Renowned folklorist tells of 'invaluable' role of oral history at workshop on Caithness mills
The “invaluable” role of oral history was highlighted as the fourth John O'Groats Book Festival drew to a close at the weekend.
Renowned folklorist, singer, storyteller and prize-winning author Margaret Bennett teamed up with Doreen Leith, of Wick Voices, to present an interactive workshop using oral history recordings with a focus on the history of mills and milling.
The session took place on Sunday afternoon in the Together Travel corporate lodge at John O'Groats, within sight of the village's historic mill which is to be transformed into a visitor attraction and community hub.
Margaret, who is from Skye and lives in Perthshire, said afterwards: "The whole festival had a huge variety. I'm a non-fiction writer and a non-fiction reader, but I really enjoyed hearing other aspects of why people write and what sets off the stories.
"But the bit that I suppose I came for was the oral history, the true stories of the area. This area has an incredible history.
"When I heard of the Wick Voices project first of all I was so taken... they're recording local people. I've always felt that's the most important: the people who remember, to record them now. That'll be with us forever, and it's just invaluable.
"The other thing I was so excited about is that the mill is now going to be restored for the community. That takes a lot of local effort and work and it's a real credit to the community and to the people involved, every single one of them.”
She added: "I'm honoured to be here, I really am."
During the session Rognvald Brown, chairman of John O'Groats Mill Trust, outlined some aspects of milling history, while Bryony Robinson, the trust's development manager, pointed out that next year will see the launch of a Caithness Community Milling History project. It will seek to uncover the stories of individuals and families who were involved in the industry in the county and build up an archive.
A Facebook page has been created and those wishing to be on the mailing list should email caithnessmills@gmail.com
A former lecturer at the University of Edinburgh School of Scottish Studies, Margaret Bennett is professor of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Glasgow), honorary teaching fellow at the University of St Andrews and honorary professor of antiquities and folklore at the Royal Scottish Academy (Edinburgh).
She has been recording and documenting oral histories for nearly 50 years and her books include Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave (third edition, 2019), Oatmeal and the Catechism: Scottish Gaelic Settlers in Quebec (1999) and We are the Engineers! A History of Scottish Working People (2015).
The John O'Groats Book Festival had funding from Foundation Scotland, the SSE Community Fund and the Caithness and North Sutherland Fund as well as support from Lyth Arts Centre, Together Travel, Seaview Hotel, John O'Groats Book Shop and 8 Doors Distillery.
Wick Voices, the oral history project of the Wick Society, began in 2016 and has built up a collection of more than 350 recordings covering a multitude of subjects.