Norman Tulloch wrote: > > > Liz wrote: >> Hi All, >> I have an ancestor who according to the 1881 census was born in >> Pomona Orkney, but everything I have found about her says that she >> was born in Stromness. Unfortunately my geography knowledge is not >> great and I have never heard of somewhere called Pomona. please can >> SKS enlighten me a bit. >> thanks in anticipation >> Liz Langmann ( Campbell) >> Cape Town South Africa > > Liz, > > Pomona is just an alternative name for the largest of the Orkney > Islands that is usually called Mainland. Here's what Sigurd Towrie says: > > "The principal island is now simply referred to as "the Mainland" - a > corruption of the Old Norse "Meginland". The island was originally > referred to as "Hrossey" - "Horse Island" in Old Norse. The erroneous > name "Pomona" can still sometimes be seen on the occasional modern map > but this stems from a seventeenth century cartographical error and has > never been used by Orcadians." > > Source here: http://www.orkneyjar.com/orkney/ > > Norman Tulloch Mind you, there's still the Pomona Inn in Finstown and there used to be Pomona Crisps (Chips to our American cousins) which were delicious, even though they were made in Kirkwall :-)) -- Mike Clouston