A Drowning Incident

[Vivari]

I remember, in my youth, being told the bare bones of a story about folk from Havera being drowned in the loch of Vatsetter on their way to a wedding in St Ninians Isle. I think they were supposed to have fallen through ice.

I have spoken with others who have heard the story but know no more details than me

Has anyone else heard about this and is anything documented ?

[Styles]

I heard a story about a ministers family falling through da ice on da Tingwall loch and drowning.

[MuckleJoannie]

I heard a story about a ministers family falling through da ice on da Tingwall loch and drowning.

 

This story can be read here

 

On Christmas Day 1836 Mr Turnbull's wife, two of his children, and a maid were crossing an ice-frozen Tingwall loch when the ice broke beneath them, and all four were drowned.

[Vivari]

Thanks, I had heard the Tingwall Loch story.

If true the Vatsetter loch story must date from a much earlier period since as far as I'm aware St Ninians Isle was uninhabited before the 1800's.

I am inciled to believe that there is some truth in the story since the peoples origin and destination are clearly stated, the loch is on the route they would have taken and the people who told me about it were from a family resident in the district for several generations.

However no names are mentioned which leads me to think that it could be a very old story. I'd be interested to know how old.

[Guest Anonymous]

According to one branch of my family tree, Henry Leask and family were the last to leave St Ninian's Isle, in 1796.

So, assuming that they didn't have weddings on the isle after it was inhabited, you're looking at a date before then.

 

Just as a bit of added info. The Henry Leask I mentioned managed to produce 13 offspring from 2 wives, accounting for many of the Leask's in the south end of Shetland today. And as some his descendants emigrated to the US, he was responsible for many of the 'Leisk's (note spelling change) there.

[MuckleJoannie]

Henry Leask ..some his descendants emigrated to the US, he was responsible for many of the 'Leisk's (note spelling change) there.

 

According to the 1851 census Leisk was nearly as common spelling as Leask - 234 individuals as against 308 Leasks. By 1901 there were 437 Leasks and 93 Leisks and now the Leasks seem to have taken over completely in Shetland.

[EM]

This story can be read here

On Christmas Day 1836 Mr Turnbull's wife, two of his children, and a maid were crossing an ice-frozen Tingwall loch when the ice broke beneath them, and all four were drowned.

 

I'm confused about a couple of things here. The info on the above site goes on to state:

Ten of his eleven children had predeceased him when he died at the age of 92,

 

When you look at Tony's info on Turnbull there are only seven children listed, and the deaths are on the 28th (the year for the youngest is clearly a typo). Any idea who is right?

[Guest Anonymous]

Henry Leask ..some his descendants emigrated to the US, he was responsible for many of the 'Leisk's (note spelling change) there.

 

According to the 1851 census Leisk was nearly as common spelling as Leask - 234 individuals as against 308 Leasks. By 1901 there were 437 Leasks and 93 Leisks and now the Leasks seem to have taken over completely in Shetland.

Thanks for that Muckle Joannie,

I never pair much attention to the spelling in Shetland, as all the names I was researching kept the Leask spelling.

But it begs a question;

As the Leisk spelling is very unusual, if not non existent in Shetland. When did it die out????

[MuckleJoannie]

 

I had a quick skoit at a list of Leask descendants on Tony Gott's Bayanne page. There were one or two Leisks there that died in the early 1970's. I certainly don't remember seeing the name Leisk anywhere apart from the chip shop at the Cross which closed in the early 1970's.

[Rasmie]

There was a Leisk family in Sandwick. Jeemie Leisk.the last male died in the seventies and had daugters so that the name in disappears. A few Leisks in da kirkyard at San'ick. Jeemie was "famous" as a local builder and as one of the prominent faces shown in photographs of the landings in Normandy on D-Day

[Vivari]

It is interesting that you mention the Leisks in Sandwick. My mother (who comes from there and is related to them) told me that many years ago she asked the local registrar of the time whether there was a reason for them using a different spelling from the rest of us. She was told that "Dey wir Leasks but een o dem goed abroad and changed his name to Leisk - an dan da rest o dem took up dat spelling"

If you check the Bayanne website you will see that they are all recorded as Leasks, including the Jeemie that you mention. Go back a generation and you will see that they are all Leasks with one exception - he was a Leisk and he died abroad.

For Muckle Joanie's benefit I asked my mother about the Leisks that had the chip shop at the market cross "They were the same Leisks".

[Ghostrider]

I remember, in my youth, being told the bare bones of a story about folk from Havera being drowned in the loch of Vatsetter on their way to a wedding in St Ninians Isle. I think they were supposed to have fallen through ice.

I have spoken with others who have heard the story but know no more details than me

Has anyone else heard about this and is anything documented ?

 

I asked around one or two folk who might know, but the only thing similar anyone could come up with was of a whole Wedding Party which fell through the ice on the Spiggie Loch, several of whom drowned. It's said that the loch, when suitably frozen, which supposedly happened more frequently and to greater thicknessess of ice than it does today, was a recognised short cut. Apparently, or at least it was assumed, that while the ice at the time was adequately thick to provide a safe crossing by an individual, the party didn't appreciate the full extent to which their weights would combine to increase the loading of the ice.

 

No names of who it was, nor details of where they were travelling from or to though.

 

Same story, with places names mixed up, or two similar incidents happening in adjacent lochs, who knows? The answer seems to have been lost in the mists of time, as it's very old, probably 18th century, or very early 19th century at the very latest was the time frame I was given.