Shetland Treasures Return Home
Seventeen artefacts of great historical value have made their way back to Shetland from the National Museums of Scotland this week where they will be housed in the Shetland Museum and Archives ready for its opening.
The pieces, all of which contain valuable insight to Shetland’s cultural history, will be on long-term loan to the Shetland Museum and Archives in what is the first of a continuing loan initiative between the two museums.
Many of the objects left Shetland over 100 years ago in order to be housed and preserved in the National Museums due to the absence of a museum on the islands at that time. However, with the improved security and environmental conditions in the Shetland Museum and Archives a number of national and international artefacts can be exhibited in the new building.
Dr Ian Tait, Curator of Collections at Shetland Museum, said: “We worked hard to choose these artefacts, selecting those that tell a significant part of Shetland’s story. The objects span many aspects of our history, and include enigmatic Pictish art, folklore traditions, and the Napoleonic War. Many of these items left Shetland more than a century ago – before there was any museum in Shetland - so it’s very exciting for us to be able to bring them back to their homeland. I must thank Ros Clancey, the National Museums of Scotland’s Loans Officer, for her help in organising this major loan for us.”
Of the seventeen artefacts coming back to Shetland, three hold particular significance - a panel from Muness Castle, a bronze horse figurine and a buckie (dog whelk) shell lamp.
The Muness Castle Panel
Situated on Unst, Britain’s most northerly castle was completed in 1598 and was the family home of Laurence Bruce. At the time, Muness Castle was the largest building to be built in Shetland for 2000 years and it was seen as a leading example of architecture, being of a tower house design – a building common in Scotland - but not yet in the northern isles.
However, when a fire gutted the building many of the internal furnishings were destroyed and the castle was never lived in again.
The Muness Castle panel is the only surviving piece of its internal architecture and bears the coat of arms of the Bruce family. Following the style of the late 16th century, the panel is made from oak and it is thought it would have been part of a series of panels built into the walls of the main hall.
It is believed that the panel was salvaged from the castle over 300 years ago and has been kept in Edinburgh for over 100 of these years.
Bronze Horse Figurine
After the reformation in 1560, Scotland became a Protestant country and any previously held Catholic values were shunned. Ministers particularly discouraged superstitious beliefs, but many islanders liked to continue some of their Catholic traditions. One such superstition was to leave charms in old derelict churches in the hope that the church would bestow good luck to the donor and cure any ailments they had.
The small bronze horse, which is one such ‘charm’ was discovered at The Cross Kirk in Framgord, Eshaness in the 1920s. General consensus is that the artefact could date as far back as the 1100s and it is thought that it would have been left in the Kirk in the hope that it would bring luck to cure an ill horse - as the animal was one of the most precious possessions at the time. People left metal hands or feet in the same way if they were unwell themselves.
The figurine was discovered with a square stone pot, which never left Shetland, and curators at Shetland Museum and Archives are delighted that the two artefacts will now be reunited.
Shell Lamp
From around 1740 to about 1890 fishermen stayed at seasonal fishing villages called haaf stations. The word ‘haaf’ is derived from the Norse word ‘hav’, meaning open sea. They lived in simple huts when they were not fishing off shore. These buildings consisted of stone walls, an earth floor with a fire in the middle, a turf roof and benches provided a place for the fishermen to mend their nets and play board games.
However, due to the simple structure of these buildings, hardly anything survives to tell the complete story of these stations and the inhabitants – even the best preserved station at Fethaland is a series of ruined huts.
The buckie shell lamp – or dog whelk shell lamp – was found at the Fethaland haaf station by Arthur Mitchell, an antiquary interested in ‘primitive’ practices that still survived into the nineteenth century. Intrigued by its basic design, Arthur left with the lamp in the 1870s and took it to Edinburgh where he donated it to the National Museum, where it has been ever since.
Although the lamp may be only 130 years old, the design is so primitive that Mitchell thought it could be hundreds of years old. When in use, the lamp would have been filled with oil and lit via a fabric wick, which would cast a dim light throughout the crews hut.
The Shetland Museum and Archives curatorial staff have worked closely with the National Museums of Scotland to bring some of the island’s treasures back to Shetland in time for the launch of the project in June, and the two will continue to work together on a programme of temporary loans and an initiative to produce replica items.
Jane Carmichael, Head of Collections at National Museums Scotland, said: 'National Museums Scotland is delighted to collaborate with Shetland Museum and Archives and to lend objects associated with Shetland from the national collections to these exciting new displays. We are delighted to support the project in this way and enable wider access to the national collections.’