There were mixed fortunes for the Orcadians who worked for for The HBC. Some settled and stayed in Canada but others returned to Orkney having completed their contracts. There were three particular men that made special contributions to life in Orkney with their earnings from time in Canada. 

Magnus Twatt was born in 1751 and signed up to the Hudson’s Bay Company as a labourer in 1771. He only visited Orkney once again between 1795 and 1797 but during this time he made a will and left money to establish a school in Kirbister, “The Twatt Mortification School” which was built and in use from 1804. He married a Cree woman, known as Margaret, and they had two sons and a daughter. 

William Tomison was born on the island of South Ronaldsay in 1739 and signed up to the company, also as a Labourer in 1760. He worked his way through the ranks to become the Chief at York Factory in 1786. In autumn 1795 founded Fort Edmonton which has grown to be a major city. He sent money to support schools and charities in his home parish and bequeathed a large portion of his savings to build a free school, “Tomison’s Academy” (pictured below).

James Tait worked as a Labourer for the company from 1778 and shared Tomison’s aim to encourage education in Orkney. Both left money to employ school masters and Tait financed the building of a second school in Orphir after his death.

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

The Orcadians of Hudson Bay

Giving Back

In 1845, Sir John Franklin led two ships, ‘HMS Erebus’ and ‘HMS Terror’, on a Royal Navy expedition to search for the North West Passage. The expedition, and all one hundred and thirty-four crew onboard, disappeared and Dr John Rae was brought in to search for the lost ships. After two separate missions to discover the fate of the Franklin expedition Rae abandoned the search in 1854 after learning from the Inuit people that the Arctic ice had crushed the ships and the men had perished in the winter. The last survivors had been forced to resort to cannibalism. In his diary he wrote “From the mutilated state of many of the bodies and the contents of the kettles, it is evident that our wretched Countrymen had been driven to the last dreaded alternative - cannibalism - as a means of prolonging existence” 

Although he did not visit the site himself, Rae recorded the statements of the local people and collected some of the dead men’s possessions from the Inuit as proof of the expeditions fate. When he returned to London with his report, the fact that he had not visited the wreck personally meant that Rae came under considerable criticism from the establishment. Lady Franklin, wife of Sir John Franklin, and writer Charles Dickens were particularly strong critics suggesting that is was ridiculous that a man who mingled with Canadian natives would suggest a such a thing as cannibalism in the Royal Navy. Dickens published articles rejecting the explorer’s conclusions but Rae stood firm. The full story only became clear when Lady Franklin found a small cairn on King William Island where Lieutenant Crozier, second in command of the Franklin expedition, had left a message explaining that Franklin had died on the 11th June 1847. Skeletons were then discovered in locations described by Crozier and appeared to suggest that cannibalism had been a factor in the fate of the expedition. 

Although he continued to survey and explore great areas of the Arctic, Dr John Rae was effectively written out of history after this controversy. Even though they had ultimately failed to find the North West passage, Franklin and his officers were posthumously knighted. Lady Franklin even had her husband’s bust placed in Westminster proclaiming that he had discovered the Northwest Passage. Rae discovered Rae Strait in 1853-54, making him the rightful recipient of any glory yet he received no recognition or reward. He died in London on the 22nd July 1893, aged 79. He is buried in the graveyard at St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney and has a memorial inside the cathedral as well as a statue in Stromness. 

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

Erebus & Terror

Two Jigs - The Mouth of The Hudson Strait and Login’s Well. The Hudson Strait is the only entrance to Hudson Bay and is only navigable during late summer and early autumn as the ice is too thick during the rest of the year. At one time the Hudson Strait was mistakenly believed to be the Northwest Passage but was explored properly in 1610 by Henry Hudson, after whom it was later named. When Dr John Rae first crossed the Atlantic for Canada and entered the Hudson Strait in July 1833 he noted the “beauty and purity, vastness and variety” of the icebergs around the opening of the passage. This feeling was short lived as the ship he was on, The Prince of Wales, became stuck shortly afterwards for two weeks before the ice finally broke up. 

Login’s Well, situated in Stromness, provided water for ships from the Hudson’s Bay Company for more than two hundred years. It also equipped captain Cook’s ships ‘Endevour’ and ‘Discovery’ in 1780. In 1845, Sir John Franklin stopped in Stromness to stock up his ships ‘Erebus’ and ‘Terror’ before their expedition that would go on to play a huge part in the life of Dr John Rae. The well was sealed in 1931.

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

The Mouth Of The Hudson Strait

This tune is written for the town of Stromness. The last stop for ships heading from London before they reached Hudson Bay. A canon, which can still be found in the South End of Stromness, was fired to welcome the Company’s ships to the town. While the community of Orkney did benefit from workers bringing back their earnings from the Hudson’s Bay Company, the result of losing so many from the community would have been very hard. Families would have been broken up for a minimum of two years, often much longer and in some cases, the men would not return at all. The ships calling in to Stromness must have brought a sense of adventure and new beginnings, an opportunity for better prospects. However, for those left at home the pain and worry of what the future would hold would have been ever-present.

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

The Last Calling Port

Many Orcadians who did not return to Orkney after their time with the company settled in an area called the Red River Valley, to the south of Lake Winnipeg. This settlement was founded by the Earl of Selkirk for the Highlanders displaced by the clearances. 

An Orcadian who had a particular influence in the area was Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne. Born on the island of South Ronaldsay in 1829, he signed up to the Hudson’s Bay Company as a fourteen year-old to be an apprentice clerk, first stationed at Sault Set Marie (Ontario) and then at Red River (Manitoba). 

Bannantyne quickly realised the extent of the commercial possibilities at Red River and left the company at the end of his contract in June 1851 to set up as a dry goods merchant and fur-trader. At that time, the Hudson’s Bay Company were losing the monopoly they held over the fur-trade and in an attempt to protect their position had Bannantyne arrested in 1858. The company’s legal advisers deemed the arrest illegal and he was quickly released and compensated. 

Bannantyne went on to great success, becoming one of the largest retail and wholesale entrepreneurs in the Red River Settlement. Following the Red River Rebellion, he worked as a post master in a provisional government of Red River and after Manitoba became a Canadian province in 1870, the first parliament was held in his Winnipeg home. It was described as “the best and most commodious building in Winnipeg”. 

Although Bannantyen became incredibly wealthy from his career, he lost virtually everything in the land boom of the early 1880s. He died on holiday in Minnesota in May 1889 and is commemorated by Bannantyne Avenue in Winnipeg. 

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

Red River

Isobel Gunn was born in Tankerness in 1781. In 1806 she used her father’s clothes and disguised herself as a man in order to sign up for the Hudson’s Bay Company under the alias John Fubbister. During the fur trade era, a company policy forbade European women from being hired by HBC. 

Isobel’s identity was not questioned for two years as she was equally capable, wore convincing clothing and tried to blend in to the way company men were expected to act. It was not until she became pregnant that her true identity was revealed. 

Isobel continued to work throughout her pregnancy, even undertaking an 1800 mile canoe trek from Fort Albany to North Dakota when she was four months pregnant. She managed to hide her true identity right up until she gave birth on the 29th December 1807. That evening she arrived at the home of the Chief Factor, Alexander Henry, looking for shelter. He welcomed her in then went back to bed but before long he heard Isobel’s calls of distress, his diary from the night reads, 

“..I was much surprised to find him extended on the hearth, uttering dreadful lamentations; he stretched out his hands toward me, and in piteous tones begged to me to be kind to a poor helpless, abandoned wretch, who was not of the sex I had supposed, but an unfortunate Orkney girl, pregnant, and actually in childbirth.” 

Isobel Gunn gave birth to a baby boy, James Scarth. Jame’s father was reportedly fellow company employee John Scarth but little is known about him. Since her true identity had been discovered, Isobel was no longer permitted to work with the men and as punishment was only offered work as a washerwoman despite having spent two years proving herself just as capable as any other member of staff at Fort Albany. The Company eventually sent her back to Orkney onboard the Prince of Wales on September 20, 1809. There she found work as a “stocking and mitten maker” until her death in 1861 at the age of 81. 

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

Isobel

The recruitment office for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Stromness, Orkney. The Haven was home to company agents David Geddes (1771-1812), George Geddes (1812-1819) and John Rae - father of explorer Dr Jonh Rae - (1818-1836). The house was purchased by the Northern Lighthouse Board in 1937 and it is now the home of the manager of the Lighthouse depot. 

The plaque on the wall reads, 

“The Haven. Agents of the Hudson’s Bay Company operated from this house and signed many Orcadians into company service”

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

The Haven

Named after the Hudson’s Bay Company’s York Factory, York boat was one of three types of inland vessel used in the Fur Trade. Particularly suitable for lake travel, these boats were used for almost a century by the company. The first York Boat was build by Orcadian boat builders in the 1740s and was based on an old Orkney design derived from Viking longships. 

Each boat was around twelve and a half meters long and held six to eight men pulling oars over six meters long. In more open water, a square sail could also be used to ease the work of the oarsmen. It was held up by a mast of just under three meters in height. The sail doubled as a tent at night. 

The last York Boat brigade arrived at York Factory in the early 1870s as the development of the railways saw their decline. The community of Norway House in Manitoba still celebrate the history of the fur trade with the York Boat Days festival with York Boat races.

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

York Boat

Another Inuit word given to the strips of raw hide used to make fastenings and snow shoe string. The Orcadians who travelled over were considered very adaptable to the harsh conditions and hard manual labour. One text describes them as, 

“Hardy people both to endure cold and hunger. Hard working, extremely thrifty and usually sober”

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

Babiche

An Inuit word meaning “long strider” or “he who takes long strides”. This was a nickname given to John Rae in recognition of his remarkable snowshoe walking ability. ‘Aglooka’ is also regularly used as a term for European explorers who travelled to the area as a metaphor for them being far from home.

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

Aglooka

Perhaps one of the best known characters in Orkney’s history with Hudson Bay is John Rae, yet he is still very much considered an unsung hero. 

Rae not only discovered the last link in a navigable Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific but also revealed the fate of the long lost Franklin Expedition. He was the only major explorer of the era not to receive a knighthood. 

Fort Hope was the stone house built by John Rae where he spent the cold winters during many mapping expeditions. Located in Repulse Bay, it measured twenty feet by fourteen with two-feet thick walls and a sloping hide and oilcloth roof supported by oars and masts. The three windows were double glazed with glass brought for the purpose. Rae, a non-smoker, separated himself from his smoking colleagues behind an oilcloth partition. His intuition and adaptability are mentioned regularly across writings from those who met him.

Graham Rorie - Fiddle & Tenor Guitar 
James Lindsay - Double Bass 
Kristan Harvey - Fiddle 
Pàdruig Morrison - Accordion 
Rory Matheson - Piano 
Signy Jakobsdottir - Drums & Percussion 

All Tracks Composed by Graham Rorie 
Recorded & Mixed by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow
Mastered by Nick Cooke 
Artwork by Jen Austin - www.jenniferaustin.co.uk 
Layout & Design by Louise Bichan - www.louisebichan.co.uk 
Manufactured by Birnam CD 

Funded by Creative Scotland

Fort Hope

Orcadian fiddle and mandolin player Graham Rorie is an award-winning folk musician based in Glasgow. A finalist in the 2021 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year and graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Traditional Music Degree, Graham has been making a name for himself as a performer, composer, session musician and producer.

A founding member of quartet ‘Gnoss’, Graham has enjoyed festival appearances across Europe including Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, Festival Interceltique de Lorient (France) and Celtica Valle d’Aosta (Italy). The band have also been nominated for three MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards including ‘Up and Coming Artist of the year 2017’ and ‘Album of the Year’ for their last two records, ‘Drawn From Deep Water’ (2019) and ‘The Light of The Moon’ (2021).

In his latest project, Graham brought together a selection of Glasgow based musicians to present a suite of newly-composed music inspired by his fellow Orcadians who travelled to northern Canada to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company during the 18th and 19th centuries. The premier of this new work took place at Celtic Connections 2020, with a sold-out headline show incorporating collaborations with Quebec’s Le Vent Du Nord. ‘The Orcadians of Hudson Bay’ was nominated for ‘Original Work of the Year’ at the Scots Trad Music Awards and was released in album form in May 2021.

An in-demand session musician, Graham has featured on fiddle and mandolin for albums by artists including the Red Hot Chilli Piper’s Dougie McCance, BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2017 winners Josie Duncan and Pablo Lafuente, and 2018 MG Alba Scot’s Singer of the Year Iona Fyfe.

“Rorie, as well as catching the eye by playing fiddle right-handed and mandolin left- handed but upside down, writes tunes with an engaging twist and adds imaginative colour to arrangements that are smartly punctuated and crisply executed.” - Rob Adams, The Herald

"Rorie demonstrates great compositional versatility deeply rooted in traditional music.” - Su O’Brien, folking.com

Graham Rorie

Popular tracks