A Report on Preliminary Work on Papa Stour, Shetland 2010

OITIS Field Report no. 1 A Report on Preliminary Work on Papa Stour, Shetland 2010 Jill Campbell, Endre Elvestad, Mark Gardiner and Natascha Mehler OITIS (The Operation of International Trade in Iceland and Shetland) is a joint project between the Römisch- Germanische Kommission of the German Archaeological Institute and Queen’s University Belfast to examine trade and fishing in Iceland and Shetland during the period from the 15th to early 18th centuries. This interdis- ciplinary study draws primarily upon evidence from archaeological and historical work. The present report series makes available the results of field survey and investigation in advance of the syn- thesis and publication of the complete project. They are interim reports, contain provisional results, and are therefore subject to revision and modification. Front cover illustration: Surveying at Hamnavoe Jill Campbell, School of Geography, Archaeology, and Palaeoecology, Queen´s University Belfast ([email protected]) Endre Elvestad, Stavanger Sjøfartsmuseet ([email protected]) Dr Mark Gardiner, School of Geography, Archaeology, and Palaeoecology, Queen´s University Belfast ([email protected]) Dr Natascha Mehler, Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Universität Wien ([email protected]) 2 Contents Introduction 4 Aims and methods 4 Historical evidence 4 Place-names 5 Oral tradition 5 Hamna Voe 5 Archaeology 6 Maritime background: Hamna Voe 6 Maritime background: Culla Voe 8 Summary of maritime archaeology 8 Site Survey 9 Hamnavoe 9 Description of building 9 Interpretation of the building sequence 11 Tulloch´s Böd, Culla Voe 13 Description of building 13 Interpretation of building sequence 14 Conclusion 15 Acknowledgements 16 References 16 3 Introduction elevations drawn up in AutoCAD by Jill Campbell. This is a report on preliminary visits to Papa Stour The immediate surroundings of the buildings were undertaken in May 2010 as part of a wider field sur- also surveyed using the total station, drawn up in vey of Hanseatic trading sites in Shetland. The visits AutoCAD by Mark Gardiner and these plans were were intended to evaluate the evidence for the sur- correlated with satellite photographs which were vival of remains relating to Hanseatic trade on Papa brought into AutoCAD. This allowed a record of Stour. The importance of the island as a base for wider area to be generated. The plans for this report German traders and as a site of imported goods was have been drawn up by Libby Mulqueeney from the indicated by the only major excavation to have taken CAD surveys. place on the island, at The Biggings, where sub- stantial quantities of imported pottery were found. Those include Paffrath Ware of the 12th and early Historical evidence 13th centuries, north German and South Scandina- This report considers two areas which were exam- via redwares and stonewares from Lower Saxony ined in the preliminary survey: Hamnavoe farm in (Crawford and Ballin Smith 1999, 156-67). Pottery Hamna Voe and Tulloch’s Böd in Culla Voe. Both was not a main item of trade, but provides some in- settlements lie on the western half of the island and dication of trading activity on the island. While The beyond the Town Dike which encloses the better land Biggings reflects the pottery at a consumer site, no of the island. Crawford and Ballin Smith (1999, 40) trading sites had been excavated in Shetland before suggest that a settlement was established at Hamna- the start of work of the OITIS project. voe for commerce rather than for agriculture because Papa Stour lies west of mainland Shetland and the soils are fairly poor, although the anchorage is the would have been passed by ships travelling along safest in the island. that coast of the island group. It has long served The historical evidence for the early presence of as both as a base for fishing and as a centre for ag- German merchants on Papa Stour is better than for riculture. It has a number of voes (or bays) which most other places in Shetland. A deed of 1452 records have been used as fishing bases at various times, the sale of land on the island by Henrik Soost who but in the late 19th century the main activity was was evidently a Lübeck merchant resident in Bergen concentrated around West Voe where William Adie in the mid-15th century (SD 1, no. 22). Crawford and constructed a pier. The island is sharply divided into Ballin Smith (1999, 39) have speculated that he might two halves. The better land lies to the east of Hill have acquired the land in default of payment of debts Dyke, while the land to the west is extremely poor, by a Shetlander, or because it was in some other way in places lacking any soil at all. The sites surveyed in connected with trade. the preliminary work both lie on the western half. Rolf Hammel-Kiesow at the Archiv der Hanse- stadt Lübeck has provided the following information: during 1441 and 1473 the Oberstadtbücher of Lübeck Aims and methods mention several times a Hinricus Soost / Hinricus The visits undertaken in May 2010 were to evaluate Susato / Hinricus Soest, but it is uncertain if this is the potential of the island for future study of Han- all the same person. He was most likely a Bergenfarer seatic trade. The initial survey looked particularly at and Soost is reported to have bought and sold some the buildings which, though it was apparent from houses in Lübeck. Unfortunately, the sources do not first inspection were not evidently 16th or 17th cen- mention any journeys made by him to Shetland. tury in date, might include fabric of buildings from A list of trading sites in Shetland of 1563 men- that period. The survey also considered the sur- tions the harbour of “Sunte Mangens Eilandt“ and roundings of the buildings where other evidence of the harbour in “Papposunt” (SD 1, no. 140). The Hanseatic trade might survive, and a more general identification of these poses some problems. The survey was undertaken of the inlets as anchorages first, St Magnus Island, is the older name for Papa and for landing boats. The work on the maritime Stour. The second is Papa Sound which might be archaeology was undertaken by Endre Elvestad. the sound to the south of Papa Stour and therefore Two buildings were recorded photogrammetri- the harbour might be on the mainland, perhaps near cally and an analytical study was made of the build- Sandness as Brian Smith has suggested (Crawford ing fabric. The buildings were photographed with and Ballin Smith 1999, 39n). Alternatively, it may be targets which surveyed using a Leica total station. a reference to West Voe on which Papil is situated The photographs were corrected to create ortho- and where there were certainly “Dutchmen” in the photos using PhoToPlan and the fabric of selected 1650s (Smith 1984, 14). The reference to “Dutch- 4 men” almost certainly refers to Germans. It is clear Oral tradition from written evidence that Shetlanders could or did not distinguish a Dutch from a German trader, Hamna Voe confusingly calling German merchants “Dutch” (e. g. George Peterson discussed the places associated Mehler 2009, 95f.). with German or “Dutch” traders on our visit. We We know little more about the presence of have augmented our record of his comments with German merchants on Papa Stour until 1602 the account he gives in his book, The Coastal Place- when Orne Mair, a Hamburg merchant at Gluss names of Papa Stour (Peterson 1993) which incorpo- in Northmavine, sought the removal of Simon rates both oral tradition and historical research. “Harratstay”, a Hamburg merchant from Gunnister He suggested to us on our visits that the Fore Voe, Northmavine, to Papa Stour on the grounds Wick and Housa Voe on the south and east of the that there was too much competition for the supplies island were poor harbours because the sand in the of fish (Court Book of Shetland 1602-1604, 16-17, 93- bays provides insecure hold for the anchors of 94). Simon Harriestede, elder and younger, can be ships. The tradition is that the main harbours used traced in the Hamburg records sailing to Shetland by the German merchants were Hamna Voe in the from 1588 when the former was paying for goods south and Culla Voe in the north. The site on Ham- taken in the ship of Hans Meier (possibly the same na Voe may have been the farm at Hamnavoe which person as Orne Mair mentioned above). Simon was occupied by Gabrielson in 1671 when a list of Harriestede – father and son – appear to have sailed Mowat tenants was drawn up. It was refurbished in most years to Shetland until 1626. Whether they the 1850s, but may have been the site of a Hanse continued to be based at Gunnister for long after building which had been improved. 1602 is uncertain. However, by 1626 the younger Peterson (1993, 13) has traced the history of the Simon Harriestede seems to have transferred his farm in his book. From about the 1720s it was oc- activities to Papa Stour (see also Gardiner and Mehler cupied by the Henry family – Thomas, his son James 2010). It is recorded exceptionally that year that the and his son Robert. It was later used by Laurence Jacob Surman’s ship, in which he had an interest, Fraser who had served in the Royal Navy. After re- had gone to “Papoien” (Staatsarchiv Hamburg 1988; turning to Shetland in about 1800 he set up as a see also Smith 1984, 16). In 1603 there is a record general merchant at Hamnavoe. The Fraser family of an affray at the Dutch booth and “frie coupsta” of were still occupying the house in 1851, but before Papa when two men attacked another (Court Book 1856 it had been bought by the firm of Thomas M.

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