Oppressions of the Sixteenth Century in the Islands of Orkney and Zetland: From Original Documents
History
Oppressions of the Sixteenth Century in the Islands of Orkney and Zetland: From Original Documents
Orkney (Scotland) -- History; Shetland (Scotland) -- History
Earl Patrick’s subsequent fate, his long imprisonment, his base
repudiation of the son who had risked and lost life and all to serve and
save him, and his trials and execution for treason as a subject, not for
tyranny as a ruler, have been too amply illustrated elsewhere to need
notice here. The consequent forfeiture of the Earldom and annexation of
all the lands and rights in the Islands—the excambion and redistribution
of Orkney and Zetland into Earldom, Bishopric and Lordship, and the
final abrogation of the native laws—might give interest to this Sketch,
but would extend beyond its limits of time or subject. The demands of
Denmark, and evasions of Scotland, relative to the redemption and
restitution of the Islands, would also be a curious and cognate inquiry,
which, with many others of this unexhausted theme, must be left for a
future time and another hand. Each subsequent century has had its
characteristic type of oppressors, wrongs and victims, feudal, fiscal or
judicial. By no course of action, resistance or submission, could the
Islanders escape from legalized extortion. They gave Montrose 2000 men
and £40,000, and the Commonwealth exacted 300 Horse and £60,000 (1650).
Again, they raised another Regiment and Contribution for Charles II.
(1651); and he rewarded their loyalty and their sufferings by a further
exaction of £182,000, in 1662, and then surrendered the Islands to the
tender mercies of the Earl of Morton, the worst King Stork of all the
Donataries.
Could Britain prove the abandonment of one exaction, the redress of one
oppression, the restitution of one item of official plunder, she might
treat the complaints of Orkney and Zetland as bygone and antiquated
grievances. But she still enforces every exaction of Tulloch or the
Stewarts by a Standard even higher and heavier than theirs—still imposes
the double burden of British Cess and Norwegian Skatt with aggravations
unknown in Norway—still extorts the last farthing of her claims, just or
unjust, and pays her debts by a bankrupt’s composition, compelling a
discharge in full—and still appropriates the usurped Church property of
Orkney to secular and English uses, transferring its burdens to the
other Heritors, and claiming for its last relics the inapplicable
immunities of English Crown prerogative, first applied by the democratic
Government of Cromwell. The Islands are still robbed of their native
Laws, Things, and Jurisdictions, and subjected to foreign codes and
courts—while Zetland has of late been mocked with a fractional voice in
the British Parliament at the expense of the already nominal
representation of Orkney. While Britain parades her maternal care and
lavish liberality even to her distant dependencies, Orkney has been
neglected by every public officer except the Tax-gatherer. Unaided by
one penny of that public money which has enriched other Counties more
fortunate or more favoured, Orkney has been left to struggle alone
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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