The Highland clearances of the 19th century are infamous for the cruelty and inhumane treatment shown to tenant farmers, who were cast from their homes and land by their landlords, known as lairds. Blighting much of the Highlands and Islands, these callous forced evictions also reached Shetland. 

Although less prevalent than in other areas, the toll the clearances took here was no less devastating. Communities across Shetland were ripped apart by landowners who cleared the tenant farmers off the land, replacing them with sheep – an easier source of income. 

The clearances were a particularly dark period in Shetland’s history, a time of injustice, persecution and fear. Locally, we hear stories of houses being burnt to the ground, of babies being carried out in kishies (straw baskets) in the dark of a winter night and the destitute and homeless walking for miles, carrying their few possessions on their backs.

The advent of the North Sea oil industry had a great impact on Shetland. It was a pivotal point in the island’s history, accelerating Shetland into the modern, industrial era, creating a boom in the island’s economy.

North Sea oil was discovered in the 1960s and a terminal was planned for a 1,000-acre site on the northeast shores of Sullom Voe in the North Mainland. The 1970s saw a flurry of construction to make ready for the first barrels of oil coming ashore in 1978. Sullom Voe Oil Terminal was the largest oil terminal in Europe at the time, and employed 6,000 workers during construction phases.

The infrastructure required for a terminal of such magnitude was a real feat of civil engineering, unlike anything Shetland had ever seen before. It helped stem a gradual decline in population at a time when post-war jobs were hard to come by and opportunities few. With major road networks installed from north to south, new piers and jetties built at Sella Ness and Lerwick, it was a project of epic scale for a small island population.

Folklore has played a huge part in Shetland’s society and culture. These islands are a place that has inspired generations of storytellers, and that tradition of storytelling has continued, with mysterious tales being retold and passed through generations.