Quoybanks, North Ronaldsay

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: North Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland

Quoybanks is a house on the island of North Ronaldsay in East North Yard townland, 375 Southwest of Senness and just south of Garsow Loch. The name comes from kvi-banks, which means banks of a pen, or fold. It's possible that the kvi in question is a reference to the pounds that were used for the North Ronaldsay Sheep.

The house did not feature in the Poll Tax returns of 1693. It appears that Quoybanks was separated from the older croft of Conglabist in the 1700s. The house was built on top of a "modest tell", from which fragments of walls have been uncovered.^[1]

The house was built by the Scotts of Dennishill, who moved here when they had finished building it.^[2] The Scotts then moved to North Manse and Quoybanks was given to the Thomsons of Stromness, when they were evicted from that croft so that the baillie could expand his farm at Howar.^[3]

The croft was mentioned in the following records:

Year	Source	Person
1841	Census	Benjamin Thomson, his wife Elizabeth and children Mary, Thomas and John.
1844	Marriage	Sarah Thomson of Quoybanks married John Muir of Sholtesquay
1844	Baptism	Thomas Thomson, son of John and Sibella
1847	Baptism	Sarah Thomson, daughter of John and Sibella
1850	Baptism	Sarah Thomson, daughter of John and Sibella
1851	Marriage	William Thomson of Quoybanks married Sarah Muir of Grind
1851	Census	Benjamin Thomson his wife Elizabeth, their son John, his wife Sibella and their children Thomas and Sarah (3 acres crops and 3 acres pasturage)
1853	Baptism	John Thomson, son of John and Sibella
1858	Marriage	Thomas Thomson of Quoybanks married Ann Muir of Parkhouse
1902	Sheep Apportionment	Not stated; 25 sheep

References

1. ↑ Quoybanks, Canmore
2. ↑ A Window on North Ronaldsay, Peter Tulloch, p28
3. ↑ A Window on North Ronaldsay, Peter Tulloch, p24