Settlements in North Ronaldsay

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

North Ronaldsay is the northernmost island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. With an area of 690 hectares (2.7 sq mi), it is the fourteenth-largest island in Orkney. In modern times it is known for its historic lighthouse, migratory bird life and unusual breed of sheep.

It lies around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of its nearest neighbour, Sanday, at grid reference HY759542. It is around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long and is defined by two large sandy bays; Linklet Bay on the eastern shoreline and South Bay at the south. The west of the island is very rocky, with many skerries. North Ronaldsay is low-lying and exposed; its climate is extremely changeable and frequently inclement. The surrounding waters are stormy and treacherous, and have been a notorious "graveyard" for ships (hence the unusually early provision of a lighthouse on the island).^[1]

Townships

Two ancient dykes running east to west - the Matches Dyke and the Muckle Gersty - divided the island into three "urislands", or ouncelands, an area of land during the Norse settlement as "deemed sufficient for the support of a chief and his soldiers."^[2] Each urisland traditionally contained a chapel and a burial ground and was divided into 18 pennylands, each with liability to pay a landtax, or skat^[3], of one penny.^[4]

By the time of the 1851 census the three sections had in turn been divided into six "townships": north of the Matches Dyke are Ancumstoun and East North Yard; between Matches Dyke and the Muckle Gersty is Linklet and south of the Muckle Gersty are Bustatoun, Hollandstoun and Nesstoun.^[5]

The earliest recorded rental in 1595 listed the three sections as follows:^[6]

1. Sailness, in the north, valued at 24d, including 5d of odal land and one surrounding towmale (farm)
2. Linklet, in the centre, valued at 18d
3. Nesbusta, in the south, valued at 30¼d, with 1d of odal land and two surrounding towmale - Noust and Holland.

The third entry - "Nesbusta" - is assumed to refer to what was later split into the separate towns of "Ness" and "Busta". Noust and Holland were both later part of the town of "Holland".

A Notarial Instrument refered to a charter dated the previous year as follows:

1594, Feb 21: Notarial Instrument narrating that Master Robert Hendersoun appeared, having Charter containing precept of sasine, dated 16 February 1594, granted to him by Margaret Bonar of Holland, his mother, of the Island of Northronnoldsay comprising lands as follows:

18½ penny land in Sailnes and Sand with one towmaill there called Lynie,

18 penny land in Linklet with the skerrie called Selchskerrie, and

29¾ penny land in Nes, Busta and Sand with 2 towmales of the same called Noust and Holland^[7]

This entry is similar to the rental, although it also refers to "Sand" - apparently the surrounding shoreline - and names the towmaill outside Sailnes as "Lynie". There is a very small discrepancy in the values of the non-udal land, with Sailness 18½d against 19d in the rental but Nesbusta 29¾ against 29¼ in the rental.

The next reference is 30 years later:

1630, Nov 17: Charter containing precept of sasine by said Master Robert Henrysoun, with consent of Barbara Colvill, his spouse, to William Henrysoun, his son, and heirs to be procreat between him and Margaret Grahame, daughter of George, Bishop of Orknay and Zetland, his future spouse, of aforesaid lands and said Master Robert his udal lands afterspecified viz: his 3d udal land in the Island of Northronnoldsay...^[8]

The earlier rental had referred to 6d of odal land in total - 5d in Sailness and 1d in Nesbusta. It's not clear which of this was the 3d owned by Hendersone or who owned the remaining 3d of odal land.

A "wadset" (lease) dated 19 Nov 1641 described the land included in the lease as follows:

Contract of Wadset between William Henrysone of Holland, heritable proprietor of lands aftermentioned, on the one part, and David MccLellane, chamberlain of Orkney as factor for William Dick of Braid, sheriff principal and tacksman of Orkney and Zetland, on the other part whereby said William Henrysone binds himself to infeft said William Dick in lands and Ile of Northe Ronoldsay, comprising:

• 18½ penny land in Sailnes and Sand with a towmale there called Lyme [Lynie?]
• 18 penny land in Linklett called an urisland and the skerrie called Selcheskerrie
• 29¾ penny land in Nes, Bousta and Sand with two towmales called Nowst and Holland
• 3 penny udal land in Howar and Haiga and the teinds thereof^[9]

Howar is in Bustatoun and must be the 1d udal land referred to in 1595. It is possible that "Haiga" is linked to "Helzie Banks", a shoreline near Senness that was recorded in 1880.

Crofts

Under the Norse system of inheritance that was used in Orkney, the main house passed to the eldest son but the property was divided among all their children, with sons receiving an equal share and daughters a half share. This led over time to an increasing number of farms that were smaller and smaller in size.^[10] The tenants had little security of tenure, with instances of tenants being "warned out" or removed from their land by the proprietor or his resident "baillie", sometimes to increase the size of their own farms. This was only ended with the Crofters Holdings Act 1886 which gave North Ronaldsay farmers security of tenure and reduced their rents.

Agriculture was based on the "run-rig" system, where strips of land were farmed in rotation by several families in the township.^[11] This communal owning gave no incentive for individual farmers to improve the land. These small farms managed to continue being sustainable only with the added income from kelp, which was collected and burnt to produce soda ash, a raw material for the manufacture of glass. The kelp boom supported an increase in the population and at its height saw 3,000 tons per year of kelp ash exported from Orkney. The industry lasted until the 1820s, when the price crashed due to the popularisation of the alternative "Leblanc process" which produced soda ash from brine. The price falls provoked a wave of emigration across northern Scotland.^[12][13][14] In 1832 the Baillie forced through the "squaring" of the land - dividing them into self-contained farms that were wholly the responsibility of the tenant.^[15]

Due to the isolated population, many of the inhabitants shared the same surname, even if they were only distantly related. They were regularly known by the name of the croft they lived in - so Thomas Tulloch was known as "Tommie Garsow".

As a result, the history of the individual crofts can therefore be traced through many records. Baptism, marriage and burial records frequently referred to a person's croft as well as their name, and it can be seen in more traditional records such as censuses and the 1693 Poll Tax.

The crofts that existed in 1851, which was near the peak population are shown on the following map and listed below:

North Ronaldsay crofts in 1851

Townland	House	Size (1851)	Present in 1693	Notes
East North Yard	Grind	3
East North Yard	Quybanks	3
East North Yard	Scotigar	3	yes
East North Yard	Rue	3
East North Yard	Dennishill	3
East North Yard	Samback	3	yes
East North Yard	Seness	6	yes
East North Yard	Vincoin	3
East North Yard	Midhouse	3
East North Yard	Conglabist	3	yes
East North Yard	Garsow	3
East North Yard	Westhouse	3
East North Yard	Sholtisquoy	3	yes
East North Yard	Niven	-
East North Yard	Nether Breck	1
East North Yard	Westness	13	yes
East North Yard	TOTAL	56
Ancum	Upper Cott	7	yes
Ancum	Nether Linay	10	yes
Ancum	Longar	3
Ancum	Longar	6	yes
Ancum	Upper Linay	10	yes
Ancum	Burray	5	yes
Ancum	Brigg	5
Ancum	Ancum	8	yes
Ancum	Little Burray	-
Ancum	Nether Cott	3
Ancum	TOTAL	57
Linklet	Scotshall	-
Linklet	Cauldhame	6
Linklet	Greenespot	6	yes
Linklet	North Manse	6
Linklet	Holm	6
Linklet	North Gravity	3.5
Linklet	Phisligar	6	yes
Linklet	Sanger	5
Linklet	Verracott	6
Linklet	Waterhouse	4
Linklet	Cowmire	3
Linklet	Partabreck	4
Linklet	South Gravity	1.5
Linklet	Milldam	2
Linklet	Antabreck	9	yes
Linklet	Sugarhouse	-
Linklet	Westhill	-
Linklet	Barnhall	0.75
Linklet	Claterhall	1
Linklet	Free Church Manse	-
Linklet	TOTAL	69.75
Ness	Stenabreck	7
Ness	Southness	3	yes
Ness	Nessmuir	2.5
Ness	Northness	3	yes
Ness	Claypows	5
Ness	Peckhole	9	yes
Ness	Northnewbigging	4
Ness	Gerbow	4	yes
Ness	Westnewbigging	6	yes
Ness	Mires	4
Ness	Millhouse	-
Ness	Hooking	9	yes
Ness	Gateside	4
Ness	Oback	-
Ness	TOTAL	60.5
Busta	Cursetter	2
Busta	Howatoft	4	yes
Busta	Howatoft	2
Busta	Viggie	5
Busta	Greenwell	11	yes
Busta	Kirbest	16	yes
Busta	Cruesbreck	16	yes
Busta	Breckan	1
Busta	Disher	7	yes
Busta	Cavan	2
Busta	Howar	18	yes
Busta	TOTAL	84
Holland	South Cott	-
Holland	Nether Trebb	-
Holland	Nouster	-	yes
Holland	Upper Trebb	11	yes
Holland	Holland	60	yes
Holland	Schoolhouse	-
Holland	Manse	-
Holland	TOTAL	71
	TOTAL	398.25

References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Ronaldsay
2. ↑ The History of the Orkney Islands George Barry, 1808, page 194
3. ↑ Skatt, Scottish National Dictionary, 1952
4. ↑ EYRISLAND, Scottish National Dictionary, 1952
5. ↑ Island Saga, the Story of North Ronaldshay, Mary A Scott, page 58
6. ↑ Rentals of the ancient earldom and bishoprick of Orkney, Peterkin, p76
7. ↑ [1]
8. ↑ [2]
9. ↑ [3]
10. ↑ Island Saga, The Story of North Ronaldsay, Mary Scott p35
11. ↑ See http://www.visitwester-ross.com/crofting.asp
12. ↑ [4]
13. ↑ See Kelp (Wikipedia) and Leblanc process (Wikipedia).
14. ↑ ibid p58
15. ↑ A Window on North Ronaldsay, Peter Tulloch