SH E T L A N D P A R I SH D E L T I N G . R E I G. P W . G . W A . L E R I CK : C . SANDISON 1 89 2 . P R E F A E C . H I S of T Sketch, which a portion has already appeared in a ' of Sketland flmes is series articles contributed to the , f of now published in a more permanent orm, at the request numerous readers . My sincere thanks are due to those friends who have afforded me much assistance by placing at my disposal s o f f D e ltin material containing a tore in ormation relating to g. P . W . G . L E R I C K am 1 8 2 . W , j 9 C N O T E N T S. PA GE H APT I C ER . D e lti ng HA FT I I C ER . Olnafi rth C H A PT E R III . D own Sk e lladale H APT V C ER I . — We athe rsta Brae H APT C ER V . — ' Busta T he Giflords H C APTER V I . ' Thomas Giflord H APT V I I C ER . The Gifford Family H APT V C ER III . The D rowni ng of th e Sons of Busta H APT X C ER I . Barbara Pitcairn HAPT E X C R . ' Gideon Giflord CONTENTS . PA G E H PT R 1 Q A E x . T he Busta Case H APT XI I C ER . M uckle R oe to Scatsta C H APTER XIII . Th e Garth Mu rd e r H APT XI V C ER . L axobiggin to D ale H APT XV C ER . Scottish Oppressio ns H APT C ER XVI . ‘ Old D e lting Fam ilie s HAPT XV C ER II . Eccle siastical Account ANNALS OF A SHETLAND PARISH R CHAPTE I . B I ELT NG . E W parishes in Shetland h ave got less fair treatment at f s f l in the hands o writers than the Pari h o D e t g. and but a and Hibbert Tudor devote little sp ce to it, Cowie, i a n the . his Guide, scarcely gives it ttention it deserves Had h of these writers , however, climbed the hill to the sout Moor f field, and ollowed the ridge to the north , terminating in the “ ” a of a grand pe k called the Club Mull , over eight h undred f f s eet high , they would have been more avourably impre sed of . is with the scenic beauties the parish It is true, there little o f the st riking rock scenery pecul iar to Shetland to be seen ; - s s a but the heath clad hill , the long winding voes reaching ever l a d h in miles inl n , t e numerous lochs glistening the sunlight, form a most pleasing picture . There are numerous hills in D e ltin s f an of a g, but it is impos ible rom y one them to get com l f f f p e te view o the whole district . The scene rom any o the - ra a t and n of hill tops is g nd . E s , west, north, not o ly is the Parish D e ltin a n g to be seen to dvantage, but the neighbouri g parishes - s L unnastin San stin to the ea t g, to the west d g and North m avine l r— si , and to the north Yell and Fe t a are all vi ble in - a f . a t o bright, clear weather Following the hill tops, the ch r c er l s a s s the and c pe ever changes ; bright, cheery pot here and th e - a s of there relieving dark, deep sc rred hill . Here the arm wa a voe winds its y inland until one is apt to think it is a lake, and there a small cluster of crofter houses nestle under the hill 8 A N N AL S o r A SHETLAND PAR ISH . r f . side, su rounded by patches o cultivated land Standing on l a L axobi in a of the hi l bove gg , one sees the whole north p rt the f Scatsta Mione ss f Mione ss parish, rom Voe to , and rom to and a Mossbank, hill dale ; the brown common and the verd nt pasture land are spread out like a picture ; little streamlets hurrying over rocky beds glance in the sunlight as they speed li u nru flle d along, and lochs e here and there reflecting in their bosoms the surrounding hills . s f c On the ea t side o Sullom Voe, whi h winds its way for of t s as inland over eight miles, and is one the pre tie t well ’ a s a as the longest voe in Shetland, is G rth Voe, running inl nd f a short distance . To the north , and divided rom the latter by a of a an a s s r narrow neck l nd , Orka Voe runs in lmo t t aight for Caldback and line about two miles . On the west side is Caldback s Crookste r of c Ne s , on the east , at both which pla es of is the natural barrenness the soil relieved by cultivation, and fi elds of corn wave and ripen in the autumn sun . Going f r Scatsta V oxte r s a ther west, one sees the and di trict, a com f parative ly level stretch of land . At the ormer place stands c c at m d . the hur h , the latter the anse, close besi e the voe of f Divided by a narrow neck land rom Sullom Voe, Busta a s of Voe runs out to the south, a bro d expan e water, to the s of can fa n o f s we t which be seen the mily ma sion Bu ta, partly f of hidden by lo ty plane trees, an unusual sight in this part , the f s s world to the east there is a number o crofter hou e . From We th e rsta fa is a of Olnafi rth Ness a irly good view obt ined Voe, on the west side of which the cultivated land of Grobsness a s s of s st nd out in relief to the ombre hue the urrounding hill . Gonfi rth a of i Farther up the west side is Voe, at the he d wh ch a stands a sm ll school . In all these districts there are lochs had. wof and burns , where trout fishing can be No better vie the east side of the parish can be obtained than from the top f of a r Collafi rth s o the East Hill D le . F om to Mos bank the is c a irth sne ss Swniste r coast line quite le r and distinct, and F , i , ss a are c s . s and Mo b nk quite lo e at hand But in this di trict, as Olnafi rth L axobi in in the and gg districts, large stretches of BELTING . 9 f a n of f ertile l nd , strew with the ruins cro ter houses, are laid w ar a a s s f r . a te o sheep Few things e s dder than to see the pl ce , o f of l nce the cheer ul habitations man , waste and deso ate , and m W s e the ho esteads heaps of ruin s. hile viewing uch scen s ’ ne a u m an o is strongly reminded th t man s inh manity to , ” m s akes countless thousand mourn . Many other visitors to D e lting have written an account of s f h e their experiences and impres ions o that paris . A writ r, r a o a r sixty yea s g , long with a com panion , visited the dist ict, ” n f his as a d s an c o . s publi hed ac ount tour The e eccentrics, h s s - a they styled t em elves, in pired by the Byronic high tr gedy “ of a r s of n tone th t period , desc ibed the di trict as one appalli g . c s r gloom In des ribing Voe, at a time we mu t remembe , f a sa I f of be ore the ro ds were made, he ys there be a heap f c a c u is the oul ul erous mount in excrescen es in nat re, it here, n m and a grou d tre bles vibrates to your tre d, as though you were walking over the graves of the dropsical de ad : and the c off a s ene rolls bluntly in dism l, hunchbacked hills, which , even ’ i m of in daylight, we ghs like a nightmare on the sto ach one s m a na se t s s of w n . i gi tion , and the mill tone horror at work ithi a at Millbou rn w We took a bo t at night, &Voe], and sailed do n a a a k D l in wa e t . s d rk n rrow voe or la e to Bray, in g It a scene of s m a s r wordles gloo , and we p s ed th ough it in our little crazy ff s r as was an ski , all ilent and shudde ing, though it Styx, d f fo a o .