PANEL 35    Orkney, Shetland and Scotland

Since the Vikings began to sail ‘westoversea’ from Scandinavia in the eighth century, Orkney and Shetland had been under their control. Powerful Earls of Orkney such as the wonderfully named Sigurd the Stout sometimes posed a threat to the mainland. Kenneth II could do nothing to prevent Sigurd annexing Caithness and extending his reach as far south as the Moray Firth by the end of the 10th century. It was not until the 15th century that what became known as ‘the matter of Norway’ was resolved. In 1468, a Scottish embassy was despatched to negotiate the marriage of Margaret, the daughter of King Christian I of Denmark and Norway, to James III of Scotland. Terms were agreed and they brought to an end a long-running dispute over the payment of an annual tribute to the Scottish crown for the Western and Northern Isles. Until the full amount of Princess Margaret’s dowry was paid, all of the historic rights and lands of the kings of Norway and Denmark in Orkney and Shetland were to be ceded to the Scottish crown. The dowry was never paid and, in 1472, the Northern Isles formally became part of the kingdom of Scotland. At last, the nation’s frontiers reached their modern extent. And the Scandinavian character of the archipelagos began to change. The language of Norn had died out by the end of the 19th century and recent DNA studies have shown the extent of a Scottish takeover since the late 15th century. Amongst men with old Orkney surnames, such as Flett, Foubister and Linklater, Viking DNA markers are found in 35 per cent while, in the general population, it declines to only 20 per cent.

 

Panel stitched by:

Shetland Needleworkers

Sheila Peterson

Patricia Brown

Helen Burgess

Rita Fraser

Maureen Harkness

Mali Hewamanage

Sylvia Jamieson

Juliet Nicolson

Stitched in:

Shetland