOPS! Somehow pressed the wrong button, and this generic mail went to the wrong address. Sorry Kevin! I'm seeking interpretation assistance from anyone who might have the key. Begin forwarded message: > From: stephen davie <stephen.davie@sympatico.ca> > Date: Fri Apr 9, 2004 1:57:01 PM US/Pacific > To: Any Soul Who Can Help > Subject: Stuck in old Ork-Jibe....Help!! > > Still tearing away in Canadian-style frustration at family history, > back now over a thousand years of our family Orkneyism, I have > identified a definite roadblock on the superhighway connecting > ignorance and higher knowledge of Orkney. In fact, I would be > considered "roadkill" on the foggy travelled route of old Orcadian > written history. > > As a result of an overwhelmingly generous contribution in > "translating" about thirty pages of old registered documents, by a > very dear and sincere Orkney person, I find that the most interesting > written elements are disguised in a language that may be rooted in > Norway (or Mars), or carried forth from whomever occupied those 5000 > year old digs we hear of and see thanks to this fine site. It is most > frustrating to have the information translated, and still sit in the > bubbling hot-tub of blissful ignorance and steamy frustration. I feel > embarrassed and humiliated. A year of research that has driven my wife > and kids to thinking I have gone completely mad, and now this! > > For example, in 1509, seems some yesteryear cowboy names Sir William > Sinclair (Son of Henry {Hank the Frank}) who died in the Battle of > Flodden (which I know nothing about but I am sure was a fine and > purposeful bloodletting) arrived on his well -oated beast in the > neighborhood of our old family digs and seemingly resolved a hot > boundary dispute. > > My first wave of misunderstanding is the constant and repeated > references to Sabay and Toop. (perhaps the sober and the afflicted?) > The 'landed men' referred to could well be those Martians again. Must > have been quite a show as all the boys were there, including William > Stewart "brother german to the reverend father in God-Edward, Bishop > of Orkney". What is "brother german"? Some latterday submariner who > ran out of gas off the coast and was rescued, gasping in a herring > net? > There is references to the farm's physical location and identifiers > of boundary lines, which I can sortof understand as one in the land > business here. All kinds of decisions about sheep and stock and where > they can't go, and who can and can't step where and when, and > references to the seashore "the lowest of the sea and sand". I think > old Hank Sinclair must have gotten into the Single Malt before he > rendered his immense legalese dialogue after conducting a trial off > the back of his betartaned battle pony. > > Then, I dive back under the cozy unseen cover of expatriated > ignorance when in this document as in all the others, our lands were > sold and bartered for, generation after generation in varying > circumstances evident by stacks of documents produced for me at the > expense of our own Willy Davie ESQ, a long deceased Kirkwall lawyer > and actually researched by W Spence, a long deceased Chemist and > genealogist , and upon which of our cherished family lands some sort > of taxes were paid to the Scottish cowboys, the currency > being.....ahem...are you ready??....Here we go!........ > > "3 meils grain; 1 lispund of butter in scat" or "of old butter > (cheese?) scat 2 tubs (that sounds tasty!), 2 liespund (lipstick of > seal oil for the ladies perhaps?) and in grain scat of old 7m still > the same and no forcop."( none-for-the-cop? ....policeman is cut out > of the deal?) Take it easy on me folks, for when I went to university > thirty years ago, it took me three years to figure out the difference > between a credit and a debit. And I was a business student. but that > was the sixties. My folks blamed it on the Beatles and the Stones. And onward to....... > > "And in land in the same place 20s conquest land viz (land stolen by > our relative vikinz); other half merk land of old meal 25 a m of grain > the same of flesh" > > Further "Grimbuster (our place) pays in teind 16 meils grain-two part > malt and three parts meal to his Majesties Chamberlane. (Why didn't > they trade in whisky like they did over here with the natives?) > There is in Grimbister one half penny land Kirkland. The Holm of > Grimbister (our wee wet Island) pays 1/2 barrel butter and three parts > meils grain whereof two parts is malt and three parts is meal, > distance from the Kirk half mile. (I guess that is how far the island > is from??? the pub?) > > And on it goes, but I have about a 55% understanding. Seems those > Scottish boys ate well, as we shelled out our sheep, foul, oysters, > grain, butter and probably the shirts off our backs every time the > tartan clad pony brigade came trotting into town. Now I am glad we > don't have a family Tartan!! I can live without haggis as well (is > it true that they take the stomach content and set it aside for gravy? > ) I can see why we hopped aboard with the Hudson's Bay expeditions. > After the Scots got finished scooping the harvest, there was nothing > left! That Orcadians interbred with Scots is not hard to imagine, > considering the hard line demands for taxes in form of goods. I guess > if your daughter married one of these becheckered dress-wearing > pirates, they might lighten your load and let you keep a jug of malt > or a bag of grain in a bad crop year so you could survive the winter > and be there to raid the next year. There, I did it! > > On a more serious note, If anyone knows of a book or reference source > that could provide meaning to all of the unfamiliar words in these > cherished old records, I would be simply grateful for the assistance. > Maybe there is an Oxford Dictionary for Old Orkney. This "English" > language of ours seems like the boiled down result from input which is > so diverse and fragmented and perhaps gives understanding why it is > the wordiest language in the world. We marvel over hear at newcomer > Englishmen, and the oral gymnastics they go through to say howdy or > G'dday, eh!. My wife seems to be able to make more sense old lingo > than I by phonetically mouthing these old notes, for which the > spelling is as diverse as pebbles on the shore. I can only imagine how some excited tourist, bulging at the seams in a country known for it's inwardness, thumbing through the old lore records in Kirkwall, and upon finding the crisp old documents that tie his blood to the soil, discover that it is written in Orcadian Poke-Joke-at-Folk Mumble-jibe, with no computerized translator, no book or no "interpreter" to cast a light in his anxious heart-thumping darkness . > > Anyways, thanks for listening. It is if I have a cherished novel, with > 45% written in a foreign language, and six of the best pages missing > or stained by a spilled glass of vintage red wine. > > At the end of the day, I am just thrilled to have the novel. But it > would be nice to know what it says. > > Happy Easter to all.........Stephen (Canorky) > > > > > > >