The New Statistical Account of Scotland: Sutherland, Caithness, Orkney, Shetland, General indexW. Blackwood and Sons, 1845 - Scotland |
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Common terms and phrases
abundance acres amount ancient annually appearance Assynt attended average number Ben Hope boats bolls breadth breed Bressay Brora built Caithness called Castle cattle chapel church coast considerable crops cultivated distance district Dornoch Duke of Sutherland Earl Earl of Sutherland east Eday erected extent farms feet females Fetlar fish fisheries former Frith Gaelic glebe gneiss Golspie ground Halkirk harbour Helmsdale heritors Highlands hills houses improvement inhabitants island Keiss kelp Kildonan Kirkwall labour lakes late Latheron Lerwick Loch Loth manse miles minister moss mountains nearly ness North Yell oats Orkney parish parish of Wick parochial pasture peat poor population potatoes PRESBYTERY present proprietors Pulteneytown quantity rent rish river road rock sandstone Scotland season sheep Shetland shore side situated small tenants soil stipend stone strata Stromness Thurso tion tumuli Ulbster V.-PAROCHIAL ECONOMY whole winter
Popular passages
Page 141 - When a person has received a sprain, it is customary to apply to an individual practised in casting the wresting thread, this is a thread spun from black wool, on which are cast nine knots, and tied round a sprained leg or arm. During the time the operator is putting the thread round the affected limb, he says, but in such a tone of voice as not to be heard by the bystanders, nor even by the person operated upon: the lord rade, and the foal slade; he lighted, and he righted, set joint to joint, bone...
Page 191 - The road is but narrow, and the descent steep, and if any stumble thereupon, they are in hazard of falling down a precipice into the sea at the bottom of the rock, which is very terrible to behold ; but who pass it for the more security, use to lead their horses to the foot of the hill...
Page 201 - Halcro, lawful daughter to the deceased Hugh Halcro, in the isle of Weir, and Margaret Stewart his spouse, hath lived in the parish of Evie from her infancy, in good fame and report; is a discreet, godly young woman, and, to our certain knowledge, free of all scandal, reproach, or blame. As, also, that she is descended...
Page 94 - when he has hardly attained to manhood, and before he can have saved as much as will purchase a bed and blankets, makes an improvident marriage, and only then thinks of looking for a hut to shelter him and his fast-increasing family. Having got the hut and a small piece of land, he has to go into debt for the purchase of a wretched cow and a still more wretched pony, and, paying his rent in small but never-ending and ill-defined personal services, or, as it is expressively called in...
Page 125 - is in his winter or spring garb it is difficult to suppose that his progenitors were the same animals which travellers have described as prancing over the arid tracks of Arabia. The long shaggy hair with which he is clothed has more the appearance of a polar dress, or of some arctic livery specially dispensed to the quadruped retainers of the genius of Hialtland.
Page 45 - Dr. Clouston thus describes the aspect of an ordinary gale at this spot. " During a storm from the west the scene is awfully grand. The large accumulations of water that then roll after each other, foaming with terrible violence to the shore, impress the mind with irresistible power, and might well give a stranger a feeling of insecurity ; and, when they dash themselves against the precipice, it seems half sunk, for a time, like a wrecked vessel amid the waves ; sheets of spray are thrown far up...
Page 111 - Skeld] . . . These two stones are said to be the metamorphosis of two wizards or giants, who were on their way to plunder and murder the inhabitants of West Skeld; but not having calculated their time with sufficient accuracy, before they could accomplish their purpose, or retrace their steps to their dark abodes, the first rays of the morning sun appeared, and they were immediately transformed, and remain to the present time in the shape of two tall moss-grown stones of ten feet in height.
Page 201 - Halcro lawful daughter of the deceased Hugh Halcro in the Isle of Weir and Margaret Stewart his spouse, hath lived in the Parish of Evie from her infancy, in good fame and report, is a discreet, godly young woman, and to our certain knowledge free from all scandal, reproach, or blame.
Page 113 - ... have been introduced within the perforation made into some wooden or bone haft, and afterwards secured by overlapping cords, formed of thongs of leather, or of the entrails of some animal, twine of hemp not being then in use. Another kind of steinbarte has been said to occur in Shetland, the sharp end of which...