Orkney and Shetland Folk, 872-1350

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The earliest inhabitants, of whom we have any record, were the Picts, and the Irish papas and Colum ban missionaries, who must have brought some Irish settlers with them. It has already been suggested that the Norse must have settled in Orkney and Shetland, circa 664, among the aboriginal race, the Picts, who would have become their thralls, and with whom the settlers would have intermarried. The first Norsemen who came to Orkney and Shet land would have been adventurers, and not settlers with wives, families and thralls, such as later went to Ice land and Orkney. Consequently such adventurers who settled in the islands would naturally have intermarried with the aborigines. This kind of male settlement ma)r have gone on for some time, before the actual bona fide colonisation took place.

The earliest inhabitants, of whom we have any record, were the Picts, and the Irish papas and Colum ban missionaries, who must have brought some Irish settlers with them. It has already been suggested that the Norse must have settled in Orkney and Shetland, circa 664, among the aboriginal race, the Picts, who would have become their thralls, and with whom the settlers would have intermarried. The first Norsemen who came to Orkney and Shet land would have been adventurers, and not settlers with wives, families and thralls, such as later went to Ice land and Orkney. Consequently such adventurers who settled in the islands would naturally have intermarried with the aborigines. This kind of male settlement ma)r have gone on for some time, before the actual bona fide colonisation took place.