114-481: George Mackay Brown (17 October 1921 – 13 April 1996) was a Scottish poet, author and dramatist with a distinctly Orcadian character. He is widely regarded as one of the great Scottish poets of the 20th century. George Mackay Brown was born on 17 October 1921, the youngest of six children. His parents were John Brown, a tailor and postman, and Mhairi Mackay, a descendant of Clan Mackay who had been brought up in Braal,
228-485: A Viennese woman jeweller and silversmith who was moving to South Ronaldsay . They had a brief affair and remained friends for the rest of his life. He said in early 1977 that this had been his most productive winter as a writer. By early 1977, he was entering a period of depression which lasted intermittently for almost a decade, but maintained his working routine throughout. He also had severe bronchial problems, his condition becoming so serious that in early 1981 he
342-780: A bursary from the Scottish Arts Council in December 1965 as he was working on the volume of short stories, A Calendar of Love , which was issued to critical acclaim in February 1967. He was still troubled by excessive drinking, and that of Stella Cartwright. Later that year came the death of his mother, who had supported him despite disapproving of his drinking; she left an estate of £4. Meanwhile, he had been working on An Orkney Tapestry , which includes essays on Orkney and more imaginative pieces, illustrated by Sylvia Wishart. The year 1968 also saw his one visit to Ireland, on
456-470: A bursary from the Society of Authors . He met Seamus Heaney there, although his nervous condition reduced his ability to enjoy the visit. In 1969, his short-story collection A Time to Keep received a positive welcome. The poet Charles Causley said, "I don't know anyone writing in this particular genre today who comes within a thousand miles of him." This was also the year in which he finished working on
570-740: A decision on its future. The German sailors opened the seacocks and scuttled all the ships . Most ships were salvaged, but the remaining wrecks are now a favoured haunt of recreational divers. One month into World War II, a German U-boat sank the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow. As a result, barriers were built to close most of the access channels; these had the additional advantage of creating causeways enabling travellers to go from island to island by road instead of being obliged to rely on ferries. The causeways were constructed by Italian prisoners of war, who also constructed
684-545: A distinctive dialect of the Scots language and have a rich body of folklore. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe; the " Heart of Neolithic Orkney " is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site . Orkney also has an abundance of marine and avian wildlife. Pytheas of Massalia visited Britain – probably sometime between 322 and 285 BC – and described it as triangular in shape, with
798-696: A fictional character from the Viking era. Beside the Ocean of Time covers over 800 years of Orkney history through the dreams of an Orkney schoolboy. It meditates on the nature of time. It won the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year Award for 1994 and was listed for the Booker Prize for Fiction , which caused Brown acute anxiety. During his last years Brown remained in his home, cared for by
912-399: A funeral service at Kirkwall's St Magnus Cathedral , presided over by Father Mario Conti , Father Michael Spencer, and his later biographer Ron Ferguson. Peter Maxwell Davies played " Farewell to Stromness ". His gravestone quotes the last two lines of his 1996 poem, "A work for poets": Carve the runes Then be content with silence. In 2005,
1026-483: A hamlet near Strathy , Sutherland, as a native speaker of the Reay Country dialect of Scottish Gaelic . Except for periods as a mature student in mainland Scotland, Brown lived all his life in the town of Stromness on Mainland, Orkney . One of his Stromness neighbours was his friend the artist Sylvia Wishart . Because of illness, his father was restricted in his work and he received no pension. The family had
1140-660: A history of depression and Brown's uncle, Jimmy Brown, may have died by suicide: his body was found in Stromness harbour in 1935. George Mackay Brown's youth was spent in poverty. During that period he contracted tuberculosis . Brown's illness kept him from entering the army at the start of the Second World War and affected him so badly he could not live a normal working life. However, this gave him time and space in which to write. He started work in 1944 with The Orkney Herald , writing on Stromness news, and soon became
1254-793: A memorial plaque to Brown was unveiled at the Writers' Museum in the Royal Mile, Edinburgh. It bears a quotation from his best-known poem, " Hamnavoe ": In the fire of images Gladly I put my hand.' The 2021 centenary of Brown's birth was marked by various events in Orkney and elsewhere in Scotland. In October, the Orkney Museum held an exhibition in Kirkwall marking Brown's life and work. It
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#17327723240841368-490: A minor character but he said of her, "I grew to love her more and more as the novel unfolded". The Dictionary of Literary Biography says that Greenvoe "ranks ... among the great prose poems of this century". When the novel was published in May 1972 it appeared prophetic because of the oil exploration beginning in the Orkney area. Brown found the resultant degree of celebrity a trial. The story of Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney
1482-554: A name that stems from a 16th-century mistranslation by George Buchanan , which has rarely been used locally. Usage of the plural "Orkneys" dates from the 18th century or earlier and was used by for example Sir Walter Scott . From the mid-19th century onwards this plural form has fallen out of use in the local area although it is still often used, particularly by publications based outside Scotland. A charred hazelnut shell, recovered in 2007 during excavations in Tankerness on
1596-465: A network of friends, including Surinder Punjya (later principal of the Nesbitt Centre, Hong Kong), Gunnie Moberg , and Renée Simm. He continued working, writing the poems of Following a Lark and preparing the book for publication. The first copies were delivered to his home on the day he died, 13 April 1996, after a short illness. He was buried on 16 April, the feast day of Saint Magnus , with
1710-598: A northern tip called Orcas . This may have referred to Dunnet Head , from which Orkney is visible. Writing in the 1st century AD, the Roman geographers Ptolemy and Pomponius Mela called the islands Orcades (Ancient Greek: Όρκάδες), as did Tacitus in AD 98, claiming that his father-in-law Agricola had "discovered and subjugated the Orcades hitherto unknown" (although both Mela and Pliny had previously referred to
1824-406: A number of his works on the poetry and prose of George Mackay Brown. Brown was now working on his first novel Greenvoe , the story of an imaginary Orkney community menaced by an undefined project called 'Operation Black Star'. The characters, with one exception, are not portrayed in any psychological depths. The exception is Mrs Mckee, mother of the (alcoholic) minister; Brown had intended her to be
1938-646: A number of other Research Groups. The buildings of Moray House are located on the Holyrood campus adjacent to the Canongate in Edinburgh . During the nineteenth century, part of the original open area to the west of St John's Street and north of the South Back was occupied by breweries . These made use of the high-quality water from the springs and wells in this part of the Canongate . In response to
2052-544: A period of unemployment and rejection of a volume of his poetry by the Hogarth Press, Brown did a postgraduate study on Gerard Manley Hopkins , although such work was not to his taste. This provided some occupation and income until 1964, when a volume of poetry, The Year of the Whale , was accepted. Brown now found himself able to support himself financially for the first time, as he received new commissions. He received
2166-511: A prolific journalist. He was encouraged in writing poetry by Francis Scarfe , who was billeted in the Browns' house for over a year from April 1944. After that he was helped in developing as a writer by Ernest Marwick , whose criticism he valued, and by Robert Rendall . Brown's weekly "Island Diary" appeared in the Herald between 1945 and 1956. He used the pen name "Islandman" for the column. He
2280-611: A proposed Library and a Theatre fronting onto Holyrood Road. These buildings in turn were to be connected with the St Leonard's Land building on the opposite side Holyrood Road. In the event these plans were ruled out by the SED in 1978. The Theatre was never built and a new Library was eventually developed in Dalhousie Land. Chessel's Land takes its name from Archibald Chessel , a successful wright to trade and stalwart member of
2394-607: A raiding base before being killed in 954. Thorfinn's death and presumed burial at the broch of Hoxa , on South Ronaldsay , led to a long period of dynastic strife. Initially a pagan culture, detailed information about the turn to the Christian religion in the islands of Scotland during the Norse era is elusive. The Orkneyinga Saga suggests the islands were Christianised by Olaf Tryggvasson in 995 when he stopped at South Walls on his way from Ireland to Norway. The King summoned
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#17327723240842508-446: A sculptured wall (and a fourth panel), which were commissioned from David Miller, a member of staff at Moray House. The wall was cast in reinforced concrete into expanded polystyrene moulds. The sculpture was created in a continuous twenty-nine-hour operation by Arnott McLeod, Building Contractors. The four panels all symbolise an aspect of educational theory: Dalhousie Land is the library and ICT centre on Holyrood campus. It
2622-579: A six-part cycle of poems about Rackwick , published in 1971 as Fishermen with Ploughs . Meanwhile, An Orkney Tapestry was proving to be a commercial success. By the late 1960s Brown's poetry was renowned internationally, so that the American poet Robert Lowell , for example, came to Orkney expressly to meet him. During the summer of 1970, Brown met the musician Peter Maxwell Davies in Rackwick. Subsequently, Davies, who came to live in Rackwick, based
2736-539: A small courtyard. The earliest building was Mary, Countess of Home's 1618 mansion. The Regent's House to the east followed, probably before 1647. Finally the New House was built to the south in 1755. The Old Nursery School building is currently the school reception. The building was converted to become the School Reception and Moray House College Archive in 1999 by Lewis and Hickey. As a listed building it
2850-530: Is Kirkwall . Orkney is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a constituency of the Scottish Parliament , a lieutenancy area , and an historic county . The local council is Orkney Islands Council . The islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years, originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts . Orkney was colonised and later annexed by
2964-751: Is a school within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh . It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood Campus, located between the Canongate and Holyrood Road. The school offers academic programmes at all levels of higher education , including teacher education, Community Education , Digital Education, Language Education, Physical Education and Sports science . The School has approximately 2000 students and nearly 500 academic and professional staff. The school has existed in one form or another since
3078-538: Is almost entirely Old Red Sandstone , mostly of Middle Devonian age. As in the neighbouring mainland county of Caithness , this sandstone rests upon the metamorphic and igneous rocks of the Moine series, as may be seen on the Mainland, where a narrow strip is exposed between Stromness and Inganess, and again in the small island of Graemsay ; they are represented by grey gneiss and granite . The Middle Devonian
3192-784: Is also abundant and moraines cover substantial areas. Orkney has a cool temperate climate that is remarkably mild and steady for such a northerly latitude , due to the influence of the warm waters of the Norwegian Current , a north-easterly extension of the North Atlantic Drift which is itself an extension of the Gulf Stream . The average temperature for the year is 8 °C (46 °F); for winter 4 °C (39 °F) and for summer 12 °C (54 °F). Moray House College of Education The Moray House School of Education and Sport ('Moray House')
3306-508: Is claimed as the congregation's first minister (1560–1572). The building dates from 1881/2. The architects were Anderson and Browne. It stands on the site of the old drying green originally provided by the Earl of Wemyss to the residents of St John's Street in the 18th century. In 1944 Moray House acquired the Old Kirk and its adjacent Hall. Following a major adaptation it became the base for
3420-415: Is currently a base for construction workers on adjacent sites. Old Moray House is an aristocratic mansion built after 1618. The building boasts massive obelisks flanking the gate and two very fine rooms up a turnpike stair, with elaborate original plaster ceilings and 18th Century panelling. Mary Sutton, dowager Countess of Home was the builder. Although it has been much altered by its occupants down
3534-512: Is divided into three main groups. The lower part of the sequence, mostly Eifelian in age, is dominated by lacustrine beds of the lower and upper Stromness Flagstones that were deposited in Lake Orcadie . The later Rousay flagstone formation is found throughout much of the North and South Isles and East Mainland. The Old Man of Hoy is formed from sandstone of the uppermost Eday Group that
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3648-474: Is relatively mild and the soils are extremely fertile; most of the land is farmed, and agriculture is the most important sector of the economy. The significant wind and marine energy resources are of growing importance; the amount of electricity that Orkney generates annually from renewable energy sources exceeds its demand. Temperatures average 4 °C (39 °F) in winter and 12 °C (54 °F) in summer. The local people are known as Orcadians; they speak
3762-484: Is said that the family and Archibald Johnston watched the captive Earl of Montrose being taken up the High Street. Their encounter was depicted in 1859 by the history painter James Drummond . In the 1650s the house was taken from Margaret Home, Countess of Moray for the use of Oliver Cromwell . The current Old Moray House, developed from a group of three buildings of different ages, originally grouped around
3876-623: Is up to 800 metres (870 yd) thick in places. It lies unconformably upon steeply inclined flagstones, the interpretation of which is a matter of continuing debate. The Devonian and older rocks of Orkney are cut by a series of WSW–ENE to N–S trending faults, many of which were active during deposition of the Devonian sequences. A strong synclinal fold traverses Eday and Shapinsay, the axis trending north-south. Middle Devonian basaltic volcanic rocks are found on western Hoy, on Deerness in eastern Mainland and on Shapinsay. Correlation between
3990-509: Is what I find in these poems.". Only three hundred copies were printed, and the imprint sold out within a fortnight. It was acclaimed in the local press. Brown studied English literature at the University of Edinburgh . After publication of poems in a literary magazine, with the help of Muir, Brown had a second volume, Loaves and Fishes , published by the Hogarth Press in 1959. It was warmly received. During this period he met many of
4104-698: The -aibh representing a fossilized prepositional case ending. Some earlier sources alternatively hypothesise that Orkney comes from the Latin orca , whale. The Anglo-Saxon monk Bede refers to the islands as Orcades insulae in Ecclesiastical History of the English People . Norwegian settlers arriving from the late ninth century reinterpreted orc as the Old Norse orkn " seal " and added eyjar "islands" to
4218-617: The jarl Sigurd the Stout and said, "I order you and all your subjects to be baptised. If you refuse, I'll have you killed on the spot and I swear I will ravage every island with fire and steel." Unsurprisingly, Sigurd agreed and the islands became Christian at a stroke, receiving their own bishop in the early 11th century. Thorfinn the Mighty was a son of Sigurd and a grandson of King Malcolm II of Scotland ( Máel Coluim mac Cináeda ). Along with Sigurd's other sons he ruled Orkney during
4332-645: The Broch of Burroughston and Broch of Gurness . The nature and origin of these buildings is a subject of debate. Other structures from this period include underground storehouses and aisled roundhouses , the latter usually in association with earlier broch sites. During the Roman invasion of Britain the "King of Orkney" was one of 11 British leaders who is said to have submitted to the Emperor Claudius in AD 43 at Camulodunum (modern Colchester). After
4446-562: The Canongate . From 1864 to 1907 its Rector was Maurice Paterson LLD. In 1907, this institution merged with its Church of Scotland equivalent (the Church of Scotland Training College) and the Edinburgh Provincial Training Centre was formed, with the church training colleges subsumed within this organisation. The new teaching building opened at Moray House in 1931. Moray House College of Education
4560-633: The Fair Isle Channel . The islands are mainly low-lying except for some sharply rising sandstone hills on Mainland, Rousay and Hoy (where the tallest point in Orkney, Ward Hill , can be found) and rugged cliffs on some western coasts. Nearly all of the islands have lochs , but the watercourses are merely streams draining the high land. The coastlines are indented, and the islands themselves are divided from each other by straits generally called "sounds" or "firths". The tidal currents , or "roosts" as some of them are called locally, off many of
4674-774: The Kingdom of Norway in 875 and settled by the Norsemen . In 1472, the Parliament of Scotland absorbed the Earldom of Orkney into the Kingdom of Scotland , following failure to pay a dowry promised to James III of Scotland by the family of his bride, Margaret of Denmark . In addition to the Mainland, most of the remaining islands are divided into two groups: the North Isles and the South Isles. The local climate
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4788-594: The Northern Isles along with Shetland , Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, the Mainland , has an area of 523 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles . Orkney's largest settlement, and also its administrative centre,
4902-489: The Northern Isles , comprising Orkney and Shetland, in 875 (it is clear that this story, which appears in the Orkneyinga Saga , is based on the later voyages of Magnus Barelegs and some scholars believe it to be apocryphal). Rognvald Eysteinsson received Orkney and Shetland from Harald as an earldom as reparation for the death of his son in battle in Scotland, and then passed the earldom on to his brother Sigurd
5016-661: The Old Town . The bulk of the buildings were on land formerly occupied by the Edinburgh and Leith Brewery and before that by the Old Edinburgh Playhouse. Chessel's Land was one of three buildings designed by architects Graham and Dey and constructed in the early 1970s; it opened in January 1974. It was unused for a number of years and demolished in 2013 to make way for student accommodation. Chessel's Land
5130-589: The Royal Fine Art Commission raised an objection to the planned height of the building. Consequently, the building of the finally agreed six storeys wasn't started until December 1966. Subsequent delays arising from industrial disputes meant the facility wasn't handed over until February 1969. Following advice from the Edinburgh City Archivist this teaching block was named Charteris Land. The front of Charteris Land boasts
5244-692: The Standing Stones of Stenness , the Maeshowe passage grave , the Ring of Brodgar and other standing stones. Many of the Neolithic settlements were abandoned around 2500 BC, possibly due to changes in the climate. In September 2021, archaeologists announced the discovery of two polished stone balls in a 5500-year-old Neolithic burial tomb in Sanday . According to Dr Hugo Anderson, the second object
5358-593: The Tron Kirk who lived in the eighteenth century. He built the nearby Chessel's Court between 1745 and 1748. These were much-admired mansion flats built to accommodate persons of standing. They are still standing today and remain as private flats. In 1993 Chessel's Land became the base for the Aesthetic Studies Department, when Drama studios were added. In 1996 Music was transferred from Old Moray House. With St Mary's Land, Chessel's Land
5472-1137: The University of Edinburgh becoming its Faculty of Education . Following internal restructuring of the University of Edinburgh in 2002, Moray House became known as the Moray House School of Education . In August 2019, Moray House School of Education was renamed Moray House School of Education and Sport . It is currently subdivided into four Institutes: The School has seven thematic Research Hubs: Advanced Quantitative Research in Education; Children and Young People; Digital Education; Language, Interculturality and Literacies; Social Justice and Inclusion; Sport-Related Research; and Teacher Education, Curriculum and Pedagogy. In addition, Moray House has several Research Centres: Centre for Research in Digital Education; Centre for Research in Education, Inclusion and Diversity (CREID); and Physical Activity for Health Research Centre (PAHRC), along with
5586-422: The 16th century, boats from mainland Scotland and the Netherlands dominated the local herring fishery. There is little evidence of an Orcadian fleet until the 19th century, but it grew rapidly, and 700 boats were involved by the 1840s with Stronsay and later Stromness becoming leading centres of development. White fish never became as dominant as in other Scottish ports. Agricultural improvements beginning in
5700-473: The 17th century resulted in the enclosure of the commons and ultimately in the Victorian era the emergence of large and well-managed farms using a five-shift rotation system and producing high-quality beef cattle. In the 17th century, Orcadians formed the overwhelming majority of employees of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada. The harsh winter weather of Orkney and the Orcadian reputation for sobriety and their boat handling skills made them ideal candidates for
5814-444: The Agricolan fleet had come and gone, possibly anchoring at Shapinsay , direct Roman influence seems to have been limited to trade rather than conquest. Polemius Silvius wrote a list of Late Roman provinces, which Seeck appended to his edition of the Notitia Dignitatum . The list names six provinces in Roman Britannia: the sixth is the dubious "Orcades provincia", the possible existence of which recent researches re-evaluate. By
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#17327723240845928-428: The British Isles that held out for the Jacobites and was not retaken by the British Government until 24 May 1746, over a month after the defeat of the main Jacobite army at Culloden . Orkney was the site of a Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow , which played a major role in World War I and World War II . After the Armistice in 1918, the German High Seas Fleet was transferred in its entirety to Scapa Flow to await
6042-452: The Department for Social Science and Social Work. The Scottish Association for the Deaf used the basement as a resource and specialist equipment area. The Moray House Theatre was licensed for "public performances of plays and entertainment" and could seat an audience of up to 256. Following the merger with the university the interior of the building was refurbished in 1998–99. The architects were Lewis and Hickey DJP. Facilities were created for
6156-410: The Department of Education & Society, including the Centre for Educational Sociology. These works involved the loss of the Moray House Theatre. The last student performance in the theatre, before it was cleared away, was Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'. This has the valedictory line "And now our Revels all are ended." The current St Leonard's Land was opened in October 2001, and is the newest building on
6270-470: The Holyrood campus. It houses the Physical Education and Sports science departments, and has a swimming pool , laboratory and gymnasia . The PE department had originally been sited on a different campus at Cramond because it did not become part of Moray House until 1987, when Moray House merged with the Dunfermline College of Physical Education . However the relocation of the Physical Education department from its Cramond campus in July 2001 necessitated
6384-409: The Hoy volcanics and the other two exposures has been proposed, but differences in chemistry mean this remains uncertain. Lamprophyre dykes of Late Permian age are found throughout Orkney. Glacial striation and the presence of chalk and flint erratics that originated from the bed of the North Sea demonstrate the influence of ice action on the geomorphology of the islands. Boulder clay
6498-412: The Mainland, has been dated to 6820–6660 BC, indicating the presence of Mesolithic nomadic tribes. The earliest known permanent settlement is at Knap of Howar , a Neolithic farmstead on the island of Papa Westray , which dates from 3500 BC. The village of Skara Brae , Europe's best-preserved Neolithic settlement, is believed to have been inhabited from around 3100 BC. Other remains from that era include
6612-460: The Mighty . Sigurd went on to conquer northern parts of mainland Britain in the late 9th century, including Caithness and Sutherland . However, Sigurd's line barely survived him and it was Torf-Einarr , Rognvald's son by a slave, who founded a dynasty that controlled the islands for centuries after his death. He was succeeded by his son Thorfinn Skull-splitter and during this time the deposed Norwegian King Eric Bloodaxe often used Orkney as
6726-413: The Music and Educational Handwork departments in 1949. A stage was constructed on the first floor using the timber from discarded desks. The City issued the Governors of Moray House in 1979 with a notice to demolish the Old Kirk's adjacent Hall, which had become dangerous. Until the merger with the University of Edinburgh in 1998 the building had latterly housed Moray House's Building Services. It closed and
6840-407: The National Committee for the Training of Teachers, owned St John's Land and the tenements along the east side of St John Street. Through the redevelopment of these sites the college was able made its own contribution to the Canongate renewal programme. The St John's Land project involved the redevelopment of the buildings at 176 - 184 Canongate and No. 1 St John's Street. The architect for the project
6954-440: The New Training College (1911–14) off Holyrood Road by architect Alan K Robertson and designed to be a teacher-training centre for 800 students. In 1994/5 the building was renamed Paterson's Land in memory of Dr Maurice Paterson who was Rector of Moray House from 1864 -1907. Simon Laurie House one of the original buildings, bordering the Canongate The present St John's Land was erected sometime between 1766 and 1768 by John ,
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#17327723240847068-444: The Prime Minister of the post-war Labour government of 1945 to 1951, was also present. The then College Director of Studies, Dr W B Inglis, gave the votes of thanks. The restored building contained studios for the teaching of Speech and Drama, staff studies and seminar rooms and a large proscenium theatre. For many years thereafter St John's Land housed in addition to Drama, the Scottish Centre for Education Overseas (SCEO) and, later,
7182-470: The Ring of Brodgar, and various island sites such as Tofts Ness on Sanday and the remains of two houses on Holm of Faray . Excavations at Quanterness on the Mainland have revealed an Atlantic roundhouse built about 700 BC and similar finds have been made at Bu on the Mainland and Pierowall Quarry on Westray. The most impressive Iron Age structures of Orkney are the ruins of later round towers called " brochs " and their associated settlements such as
7296-528: The Scottish poets of his time – Sydney Goodsir Smith , Norman MacCaig , Hugh MacDiarmid , Tom Scott and others – with whom he often drank in Rose Street , Edinburgh. Here he also met Stella Cartwright , described as "The Muse in Rose Street". Brown was briefly engaged to her and began a correspondence that continued until her death in 1985. In late 1960, Brown commenced teacher training at Moray House College of Education , but ill health prevented him remaining in Edinburgh. On his recovery in 1961, he found he
7410-412: The Snow by Joanna Ramsey, a personal memoir by a friend, was published in 2015. [REDACTED] Media related to George Mackay Brown at Wikimedia Commons Orkney Orkney ( / ˈ ɔːr k n i / ), also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland . The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but is now considered incorrect. Part of
7524-412: The Viking presence is widespread and includes the settlement at the Brough of Birsay , the vast majority of place names , and the runic inscriptions at Maeshowe. In 1468 Orkney was pledged by Christian I , in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret , betrothed to James III of Scotland . However, the money was never paid, and Orkney
7638-406: The balconie nixt the streit." Both rooms have ceilings of early 17th-century design. The Cromwell Room has an 18th-century decorative scheme involving neoclassical Roman scenes by Roderick Chalmers and James Norie. The decoration is believed to refer to the Jacobite cause. According to Lady Home's 1631 inventory there was a gallery room hung with 30 paintings. A suite of vaulted rooms had access to
7752-507: The basis of his opera The Martyrdom of St Magnus . Brown was awarded an OBE in the 1974 New Year Honours . The period after completing Magnus , however, was marked by one of Brown's acute periods of mental distress. Yet he maintained a stream of writing: poetry, children's stories, and a weekly column in the local newspaper, The Orcadian , which ran from 1971 to the end of his life. A first selection of them appeared as Letter from Hamnavoe in 1975. In mid-1976, Brown met Nora Kennedy,
7866-419: The best place to live in the UK, according to the Halifax Quality of Life survey. In the modern era, the population peaked in the mid-19th century at just over 32,000 and declined for a century thereafter to a low of fewer than 18,000 in the 1970s. Declines were particularly significant in the outlying islands, some of which remain vulnerable to ongoing losses. Although Orkney is in many ways very distinct from
7980-419: The building of St Magnus Cathedral , still today a dominating feature of Kirkwall. The Scottish crown claimed the overlordship of the Caithness and Sutherland area from Norway in 1098. The jarls thereafter owed allegiance to the Scottish crown for their territory on mainland Britain, which they held as the Mormaer of Caithness , but owed allegiance to the Norwegian crown for Orkney and Shetland. In 1195,
8094-413: The centuries, it remains one of the few original aristocratic houses built in the Canongate in the 16th and 17th centuries. Lady Home employed the master mason William Wallace (d. 1631) . The west wing survives with two important interiors, the "Cromwell Room" which had originally had a balcony overlooking the garden, and the "Balcony Room", identified in Lady Home's inventory as "the new rowme that hes
8208-481: The death of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Shortly afterwards, Brown was diagnosed with bowel cancer , which required two major operations in 1990 and a lengthy stay in Foresterhill Hospital, Aberdeen . In his final years Brown wrote two more novels, Vinland and Beside the Ocean of Time . Vinland , which won Brown a £1,000 award from the Scottish Arts Council , traces the life of Ranald Sigmundson,
8322-524: The end, so the name became Orkneyjar "Seal Islands". The plural suffix -jar was later removed in English leaving the modern name Orkney . According to the Historia Norwegiæ , Orkney was named after an earl called Orkan. The Norse knew Mainland, Orkney as Megenland "Mainland" or as Hrossey "Horse Island". The island is sometimes referred to as Pomona (or Pomonia ),
8436-592: The epithet "Papa" in commemoration of these preachers. Before the Gaelic presence could establish itself the Picts were gradually dispossessed by the North Germanic peoples from the late 8th century onwards. The nature of this transition is controversial, and theories range from peaceful integration to enslavement and genocide . It has been suggested that an assault by forces from Fortriu in 681 in which Orkney
8550-412: The expansion and refurbishment of the existing buildings. The opportunity was taken not only to enlarge St Leonard's Land with a wrap-around academic addition to the north and east sides but to add a six-lane 25-metre research and teaching swimming pool. The architects for this project were FaulknerBrowns. The original St Leonard's Land, now the core of the present building, was opened in 1971, and housed
8664-621: The eye of the needle of Orkney". His autobiography, For the Islands I Sing , appeared shortly after his death. A literary biography, Interrogation of Silence by Rowena Murray and Brian Murray, ensued in 2004, George Mackay Brown: The Life , a more personal biography by Maggie Fergusson, in 2006, and George Mackay Brown: The Wound and the Gift by Ron Ferguson, a study of Brown's spiritual journey including his controversial move from Presbyterianism to Roman Catholicism , in 2011. The Seed Beneath
8778-627: The first half of the 11th century and extended his authority over a small maritime empire stretching from Dublin to Shetland . Thorfinn died around 1065 and his sons Paul and Erlend succeeded him, fighting at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Paul and Erlend quarrelled as adults and this dispute carried on to the next generation. The martyrdom of Magnus Erlendsson , who was killed in April 1116 by his cousin Haakon Paulsson , resulted in
8892-412: The garden, which was landscaped with terraces, mount, walks, and a wilderness . There were two summerhouses. In February 1633, the Earl of Morton obtained her permission for the house to be used by Charles I during his visit to Scotland, but the plan was cancelled by the death of her son, the Earl of Home . In May 1650, the house was used for the wedding party of Mary Stuart and Lord Lorne , and it
9006-533: The island of South Ronaldsay and Duncansby Head in Caithness . Orkney lies between 58°41′ and 59°24′ north, and 2°22′ and 3°26′ west, measuring 80 kilometres (50 mi) from northeast to southwest and 47 kilometres (29 mi) from east to west, and covers 975 square kilometres (376 sq mi). Orkney is separated from the Shetland Islands , a group further out, by a body of water called
9120-430: The islands ). The Byzantine John Tzetzes in his work Chiliades called the islands Orcades. Etymologists usually interpret the element orc- as a Pictish tribal name meaning "young pig" or "young boar ". Speakers of Old Irish referred to the islands as Insi Orc "islands of the young pigs". The archipelago is known as Ynysoedd Erch in modern Welsh and Arcaibh in modern Scottish Gaelic ,
9234-462: The isles are swift, with frequent whirlpools. The islands are notable for the absence of trees, which is partly accounted for by the strong winds. Only three settlements have a population of over 500; the towns of Kirkwall and Stromness and the village of Finstown . 7,500 1,790 500 Other villages include Balfour , Dounby , Houton , Longhope , Lyness , Pierowall , St Margaret's Hope , and Whitehall . The superficial rock of Orkney
9348-488: The jarls lost control of Shetland when it became a separate lordship. In 1231 the line of Norse earls, unbroken since Rognvald, ended with Jon Haraldsson 's murder in Thurso . The Earldom of Caithness was granted to Magnus , second son of the Earl of Angus , whom Haakon IV of Norway confirmed as Earl of Orkney in 1236. Around the same time, the earldom lost the southern part of its territory on mainland Britain when it
9462-546: The late Iron Age, Orkney was part of the Pictish kingdom, and although the archaeological remains from this period are less impressive, the fertile soils and rich seas of Orkney probably provided the Picts with a comfortable living. The Dalriadic Gaels began to influence the islands towards the close of the Pictish era, perhaps principally through the role of Celtic missionaries , as evidenced by several islands bearing
9576-743: The mid-19th century, joining the University of Edinburgh in 1998. The institution currently known as Moray House was originally opened as a normal school following the Disruption of 1843 . Known as The Free Church of Scotland's Normal and Sessional School , it was originally located in Whitefield Chapel, and then in rooms below the Music Room in Rose Street . In 1848, the school moved to its current location in Moray House, in
9690-497: The original concrete container of the swimming pool, which was redesigned to house the periodicals collection. The current ground floor is at the level of the original edge of the swimming pool, and now houses the main stock area and Service Desk. A new mezzanine area was inserted on the south side and housed the Children's Book collection. The top floor was opened out to house library and computer work stations. This new Library
9804-443: The ornate Italian Chapel . The navy base became run down after the war, eventually closing in 1957. The problem of a declining population was significant in the post-war years, though in the last decades of the 20th century, there was a recovery and life in Orkney focused on growing prosperity and the emergence of a relatively classless society. Orkney was rated as the best place to live in Scotland in both 2013 and 2014, and in 2019
9918-495: The other islands and archipelagos of Scotland these trends are very similar to those experienced elsewhere. The archipelago's population grew by 11% in the decade to 2011 as recorded by the census . During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702. Orkney is separated from the mainland of Scotland by the Pentland Firth , a ten-kilometre-wide (6 mi) seaway between Brough Ness on
10032-578: The reality of the thing observed," while "his poems became informed by a unique voice that was his alone, controlled and dispassionate, which allowed every word to play its part in the narrative scheme of the unfolding poem." Brown gained most inspiration from his native islands, for poems, stories and novels that ranged over time. He drew on the Icelandic Orkneyinga Saga , especially in his novel Magnus . Seamus Heaney said Brown's works transformed life by "passing everything through
10146-493: The rigours of the Canadian north. During this period, burning kelp briefly became a mainstay of the islands' economy. For example, on Shapinsay over 3,000 long tons (3,048 t ) of burned seaweed were produced per annum to make soda ash , bringing in £20,000 to the local economy. The industry collapsed suddenly in 1830 after the removal of tariffs on imported alkali . During the 18th century Jacobite risings , Orkney
10260-432: The second Earl of Hopetoun . It was part of his scheme which included the development of tenements along the eastern side of what is now St John Street. This was a prestigious development unusual in Edinburgh at that time consisting as it did of three or four storey tenements each with its own front door. Access to St John's Street from the Canongate was through a wide pend (1768). By the early 1950s Moray House, through
10374-504: The shortage of teachers in Scotland in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Moray House looked to the possibility of building additional teaching facilities close to the existing estate at Holyrood. In 1961 Moray House purchased the property of the Aitchison Brewery. This included buildings at the ends of Playhouse and Old Playhouse Closes as well offices (no. 18 and 19 St John's Street), a tenement (no. 20) and Maltings. The price paid
10488-501: The town having been "dry" since the 1920s. When the first bar opened in 1948, Mackay Brown first tasted alcohol. He found alcoholic drinks "a revelation; they flushed my veins with happiness; they washed away all cares and shyness and worries. I remember thinking to myself 'If I could have two pints of beer every afternoon, life would be a great happiness'". Alcohol played a considerable part in his life, but he says, "I never became an alcoholic, mainly because my guts quickly stalled." Brown
10602-556: The volume The wreck of the Archangel . She bore a strong resemblance to Stella Cartwright. The Golden Bird won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize . Between 1987 and 1989, Brown travelled to Nairn , including a visit to Pluscarden Abbey , to Shetland and to Oxford , making it the longest time he had left Orkney since his earlier studies in Edinburgh. The Oxford visit coincided with the centenary of
10716-454: The years, died in 1984. The other was Stella Cartwright, who died the next year. It was after her death that Brown began For the Islands I Sing , an autobiography not published until after his death. where Cartwright receives more space than any other individual, although he did not attend her funeral. Brown later formed an intense, platonic attachment to Kenna Crawford, to whom he dedicated The Golden Bird: Two Orkney Stories and some poems in
10830-545: Was William Gordon Dey . Typical of restoration work at this time no attempt was made to preserve the Georgian interiors. Instead the entire building was gutted and only the existing facades and the south west turret stair were retained. The cost of the works was estimated at £41,000. On 24 May 1956 the building was formally opened by Walter Elliot , the Lord High Commissioner for Scotland. Earl Attlee ,
10944-442: Was "annihilated" may have led to a weakening of the local power base and helped the Norse come to prominence. Both Orkney and Shetland saw a significant influx of Norwegian settlers during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. Vikings made the islands the headquarters of their pirate expeditions carried out against Norway and the coasts of mainland Scotland. In response, Norwegian king Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre) annexed
11058-528: Was a mature student at Newbattle Abbey College in the 1951–1952 session, where the poet Edwin Muir , who had a great influence on his life as a writer, was warden. His return for the following session was interrupted by recurrent tuberculosis . Having had poems published in several periodicals, his first volume of them, The Storm , appeared with the Orkney Press in 1954. Muir wrote in the foreword: "Grace
11172-500: Was absorbed by the Kingdom of Scotland in 1472. The history of Orkney prior to this time is largely the history of the ruling aristocracy. From then on ordinary people emerge with greater clarity. An influx of Scottish entrepreneurs helped to create a diverse and independent community that included farmers, fishermen and merchants that called themselves comunitas Orcadie and who proved themselves increasingly able to defend their rights against their feudal overlords. From at least
11286-613: Was again designed by the Edinburgh architects, Gordon & Dey , and was originally constructed in the early 1960s on the site of numbers 2 to 5 St John Street, and originally included a large lecture theatre, Art rooms and a swimming pool. This new building was opened on 2 May 1963 by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland , the Very Reverend Dr Neville Davidson, and
11400-468: Was as the "size of a cricket ball, perfectly spherical and beautifully finished". During the Bronze Age , fewer large stone structures were built (although the great ceremonial circles continued in use ) as metalworking was slowly introduced to Britain from Europe over a lengthy period. There are relatively few Orcadian sites dating from this era although there is the impressive Plumcake Mound near
11514-513: Was called "Beside the Ocean of Time", after his last novel. The University of the Highlands and Islands created a collection of texts displayed as a digital 'wondrous scarf' during Book Week Scotland . The idea was inspired by Brown's colourful scarf. Brown's poetry and prose have been seen as characterised by "the absence of frills and decoration; the lean simplicity of description, colour, shape and action reduced to essentials, which heightens
11628-406: Was demolished in 2013 in preparation for construction of new student accommodation. Charteris Land is home to Moray House's departments of Educational Studies and part of the department of Curriculum Research & Development. In 1964, draft plans for a ten-storey teaching block were drawn up by the architects, Gordon & Dey , to be built adjacent to the west side of St John Street. However,
11742-475: Was designed as a specialist centre for the training of teachers in the Visual Arts , including painting , ceramics , textiles , sculpture , photography and jewellery . Inside the building were sixteen large studios and a large Exhibition Hall, which was available for both student and external use. In the original plan for the site, the raised patio in front of Chessel's Land was planned to connect with
11856-560: Was given the Last Sacraments . These years saw him working on Time in a Red Coat , a novel Brown called "more a sombre fable", a meditation on the passage of time. It has been called "a novel in which the poet" – Brown as poet – "assumes an undoubted authority." Two of the important women in Brown's life died about this time. Norah Smallwood , who had worked for his publishers Chatto & Windus and helped and encouraged him over
11970-512: Was largely Jacobite in its sympathies. At the end of the 1715 rebellion, a large number of Jacobites who had fled north from mainland Scotland sought refuge in Orkney and were helped on to safety in Sweden. In 1745, the Jacobite lairds on the islands ensured that Orkney remained pro-Jacobite in outlook and was a safe place to land supplies from Spain to aid their cause. Orkney was the last place in
12084-593: Was made the separate earldom of Sutherland. In 1290, the death of the child princess Margaret, Maid of Norway in Orkney, en route to mainland Scotland, created a disputed succession that led to the Wars of Scottish Independence . In the 14th century the earls of Orkney also lost Caithness, after which the earldom just covered the islands of Orkney itself. In 1379 the earldom passed to the Sinclair family, who were also barons of Roslin near Edinburgh . Evidence of
12198-511: Was named Dalhousie Land. In the early 1990s, Dalhousie Land was refurbished to become the new library for the Holyrood campus. Previously, periodicals, learning resources and books had occupied various rooms over three floors in Paterson's Land. A grant was obtained in 1994 to enable the relocation of all library facilities to Dalhousie Land. The refurbishment plans involved the retention of
12312-523: Was not suited to teaching and returned late in the year to his mother's house in Stromness, unemployed. At this juncture he was received into the Roman Catholic Church , converting from Presbyterianism of his childhood being baptised on 23 December and taking communion the next day. This followed about 25 years of pondering his religious beliefs. The conversion was not marked by any change in his daily habits, including his drinking. After
12426-531: Was obliged to retain many of its original features. Moray House Nursery School was a purpose-built Nursery School designed on Montessori principles by Frank Wood in 1932. This child-centred approach required furniture, toilets, and even coat pegs to be designed specifically for small children. Paterson's Land contains teaching and tutorial rooms, as well as lecture theatres. For many years it hosted Chapters restaurant but this has now closed and been replaced by Levels cafe on Holyrood Road. Originally built as
12540-639: Was officially formed in 1959. In the early 1980s, Callendar Park College of Education, in Falkirk, was merged with Moray House. In 1987, Moray House merged with the Dunfermline College of Physical Education based at Cramond , and continued to exist on two separate campuses (Holyrood and Cramond) until 2001. In 1991, the institute was linked with Heriot-Watt University , Edinburgh; and was retitled Moray House Institute of Education . On 1 August 1998, Moray House Institute of Education merged with
12654-569: Was one to which Brown frequently turned, and it was the theme of his next novel, Magnus , published in 1973. St Magnus's life is told in the Orkneyinga saga . The novel examined the themes of sanctity and self-sacrifice. Brown takes the theme of sacrifice into the 20th century by inserting in journalistic language an account of the death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer . While some critics see the work as "disjointed", Peter Maxwell Davies, for example, marks it as Brown's greatest achievement and used it as
12768-643: Was opened in August 1996. In 1999/2000, a further refurbishment was undertaken to allow for the transfer of the stock from the Cramond campus library before its closure. This involved the creation of a new floor 3 out of the former lecture theatres on floor 2. This building (currently closed) was the kirk of the Old (or Great) Kirk, a congregation which had originally worshiped in part of St. Giles' Cathedral from 1560, and in this Old Kirk between 1882 and 1941. John Knox
12882-573: Was sometimes portrayed by "Spike" (Bob Johnston), the paper's cartoonist, wearing a prominent scarf in the regular Spotlight comic strip. The loss of the scarf on a trip to Shetland was described in 1951. The "now almost legendary scarf" was returned and put on display in a Stromness shop window. Jo Grimond , the local MP, said "the scarf should be retained as permanent inter-county trophy," but Brown complained that "they hadn't even washed it". Spike described it as "the scarf that launched 1,000 quips". In 1947, Stromness voted to allow pubs to open again,
12996-402: Was £50,000. In the 1970s, three specialist teaching buildings were built from designs by architects Gordon and Dey. They were St Leonard's Land ( Physical Education ), Chessel's Land ( Visual Arts ) and St Mary's Land ( Science and Technical ). The design of these buildings was representative of 1960s modernist architecture and somewhat out of sympathy with the surrounding areas of
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