Shapinsay

Shapinsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. There is one village on the island, Balfour, from which roll-onroll-off car ferries sail to Kirkwall. The derivation of the name is not obvious. The final ‘ay’ is from the Old Norse for island, but the first two syllables are more difficult to interpret.

About Shapinsay in brief

Shapinsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. There is one village on the island, Balfour, from which roll-onroll-off car ferries sail to Kirkwall. With an area of 29. 5 square kilometres, it is the eighth largest island in the archipelago. It is low-lying and fertile, consequently most of the area is given over to farming. The economy of the island is primarily based on agriculture with the exception of a few small businesses that are largely tourism-related. Plans for the construction of a wind turbine are under consideration. The derivation of the name is not obvious. The final ‘ay’ is from the Old Norse for island, but the first two syllables are more difficult to interpret. Roman coins have been found on Shapinsay, but they may have been brought to the island by traders. According to Tacitus, the Roman general Agricola subdued the inhabitants of the orkney islands, and a local legend holds that he landed on ShapInsay. The last person to be executed in Orkkney, in 1728, was a young servant, hanged in Kirkwall for the murder of a child. The first written record dates from 1375 in a reference to Scalpandisay, which may suggest a derivation from Judge’s island. No one of that name is known to be associated with Shapinsays. During the 18th century, a croft named Grukalty was renamed Agricola.

The family owned the estate of Sound, which covered the western part of the Island. In 1674, Arthur Buchanan built the house of Sound. His granddaughter married James Fea, who is best known for his role in the capture of theOrkney Pirate John Gow. He was a supporter of the Jacobite rising of 1715, and the house was burned by Hanoverian troops in revenge. One of his sons, William Irving van Winkle, became a sailor before emigrating to New York in 1763. He reformed the small hamlet of Quholm, enclosing the hamlet in the northeast of the small island. During this period, burning kelp was a mainstay of the economy. More than 3,048 tonnes, including kelp, was burned during the burning period, costing £15s, not including the £15,000 cost of the kelp burning. In 1782, the estate was acquired by Andrew Ross, Stewart Depute in OrKney of the Earl of Morton. The estate was sold the estate to Thomas Balfours in 1782. He built a new house, Cliffdale, and founded the village of Shoreside, now known as Balfouring. He also reformed the local agriculture, constructing farm buildings and constructing farm fields and hamlet buildings. William Irving was the first American author to gain international recognition to gain recognition for his work Marjory Mejory.

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