Samuel Laing (1780–1868) from Papdale in

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

was a Scottish travel writer. He travelled in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

and northern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and published descriptions of these countries. Laing was the first translator of

Heimskringla ''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

. Laing's son, also named Samuel Laing, was a railway administrator and important writer on religion and science, and a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

. Laing's older brother,

Malcolm Laing Malcolm Laing (1762 – 6 November 1818) was a Scottish historian, advocate and politician. Life He was born to Robert Laing and Barbara Blaw at the paternal estate of Strynzia or Strenzie, on Stronsay, Orkney; Samuel Laing and Gilbert Laing ...

, was a notable historian. The merchant

Gilbert Laing Meason Gilbert Laing Meason of Lindertis FRSE FSA (3 July 1769 – 14 August 1832) was a Scottish merchant and agricultural improver, best remembered as the originator of the term landscape architecture. Life He was born Gilbert Laing in Kirkwall, the s ...

was his older brother as well.

Works

*''Journal of a residence in Norway during the years 1834, 1835, and 1836'', 1836 *''A tour in Sweden in 1838'', 1839 **In this work, the author strongly criticises the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

union, implying that Norway ought to strive for independence. This caused a comment from the Swedish-Norwegian ambassador in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, M. Björnstierna, ''On the moral state and political union of Sweden and Norway'', 1840. *''Notes of a traveller'', 1842 **Covers journeys in

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

and other countries. The preface contains a response to Björnstierna. *
Heimskringla. The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
', 3 vols., 1844 **English translation of the 13th-century Icelandic work by

References

External Links

MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image repository)
illustrations from Samuel Laing’s translation of Heimskringla. 1780 births 1868 deaths People from Orkney 19th-century Scottish writers Scottish travel writers {{Scotland-writer-stub