A few weeks ago I came across a very unusual baptism record, dated 12 April 1750, in the parish of Kirkwall, Orkney. It was the baptism of “a Negroe usually called Neptune”. He was “in the service of Mr Fraser Officer in the Military” and, the record continues, “after having Resided several months in this | more…
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Valuation rolls – how valuable?
What information do they have? Valuation rolls give you: a description and location for the house or property, the name of the proprietor (owner), the name of the tenant and/or occupier sometimes the occupation of the occupier and the yearly rent or value. Doesn’t sound very exciting? Read on… A scenario I was researching someone | more…
Clapshot
What will you be eating with your haggis on St Andrews Day? It’s clapshot for me. Clapshot is an Orkney dish which is delicious and easy to make. Here, exclusively, is my mother’s recipe: Take 1lb tatties (potatoes) and ¾lb neep (swede), or 500g of tatties and 375g of neep if you are metric. Peel | more…
