Searching for Scottish Ancestors

The fish catch has been gutted, filleted, salted and laid out on flat stones to dry. The fish-curer stands proudly but self-consciously with his produce stretching along the shore behind him under a cloudless sky.

But looking at this late 19th century photograph today, a scene which may have been common enough in the fishing villages and bays in the north of Scotland, something seemed to be missing. There were no gulls in the picture, not one. Try leaving a fish or two anywhere on our shoreline today and you would be surprised if they were not snatched away within minutes. Lay out hundreds and you would be inviting a screaming white-winged aerial attack.

Magnus Winwick was fish-curer on the shores of Burrafirth on Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland islands. He was also my great great grandfather.

The census of 1841 shows that of the fifteen or so families living around Burrafirth, all the able-bodied men and youth were occupied at fishing. Way out in the rough waters of the northern Atlantic the Unst men and boys would row their sixareen boats in search of the shoals, in search of a livelihood. The dangers were constant. Storms took many lives, including that of Magnus's brother William Gilbert and his two sons who never made it back to the Burrafirth after one tempest.

As a boy, Magnus had rowed out to sea many times as one of the crew in his father's sixareen. As a young man he had taken over the fishing yard at Fiscawick, under the Burrafirth shore lighthouse. After curing the cod, ling and tusk he would pack them in salt in crates and barrels ready for boats arriving from Germany, the Baltic and Spain eager to buy the Shetland harvest.

If you are exploring your family tree, and find you have Shetland ancestors, you can consider yourself fortunate. Especially fortunate if you can pay a visit, because Shetland continues to harbour a continuity of many families with well-documented histories, records and memories. While visiting Unst with my daughter three years ago, at Burrafirth a resident told us how her grandfather spoke of working as a "beach-boy" for the fish-curer Magnus Winwick. My daughter was quite taken with the idea of someone remembering one of her ancestors who was actually born in 1794! The Unst Heritage Centre at Haroldswick was also hugely helpful in making connections and exchanging information.

But no, we never did figure out why seagulls did not make Magnus's life a misery. If anyone thinks they have the answer please send an e-mail to brian@scotroots.com . For our part, here at Scot Roots we are ready to answer your queries or help you explore your Scots ancestors, whether they lived on the Islands, in the Highlands or Lowlands.