Brian Smith
Archivist at the Shetland Museum and Archives
Articles written by Brian Smith
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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Witchcraft in Shetland
Between around 1615 and 1680 Shetland was afflicted by a mania that was disturbing other parts of Europe. Ordinary Shetlanders and ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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Da Croon o Da Ura
One of Shetland’s more remarkable archaeological sites is Da Croon o Da Ura, in Unst, just about the most northerly part of the ...
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