Fethaland or Fedeland[1][i] (pronounced[ˈfeɪdələnd]) is an abandoned settlement at the extreme north end of Mainland, Shetland. It was the site of the largest Haaf fishing station in Shetland.
Etymology
The name Fethaland derives from Old Norse and means rich pasture (literally "fat land").[7] There is a tradition that the name comes from the Picts who supposedly were forcibly removed from Fethaland, which was their last refuge. Upon being forced out to sea, they called out, "Fae da land, fae da land" (from the land), however this story is most likely apocryphal considering the shout is well-formed modern Shetland Dialect, which wouldn't have been spoken by the picts.[7]
Local man Douglas Murray describes the Fethaland fishing station
Oil lamps made from common whelk shells, (known locally as "buckies") were used by haaf fishermen in their böds. An example of one from Fethaland was collected by ethnographer Dr Arthur Mitchell and is kept in the Shetland Museum. Commenting on the lamp, Mitchell proposed,
...every one will admit that the lamp is elegant and pretty. Nothing, however, but the fact that it is easily obtained leads the deep-sea fisherman at his station on Fetheland Point to employ a shell for a [lamp]. His doing so does not prove the existence in him of a sense of the beautiful, nor, on the other hand, does his coarsely made sinker prove the reverse.[10]
On 10 October 1994 the Fethaland fishing station was designated as a scheduled monument.[11]
Due to the risk of erosion damaging the site a survey of the fishing station including the use of laser scanning took place in August 2010.[12]
Notes
^Also variously spelled Fedaland,[2]Fetheland,[3]Feitheland,[4]Fetchaland,[5] and Phedeland[6]
Dixon, Magnus. "Haaf fishing in Shetland". NorthLink Ferries. Help from Davy Cooper. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
Dawson, Tom (August 2010). Milburn, Paula (ed.). "Fethaland Fishing Station"(PDF). The Journal of Archaeology Scotland. New Series. 11: 158–159. Archived from the original(PDF) on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
Jack, William (1999) [1794]. Sinclair, Sir John (ed.). "Northmaven". The Statistical Account of Scotland Drawn up from the Communications of the Ministers of the Different Parishes. 12 (27). University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow: Edinburgh: William Creech: 351. OCLC1045293275. Retrieved 26 November 2019 – via The Statistical Accounts of Scotland online service.
Jakobsen, Jakob (1897). "The old Shetland place-names". The dialect and place names of Shetland; two popular lectures (Lecture). Cornell University Library. Lerwick: Lerwick, T. & J. Manson. p. 119. LCCN03002186. Retrieved 27 November 2019 – via archive.org.
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