Shieling
Encyclopedia
A shieling is a small house or hut
once common in the hill
s and mountain
s of Scotland
and northern England. Farmer
s and their families lived there during the summer, when their livestock
were grazing common land
in the hills. Shielings were therefore associated with the transhumance
system of agriculture and generally fell out of use by the end of the 17th century, although in remote areas this system continued into the 18th.
Ruins of shielings are abundant in high or marginal land in Scotland and N. England, along with "shield" place-names or their Gaelic
equivalents. Some were constructed of turf and tend to gradually erode and disappear but traces of stone-built structures persist. The few archaeological investigations of shielings which have been published reveal very few finds to enable accurate dating, but shielings can sometimes be shown to be mediaeval in origin and were occasionally occupied permanently after abandonment of the transhumance system. The construction of associated structures such as stack-stands and enclosures indicate that they may have become farmsteads, some of which evolved into modern farms; in other cases it is thought that they were occupied by gypsies.
The well-known folksong Mairi's Wedding
contains the phrase "past the shieling, through the town" which helps protect this word from obscurity.
Hut
Hut may refer to:*Hut , a small and crude shelter*Hans Hut , Anabaptist leader*Hut Records, an English audio records company*Sunglass Hut International, largest American retailer of sunglasses...
once common in the hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
s and mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and northern England. Farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s and their families lived there during the summer, when their livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
were grazing common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
in the hills. Shielings were therefore associated with the transhumance
Transhumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with...
system of agriculture and generally fell out of use by the end of the 17th century, although in remote areas this system continued into the 18th.
Ruins of shielings are abundant in high or marginal land in Scotland and N. England, along with "shield" place-names or their Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
equivalents. Some were constructed of turf and tend to gradually erode and disappear but traces of stone-built structures persist. The few archaeological investigations of shielings which have been published reveal very few finds to enable accurate dating, but shielings can sometimes be shown to be mediaeval in origin and were occasionally occupied permanently after abandonment of the transhumance system. The construction of associated structures such as stack-stands and enclosures indicate that they may have become farmsteads, some of which evolved into modern farms; in other cases it is thought that they were occupied by gypsies.
The well-known folksong Mairi's Wedding
Mairi's Wedding
Mairi's Wedding is a Scottish folk song originally written in Gaelic by Johnny Bannerman for Mary McNiven. Written using a traditional Scottish tune, it was first played for McNiven in 1935 at the Old Highlanders Institute in Glasgow's Elmbank Street. Hugh S...
contains the phrase "past the shieling, through the town" which helps protect this word from obscurity.