Brian Smith
Archivist at the Shetland Museum and Archives
Articles written by Brian Smith
Remembering Christina Jamieson this International Women’s Day
In celebration of International Women’s Day we’re remembering just one of the many pioneering women in Shetland’s history, ...
Read more
The funny story behind some of Lerwick's street names
In the 1880s Lerwick was changing rapidly. As the great herring fishery of that era developed, there were new streets, and potential ...
Read more
Shetland Museum and Archives Launches New Online Archive Catalogue
A new online Archives catalogue has been launched today (Tuesday 8 August) at the Shetland Museum and Archives.
Read more
World Book Day
On World Book Day, it is worth musing about the history of library collections in Shetland. There have been highs and lows in the ...
Read more
550 Years Ago: how Shetland became part of Scotland - part 2
Shetland and Orkney became part of Scotland 550 years ago, on 20 February 1472. Denmark’s economic interests were concentrated in ...
Read more
550 Years Ago: how Shetland became part of Scotland
A fortnight ago some women and men from the South Mainland of Shetland marched in Glasgow with torches. They were commemorating the ...
Read more
A historical walk to Culsetter
There is much more to Shetland than the popular places where people go: the Hams of Muckle Roe and the Sands of Breckon, for instance. ...
Read more
A Day in Bigga
Bigga, a little island in Yellsound, 80 hectares in extent, is not easy to visit. It has been uninhabited for 200 years, largely ...
Read more
The real story behind the Shetland wulver
In recent years there has been a lot of discussion about the ‘wulver’, Shetland’s ‘kind and generous werewolf’, as someone ...
Read more
Witchcraft in Shetland
Between around 1615 and 1680 Shetland was afflicted by a mania that was disturbing other parts of Europe. Ordinary Shetlanders and ...
Read more
The Man Behind the Lowrie Stories
Sometime in the 1920s a middle-aged businessman in Lerwick began to write stories. He didn’t write about his native town. The hero ...
Read more
Up Helly Aa has a most interesting history
With the cancellation of Up Helly Aa there will be no torchlit procession, galley burning or all night partying this year. These ...
Read more
Peter and Olla
Archivist Brian Smith retells the story of cousins Peter and Olla, two very different characters, who met one notable New Year's eve. ...
Read more
James A Teit: Tackling racism in the late 1800's
In December 1883, Lerwick Man James Teit emigrated to Canada where he lived and worked with indigenous communities, listening and ...
Read more
The adventures of Ninian Neven
Archivist Brian Smith delves into the incredible story of his ten-times great grandfather the accomplished and unruly Ninian Neven. ...
Read more
Join our mailing list
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest news, events, exhibitions and behind-the-scenes stories from Shetland Amenity Trust.
Sign up