#lerwick

So here's a big thing that happened on our Shetland holiday! The BBC were filming at the same time as we were there! We hadn't timed the trip to coincide, it just ended up happening, and we spotted that there were going to be road closures in Lerwick on one of the days and, well... WE SAW RUTH AND SANDY FILMING A SCENE! It was an absolute joy! Really cool to watch, and both Ashley Jensen and Steven Robertson waved and grinned at the little huddle of people watching! And one of the local fixers came over and had a chat with us and was really lovely! (Ashley Jensen also waved directly at us specifically at one point and I nearly fell over on the spot.)

April 9th 1283 saw the birth of Margaret, Maid of Norway.

Margaret was called Queen but was never crowned. She was known as Lady of Scotland, Margaret of Scotland and the Maid of Norway. The story of her life is very poignant and short. She is widely considered to have been Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death in 1290, although this is disputed.

Margaret’s claim to the Scottish throne came from her grandfather, Alexander III. Alexander had come to the throne at the age of 8 and had proved to be a very capable and strong monarch. It was his death at Kinghorn in March 1286 that set the chain of events in motion that led to Margaret being Queen and ultimately The Wars of Scottish Independence.

Alexander's death, en route to be with his new young bride Yolande de Dreux, threw Scotland into chaos. Robert Bruce (grandfather of Robert I) and John Balliol both made claims for the throne, and to add to the confusion, Alexander III's widow Yolande said she was pregnant. When her child miscarried or was stillborn, the Scottish Parliament appointed six guardians to look after Margaret.

The Scottish nobility called on assistance from Edward I of England in an effort to secure Margaret's position. Edward arranged the Treaty of Birgham in July 1290. Under its terms Margaret, Maid of Norway was betrothed to his son Edward (later Edward II of England). In return Edward I guaranteed Scottish independence and agreed to act as ward for the young Queen Margaret.

In September 1290, Margaret set sail in a Norwegian ship from Bergen bound for Leith and accompanied by Bishop Narve of Bergen. Storms drove the ship off course to Orkney, and it eventually landed at what is now, St Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay. Here Margaret, Maid of Norway, died, apparently from the effects of sea-sickness, still aged only eight. Had her marriage to Edward gone ahead, the crowns of Scotland and England would have been united some three hundred years earlier than they eventually were, in 1603. And three hundred years of bloody history would probably have been very different.

As it was, Margaret's body was returned to Bergen and buried beside her mother, in the north side of the choir, in Christ's Kirk at Bergen. Before her burial, her father King Eirik confirmed the identity of her body. This is significant because in 1300, a year after the death of King Eirik, a woman turned up in Bergen claiming to be Margaret. There was much popular support for her claim, despite the identification of Margaret's body, and despite the fact that the woman appeared to be about 40 when Margaret would only be 17. The false Margaret was executed in 1301.

Plant of the Day

Thursday 29 June 2023

Walking along the main road into Lerwick, Shetland, my friend and I noticed this amazing group of Dactylorhiza purpurella (northern marsh-orchid) which had colonised this dry embankment which was part of a car park landscaping. This orchid is normally found in marshy fields, roadside verges, fens, marshes and sand-dune slacks that remain damp throughout the year but plants will grow in drier places such as old waste tips, abandoned quarries and apparently car parks.

Clickimin Broch, near Lerwick, Shetland

This is a well-preserved Iron Age style broch from roughly the 1st Century AD. The site was occupied since the Late Bronze Age and originally the peninsular would have been a small island, accessible by a stone causeway. The broch was probably quite impenetrable at the time. It has been restored and is maintained by Historic Scotland, but free to visit. It is quite well preserved for being right next to Shetlands biggest town.