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Monthly Archive April 2026

Public Seminar – Did Nobody Die? Rousay and Egilsay Kirk Sessions, 1733 – 1747 by Lynn Campbell

Tuesday 28th April 5.30pm – Lecture Theatre UHI Orkney, Kirkwall

Public Seminar:  Did Nobody Die? Rousay and Egilsay Kirk Sessions, 1733 – 1747 by Lynn Campbell

This talk will be presented in the Lecture Theatre at UHI Orkney, Kirkwall and will also be available to view online through Microsoft Teams.

Please register for the event by clicking on the link below if you are attending online and you will be sent a joining link. No need to register if you are attending in person at UHI Orkney.

Kirk session records provide invaluable insights into parish life, offering a lens through which we can investigate the lives of the general population.

The focus of the talk will be on the islands of Rousay, Egilsay, and Wyre during the early-mid eighteenth century. The kirk session records reveal how religious and social authorities managed poverty and morality, as well as how gender dynamics shaped parish governance and support systems.

Preliminary findings from this study underscore the wealth of evidence contained within these records and the potential for such investigations to deepen our understanding of parish life in Orkney at this time. By examining different Orkney parishes in detail, this research not only highlights the distinctive features of Rousay and Egilsay but also raises broader questions about regional variation and shared practices in Orkney during this period.

This seminar is open to the public and is in partnership between Orkney Heritage Society and UHI / Institute for Northern Studies. For more detail, see the event page on UHI website.

To book for online attendance click here.

 

 

2025/26 Fereday Prize winners announced.

The Fereday Prize is awarded annually for a historical investigation carried out by second-year pupils in Orkney’s schools. The standard of work of the best entries is always extremely high and many contain original research. The latest prize-winning entries are no exception.

For more detail see our Fereday Prize page, where you will also find detail on how to access previous winners’ entries.

This year’s overall winner was Charlie Kemp from Kirkwall Grammar School with his study on the Ba, Have changes in the game resulted in changes the way the Ba is made over time?

The judges were Dr Ben Elliott and Jenny Rambridge – they commented on the variety of topics and the quality of writing and research undertaken by second year pupils.

The first prize from Stromness Academy was awarded to Amber Seator – Orkney’s got the Blues: The story of an island music phenomenon.

The North Isles were represented this year with Ayra Groat taking the first prize for Stronsay with What was the impact, if any, of the Kildinguie Lodge on Stronsay?

The list of the main prize-winners is detailed below but it is worth mentioning the broad selection of topics submitted as Very Highly Commended by the three schools participating in the Fereday Awards in 2025/26. Some of the topics included:

Why did Iron Age people build Northfield Brochs?

A History of Amateur Dramatics in Stromness

How has 50 years of OIC impacted Orkney?

What is the Burray Hoard?

How have the shops on Albert Street changed over the years?

It is very gratifying to see that the second-year pupils at the three schools have produced a wide-ranging choice of projects on the many aspects of Orkney history. We hope that some of them will maintain that interest and may undertake further studies in the heritage of Orkney as they pursue their academic pathways in the future.

 

STROMNESS ACADEMY

1st   Amber Seator: Orkney’s got the Blues: the story of an island phenomenon

2nd  Kitty Gray: A History of the Stromness Lemonade Factory: How did it move with the times and why did it have to end?

3rd  Lucy Lee: A History of Amatuer Dramatics in Stromness

 

KIRKWALL GRAMMAR SCHOOL

1st  Charlie Kemp: The Kirkwall Ba – have changes in the game resulted in the way the Ba is made?

2nd  Oscar Thorne: How have bus companies evolved in Orkney since motorised buses were introduced in 1905 – and to what extent has bus company development had an impact in Orkney?

3rd  Rosa Spence: Why did Iron Age people build Northfield Brochs?

 

STRONSAY JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

1st  Ayra Groat: What was the impact, if any, of Kildinguie Lodge on Stronsay?

2nd  Robbie Dennison: How has Odiness Farm, Stronsay changed since 1800?