Marjorie Linklater Collection

• Reference:GB 241 D90
• Dates of Creation:1861 - 1997
• Name of Creator:
  Marjorie Linklater
• Language of Material:English
• Physical Description:
  20 boxes plus 1 oversize plan

• Scope and Content

  Arrangement of the collection The papers relate largely to Marjorie Linklater's work on a variety of campaigns on Orkney and they are arranged around the various campaigns. The arrangement is as follows: D90/1 - Personal papers, includes correspondence, photographs and clippings D90/2-6 - Orkney Heritage Society: Administrative Files relating to the organisation of the society, membership, minutes and correspondence. Includes minute books and clipping books. D90/7 - Orkney Heritage Society: Files relating to the conservation and protection of listed buildings on the islands. D90/8 - Material relating to both the St Magnus Festival and the Orkney Folk Festival D90/9-11 - Archaeological material. Files relating to the Archaeology sub-committee of the Orkney Heritage Society and largely concerning the successful appointment of a county archaeologist in 1979 of which Marjorie was responsible. D90/12-14 - Stormy Bank Group. Files relating to the work of the Stormy Bank Group and its campaign to stop the dumping of nuclear waste off the coast of Orkney. D90/15-18 - 'No Uranium' Campaign (1979-1980) material relating to the 'No Uranium' campaign which was organised by the Orkney Heritage Society and successfully prevented the proposed mining of uranium near Stromness. D90/19 - Orkney Youth Theatre. Material relating to the activities of the Orkney Youth Theatre prior. D90/20 - Remaining items. Variety of materials which have been catalogued individually D90/21 - Oversize plan of proposed excavations on Shapinsay, 1861.

• Administrative / Biographical History

  Marjorie Linklater was born in Edinburgh in 1909 to Ian MacIntyre and Ida Van der Gucht. She was educated at St. George's School, Edinburgh, then Downe House near Newbury in Berkshire. In 1932 she met Eric Linklater (1899-1974), the well known Scottish novelist, marrying him the following year, after which they lived at Merkister in Harray, Orkney. In 1947 the couple left Orkney to live in Easter Ross and it was not until 1974, after the death of Eric that Marjorie chose to return to Orkney where she lived at 20 Main Street, Kirkwall, until her death in June 1997. It is from this period that this group of records originates where championed campaigns for both the environment and the arts. She threw herself into a diverse range of activities and was a tireless campaigner on a number of issues Perhaps, most significant was the "No Uranium" campaign (1979-1980), which successfully prevented a proposed plan to mine uranium near Stromness on mainland Orkney. She acted as Secretary of the Stormy Bank Group which lobbied against the dumping of nuclear waste in the seas off Orkney. She was also instrumental in mobilising opposition to expansion of the Dounreay complex in Caithness. With Laura Grimond, she was a driving force in the Orkney Heritage Society, and one of the original promoters, and founder chairwoman, of the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, as well as the St. Magnus Festival in which she inaugurated the Johnsmas Foy. In the 1970s she joined the Scottish National Party, becoming chairwoman of the local party and forging a close friendship with Winnie Ewing, MEP for the Highlands and Islands, whose political agent she was for over 20 years. She died on the 29th June 1997 at 20 Main Street, Kirkwall, Orkney. Her funeral took place in St Magnus Cathedral and she is buried along with her husband Eric in Harray churchyard over looking the Loch. She is survived by her four children, one of whom, Magnus (b. 1942), was editor of The Scotsman (1988-1994) and chairman of the Scottish Arts Council (1996-2001). Her other children include Alison (b.1934), painter; dramatic vocal trainer Kristin (b.1936) and the writer and historian Andro (b.1944) Biographical details on her life and work can be found in her entry in the Dictionary of National Biography which can be accessed online at: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/67341 Some information on her life can be found in Michael Parnell's biography of Eric Linklaker published by John Murray in 1984. Her obituary was published in The Orcadian on July 3rd 1997 and her son Andro wrote the obituary that appeared in The Independent Another appeared in The Herald which can be found via the following link: http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/marjorie-linklater-1.390815 The papers of her husband Eric Linklater relating to the years 1932-1967 are held in the New York Public Library within the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature. This is a synthetic collection consisting of manuscripts, typescripts, correspondence, an undated commonplace book, an undated journal, and notebooks, one of which is dated 1936. The manuscripts and typescripts consist of essays, plays, novels, short stories, notes, reviews, poems, plot outlines and play synopses. The correspondence consists of letters to and from the author, exchanged with John Bagguley and Cecil Woolf, relating to Vietnam and dating from 1966 to 1967. These can be accessed via the online catalogue of the NYPL library: http://www.nypl.org/archives/485 Abbreviations: OHS - Orkney Heritage Society SBG - Stormy Bank Group EDRP - European Demonstration Reprocessing Plant CORE SAND - Scotland Against Nuclear Dumping SCRAM CADE - Campaign against Dounreay Expansion LAND - Lincolnshire and Norwich against Nuclear Dumping NENIG - The Northern European Nuclear Information Group OIC - Orkney Islands Council BNFL - British Nuclear Fuels Limited

• Access Information

  Open

• Related Material

  Related material held within the collections of the Orkney Archive includes: The archives of the Orkney Heritage Society. These are not yet fully catalogued but are listed under D79. The papers of a number of related individuals in Orkney at the time include: The George Mackay Brown Collection, D124. Correspondence to Marjorie from George Mackay Brown can be found within D90/1/3 and D90/8/1. The Orkney Youth Theatre, 1982-1992 Papers relating to Orkney Youth Theatre including papers relating to its administration and finances and to its productions, 1982-1992. This includes papers relating to the foundation of Orkney Youth Theatre, 1982-1983; Papers relating to the funding of Orkney Youth Theatre and attempts to secure further funding, 1982-1991; Files of correspondence concerning relations between the Orkney Youth Theatre and outside bodies including the Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Youth Theatre, 1983-1989; General correspondence relating to administration and finance, 1982-1990; Papers relating to productions including correspondence, schedules, etc, 1992; Photographs, c. 1990; Scripts, 1984-1992.