Talk:Fair Isle

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

Islandhopper,

Thanks for the maps :-)
I added this one here just to see how the page was going to look. It's difficult to know what size to add it at when there are multiple pictures like this. I'll maybe change it to 150px later,, what do you think???
This page is going to take a lot more rewriting than I thought. We have a lot about the island scattered all over the place, so I'm going to try to expand it a bit. At the moment I'm just adding bits and pieces, more than actually worrying about how it is laid out. Any suggestions welcome. :-)
Robbie 14:30, 25 September 2007 (MDT)

Robbie, for the moment I would leave it similar like this example ... but I'm thinking about a template as for the birds or flowers probably providing

• island name (OS official labling on 1:50,000 maps)
• old or local names (like Havera for Havra or Houssay for East Burra or that now familliar Horse Holm aka Hundi Island ... ;-) )
• da "map" in 125px
• grid ref (approx for centre)
• area
• population (if any or according to OSA/NSA or last recorded)
• ferry information (if any) or other major details like RSPB Reserve, owned by NTS or so ...

I'm trying to have it complete for Noss as a "muster" later tomorrow ... ;-)

Islandhopper 16:16, 25 September 2007 (MDT)

Yup, Sounds good. I'll see what you come up with and then we'll see where that can go.
I think you're right with 125px.
Most islands won't have much text info so a teplate with that lot will be a good idea.
I'll try to find time to finish Fair Isle tomorrow, if this damned Norwegian Grammar homework lets me ;-)
Not to panic you, but I've identified a lot of isles to add,,, I'll do it slowly so you don't wear out your map making skills.. ;-)
Slight problem is,, how small are we going to go with these. eg., when does an isle become an islet, become a Holm, become a Skerry, etc..,,,, If you see what I mean. There are thousands of the beggars if we go really small.. I think we should set some sort of limit or we will be at it longer than Ghostrider with the Ness Lairds ;-)
BTW, I added 2 new inshore waters on Sunday,, maps please ;-) when you have a chance.
Robbie 16:39, 25 September 2007 (MDT)

Good question as "how small an island might be"? As far as I'm familiar with the Shetland coast the placename elements, "Stack" might work as a limit with stacks only been mentioned in cases of "secondary interest". Sorry, it's difficult, but I'll give an example: Out Stack as the northernmost "point" of Shetland might be included as an island while Moo Stack - as nice as it is - is just a stack ... a rock ... but not an island. A similar thing are skerries where I would like to draw a line similar to the following fact: Out Skerries, Ve Skerries or similar "isolated skerries" whether inhabited or not are markers and should be listed as "islands" while small skerries which in a distance of a few meters to the nearest coast of a neighbouring island are just that what skerries are ... rocks not islands. I know that's not really "logical" but within a regional context I do think it's acceptable. Something that also should be considered: Whatever it is or was called (holm, skerry, rock &c) when it was used in the past for settlement or within any agricultural or fishing context that includes a former homestead, a regular seasonal sheep grazing or a gone fishing station then it should be considered as an island with no regard to the name or the actual size. As we do say here: We should not be more popish than the Pope is ... ;-) Whatever was regarded as an island within the regional context of naming and using that spot of land should be considered as being an island that's to say when a boat stranded, it stranded on an island, when it run on a rock ... sorry no island ... just a rock ;-)

I'll look after the two waters - must have overseen them ... Islandhopper 16:46, 26 September 2007 (MDT)

Just one word of caution concerning using seasonal grazing etc as a benchmark for "islands", in some places at least that's taking you down to quite small sizes of holms and skerries. It's not all too long since that, possibly some still are, just for example seeing as I'm familar with them, the Hich Holm off St Ninians Isle was cut annually for hay, the holms on the south side of St Ninian's were grazed, as was Greskerry (or however it's spelt) off the Ness of Ireland, and Ladies Holm off Quendale.

Ghostrider 17:39, 26 September 2007 (MDT)

what happened ...?

Found that image of Lower Station, Whitehall, Stronsay, Orkney on the Orkney Image Library along with the following note: 'Part of the Lower Station. All the houses here were built for families who moved from Fair Isle to Stronsay over a hundred years ago . They were mostly Williamsons, Stouts, Eunsons and Leslies but there were a few others.' Any idea what happened in those days, why the folks left Fair Isle and settled on Stronsay? Why not settling somewhere on Shetland Mainland? Whitehall was an important herring station but there were similar stations in Shetland. ... any idea??? Islandhopper 09:33, 7 September 2008 (MDT)

Here in this house, we know nothing, ;-(, but the man to ask, would be Malachy Tallack, I'm sure he would know something...
Cheers, Oddrun 09:47, 7 September 2008 (MDT)

I don't know if this only happened once, or more often, so it may be the occasion referred to or it may not, but I read somewhere, although exactly where escapes me for the moment, that Fair Isle at the time was severely over-populated, and that the laird either had an interest him/herself in property/business in Orkney, or had connections with someone who did, and could offer work/accomodation/land there, whereas they couldn't offer similar anywhere in Shetland.

Good to see you back and participating again. Ghostrider 10:25, 7 September 2008 (MDT)

Found it, or at least something similar. Fair Isle belonged to the Stewart's of Brough at the time, who had Orkney property and were developing the fishing industry at the time, they "imported" Fair Isle men for their expertise.

"As the Stewart family were also substantial land proprietors in Westray and Stronsay, they were therefore in a position to provide a safety valve for the exploding population in Fair Isle. It was a time {1831} when the fishing industry was beginning to expand in Orkney and who better to bring that fishing expertise to Orkney than the Fair Isle men. So began a policy of encouragement or obligatory resettlement of Fair Isle families in Stronsay and Westray.

From:

"Emigration from Fair Isle to Orkney Preface to the Article by George Stout".

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/u/r/PHILLIP-R-PURSLEY/FILE/0008text.txt

Ghostrider 10:48, 7 September 2008 (MDT)

Page Update.

Page rewrite is thanks to Malachy Tallack, and God what a difference. At last it deserves its top 40 place. :-) :-)
Robbie 11:51, 12 October 2008 (MDT)

Dave Wheeler has kindly given permission to us his pictures on Fair Isle topics, so I should get the page looking even better very soon. Now all we need is a good writer, and a good photographer in the other islands. ;-) :-))))
Robbie 11:51, 12 October 2008 (MDT)

That's good news ... ;-) I do have two b/w from Dave which were ordered by my publisher ages ago: "South Fair Isle Lighthouse in stormy weather" and an "old threshing machine". They are both definitely not on his website but me thinks under the new conditions I might upload a scan ... :-)))) Do we have a stubb similar than that for Shetland Museum ??? Islandhopper 16:17, 12 October 2008 (MDT)