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History information for Rousay and Egilshay and places above it in the hierarchy

Rousay and Egilshay

The Little General and the Rousay Crofters
Author: William P.L. Thomson
Published in 1981.
Describes the strife between the notorious General Frederick W.T. Burroughs of Rousay and the crofters on the land that he owned which was one of the factors that led to the passing of the 1886 Crofters Act, the main provisions of which protected crofters from eviction and from arbitrary rents.

Orkney

Orkney's pre-history, of the megalithic, bronze and Pictish ages, provides a colourful backdrop but has little genealogical relevance. In contrast, much of Orkney's recorded history, whether it concerns the earls, the clergy, lairds, townsfolk, udallers (see Land and its Ownership ), or tenants, is full of genealogical interest. The Norse arrived towards the end of the 8th century and the islands were ruled from Norway, and later Denmark, until 1468, when sovereignty passed to Scotland. Scots had started to settle in Orkney in the previous century, but it remained a semi-autonomous Earldom until 1614. The union of the Scottish and English parliaments in 1707 saw political control pass to London, but many powers were devolved back to Scotland in 1999 with the restoration of the Scottish Parliament.

Orkney is blessed with a wealth of records which are of use to both historians and genealogists.

  • This award-winning site contains not only a wealth of historical material plus a selection of Orkney images, but also covers traditions, folklore, and placenames. It is richly resourced and beautifully presented.
  • See Public Records and Orkney Church Records. These in turn have enabled generations of historians to produce histories of the earldom and county.
  • See the History of Orkney bibliography.
  • See the Church History bibliography.
  • See parish pages for books about individual parishes.
  • Information on some of Orkney's archaeological sites.

Scotland

Scotland - History - links and information.

The Killhearn Heritage Trail is a fairly new addition to the village and takes a visitor on a heritage walk through the village pointing out various places of historical interest.

UK and Ireland

  • UK & Ireland - History - links and information.