Chris Dyer: Exploring Viking Heritage in Unst

Shetland-based archaeologist and historian Chris Dyer, of Garths Croft Bressay, travels to Unst, the northernmost island of the United Kingdom. Whether visiting for a day or taking time to explore through local accommodation providers, thousands of years of human history and in particular the rich Viking heritage of the Shetland Islands is well-preserved and accessible. Walk through the front door of an excavated longhouse, climb aboard a replica longship and become immersed in the place names transporting you back in time.

The sheltered bays of Unst, with easy access to the sea and abundant marine resources, naturally attracted Viking settlers, but the Viking longhouses at Underhoull also clearly demonstrate the longevity of historically-viable landscape usage.

Shetland lies at the crossroads of western Viking migration routes between the North Sea and North Atlantic Ocean and, as such, would have been one of the first landfalls as principally Norwegian settlers arrived in Britain, initially raiding before settling, trading, farming and creating an indelible mark on the cultural heritage of the islands.

The Orkneyinga Saga, a thirteenth century Icelandic text, tells of the establishment of an Earldom of Norway in the Northern Isles. Folklore suggests that King Harald Fairhair landed on Unst in the late ninth century, perhaps giving his name to Haroldswick in Unst.

Unst has the highest density of rural Viking sites in the world

Throughout Unst, there are over 60 Viking farmsteads alongside contemporary ecclesiastical structures, primarily located within coastal environs and representing a significant density of settlement during the first waves of Scandinavian immigration. Agricultural practices, concentrating on grazing rather than intensive cultivations, the absence of timber and historic building in stone has led to the remarkable survival of evidence for rural Viking life.

Radical architectural developments took place that resonate to this day and the preceding 5,000 years of building in a circular, or cellular, fashion with central hearths ceased and was replaced by the longhouse, a multipurpose rectangular structure capable of housing people and stalling animals.

The sheltered bays of Unst, with easy access to the sea and abundant marine resources, naturally attracted Viking settlers, but the Viking longhouses at Underhoull – dominated by the chronologically preceding Iron Age broch – also clearly demonstrate the longevity of historically-viable landscape usage. Similarly, the excavated longhouse at Sandwick is situated on a beautiful east-facing beach where both an eroding Iron Age structure and Pictish-era skeleton have been discovered.

Viking burial practices were initially pagan, incorporating grave goods such as the tortoise brooches, bronze trefoil brooch, silver armlet and glass beads from Clibberswick. However, the conversion to Christianity across the Scandinavian world from the tenth century influenced the construction of an array of chapel sites across Unst with spectacular early Christian burial markers including carvings, crosses and hog-back stones. The surviving examples from Baliasta, Framgord, Lund and Norwick elaborate on the belief systems held in Viking life and death.

The role of Steatite in Viking daily life

Steatite, or soapstone, was a crucial raw material during Viking-era Shetland with the soft, talc-like rock used to fashion a multiplicity of domestic artefacts from whorls for weaving to weights for fishing and bake plates and bowls for food preparation.

The local dialect word for the material is ‘kleber’, derived from the Old Norse ‘kleberg’, meaning loom-weight stone. Clibberswick, located in north-east Unst, gets its name from this word, translating as ‘soapstone bay’.

Above the high tide mark on the boulder beach, the remains of Viking quarrying may be seen where over 1,000 years ago, this material was extracted and shaped to provide the everyday and yet vital objects of Viking daily life.

Bringing Viking sites to life

In recent years, excavation led by Shetland Amenity Trust has taken place on a number of Viking longhouses throughout Unst, with Danish and British archaeologists working alongside community members to assess the tantalising first signs of Scandinavian contact.

The longhouses at Hamar, Underhoull and Belmont have been excavated, published and consolidated for public access, and may be visited alongside the Unst Heritage Centre where further displays and artefacts elaborate the rich Viking heritage of Unst. In addition to excavation, the internal layout and usage of each building was assessed to influence the construction of a full-size reconstruction longhouse at Haroldswick where the opportunity to truly feast like a Viking exists!

Vikings were supremely adept as maritime navigators, inventing the keel, rudder, sun compass and with different boat designs, manufactured with timber from their Scandinavian homelands, tasked with specific purposes; some for raiding, others for trading and cargo. The place name ‘Stove’ derives from the Old Norse ‘stofa’ meaning a notched wooden structure, implying that timber was being imported in significant quantities for housing and marine usage.

Visitors to Unst can today enjoy climbing onboard Skidbladner, a full-scale replica of the ninth century Gokstad ship, found in Sandefjord, Norway in the late nineteenth century. The vessel, situated in her land-based berth adjacent to the Haroldswick reconstruction longhouse, was clinker built with overlapping planks and seated 32 oarsmen.

A complementary visit to the Unst Boat Haven, housing a fascinating collection of exhibits pertaining to the skilled maritime heritage of the island, is essential and further highlights the unique significance within Shetland of Viking Unst.

Unst can be visited year round but it is advisable to book ahead to ensure ferry travel. For the current timetable, see Timetables – Shetland Islands Council or phone 01595 745804.

By Chris Dyer
Chris Dyer is a Shetland-based archaeologist and historian with more than 20 years of experience, and is the owner of the sustainable agricultural holding, Garths Croft, in Bressay.

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