Orphir (pronounced ,

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

: Jorfjara/OrfjaraPedersen, Roy (January 1992) ''Orkneyjar ok Katanes'' (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)) is a parish and settlement on

Mainland, Orkney The Mainland, also known as Hrossey and Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections. Seventy-five per cent of ...

. It is approximately southwest of

Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

, and comprises a seaboard tract of about , and includes Cava and the

Holm of Houton The Holm of Houton is one of the southern Orkney islands. Geography The Holm is in Midland Harbour, part of Scapa Flow. It is south of the Mainland parish of Orphir, near Houton whence its name.Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) "Introduction to ' ...

. The coast includes Houton Head, about tall, but all elsewhere is nearly level; and the interior is an assemblage of vales and hills, the latter culminating at about above sea level. A chief residence was the

Hall of Clestrain The Hall of Clestrain is a house in the parish of Orphir, Orkney, Scotland. The house was the birthplace of the explorer John Rae in 1813. Currently derelict, the house became a listed building in 1971. It featured in the second series of ...

; and chief antiquities include the ruins of Earl Paul's Palace, remains of pre-Reformation chapels, the Round Kirk and several

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

. The ferry terminal of Houton is located in Orphir. The ferries to Flotta and Hoy (Lyness) depart from this point."Orphir / Houton", VisitScotland.com
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Notable people

* John Rae (30 September 1813 – 22 July 1893), the

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

was born at the Hall of Clestrain in this parish. *

Henry Halcro Johnston Colonel Henry Halcro Johnston CB CBE DL FRSE FLS (13 September 1856 – 18 October 1939) was a Scottish botanist, physician, rugby union international and Deputy Lieutenant for Orkney. As a member of Edinburgh University RFC he represent ...

, botanist and international rugby union player was born and died at Orphir. *

Jamie Halcro Johnston Jamie Halcro Johnston (born 8 October 1975) is a British politician who is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region since 2017. A member of the Scottish Conservative Party, he also serves as their Shadow M ...

Scottish Conservative The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...

MSP, was brought up at Orphir. *

Margaret Manson Graham Margaret Manson Graham (26 April 1860 – 14 October 1933) was a Scottish nurse who worked as a missionary in Nigeria. Early life Margaret Manson Graham was born at Orphir, Orkney, the daughter of Isabella Manson and John Graham. Her father was a ...

(1860-1933), missionary nurse in Nigeria, born in Orphir"Margaret Manson Graham"
in Elizabeth L. Ewan, Sue Innes, Sian Reynolds, and Rose Pipes, ed., ''The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women'' (Edinburgh University Press 2006): 142-143.

References

This article incorporates text from - Wilson, Rev. John ''The Gazetteer of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone Villages on Mainland, Orkney Parishes of Orkney Tumuli in Scotland {{Orkney-geo-stub