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Northern Isles: the story on HearLore | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Geography And Geology —
Northern Isles.
~9 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
The Northern Isles sit off the north coast of Scotland, separated from the mainland by the Pentland Firth. Orkney lies about 10 miles away while Shetland sits roughly 65 miles to the north. The archipelago contains 36 inhabited islands divided into two main groups. Orkney has 20 inhabited islands with a total population of 19,245 in 2001. Its largest island is called Mainland and covers an area making it the sixth largest Scottish island. Kirkwall serves as its largest town. Shetland spans around 1,468 square kilometers with a coastline stretching 1,700 kilometers long. Lerwick acts as the capital and largest settlement with a population of approximately 7,500 people. About half of Shetland's total population lives within five miles of that town.
The geological foundation differs sharply between the two groups. Orkney rests almost entirely on Old Red Sandstone dating back to the Middle Devonian period. This sandstone layer sits atop metamorphic rocks known as the Moine series. A narrow strip of older rock appears exposed between Stromness and Inganess on the Orkney Mainland. Small islands like Graemsay also reveal these ancient formations. Middle Devonian basaltic volcanic rocks appear on western Hoy, Deerness in eastern Mainland, and on Shapinsay. Lamprophyre dykes from the Late Permian age cut through much of Orkney.
Shetland presents a far more complex geological picture. It represents the northern outpost of the Caledonian orogeny featuring numerous faults and fold axes. Outcrops include Lewisian, Dalriadan, and Moine metamorphic rocks similar to those found on the Scottish mainland. The most distinctive feature is ultrabasic ophiolite, peridotite, and gabbro found on Unst and Fetlar. These rocks are remnants of the Iapetus Ocean floor. Oil-bearing sediments exist in surrounding seas forming the basis for much of Shetland's modern economy.
Geological evidence points to a catastrophic event around 6100 BC when the Storegga Slides triggered a tsunami across the Northern Isles. Waves may have reached heights exceeding 25 meters within the voes of Shetland where modern populations concentrate today. Glacial striation and chalk erratics originating from the North Sea bed demonstrate ice action shaping the landscape. Boulder clay covers substantial areas while moraines mark the terrain.
Prehistoric Archaeology
Four prehistoric remains comprise the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 1999. Skara Brae stands alongside Maes Howe, the Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar. The Knap of Howar farmstead on Papa Westray likely represents the oldest preserved house in northern Europe. This structure was inhabited for 900 years beginning around 3700 BC but sat upon an even older settlement site. Shetland contains over 5,000 archaeological sites spanning multiple eras.
On Fetlar a dividing wall dating from the Neolithic period once stretched three kilometers across the island. Known as Funzie Girt it demonstrates early agricultural organization. Iron Age brochs provide the most outstanding archaeology found throughout Shetland. The Broch of Mousa stands as the finest preserved example of these distinctive round towers. In 2011 a site called the Crucible of Iron Age Shetland joined the UK's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. This location includes the Broch of Mousa along with Old Scatness and Jarlshof.
Pictish culture built many of these structures though their identity remains unknown to modern scholars. Symbol stones serve as common archaeological relics from that era. One excellent example appears on the Brough of Birsay depicting three warriors holding spears and sword scabbards alongside characteristic Pictish symbols. A trove of silver metalwork known as the St Ninian's Isle Treasure emerged in 1958. Silver bowls, jewelry, and other pieces date from approximately 800 AD according to O'Dell's analysis. The brooches display both animal-head and lobed geometrical forms typical of the period.
Christianity likely arrived in Orkney during the sixth century with organized church authority emerging by the eighth century. An Ogham-inscribed artifact called the Buckquoy spindle-whorl was discovered at a Pictish site on Birsay. Scholars generally consider it of Irish Christian origin despite ongoing controversy regarding its exact meaning.
Norse Conquest And Rule
The eighth century marked when Vikings began invading the Scottish seaboard bringing new cultural and linguistic influences. According to the Orkneyinga Saga the islands became headquarters for pirate expeditions targeting Norway and mainland Scotland coasts. Some sources claim Norwegian king Harald Hårfagre annexed the Northern Isles in 875. He gifted Orkney and Shetland to Rognvald Eysteinsson as an earldom compensating for his son's death in battle. Other scholars believe this story derives from events connected to Magnus III of Norway known as Magnus Barelegs.
King Olaf I of Norway fully Christianized the islands by fiat in 995 while stopping in South Walls en route from Ireland to Norway. The king summoned jarl Sigurd the Stout declaring he would kill him and ravage every island with fire and steel if baptism was refused. Sigurd agreed immediately making the islands Christian overnight. An early eleventh-century bishopric established the Bishop of Orkney position.
Jon Haraldsson murdered in Thurso in 1231 represented the last unbroken line of Norse jarls. Subsequent earls came from Scots noble houses including Angus and St. Clair. By the fourteenth century Orkney and Shetland remained a Norwegian province though Scottish influence grew steadily. The islands maintained distinct Norse cultural characteristics throughout centuries of administration.
Scottish Annexation
In 1468 Shetland was pledged by Christian I acting as King of Norway as security against payment of his daughter Margaret's dowry. She had been betrothed to James III of Scotland. Since the money never changed hands the connection with the crown of Scotland became permanent. William Sinclair, first Earl of Caithness ceded his title to James III in 1470. The following year Northern Isles were directly annexed to Scotland completing the transfer process.
From the early fifteenth century Shetlanders sold goods through the Hanseatic League of German merchantmen. This trade lasted until the 1707 Act of Union when high salt duties prohibited German merchants from trading with Shetland. Economic depression followed as local traders lacked skills in handling salted fish exports. Some merchant-lairds fitted out ships to export fish to the continent creating negative consequences for independent fishermen who now worked for these landlords.
British rule imposed heavy costs on ordinary people beyond economic hardship. Royal Navy recruitment sought Shetlanders' nautical skills during the Napoleonic Wars from 1800 to 1815. Approximately 3,000 men served while press gangs operated freely. One hundred twenty men taken from Fetlar alone returned home only after years away. By the late nineteenth century ninety percent of all Shetland belonged to just thirty-two men. Between 1861 and 1881 more than 8,000 Shetlanders emigrated seeking better opportunities elsewhere.
The Crofters Act passed in 1886 by Liberal prime minister William Gladstone emancipated crofters from landlord control. The legislation enabled former serfs to become owner-occupiers of small farms. Orcadians experienced different circumstances with Scottish entrepreneurs helping create diverse communities including farmers, fishermen, and merchants calling themselves comunitatis Orcadie.
World War Naval History
Orkney hosted a major naval base at Scapa Flow playing critical roles during both world wars. After World War I armistice in 1918 the German High Seas Fleet transferred entirely to Scapa Flow awaiting final decisions. German sailors opened sea-cocks scuttling every ship before Allied forces could claim them. During World War II the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak sank within one month due to a German U-boat attack.
Barriers subsequently closed most access channels creating causeways allowing road travel between islands instead of ferry dependence. Italian prisoners of war constructed these causeways alongside an ornate Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm. The Scapa Flow base eventually closed in 1957 after years of neglect following the conflict.
A Norwegian naval unit nicknamed the Shetland Bus operated from autumn 1940 with bases first at Lunna then later in Scalloway. Special Operations Executive established this unit conducting covert operations along Norway's coast. About thirty fishing vessels gathered from Norwegian refugees formed the fleet making over 200 trips across the sea. Leif Larsen became the most highly decorated allied naval officer of the war completing fifty-two crossings carrying intelligence agents, refugees, resistance instructors, and military supplies.
Shetland lost more than 500 men during World War I representing a higher proportion than any other British region. Waves of emigration followed in the 1920s and 1930s as populations declined significantly.
Modern Economy And Energy
Oil and gas first landed at Sullom Voe in 1978 becoming one of Europe's largest oil terminals. Taxes from petroleum increased public sector spending on social welfare, art, sport, environmental measures, and financial development. Three-quarters of Shetland's workforce now works within the service sector while the local council accounted for 27.9% of output in 2003. Fishing remains central to island economies with total catches reaching specific volumes valued over £73.2 million in 2009.
Orkney and Shetland possess significant wind and marine energy resources driving renewable energy prominence recently. The European Marine Energy Centre installed wave testing systems at Billia Croo on Orkney Mainland alongside tidal power stations on Eday. This facility represents the world's first purpose-built performance testing center for wave and tidal energy device developers. Microsoft operates an experimental underwater data center at Billia Croo taking advantage of cooling seawater.
Ferry services link both archipelagos to mainland Scotland via routes including Scrabster harbour to Stromness and Aberdeen to Lerwick operated by NorthLink Ferries. Inter-island connections use Orkney Ferries and SIC Ferries run by respective local authorities. Kirkwall Airport serves as Orkney's sole commercial airport while Loganair provides scheduled flights to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Inverness. A scheduled air service between Westray and Papa Westray takes approximately two minutes making it the shortest flight globally.
Cultural Heritage And Language
Northern Isles folklore draws heavily from Scandinavian connections featuring tales about trows described as a form of troll. Local customs historically included marriage ceremonies conducted at the Odin Stone forming part of the Stones of Stenness complex. Modern literary figures include poet Edwin Muir, novelist George Mackay Brown, and writer Eric Linklater representing Orcadian cultural output.
Shetland maintains strong musical traditions with the Forty Fiddlers formed in the 1950s promoting vibrant fiddle styles still central to local culture today. Notable exponents include Aly Bain alongside late musicians Tom Anderson and Peerie Willie Johnson. Thomas Fraser never released commercial recordings during his lifetime yet gained popularity over twenty years after his untimely death in 1978.
The Norn language descended from Old Norse brought by Vikings in the ninth century gradually faded after Scottish absorption began in 1468-1469. Scots-speaking settlers migrated to islands causing Norn extinction around 1850 following the death of last-known speaker Walter Sutherland. Local dialects collectively known as Insular Scots retain strong Nordic influences while remaining distinct from mainland varieties. Island names derive primarily from Norse roots though some preserve pre-Celtic elements like Innse Chat meaning island of cats referring to early Irish literature.
Where are the Northern Isles located relative to Scotland?
The Northern Isles sit off the north coast of Scotland, separated from the mainland by the Pentland Firth. Orkney lies about 10 miles away while Shetland sits roughly 65 miles to the north.
When did the Northern Isles become part of Scotland permanently?
Northern Isles were directly annexed to Scotland in 1471 following a pledge made in 1468 by Christian I acting as King of Norway. The connection with the crown of Scotland became permanent because the money for Margaret's dowry never changed hands.
What geological features define the landscape of Shetland compared to Orkney?
Shetland presents a far more complex geological picture featuring ultrabasic ophiolite and remnants of the Iapetus Ocean floor found on Unst and Fetlar. Orkney rests almost entirely on Old Red Sandstone dating back to the Middle Devonian period with metamorphic rocks known as the Moine series underneath.
Which prehistoric sites make up the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Four prehistoric remains comprise the Heart of Neolithic Orkney designated in 1999 including Skara Brae, Maes Howe, the Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar. The Knap of Howar farmstead on Papa Westray likely represents the oldest preserved house in northern Europe.
How did Christianity arrive in the Northern Isles during the tenth century?
King Olaf I of Norway fully Christianized the islands by fiat in 995 while stopping in South Walls en route from Ireland to Norway. He summoned jarl Sigurd the Stout declaring he would kill him and ravage every island with fire and steel if baptism was refused.