Parish of Orphir

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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1791-99: Orphir
1834-45: Orphir

Orphir (yarpha, ` fibrous peat '), a village and a parish in the S of Orkney. The village stands on the southern coast of Pomona, near the end of Scapa Flow, 9 miles WSW of Kirkwall, under which it has a post office. The parish consists mainly of a section of Pomona, but includes the island of Cava and the skerry called Barrel of Butter. The Pomona section is bounded N by Firth and Stenness, NE by Kirkwall, S by Scapa Flow, and SW and W by Hoy Sound. Its utmost length, from E to W, is 7 miles; its breadth varies between 21/8 and 3¾ miles; and the area of the entire parish is 12, 762 acres. Cava island has been separately noticed. Barrel of Butter skerry, lying 1¾ mile SSE of the nearest point of the mainland, has a curious outline, and is well known to seamen. The bold and rocky coast of the Pomona section, 13¼ miles in extent, on the S is finely indented by Houton, Myre, Swanbister, and Waulkmill Bays. Inland the surface rises gradually in a series of undulations and hills, with intersecting dales, chief elevations being Houton Head (195 feet), Veness Hill (206), and Roo Point (74) along the coast, with Gruf Hill (619) and Ward Hill (880) behind-heights that command a view of twenty-five islands and twentythree parishes, or of most of Orkney and much of Caithness and Sutherland, besides a large expanse of the eastern and western oceans. The eastern district abounds in heathy rising ground and peat-mosses, which furnish fuel to both Orphir and Kirkwall; and everywhere are dales which were not brought under tillage till 1818 or later, but are now in a state of high cultivation. The Loch of Kirkbister (13/8 x ½ mile; 49 feet above sea-level) contains plenty of sea and loch trout. Springs of pure water are very numerous and mostly copious; a few are chalybeate, and enjoy some local medicinal celebrity. Trap rock, suitable for building, is frequent; but sandstone of various kinds and quality predominates, and yields both pavement-flag and roofing slate. Fine white and blue clay, used for colouring hearthstones, is at Staugro; and bog iron ore is comparatively plentiful. The soil in a few places on the seaboard is a rich loam mixed with small -boulders; elsewhere is mostly either clay or moss, separate or in mixture. The principal antiquities are three tumuli; remains at Swanbister of a circular tower, 180 feet in circumference, which was probably the residence of Sueno Boerstrop, who was killed at the house of Jarl Paul towards the close of the 11th century; and ruins or vestiges of several pre-Reformation chapels. Claistron House, near the W coast, 17 miles W by S of Kirkwall, was the birthplace of Sir William Honyman, Bart., Lord Armadale (1756-1825), a lord of session. Other mansions are Smozrow and Swanbister; and 6 proprietors hold each an annual value of more, 4 of less, than £100. Orphir is in the presbytery of Cairston and synod of Orkney; the living is worth £182. The parish church was built in 1829, and contains 574 sittings. There is also a Free church; and Kirkbister and Orphir public schools, with respective accommodation for 60 and 85 children, had (1883) an average attendance of 40 and 62, and grants of £47, 16s. and £59. Valuation (1860) £1874, (1884) £1834. Pop. (1801) 864, (1831) 996, (1861) 1133, (1871) 1040, (1881) 1015, of whom 23 were on Cava.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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