Gunnister Man
Encyclopedia
The Gunnister Man is a body of a man which was found by two Shetlanders in a peat bog not far from the junction of A970 road in Gunnister
, Shetland. It was found on the 12 May 1951.
The body is now believed to date from the early 18th century. Some knitted items found with the body are believed to be the earliest examples of knitting in Shetland.
The man was well and warm dessed. He was in a jacket and a long cloak or "justaucorps", and with long knitted gloves, so it is believed that he died in winter, but it's still an unsolved mystery what happened to him, and if he was a Shetlander, or he was a visitor who came from someplace else. He had a purse with 3 coins. 2 were from the Netherlands
.
The items found included 2 caps, piece of skull with hair, wooden pail, bones, purse, pail hoop, belt fragment, quill and horn, two hoop fragments. spoon, a wooden stick, pieces of peat moor, 3 coins, two pieces of string, knife handle and three unidentified items.
in Edinburgh
.
It is difficult to know if the man's garments were knitted in Shetland or elsewhere, but even if they weren't, it proves that stranded knitting, know known as the Fair Isle knitting, had been at least seen in Shetland by the end of the 18th century.
Because the man was wearing gloves and other warm clothing, it suggests he may have died in the winter-time.
Gunnister
Gunnister is a small 'abandoned' village at the North-West Mainland in Shetland. It is most commonly known for the Gunnister Man - the remains of a man from the late 17th century which were found by some peat cutters in a peat bog not far from the junction of A970 road....
, Shetland. It was found on the 12 May 1951.
The body is now believed to date from the early 18th century. Some knitted items found with the body are believed to be the earliest examples of knitting in Shetland.
The man was well and warm dessed. He was in a jacket and a long cloak or "justaucorps", and with long knitted gloves, so it is believed that he died in winter, but it's still an unsolved mystery what happened to him, and if he was a Shetlander, or he was a visitor who came from someplace else. He had a purse with 3 coins. 2 were from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
The items found included 2 caps, piece of skull with hair, wooden pail, bones, purse, pail hoop, belt fragment, quill and horn, two hoop fragments. spoon, a wooden stick, pieces of peat moor, 3 coins, two pieces of string, knife handle and three unidentified items.
Items found on the body
Several knitted items were found, the originals are held by National Museums of ScotlandNational Museums of Scotland
National Museums Scotland is the organization that runs several national museums of Scotland. It is one of the country's National Collections, and holds internationally important collections of natural sciences, decorative arts, world cultures, science and technology, and Scottish history and...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
A Purse
The purse, although dull brown when found, was probably originally a natural mixed grey colour, with a red and white pattern on it. Dutch and Swedish coins were found in the man's purse, but as these were common in Shetland at that time because of the trade and sales, it gives no clear indication of his origin.It is difficult to know if the man's garments were knitted in Shetland or elsewhere, but even if they weren't, it proves that stranded knitting, know known as the Fair Isle knitting, had been at least seen in Shetland by the end of the 18th century.
Gloves
The gloves are well knitted with sophisticated techniques. They are mainly knitted in a stocking stitch, with patterning on the cuffs of the gloves, and decorative arrows on the back of the hands.Because the man was wearing gloves and other warm clothing, it suggests he may have died in the winter-time.