Friday, April 15, 2011
Historical geography from Kirkwall to Groundwater.
Using"Old Hearths - Scapa and District" from "The Orkney Herald" 1910 and additional info from Marwick's later "Farm Names" etc.
On the south side of the Bay of Scapa there was a toft called Fingerack a little below and to the north of Gaitnip until roughly 70-80 years before 1910. On the hillside above Scapa pier Clova stood until 1830 about 6 chains below and to the north of Fea [I guess near where the present O.S. shows a well].
Coming out from Kirkwall on the Orphir road where the last house on the right is at the bottom corner of the Corse Farm field there used to be the boundary stone. The 1882 O.S. shows a short track from the road about halfway along the field edge going to a well or wellspring. On the left-hand side of the road just below the first houses outside the town now used to be South Foreland with a pump. The original Crantit was some 100 yards south of the present mansion house.
West of this the Toft lands consisted of Tofts+Warbister+Kingston. Until the roughly 50-60 years before 1910 the original Braehead stood 4 chains east of Newbigging. Newbigging, 5 chains east of Kingston, is now Braehead. Until about 40 years before 1910 Kingston was some 12 chains NE of Instabilie, which until about 20 years before that stood 10 chains north-west of the gate dividing the Warbister and Orquil lands. The original Tofts was between Tofts and Scapa road, Tofts becoming Tofts Cottage and
then Glenair. Warbister (aka Warbuster) was at the north side of Orquil road above Tofts.
Below the western slopes of Wideford Hill [Whyteford according to locals in the early 20th century] below Smerquoy on the north side of the Old Finstown Road a little green indentation (or hollow) in 1910 is the site of "Jack Stove's house". Until about 40 years before 1910 an unnamed croft on the east side of Caldale stood where Caldale 'marched with' the lands of Orquil. Neuk [Nook on the 1882 O.S.] lay on the extreme east of Caldale estate adjoining the Orquil lands, with Spots a few chains to its southeast. The original Orquil is now Peedie Orquil, and the flat meadow below is the Ba' Green of Orquil. Until about roughly 60 years before 1910 Ferrowell stood about 10 chains north of the new steading of Orquil [the cottage or the farm, presumably the latter] with an unnamed steading some 4 chains to the north of Ferrowell. In about 1840 Borwick croft was destroyed. Its location is given as about 12 chains north of the Upper Bridge of Orquil and some 2 chains north of the spring that feeds the Borwick tributary of the Burn of Orquil.
Between the Crantit estate and the Orquil lands is the Knarston tunship. The present Lingro [stony burn ?] was rebuilt roughly 80-90 years before 1910 on almost the same spot as its predecessor, and a short distance west of the barn is the site of the Goosepow of Knarston [pow meaning pool or pond]. Until about 75 years before 1910 Upper Knarston could be seen a few chains NW of Lingrow [the big mound with a huge chunk out of the side bordering the broad track to the sea. Visible until about 70 years before 1910 about 10 to 12 chains W of Lingro was Lower Knarston [north of the farmtrack to Glenlee a slighly marshy area or shallow pond now].
Over the other side of the Burn of Cott the original Dyke-end lay between present Dyke-end (Park until about 1860) and the lower Cotland burn. Until about 40 years before 1910 the Waterslap homestead stood midway between Cotland and the burnmouth to the southwest, with Waterback croft adjioning and S of it. Between Roeberry and Burn of Cotland had stood Midhouse croft. At one time Chinglebraes was an early pub. Blackhill lay above it.
Old Hearth gives the names of the points & cliffs & gios [sic] from Waulkmill Bay to Scapa as; Hat, Feelybout, Vam, Starabo, Rue, Marrigoe, Spindle, Tonguesgoe, Langpool, Coneysgoe, Hole o' Row, Barrel o' Brough, Nabi, Hellia, Hestigoe (the site of Orphir's Horse Rock, take track down from Foveran), Brackan Nevi, Whaligoe. The 'Vam' burn in southern Hobbister has to its east the three 'lochs of Gruffkill' - the middle one, called 'Loomi-shun', is oddly round. Now disappeared crofts in the area from some 2½ miles southwest to the Hobbister district are given as Hodgae, Kitmaillie, Skaill [?Skaith, which was upstream of Waulkmill beach], Muckle-ha, Little-ga, Gerston, Heathermuir, Uppertown [still a placename], Quoys, South-heather, Tweentoons, Twartquoy [still a placename], Little Twartquoy. The big burn draining the valley to north of Hobbister is divided into four parts called Copligae, Caldalittle, Heerili, Hodgae.
An old cart road ran overhill from Groundwater in Orphir to the Walliwall quarry outside Kirkwall. This was divided into three parts, called Kirkgate and Ginnerygate and Cartigate. The last crosses a piece of burn marking the boundary of the Caldale and Orquil lands [the Upper Bridge of Orquil is the triple boundary of Caldale, Orquil and IIRC Tofts (or ?Warbister). Is it this ?].
Using"Old Hearths - Scapa and District" from "The Orkney Herald" 1910 and additional info from Marwick's later "Farm Names" etc.
On the south side of the Bay of Scapa there was a toft called Fingerack a little below and to the north of Gaitnip until roughly 70-80 years before 1910. On the hillside above Scapa pier Clova stood until 1830 about 6 chains below and to the north of Fea [I guess near where the present O.S. shows a well].
Coming out from Kirkwall on the Orphir road where the last house on the right is at the bottom corner of the Corse Farm field there used to be the boundary stone. The 1882 O.S. shows a short track from the road about halfway along the field edge going to a well or wellspring. On the left-hand side of the road just below the first houses outside the town now used to be South Foreland with a pump. The original Crantit was some 100 yards south of the present mansion house.
West of this the Toft lands consisted of Tofts+Warbister+Kingston. Until the roughly 50-60 years before 1910 the original Braehead stood 4 chains east of Newbigging. Newbigging, 5 chains east of Kingston, is now Braehead. Until about 40 years before 1910 Kingston was some 12 chains NE of Instabilie, which until about 20 years before that stood 10 chains north-west of the gate dividing the Warbister and Orquil lands. The original Tofts was between Tofts and Scapa road, Tofts becoming Tofts Cottage and
then Glenair. Warbister (aka Warbuster) was at the north side of Orquil road above Tofts.
Below the western slopes of Wideford Hill [Whyteford according to locals in the early 20th century] below Smerquoy on the north side of the Old Finstown Road a little green indentation (or hollow) in 1910 is the site of "Jack Stove's house". Until about 40 years before 1910 an unnamed croft on the east side of Caldale stood where Caldale 'marched with' the lands of Orquil. Neuk [Nook on the 1882 O.S.] lay on the extreme east of Caldale estate adjoining the Orquil lands, with Spots a few chains to its southeast. The original Orquil is now Peedie Orquil, and the flat meadow below is the Ba' Green of Orquil. Until about roughly 60 years before 1910 Ferrowell stood about 10 chains north of the new steading of Orquil [the cottage or the farm, presumably the latter] with an unnamed steading some 4 chains to the north of Ferrowell. In about 1840 Borwick croft was destroyed. Its location is given as about 12 chains north of the Upper Bridge of Orquil and some 2 chains north of the spring that feeds the Borwick tributary of the Burn of Orquil.
Between the Crantit estate and the Orquil lands is the Knarston tunship. The present Lingro [stony burn ?] was rebuilt roughly 80-90 years before 1910 on almost the same spot as its predecessor, and a short distance west of the barn is the site of the Goosepow of Knarston [pow meaning pool or pond]. Until about 75 years before 1910 Upper Knarston could be seen a few chains NW of Lingrow [the big mound with a huge chunk out of the side bordering the broad track to the sea. Visible until about 70 years before 1910 about 10 to 12 chains W of Lingro was Lower Knarston [north of the farmtrack to Glenlee a slighly marshy area or shallow pond now].
Over the other side of the Burn of Cott the original Dyke-end lay between present Dyke-end (Park until about 1860) and the lower Cotland burn. Until about 40 years before 1910 the Waterslap homestead stood midway between Cotland and the burnmouth to the southwest, with Waterback croft adjioning and S of it. Between Roeberry and Burn of Cotland had stood Midhouse croft. At one time Chinglebraes was an early pub. Blackhill lay above it.
Old Hearth gives the names of the points & cliffs & gios [sic] from Waulkmill Bay to Scapa as; Hat, Feelybout, Vam, Starabo, Rue, Marrigoe, Spindle, Tonguesgoe, Langpool, Coneysgoe, Hole o' Row, Barrel o' Brough, Nabi, Hellia, Hestigoe (the site of Orphir's Horse Rock, take track down from Foveran), Brackan Nevi, Whaligoe. The 'Vam' burn in southern Hobbister has to its east the three 'lochs of Gruffkill' - the middle one, called 'Loomi-shun', is oddly round. Now disappeared crofts in the area from some 2½ miles southwest to the Hobbister district are given as Hodgae, Kitmaillie, Skaill [?Skaith, which was upstream of Waulkmill beach], Muckle-ha, Little-ga, Gerston, Heathermuir, Uppertown [still a placename], Quoys, South-heather, Tweentoons, Twartquoy [still a placename], Little Twartquoy. The big burn draining the valley to north of Hobbister is divided into four parts called Copligae, Caldalittle, Heerili, Hodgae.
An old cart road ran overhill from Groundwater in Orphir to the Walliwall quarry outside Kirkwall. This was divided into three parts, called Kirkgate and Ginnerygate and Cartigate. The last crosses a piece of burn marking the boundary of the Caldale and Orquil lands [the Upper Bridge of Orquil is the triple boundary of Caldale, Orquil and IIRC Tofts (or ?Warbister). Is it this ?].
Labels: Caldale, cart road, Groundwater, Hobbister, Knarston, Tags Orquil, Tofts
