THE CROFTER’S BARN.

The versatility of flagstones is quite profound. In days of yore people made use of what came to hand, and in Caithness flagstone was not difficult to find. Crofters in particular made use of many odd bits and pieces, getting over their priceless poverty in their own ways!!

Apart from the ubiquitous drystone dykes other uses but still on field fencing was to put a large flat stone upright into the coping of the dyke. Built well down and embedded into the main part of the dyke, the top protruded about 18 inches above the top of the coping. It had a hole hammered through it, and through the hole a wire was passed, then strained tight. Thus an arrester wire could be put on top of a dry stone dyke without needing wooden fence posts at all. This could only be done with plain wire, barbed wire did not do so well!!  I have never seen barbed wire used, possibly it might be done, but a bit awkward to work with I would think!!!

The best example of these flagstone upstands I know of lies down the Brims Mains road, left hand side as you head towards the sea. Quite old, but still in place on top of very good stone dykes.

Fence posts of flagstones were made. It required a suitable quarry or flagstone beach to provide the right kind of stone, splitting into thicker but narrower lengths than the ordinary flagstone used in flagstone dykes. The best examples I know of are in Tankerness in Orkney, and are still functional. I think some might be in Badryrie a little off the Causeymire Road on the Achavanich to Shepherdstown to Lybster Road. Certainly if one goes the couple of miles over the heathery track to that silent village. You will be well rewarded by the many uses they made there of flagstone. It is a long time since I was there. What I do also remember there, and there are other places too, was the thin flagstones we called shed covers, light enough not to bear too heavily on the roof rafters.

There is a perfect example of such a roof at Willie Mowatt at Burwick in South Ronaldsay. Not just a relic of the past and crumbling into dust, but a functional roof. Under each seam between the shed covers lies a thinner strip to make all waterproof, just as today we roof with slates but with a different overlapping system.

This house was the original residence built by his Caithness Mowatt forebear and great grandfather in 1862. It is now superseded by a newer house, built no doubt as time and money made possible. The old house is part of his Burwick Smiddy complex, preserved in Heritage and well worth a visit from all old blacksmith enthusiasts. And younger ones too!! It is preserved as a blacksmiths and open to visitors.

Willie, honoured with an M.B.E.,  has spent his entire life working the forge and is the last in the line of traditional blacksmiths to do so. Now at the age of 87 (2012) and in his witty and charming way, Willie talks much about the origins of the 'Smiddy' and his memories of a life at the forge. The old house roof also shows an example of a square skylight cut into a shed cover and a pane of glass cemented in place, watertight, no frame, no planning consents needed!! Such a skylight was common enough, many still to be seen on old Stroma houses. The attics of many of these house were so low that you could only enter them bent double, but they slept many a family.

 The square pane of glass, about 12 inches square at most, could also be fitted and sealed with pitch or thick tar, frequently redone. Pitch or tar could also be used to coat and seal the seams between the shed cover flagstones.

Finally, a bit mundane but workable, were flagstone water troughs in the field or at the steading. Thick good quality stone, cut and grooved again as were the water tanks, sealed with a bit of cement or lead if you could get it.  They lasted a long time and some are still around, a bit worse for wear in most cases but memorials to the past.

We can but salute our crofter forbears for their skills.