A Month of Scottish Gravestones - John Rae

John Rae was born in Orphir, Orkney, on 30th September 1813. As a young teen, Rae studied medicine at Edinburgh University and the Royal College of Physicians, qualifying at just nineteen years old. 

Rae’s father worked for the HBC as an agent and so John signed on to be a ship’s surgeon on the HBC's ship, the Prince of Wales. However, his return trip became untenable due to the ice in that part of Canada in the winter, so the young Rae  accepted a job as surgeon and clerk at Moose Factory. He remained there for 10 years. 

While in Moose Factory, Rae spent a great deal of time with the indigenous community where he learned to make snowshoes, travel by sled, forage for food and make warm clothing. These skills were invaluable for his later Arctic expeditions. 

Rae was tasked with mapping the Artic and set out to learn surveyor skills. He later made a series of expeditions to map the Arctic and also to look for Franklin’s lost expedition. One discovery that became critical was learning that King William Land was not a peninsula as everyone had thought, but was, in fact, an island. The body of water he discovered was named Rae Strait, after the explorer. And this was the last link in a navigable passage to the Northwest: a series of open channels that connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 

On each expedition, Rae once again relied on his relationships with the local indigenous communities. One community taught him the value of insulating his home with snow to keep the winds and water out. At an Inuit community, he learned about a group of 40 men who had been stranded on King William Land and had died. Many had resorted to cannibalism in order to attempt to stay alive. He also learned that the ships Franklin had used were ill supplied for any possible adversity, having carried a large library, player piano, silverware and tinned food. None of which were of much use when stranded in the frozen arctic. While the group had attempted to navigate an inland waterway in hopes of finding a settlement, they had not been successful. Their boat was discovered and several skeletons were also discovered nearby. 

When Rae returned to England and met with Franklin’s wife, she was horrified at the thought of her husband turning to cannibalism and so dismissed Rae’s findings altogether. This then altered the information recorded in the history books. Rae was ignored as the person to discover the Northwest Passage and instead, that accomplishment was wrongly assigned to Franklin.

Orkney is incredibly proud of their famous son. A statue of him watches over Stromness Harbour. There is a permanent exhibit retelling his story at the Stromness Museum. And there is a carved memorial to John Rae inside Kirkwall Cathedral. Rae is buried in the kirkyard at the Cathedral and has a rather unassuming headstone for a man who played such a prominent part in history.

And Just Like That, It's Over

 

In many ways the fact that I was actually going to Scotland felt surreal. This moment had been anticipated for so very long. Two and a half years long, to be exact. However, once I was on the ground, it felt as though no time had passed since my last visit home.

 

I was able to connect with colleagues in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Fife. I caught up with family and even met some cousins I only know virtually (What are the odds that two of my second cousins would be staying at the same wee hotel in Orkney that I was and at the same time?!)

 

I had a great wee group in Orkney. They were fantastic, fun and flexible and we had a wonderful week together. More touring than research but connections with cousins and with ancestors were made. We were in awe of the history that the island retains evidence of. Neolithic remnants dot the islands. Orkney is so picturesque. Gentle hills, inland lochs and miles of coastline. The major agriculture is now cattle and they clearly outnumber the people.

Orkney has a much slower pace than the rest of Scotland. In tune with the sea. And the weather. We were blessed with rainbows every afternoon, thanks to weather that literally changed every five minutes.

 

Orcadians never take their history for granted. A cairn or the remnants of a neolithic village may well be on their farm. They honour it and leave it as is. Our view every morning at breakfast was a look across the sea loch, Loch of Stenness, to see the standing stones at both Stenness and the larger Ring of Brodgar. Still unchanged after 5000 years. Except for a few cattle sharing the land.

 

From Orkney I made my way to Shetland. I have wanted to see Shetland since I first visited Orkney 6 years ago. I was told that the landscape was different but it was still a shock. Outwith the city of Lerwick, the land is rugged, vast and  sparsely populated. And I mean sparsely. It was reminiscent of the northern highlands of mainland Scotland, but more barren, if that is even possible. I could literally drive for miles and miles and encounter no one. No other car, no sign of a homestead, no animals. Shetland is more for sheep than cattle, but even the sheep were sparse.

 

All of the communities are coastal. And small. Usually a couple of dozen homes. Often fewer. Driving along a steep, twisting, single lane mountain road, I would see a sign pointing left to a community. Left! Where the country literally dropped off a cliff to the sea. A steep drive down would find a few scattered buildings along the coast. Many had a leisure centre and some also had a school. No corner shop. No grocery store. No clinic. No gas station. These amenities were miles away. Sometimes even a ferry ride away.

 

I could live in Orkney but I doubt I would survive long in Shetland. Not outwith Lerwick or Scalloway anyway. Scalloway was the original capital city - now known as the ancient capital, before the capital was moved to Lerwick. Compared to the rest of Shetland, Lerwick is a bustling town. Mostly thanks to the tourists. Scalloway is also a busy wee place. Both have wonderful museums, shops, restaurants and peaceful harbours. Surprisingly everything closes at 5 pm. There is a chippy in Lerwick that stays open until 8. And there are a couple of pubs that are open well into the evening. But shops and restaurants are closed by 5, if not earlier.

 

I was able to visit three islands: Unst, Yell and Mainland. There are interisland ferries between them, each about 5 - 10 minutes across. Unst has an incredible viking heritage. Replica ships, longhouses and even a broch. The Unst Heritage Centre is a small museum but one that is packed with information. As I tell everyone, "ask" when you are in any museum. The staff was so pleased to take me to the staff room and show me the wealth of genealogical records that they have available.

 

Unst and Yell can be done in a day. Yell has one small museum, which didn't have much on offer but which provided me a wonderful chat with a local man. He was truly delightful and I will treasure our conversation for years to come. Yell is a wonderful destination for anyone who enjoys rugged hill walks or mountain biking. The scenery is truly breathtaking.

 

There is so much to see in Mainland that I can quite understand why some folk never get to the north isles. I really enjoyed my time in Lerwick and making the trips to Scalloway, St Ninian's Isle, Sumburgh (Jarlshof and the Crofthouse Museum) and Bixter (the original Cake Fridge and the Shetland Pony Experience).

 

Shetland is at 60 degrees North. On par with Norway, Greenland, the Yukon and Nunavut. And it is easy to see the connection. The inland waterways are broken by mountain ranges, emerging out of the fjords. Truly, truly stunning. The climate will be similar although Shetland has the advantage of the effects of the North Atlantic Drift, which is the end part of the gulf stream, which, incidentally, also keeps the west of Scotland fairly moderate, temperature-wise.

 

Both Shetland and Orkney once belonged to Norway and Shetland has retained much of this early influence, particularly in their language, but also in their culture and their music. While road signs for places (Welcome to...) in Scotland are in both English and Gaelic, in Shetland the original Old Norse meaning of the name is given. For example, Tingwall (the field of the parliament) or Lerwick (Muddy Bay) or even Sumburgh (South broch). And in both Orkney and Shetland, words from Old Norse continue to be used like "peedie" in Orkney or "peerie" in Shetland meaning wee or small.

 

My final few days were spent with colleague Clare Wilson. Many of you will know of Clare from the Lanarkshire monthly presentations or from our Kilted Kulture events. Clare and I met thanks to the Lanarkshire Family History Society putting us in touch and from the first meeting she has felt like kin to me. I thoroughly enjoyed my few days with her and her husband and was sad to have to leave them. We played tourist and shared loads of laughs. And that is what time with kin is all about. Laughter.

 

Fast Forward to the Iron Age

After leaving Neolithic Orkney behind, we headed for the Broch of Gurness. The Broch of Gurness is an iron age broch village, again, in remarkably good condition. It is estimated to be 2500 years old. 

It appears that there might have been up to 14 individual homes within this settlement. Archaeologists also found evidence of iron works as well as kilns which would have been used for drying either corn or clay. 

Each broch was built over a cistern. The purpose of the cistern is unclear, but it is thought that perhaps it was used for ritual ceremonies. 

Most of the homes also had a "tank" which was used to hold water. This was usually situated near the hearth so that rocks could be heated over the fire, then put into the tank to warm the water for cooking. 

Around the outside of the settlement was a rampart - a ditch. This may have been for protection or it may have been from a previous, much earlier, settlement. 

Sad to Leave Orkney

I have no known ancestral ties to Orkney. DNA has not placed me in Orkney. And yet it calls to me. I first visited Orkney last spring and fell in love with the island, the gentleness of the way of live, the incredible history and the warm hospitality of the Orcadians. 

I had the chance to return this past week to accompany someone with ancestral ties and it was an amazing experience for her as she still has several living relatives here that she was able to meet and spend time with. 

We stayed at the Ferry Inn. Busy, relaxed and very much a home away from home. We managed to visit the tourist spots - Skara Brae, Skaill House, Ring of Brodgar and Maeshowe. We ventured to Hoy to see the Naval Base museum, briefly popped into the Scapa Distillery and enjoyed knowing that Lynne's ancestors lived, worked, walked and worshiped here. And that her family still lives here. 

Our last night was spent on the Ferry. Northlink Ferries has a B&B that allows you to stay on the ship while it is berthed in harbour. The ride back to mainland Scotland was rocky but much smoother compared to our sickening ride over. 

Friday was our day to travel back to Edinburgh. And we all admitted how sad it was to have to leave Orkney. Edinburgh and Stromness really are worlds apart. In every sense. 

On our way through Inverness, we stopped to see the Clava Cairns - their time frame lines up nicely with the neolithic parts of Orkney. 

We stopped for lunch at the visitor centre at Culloden and took a quick wee look at the battlefield. It was less than a flying visit - a place to return to when time allows. 

It was a long drive back to Edinburgh. Although we were happy to be here, we were sad to not be in Orkney. And knowing that our time together is coming to an end added to the sadness. However, we still have lots to pack in, so roll on tomorrow!