| Pages | ||
| I. | Early Population of the Orkneys—Monuments and Structural Remains—Saxon Invasion in the 5th century—The Orkneys under Pictish rule—Dalriad Invasion in the 6th century—Wasting of the Orkneys by the Pictish King Bruide. | [ix]-[xi]. |
| II. | Visitation of the Islands by Irish Clerics—Dicuil’s Account of Iceland, the Faroes, Shetland and Orkney—Irish Christian Settlers driven away by the Northern Robbers—Indications of the early Christianity of the Islands—Bells and Christian Monuments of an early Age found in the Islands—Art of their early Sculptured Stones—Symbols of the Sculptured Monuments of the Scottish Mainland: their probable Period—Indications of an early Christianity in the Norse Topography of the Islands. | [xi]-[xxi]. |
| III. | Earliest Notices of Northmen on British Shores: their first Inroads on the Irish Coasts; they plunder Iona—Establishment of a Norse Kingdom at Armagh—Olaf the White, King of Dublin—Harald Harfagri’s Expedition to the Orkneys—Subjugation of Orkney, Shetland, the Hebrides, and Man. | [xxi]-[xxiii]. |
| IV. | Sigurd, first Earl of the Orkneys—Earl Sigurd and Thorstein the Red subdue Caithness and Sutherland—Sigurd’s Death and Burial at Ekkialsbakki—Thorstein the Red King of “half of Scotland”—Thorstein slain in Caithness—Duncan, Earl of Duncansbay—Guttorm Earl—Hallad Earl—Torf Einar Earl—Thorfinn Hausakliuf Earl—Ragnhild murders her Husbands—Battle at Skida Myre in Caithness—Earl Hlödver—Earl Sigurd the Stout—Earl Finnleik—Battle at Skida Myre—Earl Sigurd’s Raven Banner—Battle at Duncansbay—Earl Sigurd marries a Daughter of Malcolm, King of Scots: is converted to Christianity by King Olaf, Tryggvi’s Son; falls at the Battle of Clontarf—Earls Thorfinn, Brúsi, and Einar—Kali Hundason takes the Kingdom in Scotland—Battles at Deerness and Baefiord—Rögnvald Brusison—Battle off Raudabiorg—Earl Thorfinn, surprised by Rögnvald, escapes from the burning House—Rögnvald slain on Papa Stronsay—Earl Thorfinn’s Death—Ingibiorg, his Widow, marries King Malcolm Canmore—Battle of Stamford Bridge—Expeditions of King Magnus Barelegs to Scotland—He carries off the Orkney Earls Paul and Erlend, and places his own son Sigurd over Orkney—Earl Hakon Palson—Murder of St. Magnus—Harald (Slettmali) dies from a poisoned Shirt—Paul the Silent—Rögnvald Kolson wins the Orkneys—Earl Paul carried off to Athole by Swein Asleifson—Harald, Son of Maddad Earl of Athole, made joint Earl of Orkney—Earl Rögnvald’s Pilgrimage to Jerusalem—Erlend Ungi besieged in Mousa by Earl Harald—Earl Rögnvald slain—Earl Harald at War with King William the Lion—The Eyarskeggiar—Earl Harald makes Peace with King Sverrir, and Shetland is taken from him: is captured by King William the Lion, and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle; is released on his son Thorfinn being given up as a Hostage; storms a Borg at Scrabster, and mutilates Bishop John—Penance prescribed for the Mutilation of the Bishop—Earl John—Burning of Bishop Adam at Halkirk—Earl John slain at Thurso | [xxiii]-[xlvi]. |
| V. | Magnus, son of Gilbride, Earl of Angus, made Earl of Caithness and Orkney—Gilbride Earl—Magnus, son of Gilbride—King Hakon Hakonson’s expedition against Scotland—Battle of Largs—Death of King Hakon at Kirkwall: his Body lies in State in the Cathedral; is temporarily interred in the Choir; is removed to Bergen—Earl Magnus Magnusson—Earl John—Marriage of King Eirik of Norway with Margaret of Scotland—Death of Queen Margaret—Her Daughter Margaret, “the Maid of Norway,” made Heiress to the Scottish Throne, and betrothed to Prince Edward of England—The Maid of Norway dies on her voyage to Scotland—King Eirik marries Isabella Bruce—Earl John betrothed to their Daughter Ingibiorg—Appearance at Bergen of “the False Margaret,” a German woman who gave herself out as the Maiden of Norway—The False Margaret burnt at Bergen, and her Husband beheaded—Magnus, last Earl of the Angus line | [xlvi]-[lv]. |
| VI. | Malise, Earl of Stratherne, succeeds to the Earldom of Orkney: falls at the Battle of Halidon Hill—Forfeiture of the Earldom of Stratherne—Malise the Younger goes to Norway: marries two of his Daughters to Swedish Noblemen—Erngisl Suneson, son-in-law of Malise, made Earl of Orkney—Duncan Anderson’s Manifesto—Alexander de Ard made Earl of Orkney for one Year—Resigns his Lands in Caithness—The Stewarts Earls of Caithness—Sir George Crichtoun made Earl of Caithness—William St. Clair made Earl of Caithness | [lv]-[lxi]. |
| VII. | First Notices of the St. Clairs in Orkney—Obscure Questions connected with the Succession of the St. Clairs—Henry St. Clair made Earl of Orkney and Shetland—Malise Sperra slain at Scalloway—Henry II. Earl of Orkney—Bishop Tulloch made Commissioner for the King of Norway—David Menzies made Commissioner: his oppressions—William St. Clair, last Earl under the Norwegian Dominion—Impignoration of the Isles | [lxi]-[lxxi]. |
| VIII. | Origin of the Bishopric of Orkney—Bishops of Orkney consecrated at Hamburg—Bishops of Orkney consecrated at York—William the Old, “first Bishop”—William II.—Bjarni—Jofreyr—Henry I.—Peter—Dolgfinn—William III.—William IV.—William V.—Henry II.—John—Patrick—Thomas de Tulloch—William de Tulloch—The See of Orkney placed under the Metropolitan Bishop of St. Andrews | [lxxi]-[lxxix]. |
| IX. | Earliest Notices of the Bishopric of Caithness—Andrew, first known Bishop—John—Adam—Letter of Pope Honorius referring to the burning of Bishop Adam—Gilbert the Saint—William—Walter—Archibald—Alan—Adam— Andrew—Ferquhard—Nicolas—David—Alan—Thomas— Malcolm—Alexander—Robert—William. | [lxxix]-[lxxxvii]. |
| X. | Cathedral of St. Magnus—Removal of the Relics of St. Magnus from Christ’s Church in Birsay to St. Olaf’s Church in Kirkwall: Transference to the Cathedral—Egilsey Church—Munch’s view of the Origin of the Name Egilsey—Discussion of the probable Age of the Church—Church of Orphir built in imitation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem—Earl Hacon probably its Founder—Christ’s Church in Birsay the first recorded Christian Church in the Islands—Remains of an older Church at the Site of the present Parish Church—Church of Weir: Bishop Bjarni probably its Founder—Church at Lybster, in Reay, Caithness—Church on the Brough of Birsay probably twin-towered—Church on the Brough of Deerness: Superstitious Practices at it in last Century—Old Parish Church of Deerness—Towered Churches of Shetland | [lxxxvii]-[ci]. |
| XI. | Maeshow, the Orkahaug of the Saga—The Hogboy—Description of Maeshow—The Runic Inscriptions on its Walls—Carved Dragon and Cross on its Buttresses—The Jorsala-farer s—Names of Persons mentioned in the Saga carved on it—The Stones of Stennis—The Ring of Brogar—The Ring of Stennis, and Cromlech—The Ring of Bookan—Stennis mentioned in the Saga—Havard’s teigr—Earl Havard’s Grave-Mound | [ci]-[cviii]. |
| XII. | Mousa and its Tower—Description of Moseyarborg—Number and Distribution of the Pictish Towers—Results of recent Excavations in them—Condition of the People who lived in them—Roman Coins found in them—Notices of the Tower of Mousa in the Sagas | [cix]-[cxi]. |
| XIII. | The Norse Territory in Scotland still distinguished by its Norse Place-names—Notices of the Norse Language in Orkney and Shetland—Norse Ballads—The Ballad of Hiluge and Hildina recovered by Low in Foula: Outline of its Story; its Dialect and Date—Runic Monuments in Orkney and Shetland—Actual Relics of the Northmen—Burial Customs of the Pagan Northmen in Orkney and Shetland—Narrative of an Eye-witness of the Incremation of the Body of a Norse Chief of the 10th century—Description of the Funeral Rites—“The Dead Man’s Angel”—Sacrifice of Oxen, Horses, etc.—Slaughter of a Female Slave to accompany the Chief—Burning of the Bodies and erection of the Grave-Mound—Diversity of the Burial Usages—Burial in Stone Urns and Cooking Pots—Brooches of a peculiar Scandinavian type found with Norse Burials in Scotland—Group of Norse Graves in Westray, Orkney | [cxi]-[cxxiii]. |
SKOTLAND
EDMONSTON & DOUGLAS, EDINBURGH.
INTRODUCTION.
I. Earliest Historical Notices of the Orkneys.
The historical notices of the Orkneys previous to the Norse occupation are few in number, and exceedingly obscure. We learn little more from the allusions of the Roman writers than that scarcely anything was known to them with certainty of these remote localities. It may be inferred, however, that the first wave of Celtic population that overspread the northern mainland of Britain must have gradually extended northward to the outlying Isles. The correspondence of the early remains found in the Islands with those of northern Scotland is of itself a striking testimony to the connection of their early population with the Celtic stock of the northern mainland of Scotland. We gather from these remains that the earliest population of the Islands, of which we have any reliable evidence, lived in the same manner as the natives of the northern mainland, fought with the same varieties of weapons of stone and bronze, erected the same forms of defensive structures, practised the same funereal rites, and constructed similar forms of sepulchral chambers, over which they piled the great mounds which are among the most striking features of an Orkney landscape.[[1]] The number and magnitude of these monuments and structural remains bear witness in a most remarkable manner to the activity, intelligence, and social organisation of the times that have no other record.
It is not until the middle of the 5th century of the Christian era that the early chronicles begin to cast occasionally a feeble and uncertain light upon the history of the northern isles. It is stated in the “Historia Britonum” of Nennius that the Saxon chiefs Ochtha and Ebissa, who came over with “forty keels” in the year 449, laid waste the Orkney Islands, and seized a great many regions beyond the Frisic Sea.[[2]] At that time, and for a long period previously (according to Nennius), the Picts had been in possession of the Orkneys. Whatever value may be attached to these statements as referring to events which took place 400 years before the author’s own time, there can be no reason for discrediting his testimony when he says that the Picts continued in possession of the Orkneys in his day.[[3]]
Adamnan, in his Life of St. Columba, mentions that the saint being on a visit to Bruide Mac Meilcon, king of the Northern Picts, at his stronghold on the river Ness, requested the king to recommend to the reguli of the Orkneys (one of whom was then present, and whose hostages were then in the king’s hands) that Cormac and the clerics who had accompanied him on a missionary voyage to the Orkneys should receive no harm; and it is added that this was the means of saving them from a violent death. But if the authority and influence of the king of the Northern Picts extended to these islands in the reign of Bruide, it does not seem to have been effectual in protecting them from foreign invasion. Bruide Mac Meilcon died in 584, and some time before his death the new and rising power of the Dalriadic kings had made itself felt as far as the Orkneys. In the Annals of Ulster there is a notice under the year 580 of an expedition against the Orkneys by Aedan, son of Gabran, seventh king of the Dalriad Scots, who, coming over from Ireland (then called Scotia) about the year 503, had established themselves in Argyle and the Western Highlands, and founded the kingdom of Dalriada. From the date of Aedan’s expedition in 580 we have no mention of the islands in the native chronicles for a whole century, and the next entry, which occurs under the year 682, gives colour to the supposition that they may have been under Dalriadic rule in the interval. The record in 682 is simply, that the Orkneys were wasted by Bruide Mac Bile, the king of the Northern Picts, and apparently brought once more under the rule of the Northern Pictish kings.