Maybe?.....
by Bernie Bell - 08:52 on 05 February 2024
Maybe?.....
On Friday afternoon Mike went for a walk which took him by the Hall of Rendall, where he found a piece of pottery on the shore which he brought home. I like the look of it – it looks, and feels - old……
I got in my head – maybe 16/17 hundreds? I put it on the table next to where I sit in the Living-room and kept looking at it and handling it.
Then, I got the word ‘slipware ‘ in my head, ‘Googled’……..’brown and cream slipware pottery’……. found this….
…and was cock-a hoop!
The present Hall of Rendall is a modern bungalow, but just across from it is the Rendall Doocot, dating from 1648……
https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/05/02/a-couple-of-orkney-doocots/
I tried ‘Googling’ the original Hall of Rendall, but couldn’t find anything – admittedly, I’m not very good at doing research.
I may be mistaken, but I believe this bit of pottery to be 17th/18th Century slipware, and if so, possibly a piece of a piece of crockery which was used in the original Hall of Rendall. This idea pleases us.
Then, it occurred to me to email local potter Andrew Appleby of Fursbreck Pottery…..
https://www.theceramichouse.co.uk/whats-on/artists/andrew-appleby/
…..asking did his knowledge and/or antennae tell him anything - and he replied……
“18th/19th Century slip wear.
Very nice sherd.
I’d like to see it.
Sir Ramic.”
And – again - I was cock-a-hoop!
This provides another connection with neighbours from the past…
https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/09/14/our-very-own-viking/
This little ‘corner’ of Orkney holds so much…..
https://theorkneynews.scot/2020/04/25/walking-out-from-the-house-again/
….and now here we are, adding to it with bits & pieces of our own.
When Ben-The-Dog died we had him cremated, and the vet returned his ashes to us in a little ceramic jar. I tied his name tag round the neck of the jar with a bit of hairy string. We’d made a Howe by our pond (Pond Howe) and Mike dug a hole in it, into which we placed a flat stone, with four flat stones in a square around the sides of it. We placed the jar with Ben’s ashes in the space created there, and placed another flat stone on top, and buried the whole thing.
A Howe…..with a cist in it…..which might be discovered……sometime…..
******
PS
We are fortunate in Orkney to have archaeologists at the UHI Archaeology institute who are open to being asked questions by members of the public. I sent an email to the UHI Arch. Institute - Sigurd Towrie responded with info. about the general area near the Hall of Rendall. Sigurd also passed my email to Chris Gee, who answered thus….
“It is a slip decorated redware. Looks like part of a rectangular baking dish with the impressed edge. I think it could be what is sometimes referred to as "Sunderland type slipware", although it was made all over the UK in the 19th Century. Could possibly be 18th Century.”
And my response was….
“Thanks again! It’s all adding up to it being what we suspected. What has now caught my interest is the lack of info. about the original Hall of Rendall – which must have been a substantial place, to have the Doocot – but there’s now next to no trace of it – plenty about the general area – but not the Farm itself.”
THANK YOU!
******
PPS
And more from Sigurd….who is a boon….
“….chanced this morning on this from the late Willie Thomson: "Real halls were important places and some were of an early date - for example the existence of the Hall of Rendall in the 12th century can be inferred from Orkneyinga saga, and we also find it under the alternative name of the Bu of Rendall, a bú being a big farm worked as a single unit in contrast to a multi-tenanted township."
To which I replied…
“That’s a good, clear reference – I’ll add that, too!
12th Century – I’m trying to picture it…..there….
I’m thinking of the Bu at Orphir.”
https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/10/29/mooching-about-at-the-bu/
Phew - connecting, connecting, connecting!
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