what they did was to be successful. these families would have been the main urisland holders of the time- viking landowners. ----- Original Message ---- From: Steven Heddle <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, 30 September, 2007 11:35:09 PM Subject: [ORCADIA] Names and links with Canada (was: Re (Orcadia) Handy reference information) Stephen's message is topical as the parish of Holm has just erected a totem pole carved by the community in conjunction with the expertise and guidance of visitors from the Squamish First Nation, see http://www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/imagelibrary/list.asp?field=groups&crit=45 for some pictures of the event, and the associated ceremony. Our visitors (humourously) expressed awe at the wind here, and surprise that we would want to live with such weather (although I haven't noticed it being particularly windy the last two weeks- they should visit here in January...). But the point is that everybody seemed to have got on well and enjoyed the experience. Regarding what is an Orkney name, we could debate this for a while, the subject being confused by the immigration and emigration that has constantly taken place. A less contentious place to start is by reference to J.Storer Clouston(yes 'The Spy in Black' writer)'s book 'Records of the Earldom of Orkney 1299-1614' where he records the names of the 25 'roithman' families which had extra rights under Udal Law, including the right of redemption (of property). Of the 22 distinct names all but 3 still feature in the local phone book, and those three (I believe) still exist elsewhere through emigration. The names are listed below, with date of first written reference in square brackets- not much was actually written early on: Berstane (of Cletts) [1500,1514] Cragy (of Brough), now Craigie [1424] Cromarty (of Cara) [1479] Clouston (of Clouston) [1434] Corrigall (of Corrigall) [1489] Flett (of Netherbrough) [1424] Flett (of Hobbister and of Gruthay) [?] Fraser (of Tohop) [1438] Heddle (of Heddle) [1424] Halcro (of Halcro) [1509] Halcro (of Aikers) [1503] Ireland (of Ireland) [1369] (see earlier thread which pointed out the daftness of changing the name of the Mill of Ireland to the Mill of Eyrland) Irving (of Sabay), now Irvine [1369] (Washington Irving's family was from Shapinsay I believe- Pat Long will know better than me) Kirkness (of Kirkness) [1391] Linklater (of Linklater) [1424] Loutitt (of Lyking) [1500] Ness and Tulloch of Ness [1447] Paplay (of Paplay and Sands) [1550] Rendall (of Rendall) [1231] Sclater (of Burness) [1492] Scarth (of Scarth) [1482] Sinclair (of Air) [1455] Sinclair (of Warsetter) [?] Tulloch (of Lambholm [1422] Yenstay (of Yenstay) [1509] Ness, Paplay and Yenstay are the names that have died out as family names. There are of course lots of other Orkney names, but what these families did to be set apart I hesitate to speculate... Cheers Steven (Heddle) ----- Original Message ----- From: stephen davie To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 9:51 PM Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Re (Orcadia) Handy reference information IT IS difficult if not impossible, for people from afar to conceive the breadth and depth of the historic ties between Canada and Orkney. Seems like every "old" northern community has Orcadians at the roots. The point is that for several generations, Orkney farms gave up their sons and grandsons to come out here with the company, and the large part simply never returned home. The first of my relatives started that migration in the very early 1700's, maybe even earlier, and the last came out in the late 1800's....all with the HBC. Some went home, then missed this place and came out again to stay for good. When I go to Orkney and stand on Wyre or Grimbister or Davie's brig, i get mixed emotions about the Hudson's Bay Company. For while their romantic exploits in exploring this vast land were and are impressive and exciting and wild and free spirited, the men from Orkney were engaged like work horses. The few rations and slim they received for the dangerous and demanding work they did was in many cases the bare minimum compensation and less than fair. Unlike the Brits and many of the southern Scots, you could drop an Orkneyman off with a gun, powder and ball and a few bags of dried peas and a keg of rum, and return a year later to find an encampment and a store of furs. Maybe a few mixwd race bairn too. The 60th parallel life in Orkney was excellent for producing a hardy rugged sort of person, and their water skills were simply undeniable. The massive recruitment drive for Orkneymen became a resented thing in Orkney. I just sold my home ( that has outgrown my single needs) to a fellow and his kin of old country roots here in Ontario, for example, and his heritage is Rendall from Orkney. Orkney is everywhere, and the point is that there are vastly more people with Orkney roots here than will ever live in Orkney itself. Vastly more. I have looked at the recruitment numbers of young men, and they came here with their hormones raging and their health in top form. There are probably a thousand native indian Isbisters here, for example. Orkneymen were huge here, and their genetic footprint is massive. History doesn't seem to underline that somehow. While there are many Orkney names on towns, try looking in the phonebooks! Cheers......Stephen On Sep 30, 2007, at 11:06 AM, R GARSON wrote: > Here are some Canadian place names with Orkney connections. > Rae's Strait after Dr John Rae. > Towns of Garson Manitoba and Garson Ontario after William Garson, > politician and contractor, born in Orkney > Also in Ontario, St Ola, Kirkwall and Stromness. > In Alberta, Orkney Hills, Scapa, > In Saskatchewan, Maeshowe, Little Orkney and Birsay. > In British Columbia, Hope may have been named from St Margaret's > Hope. > Other names worldwide at http://users.tpg.com.au/isanders/orkney/ > emigration.html > > Ronald Garson in Ottawa > > _______________________________________ > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ORCADIA- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message _______________________________________ Orcadia Group Photo Album http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _______________________________________ Orcadia Group Photo Album http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message