1864
Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia
- Author Catherine Sinclair died.
- The Zetland Roads Act passes in Parliament.
- The peak year for the Faroe fishing, 107 boats crewed by 1185 men sailed to the fishing grounds.
January
- 22nd
Dr. phil. Jákup Jakobsen, aka Jakob Jakobsen; the Faeroese linguist who later became reknowned for his studies of the old Shetland Norn was born in Tórshavn († 15. August 1918). - 19th
The Royal Victoria, a full rigged ship of Liverpool, England, from Sunderland, England and for Calcutta, India, laden, it is believed, with a cargo of coal, abandoned by her crew, most likely, to the NW of Shetland at an approx position, given as either N 60, 3. W 1, 3. or N 63. W 13. - 23rd
Survivors of the wreck of the Royal Victoria come ashore from one of her lifeboats at Melby. A second lifeboat, originally containing 13, came ashore at Scatness on an unrecorded date before the end of the month, containing by then two survivors and five bodies. The other six having been buried at sea as they perished.
April
- 8th
Robert Stout arrives in New Zealand.
May
- 27th
Robert Maclaurin, minister of Sandsting, was deposed by Church of Scotland General Assembly.
June
- 27th
St Magnus Church consecrated by Bishop Suther - 30th
Author Christina Jamieson was born at Cruisdale, Sandness
July
- Part of a vessel reported washed ashore at an unspecified location in Dunrossness, and reports of quantities of square cut timber floating at various locations off Shetland. A timber laden vessel presumed wrecked somewhere in the vicinity.
August
- 8th
A ship's stern and a piece of her bottom, identified as the Janet Cowan or Janet Gowan, along with some copper pennies, a pair of stockings and other small items reported recovered near "Vaila Sand" (presume this refers to an unidentified sand on the Isle of Vaila). This is presumed to be the date of reporting, rather than the actual date of discovery.
The Janet Cowan, a wooden hulled full rigged ship, 831 GRT, 48 L x 10 B metres, built 1861, registered in Greenock, Scotland, Captain McKirdy. While in passage from Calcutta, India to Dundee, Scotland laden with a cargo of flax and jute had encountered dense fog from April 1st to 7th 1864, and on the 7th she wrecked on the isle of St Kilda off the west coast of Scotland. All of the crew were saved, but the vessel was a total loss.
October
- 20th
- The Maria, a wooden hulled smack, of Lerwick, drove ashore and was wrecked at Grutness during a E gale. All of the crew were saved.
- The Sylph, a wooden hulled smack laden with an unsepcified cargo, of Lerwick, drove ashore and wrecked in Ell Wick, the southern extremity of Sullom Voe and just south of Mavis Grind, during an E gale. All of the crew were saved.
November
- One or more unidentified vessels presumed lost on or near the Isle of Noss, Bressay late in the month after wreckage reported coming ashore on the east coast of Bressay and at East Yell. Reports included finding three bodies, a sofa, spring bottom chair(s) and other cabin furniture, only likely to have been found on a large passenger carrying vessel, at unrecorded locations, plus portions of a large vessel, believed to be Russian, at Aywick, all on Yell. A portion of wreck was sighted off Whalsay, and items of cabin furniture were also found on the east coast of Bressay. In addition an amount of timber, large deals and planks were strewn all along the coast.
- 23rd
- An unidentified sail barque wrecked on "Whalsay Skerries". It is unclear from the record whether "Whalsay Skerries" refers to East Linga and the other nearby holms or skerries, to the east of Whalsay, or to Out Skerries.
- The August, a sail schooner laden with a cargo of coal, of either Christiansand or Christiana (now Oslo), Norway (the available records are in dispute), from Grangemouth, Scotland, for Christiana (now Oslo), Norway, became a wreck at Brookpoint, Harold's Wick, Unst. All of the crew were saved.
- 25th
- The Norwegian barque Freya (1864) wrecked at Hamna Voe, Papa Stour.
- The Elida, a schooner, of and for Christiania (now Oslo), Norway, from Drontheim (now Trondheim), Norway wrecked on a reef at the entrance to Aithsvoe, Cunningsburgh with the loss of all aboard.
- The Enigheden, a schooner, which had broken from her moorings on the Norwegian coast and driven across the North Sea, wrecked in the vicinity of Aithsvoe, Cunningsburgh. All aboard perished.
- An unidentified barque, registered in New York, U.S.A. and laden with a cargo timber, but in a derelict condition, wrecked at Gulber Wick, possibly on Kirka Baa.
- 27th
- The Duipavon, a wooden hulled schooner, of and for Copenhagen, Denmark from Borrefjord, Iceland wrecked at Sand Wick. All of the crew were saved.
- The Orion, a schooner, of Frederikstadt, Norway, laden with a cargo of timber, presumed wrecked with the loss of all hands somewhere close to the south of Mousa.
- The Fidelio, a schooner laden with a cargo of coal, of Stralsund, Germany, from Newcastle, England, for Wolgast, Germany, wrecked near Setter on the SW coast of the Isle of Noss. All of the crew were saved.
- 28th
The nameboard of a vessel, named or part named the Victoria reported washed ashore at South Yell, and a nameboard of a vessel, named or part named the Plower reported washed ashore at Noss. A few oak planks also reported washed ashore at Noss on or around the same date. The fate of these vessels are otherwise unknown.
December
- The nameboard of a vessel, the Commercien reported washed ashore at Dunrossness. The fate of this vessel is otherwise unknown.
- An unidentified sail schooner, described and "large" and "foreign", laden with a cargo of coal and bound for Gothenburg, Sweden, wrecked at Harold's Wick, Unst, during a gale on an unrecorded date shortly before the 8th of the month. All of the crew were saved.
- 3rd
A vessel, registered in Denmark, but otherwise unidentified wrecked on Yell. - 24th
A lifebuoy, identified as belonging to the vessel Countryman, registered in Arendal, Norway, reported recovered at or "near" Lerwick. It is not known whether the lifebuoy had simply washed overboard, or if the vessel herself had suffered an unfortunate fate at some unknown location. The date given is presumed to be the date of reporting, rather than the date of discovery.
