Unkans FREE The newsletter of the Museum and Archives November 2008 and the Shetland heritage community Issue 11 Tom Henderson remembered

Professor Jørn Sunde. Tom Henderson at the helm. On 30 October Professor Family and the Barony Tom Henderson, founding The lecture will be Jørn Øyrehagen Sunde of Rosendal, 1558-1723’, curator of the Museum, available in various Bergen University gave the lecture related how who had a keen interest formats, please the first annual Shetland the Mouats of in the historical contact the archives Museum and Archives became rich landowners relationship between Memorial Lecture. in Norway in the Shetland and Norway. for more information. Entitled ‘From a Shetland seventeenth century. lairdship to a Norwegian This first memorial Barony - The Mouat lecture was in honour of What’s On Guide November 29th November: Films by Winter Opening Hours Margaret Tait. 1.30pm -3pm. 2nd November: Fishy Fun. 2pm - Introduced by Andrew Parkinson Museum: 2.45pm. Make a colourful fishy of the Pier Arts Centre, . Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm collage to take home. Free, Free, drop in. booking essential. Suitable for Archives: kids aged 3 and 4 years old (bring Monday-Friday 10am-4.30pm, Saturday 10am-1pm, an adult!) December Sunday closed 8th Nov -8th Dec. Exhibition: Join us for festive fun throughout ‘Harmonies & Discords’ by Mike December. Hay’s Dock Café Restaurant: McDonnell. Collage, paintings and See local press for event details Daytime: Monday-Saturday 10:30am-5pm, sculpture. Sunday 12pm-5pm 10th November: Going Potty. Evenings: Thursday-Saturday 7.00pm-late, last orders 9pm. 10am – 10.30am and 2pm – All events are held at the To book, phone 01595 741569 2.30pm. Make your own clay pot Shetland Museum and Archives, using ancient techniques. Free, unless otherwise specified. There The Museum and Archives will be closed on 25th and 26th booking essential. Suitable for may be a charge for some events. December, and 1st and 2nd January. kids aged 3 and 4 years old (bring For more information phone an adult!) 01595 695057 or just pop in. 2 Unkans St Magnus Big draw fun for everyone records now available St Magnus Episcopal Church opened in in 1864. Since then it has provided education and charity, as well as religious support for many people in the town. Staff at the Archives were delighted to accept the records of the Church into their collections recently. The donation from the St Magnus vestry will prove interesting for local and family historians alike. The collection includes the first baptism register and registers of service as well as vestry minutes. There is a lot of information about the Church’s ministers in obituaries and detailed correspondence. The history of the Church’s buildings can be studied in letters, receipts and legal documents. The original architect’s drawings are included in the collection, although many are torn and are in poor condition, and will need conservation. Vestry member Rodney Jamieson kindly volunteered to help sort and catalogue the material, and it is now available to researchers. The Archives also holds the records of the Church of , the Free Church of Scotland, the United Free Church, and the Methodist Church in Shetland.

Show on Museum and At this year’s The Big Draw, artists from Veer North encouraged everyone, regardless of age, to get drawing. Archives’ theme The latest exhibition in Da Gadderie will highlight the twelve themes of the Museum and Festive treats at Hay’s Dock Archives’ galleries. Yell sculptor This holiday season, why not try Hay’s Dock roast halibut with poached lobster. Mike McDonnell was Café Restaurant for a new twist on traditional Full details and pricing can be found on the commissioned to create a faire? Chef Mike Skinner has designed two special events page of the Café Restaurant permanent piece for the opening of menus on offer throughout December. website, www.haysdock.co.uk. the building in 2007, which showed The three-course lunch menu offers some As a further treat, throughout December the twelve themes in one artwork, this can be seen just inside the unusual choices: a Bloody Mary soup with feta the Café Restaurant is offering bottles of Cava main entrance. The artist now has cheese croutons, traditional favourite roast at the special price of £12.50. created a number of individual turkey and trimmings, and a new take on The lunch menu is available daily 12 to pieces for each theme and has Christmas Pudding – turning it into 3pm. The Café Restaurant’s normal evening imbued them with his cheesecake! hours are Thursday – Saturday from 7pm. characteristic mirth and sarcasm, The five-course evening menu has a more Group bookings of 8 or more can be made in what he himself describes as a decadent feel, with mains of fillet and braised throughout the week. To book please call ‘tour de farce’. The show runs shoulder of beef, roasted guinea fowl, and 01595 741569. from 8 November to 8 December. Unkans 3

COMMUNITY sector: the uniqueness of the HERITAGE NEWS organisations, well-motivated volunteers, excellent heritage Sound recording survey centres and museums, and strong Shetland Heritage Association and links with local communities. The Shetland Museum and Archives are group pulled together a plan to take considering a joint project to ensure the Association forward. Of course that old recordings of oral histories, after all this activity it was time to events, music, etc. are preserved and relax in good company with a ‘peerie made more accessible. The first dram’ and yarns about old times! step in this process is to find out how Since the Away Day, a series of many hours and in what formats meetings have taken place to these recordings exist. We are progress compiling a promotional calling on history groups to help us, publication, holding a celebration the boat from Quee. It had been in by finding out what your group holds, event, and looking at long-term the yard there for many years and and what may be held by individuals strategies for the sustainability of had been turned into a workshop in your community. For more local heritage groups. with a small window placed on one information, contact Community side. Museums Officer Carol Christiansen Hold Her Steady Boys! Due to the boat’s fragile state, on 01595 741560, carol@shetland- An historic Cunningsburgh moving it required much preparatory museum.org.uk. landmark, presumed to be a lifeboat work by Jack and Alan. A wooden from the White Star liner Oceanic, framework was built inside as a SHA Away Day was recently moved to storage, prior support and heavy wooden battens This summer members of the to finding a new home in the district. placed underneath so that lifting Shetland Heritage Association The Oceanic was wrecked on the strops could be attached. The skills executive held an Away Day at Shaalds of during the First of all involved, including Andrew Saxavord in . This was highly World War, while on her way north to Nicolson who drove the lorry, were successful, with members working join the 10th cruiser squadron. proved excellent as the boat was hard to generate ideas for the future Cunningsburgh History Group safely unloaded and stored at of the organisation. Strengths were members Jack Duncan, Alan Broonie’s Taing until a suitable site identified within Shetland’s heritage Halcrow and Alan Nicolson moved is identified for its display. Reflections on Summer 2008 The Treasure created huge interest. As a result, we introduced a special tour allowing all visitors to have a more detailed insight into the mystery surrounding the hoard. We also held various workshops, where children and adults made objects inspired by the treasure’s decoration. The launch of the Sixareen Vaila Mae and haddock boat Laura Kay brought in over 1000 visitors on the day and events were held in the Boat Shed and the Museum. It was fantastic to see so many people on such an important day. For the rest of the summer we offered rowing trips (weather permitting) on the Vaila Mae, led by our own Captain Pugwash, better known as Trevor Jamieson. As an added cultural experience, Trevor sometimes played his guitar and sang to his crew. Another highlight this season was the arrival of our 100,000th visitor, Robbie Jamieson from , who was accompanied by has grandparents. Robbie won a fishing trip onboard the Pilot Us and a model of her from the shop. We were lucky to have the Guild of Spinners, Weavers, Knitters and Dyers in the Museum every Sunday giving demonstrations. Visitor’s got first-hand experience of how historic handicraft was Visitor Services Assistants Steven Christie, Zuzanna O’Rourke done and much knowledge was exchanged. and Mark Anderson. It gives us great pride to show off the island’s vast and varied Another summer season has come to a close and we felt it was history to all who visit. As a tourist from the USA remarked, ‘A true time to reflect on what has been a marvellous season for all of us in history of an island people with depth and human interest, it was so visitor services. much more than I expected, FANTASTIC’. Two major highlights this season were the loan of the St Ninian’s Isle Treasure and the launch of the first sixareen built in Mark Anderson and Zuzanna O’Rourke Lerwick for 100 years. Visitor Services 4 Unkans The Ham Herring Fishery, c1880 – 1914

The fleet of herring sail drifters passing the Taing of Ham, in the 1890s. Photo: Shetland Museum Photographic Archive During the heyday of the Ham fishing village project (1880 – exchange for eggs and Bressay new tatties. Rather than take 1910) - and for a few years thereafter – a small-scale herring a chance and come into the harbour with their “booty”, they fishery was carried out from Ham, Bressay, during the months landed John Gifford at the mouth of the Veng burn and he of June, July and August by a few 40’ herring boats fitted with carried it in over the Blackhill and hid it in his peat stack to be lug sails. retrieved later. One such boat was the Seabird and her crew members The herring fishing continued until the First World War. were: Before 1909 the crew of the Seabird sold their herring in Francis Gordon, South Maryfield Skipper Lerwick. In that year the Ham station was established, and George Yates, Ham Mate the boats began to land their catch to Bob Milne, fishcurer at John Yates, East Ham Crew Member the station, and with whom they had an agreement. William George Tait, Seaview Crew Member Once the season finished the boats were hauled up on the Laurence Twatt, Seaview Crew Member Ham beach where they lay until the following June. After John Gifford, Anntown Crew Member August the crews reverted to the winter haddock fishing in their small open boats. The herring grounds were 12 miles southeast of the Bard, Another herring boat was the Betsy Sim Lk 333, of which Bressay’s southernmost headland. This was a time when the Andrew Strachan of Ham was skipper. This boat later became Dutch fleet were fishing in large numbers in Shetland waters, a flitboat used to transport herring guts from stations situated and the age-old practice of smuggling was not an unknown around the north harbour to the Aithsvoe meal and oil factory. activity. Everyone concerned in this illegal activity was very In the 1920s this flitboat was crewed by John Smith of wary of H.M. Customs, who meted out severe penalties to Midgarth, Lowrie Anderson, Ham and Lourie Manson, Brough. those caught in the act. On one occasion the crew of the Seabird had obtained L.F. Anderson several earthenware ‘pigs’ of gin and a quantity of tobacco, in Bressay History Group

This page is dedicated to research on all aspects of Shetland’s history and heritage. Contributions are welcome. Get in touch We are keen to include contributions from anyone who has something interesting to share about Shetland’s heritage. Deadline for the next issue is Friday 12th December. If you would like to stock our newsletter or distribute copies to your group, let us know.

Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01595 695057 Fax: 01595 696729

Post: Newsletter, Shetland Museum and Archives, Hay’s Dock, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0WP