Orkney
"The Orkney Islands or Orkneys, an archipelago c.50 miles long, separated from the north coast of Caithness, Scotland by Pentland Firth. The group consists of 90 islands, fewer than a third of which (including four lighthouse stations) are inhabited. The largest islands are Pomona (or Mainland), South Ronaldsay, Westray, Sanday, and Stronsay. The county town, Kirkwall, is on Pomona. Hoy is the only island which rises to any considerable height. The rest are generally low, rocky, and treeless, with an occasional cultivated area. The natives, who have much Scandinavian blood, are mostly fishermen and tenant farmers. There are prehistoric remains of standing stones, mounds, and monuments. The Norseman Harold I (Harold Fairhair) added the Orkneys to the Scandinavian domain in 875, and they remained nominal dependencies of Norway until 1468, when Christian I of Norway and Denmark pledged them as security for the dowry of his daughter, Margaret, who married James III of Scotland. The pledge was never redeemed, and the Orkneys remained the property of Scotland. At the naval base of Scapa Flow part of the German fleet was scuttled by its crew in 1919. The base was attacked by German raiders in the Second World War." From "The Columbia Encyclopedia", 1950
SOUTH RONALDSAY
(Old Norse: Rognvaldsey) "Rognvald's Island"
Map of South Ronaldsay
taken in the late 1900s
Blue markers are areas or districts. South Cara is in the area of Grimness.
Lythes is in the area of Eastside. Gaira is in Sandwick area.
In Grimness just below the road, B9044 are three red squares.
The upper red square is Grimness School where most of the Grimness
children would have gone.
The next red square along B9044 going down was a croft called Burn
The third red square was called the Hill or Hillside where a family of Gutchers lived.
All other red squares are some of the crofts where Cromartys lived some time or another.
From St Margarets Hope to Kirkwall the capital of Orkney is 15 Miles or 22 kms
The Island South Ronaldsay from top to bottom is about 8 miles
The width is from two to four miles.
Remember Grimness School
Go back to
William Cromarty & Margaret Gutcher