Twatt is a settlement in the parish of Birsay on the Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. It was previously the location of RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern), 1940–1949.[1][2][3] Twatt is situated at the junction of the A986 and the A967.[4][5]
Twatt is a settlement in the parish of Birsay on the Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. It was previously the location of RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern), 1940–1949.[1][2][3] Twatt is situated at the junction of the A986 and the A967.[4][5]
The settlement name originates from the Old Norse þveit, meaning 'small parcel of land'.[citation needed] The Norse word commonly produces in England the place name element Thwaite.[6][7]
The name Twatt is similar to the common English expletive "Twat," (a vulgar word for vulva and also an insulting term meaning a weak or contemptible individual). For this reason, Twatt remains a source of amusement to people from outside the parish. Its name featured at no. 4 of the most vulgar sounding names in Rude Britain, along with its Shetland namesake.
A post office opened at Twatt on 1 November 1879. It closed on 10 April 2002.[8]
Agricultural contractors K & P Sinclair are based in Twatt.
