HISTORY
Shetland’s long and colourful history dates back to Neolithic times, when the first settlers reached the islands in fragile skin boats over 6,000 years ago.
Archaeological remains pepper the landscape of Shetland, and many are remarkably well preserved. Wherever you look, you’ll find ancient houses, burial chambers, standing stones, brochs and early chapels. New discoveries are made every year.
For over 600 years after the Viking invasions in the late 8th and early 9th centuries AD, the islands’ trade, language and social life were thoroughly Norwegian.
By around 800 AD Norse Vikings had reached the coast of Shetland. It’s not surprising they chose these islands as an ideal place to settle. They made convenient stepping-stones for North Atlantic voyages and a place to establish farms and communities. With the invaders came a new language, laws and way of life.
The Viking longhouse at Hamar in Unst is one of the best surviving examples, with others at Belmont, Soterberg, Sandwick and Jarlshof. The ancient Viking Parliament – the Althing – is in the Tingwall Valley, where the Althing debating society still meets.
In 1469 King Christian I of Denmark, Norway and Sweden mortgaged Shetland as part of his daughter’s dowry on her marriage to James III of Scotland. The pledge was never redeemed and Scotland later annexed the islands, along with Orkney. The Scandinavian heritage survives in thousands of place names, hundreds of dialect words and dozens of fiddle tunes. Norse Udal law still affects land tenure and rights to the foreshore, even today.
HERITAGE
The remains of the past 6,000 years are strewn all over Shetland’s islands, and much of it is very well preserved. This heritage is displayed in museums and heritage centres around the islands.
In the Shetland Crofthouse, the sweet smell of peat smoke, thick walls and cramped living space will take you back to life as it was in the 1870s. And what a gruelling existence it was: with all the able-bodied men at sea, the day-to-day work of running the croft was left to the women. This included growing crops, caring for the animals, carrying peat from the hills for the fire and gathering winter fodder for the sheep and cows.
Most spare time was spent knitting. From elaborately patterned knitwear to lace shawls so fine they would fit through a wedding ring, Shetland women continued a craft tradition that is still famous today.
MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE CENTRES
Shetland’s strong sense of identity is clear from the museums, heritage centres and history groups allaround the islands. The diverse and intriguing breadth of collections is a showcase for Shetland’s long, interesting and complex past. From Unst to Fair Isle, local heritage groups form a network of stalwart volunteers dedicated to caring for the island culture. Some look after collections, others record oral history and keep wildlife records – and they all ‘redd kin’ (count their relations).
The Shetland Museums Service runs three museums. The flagship is the new Shetland Museum and Archives in Lerwick which gives an overview of 6,000 years of Shetland’s history and culture, 3 billion years of geology and 550 square miles of wildlife habitat. Linked to this are two satellite museums: the Shetland Crofthouse Museum and the Böd of Gremista Museum. The Crofthouse is a thatched cottage from the 1880s, where you can step back into the traditional Shetland way of life. It’s a popular storytelling venue during the summer. The Böd on the outskirts of Lerwick tells some of the fishing history of the islands. It was the birthplace of Arthur Anderson, a poor Lerwick boy who escaped the Press Gang to become co-founder of the P&O shipping line.
SHETLAND MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
Built on the historic site of Hay’s Dock, this impressive new museum is one of the finest in Scotland. It offers a rich insight into the development of Shetland from its geological beginnings to the present day.
See the museum’s outstanding collection of historic boats hanging in the dramatic three-storey boat hall, and thousands of objects, including world-famous Shetland textiles and significant archaeological artefacts.
The museum houses a fully accessible, computerised archive of Shetland historical papers and photographs, perhaps the best of its kind in the country. There’s also a large sea-view restaurant, a lecture theatre, conference rooms, a gift shop and a boatshed where local craftsmen work on restoring historic vessels.