Produce from the isles: The production and export of later medieval and early modern foodstuffs in Orkney and Shetland

The North Atlantic archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland were known historically to produce and export surplus animal products and cereals including butter and meat, bere barley, malt, oats and fish and marine oils. Much of the surplus was used to pay in-kind rents to crown and church landholders, following a long-established pattern that predated Scottish control over the isles. In the early modern period, a burgeoning merchant economy developed in Shetland initially focussed on the export of preserved fish by German merchants, followed by fishing by the Dutch and English in the waters around the isles. As part of the AHRC/DFG ‘Looking in From the Edge’ project, our recent excavations on both archipelagos have produced material remains of later medieval and early modern date, including imported goods and well-preserved environmental evidence. This paper explores the two strands of evidence for the production and export of cereals and animal products during this time, comparing and contrasting the archaeological sources with the detailed written accounts for the region. Rentals from 1595 and 1611 explore production at a township level and summaries are mapped here, showing which products were produced where, and using marine oils as a proxy to identify local fishing communities. Contrasts with earlier rentals show that a reorganisation of products occurred in the 16th century, possibly to facilitate easier export. Finally, we discuss how these products were transported from their remote rural production sites, gathered and shipped to large urban markets in Scotland and elsewhere.