Remote & Rural Remedies

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"Survey return from George Ritchie"

Rousay, Orkney.

1850.

RCP/COL/4/8/182

George Ritchie was a church minister in Orkney.

Rousay was a parish on the Orkney Islands and contained the inhabited islands of Rousay, Eagleshay (Egilshay) and Weird (Viera). In 1871, the population was 1101. Its main industry was agriculture, with some herring fishing.

[[Addressee]]
The Revd
George Ritchie
Rousay
Kirkwall

[[Survey]]
QUERIES

1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Rousay & Egilsay?

There are no resident medical men who practice in the Parish.
The Parish- which includes four inhabited islands- is situated from 12 to 14 miles north of Kirkwall: and there are no medical men nearer than that town.

2. The Names and Addresses of these.

[no text]

3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?

[no text]

4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?

So far as I know no medical man ever resided in the Parish.

5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?

The people are, in general very healthy: and when any urgent or dangerous case occurs – they either send to Kirkwall for medical aid, or take the patient to town. The latter is by far the more frequent occurrence. I am not aware of any particular complaints among the people.

6. Do you know of any cases of protracted suffering, or of injury by Accident, such as might have been alleviated had proper advice been at hand?

Such cases, I have no doubt, have occurred; though they are comparatively rare.

7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?

One residential gentleman – William Traill Esq. of Woodwick – has for the last 12 years – been of very great service in visiting patients, giving advice, and medicines. But for the kindness of this gentleman the deficiency would be more severely felt.

8. Does your experience enable you to suggest any measure – of general applicability – such as would be likely to relieve to some extent the evils (if they exist) of deficiency in the supply of Medical aid?

Were a Practitioner resident in the adjoining parish of Evie he could easily undertake this parish as well as have a considerable extent of country on mainland to practise in without at all interfering either with Kirkwall or Stromness.

9. What Heritors¹ are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?

The gentleman above alluded to, and two very small proprietors are the only resident Heritors in the Parish.

[[Additional Text]]

George Ritchie Min: of Free Church Rousay-

Explanatory notes:

1. A heritor was a landowner, under Scots Law, whose holdings were sizeable enough for them to be liable for the payment of public burdens such as Poor Law rates, road and bridge assessments and the church minister’s stipend.

"Survey return from George Ritchie"

Rousay, Orkney.

1850.

George Ritchie was a church minister in Orkney.

Rousay was a parish on the Orkney Islands and contained the inhabited islands of Rousay, Eagleshay (Egilshay) and Weird (Viera). In 1871, the population was 1101. Its main industry was agriculture, with some herring fishing.

1. A heritor was a landowner, under Scots Law, whose holdings were sizeable enough for them to be liable for the payment of public burdens such as Poor Law rates, road and bridge assessments and the church minister’s stipend.