Graveland and Quoypunds

[Grof or gref, meaning a hollow]

Graveland 2005

The Herra lairds lived in the Haa of Graveland.

'Some centuries ago the lands passed into the hands of large proprietors. One of these the Scotts dwelt on the west of Whalefirth. Some of them left a worthy memorial of their opportunities to help their fellow men to light and knowledge. They used to bring a tutor to teach their own children, and then let him also teach intelligent lads in the district. As a result there remains a taste for reading among the people and a habit of providing a teacher for part of the year down to school board days'

Francis Smollet was born in 1738. His father died and at age three Francis was adopted by Scott and went to Graveland to live.

When I told Chas that both he and I were descendents of the Smollets and the Manns from Graveland and Grummond he was eager to hear all about them but first we went down to see the Kirnin Stane.

The Kirnin Stane

The large rock standing lower down the field is The Kirnin Stane. Many generations of Herra folk have climbed on to the stack where they have sat and recounted the story connected to it. This is the story we were told.

Story of The Kirnin Stane

There were two giantesses, one in Graveland and one in Volister. Both were kirnin milk for butter. The Graveland giantess splashed the Volister giantess. The Volister giantess was so angry she threw the rock that she used as a kirnin stane at the Graveland giantess. The argument went on until the Volister giantess decided to jump across to Graveland in anger. When she did, her big toe caught in the shore and tore into the earth creating Lungie Geo. The piece of dislodged rock went flying over the hill landing in the sea and creating Aastack. Her toe nail stuck on the top of the Ern Stack.

The giants’ strength lay in their feet being firmly on dry land. They could not cross or step in water.

A strange sound is said to come from the Kirnin Stane on Christmas mornings.

When churning butter a red-hot kirnin stone was dropped in with tongs to help the separating process. The more modern equivalent of the kirnin stone was boiling water poured round the sides of the churn into the milk.

Geologists suggest that The Kirnin Stane was probably deposited there in the ice age.

We explored Graveland and found that human history has left footprints all around. The abandoned Haa of Graveland stood lengthwise above the House of Graveland and near the visible wall. Graveland was given over to sheep, a house being used at that time for the shepherd. The petition for the division of the scattald of Graveland was begun in 1857, surveyed in 1858 and divided in 1859. The Rev Wm Watson, minister of Fetlar, raised the summons of division against Mrs BGOH Robertson.

Graveland had been a busy community with fertile land for crofting. Chas wanted me to see Daalaskeo near Daalasgeo. Skeos were set in exposed places. They were buildings built from stone with spaces for the wind to blow through and they had thin roofs of turf. They were used for curing and drying fish, sea birds, beef, mutton and as cold stores for dairy produce.

Bruce Charleson, howdie wife or midwife, lived at Daalaskeo about the start of the 19th century. Her assistance was required for miles around. An incident was recorded that two fit young men set out to get her. They had to go through the hills for nine or ten miles. There was frozen ice and snow on the ground. One of the men had put on a new pair of shoes when he set out but when he returned with Bruce his shoes were cut in pieces through travelling over the frozen snow.

In the 1840s Graveland was cleared for sheep but later a few crofts were cultivated. Prior to the clearances, Patrick Stuart known as the ‘tyrant’ spent the night in one of the croft houses when he was visiting and attending a land court. The court was usually held at Aywick but in the year 1604 it met at Graveland. Earl Patrick went round in person that year. He crossed from Northmavine and from there he could proceed to Unst without having to go to Aywick.

'The scherefe and justice court of the yle of Yell haldin be... Patrik erle of Orknay...at Gravaland the xiii of Julii 1604'

Some cases brought to the court at Graveland were described:

'Assigned to Patrick, earl of Orkney, lord of Yetland owing by William Synclare of ustanes 100 old silver dollars and annual rent extending yearly to 2 barrels of butter

has troublit Magnus Wischertes wife betwixt the sie and the banks'

[has assaulted Magnus Wishert's wife on the shore]

slane ane sow with thair dogs

[killed a sow with their dogs]

has bled

[has wounded]

has sclanderit and bruitit

[has slandered and told lies]

brokin skeo and tane fische

[broken skeo and taken fish]'

Fines were set (xl li or xl s)

Those who did not attend were asked to forfeit iiii merks.

Fines were increased if a crime happened in certain places, for instance on the sea, on the shore, in a person’s home or if the crime was committed on a Sunday.

There seemed to have been plenty of strife among the local people but few had the disastrous outcome of this case.

In Scalloway criminal action was taken against Mans Fawd and William Coghill two common thieves who had roamed through Yell and the North Mainland stealing fishing lines, fish, wool, sheep, a calf, geese, food from skeos and other items. James Edmonstone was in Graveland in 1620. The two were hung.

Details from 'The Court Book of Shetland' are:

'William Coghill, servitor of James Edminstoun of Gravaland, stealing under cloud of night 2 lipsunds of butter, with certain wool and fish, which he and Mans Fawd, his confederate, carried to the Neip of Gravaland and hid there, wherewith they were challenged and could not deny, stealing in August 1627 Mans of Neip's fishing lines, Mans of leadie's fishing lines, lying in the sea at the Neip of Gravaland, 'quhen all the peple was at ane baillie court and none at home', stealing off the hill, a galt which he slew in the house of Gravaland and being challenged therefore could not deny, breaking into skeos and stealing a great number of fish and failing to compear when summoned whereby he took the crime of theft upon him and was declared fugitive, stealing a hide pertaining to his master for the time, and being challenged and threatened therefore delivered it back again, stealing lambs, stealing a tarledder, some iron and a knife pertaining to Mr Robert Murray, minister at Delting, stealing a boat full of sheep which he carried to the Englishmen then lying in the voe of Mangaster, stealing certain sheets,blankets and plaids out of the church of Olyberie, being reputed a common and notorious thief both when he dwelt in Delting and in Yell. William Coghill denied the pointis of thift, baith speciall and generall and could allege no reasonable cause why he should not undergo the trial which the judge ordained to be called.

Mans Fawd was accused of the same offences although in some cases he blamed William for causing him to do it.

Each man was named, tried and found guilty. The sentence for each, given by the judge was to be taken by the lock man, his hands tied behind his back, to the place of execution, the Galow Hill, and hanged upon the gallows to the death, which Henrie Irving, dempster, gave for doom.'

As mentioned previously Graveland had been the prime community. The Haa had often been visited by gentry and those of importance such as ministers.

In 1641 The Rev John Edmondson, minister of Graveland, was put out after falling out with the people of the parish. It seems that after the Reformation Yell had turned over to the new order but the minister continued to practise the Roman Catholic faith and held mass in secret. I had been shown a cave in the cliffs just north of Eigg where there was a small building known as Mass John’s House but it has now fallen. It is unknown who may have been Mass John. The title 'Mass' may have been given because he held mass or from the word meaning master. Tradition has it that in ancient times a priest living in the neighbourhood broke his vows and fled to this outlandish place.

The Methodist minister Raby regularly lodged at Reafirth, Mid Yell with a 'genteel' family. It is likely that the family was that of Robert Spence, son of Spence of Windhouse.

After a stay at Basta the Wesleyan Methodist missionary John Lewis wrote:

'Monday 3 November, 1823 went to Mid Yell. Found Mr Raby.

November 4, 1823 Mr Roby went with me to a place to Graveland. the road is indescribably bog. I walked a mile before I could get over a large brook. Took a boat for two miles. Had a congrigation of about 60. Had a hard pull to get back. It blew hard right ahead with constant rain. A most unpleasant journey. bad as the weather is the poor are getting up their potatoes, a great part which are in the ground. Dined at Mr Spence on good soup and lamb, which was very acceptable.

November 11, 1823 Went to Graveland. The house full. I heard the children repeat 3 of John and several hymns, and all pretty well. Dined at Windhouse.'

Methodism in Shetland began with the return from the Napoleonic wars in 1819 of John Nicolson who had been converted while in the army.

The Methodist services were usually well attended and often held in the evening and sometimes continuing until the early hours of the morning. They might be held outdoors or if a house was provided young and old would be seated around the fire in the middle of the room, the young usually on the floor. Room would be made for everyone who wanted to attend. The preacher, or in his absence an appointed God fearing man, might question his congregation on the one hundred and seven Questions and Answers agreed in the Shorter Catechism. At the end of the evening groups of people would set off for their homes discussing the sermon, its relevance, and the fluency of the preacher.

After the clearance and sheep were put to Graveland there was correspondence from the landowners on how to manage the farm.

A report on rents of farms on the Gossabrough Estate 1878 states:

'The town land is very fine and along the seashore and outer point this is fair pasture, but the centre and hill land is very bad,-some of it not worth sixpence an acre, and all much in want of draining, which would well repay the interest of money laid out. At two places the sea coast would require fencing, but this could be done at the cost of a few pounds.

I was asked to report if the farms at Westsandwick and Graveland would be best let together or separately. Both farms are rather small for separate tenants of the larger class and they are very awkwardly situated for letting together there being no road from Westsandwick to graveland, and hence great difficulty in taking food from the home farm to Graveland for the stock kept there in winter.

Had there been a dwelling house in Graveland, of the two it would have made the better farm for one tenant as there is a considerable area of land which could with a small outlay in trenching and draining be turned into good land for arable purposes leaving the principle part of the old arable land for grasing. But if a suitable tenant offered who considered Graveland too small it might be advised to add the two farms of North Grummond which would do for raising food for the winter keep of stock in Graveland.

One of the houses in North Grummond might with a moderate outlay be made a suitable dwelling house for such a tenant. This latter mode would be less expensive than putting up houses and draining and trenching in Graveland, and I would think make a place such as any tenant might take. Taking all things into account and if this latter suggestion could be adopted, I think Graveland should be let by itself.'

Experienced men were hired to work the sheep farms and often they were recruited from mainland Scotland.

In 1904 Suzanne Keith Webster and William Webster lived in Graveland, He was a shepherd who had originated from Caithness. They had a son William who became a well known captain at Searsport, Maine. William went to sea at the age of 14 and made his home in the US. He described some of his early days in the Herra:

'It does not seem so long ago since I was running owre the Lea on my way to Grummond and Bouster.

I was thinking with all this West wind we might find a few planks over at the North of Flowans. Boy I would like to be able to draw down the old boat and go out and try to get a few piltocks.

I see from your last letter that my old girl Joan went and got herself married. How the years roll along. Many is the time I went over to their house supposedly to see Johnnie when it was her I wanted to see.

Are they still having the makkins and spinnings in the Herra and breaking them up and concluding them with a dance. There sure was plenty of fun at them.'

In the early years of the 20 century there were often caerdins followed by the men joining the women for an evening of entertainment. Some evenings a Night School was held and after lessons the scholars would gather in one of the houses. Again an evening of entertainment would follow. Often a fiddle was produced as almost every family had at least one person who was adept at playing.

William Webster’s ship, the 'SS Wellhart' was torpedoed by a German Submarine off the coast of Virginia in 1942. William did not survive.

While investigating the Graveland landscape we pointed out areas we had heard about and discovered some interesting details.

There is an uncompleted mill on the burn of Graveland a little below the houses. One of the crofts is Yalsfield.

In one of the ruined houses we found some very small windows which were bricked up. Locals recollected that at one time there had been a tax which was referred to as the 'windows tax'. It might have been the 'glass tax' during the 18th century and which was repealed in 1851.

North of Longi Geo where the heather was deep it is said that people spread wool so that it would become felted. This process was also carried out at Bouster.

Heather in Graveland offered an abundance of berries which were collected to make jam.

Hay was cut at The Green Lee by the Graveland crofters.

A track was laid to Graveland in the 1980s to enable transport to reach Graveland for sheep farming. We followed the track until we could see the scattered ruins of a croft house lower down the field.

Quoypunds

[hwipunds, enclosure for cattle]

Pronounced Wheepeens.

Between Grummond and Graveland and towards the shore are the ruins of the croft of Quoypunds. In Shetland it is possible that some crofts named ‘Punds’ were outsets on the fringes of settlements. Here the animals had been gathered for milking or overnight shelter. The animal manure meant the ground had become more fertile over time making it a reasonable area to cultivate. The census shows that Gilbert Mann's family with twelve children had once lived here. It was difficult to imagine how they all managed to live in such small houses. As we continued on our way we passed more places of interest that Chas could identify.

Nearer to Grummond is ‘da saatwatter gaet’ where people used to boil saltwater to produce salt for curing fish and meat.

On the shore at Glumpsis we found a, so far unidentified circular shaped rock structure.

The small headland between Graveland and Grummond is Headrig.