Harray (pronounced/ˈhæri/) (Old Norse:Herað;Norn:Herrað) is an Orcadian parish and village onMainland, Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom. The village is near theLoch of Harray and was used by theVikings for waterway transportation andOld Norse was spoken in the area up until the 1700s. The flat and swampy area is near multipleNeolithic sites and a burial mound,Knowes of Trotty, is in the area.
Harray is mostly flat and swampy, and has many mounds or 'howes' (from theOld Norse word Haugr meaning mound or hill).[1] Harray is located three miles to the north of the village ofFinstown and is to the east of theLoch of Harray.[2]
Knowes of Trotty, a burial mound from theBronze Age, was discovered in the area in 1858.[3][4] TheNeolithic sites of theRing of Brodgar andStanding Stones of Stenness are located nearby.[2]
Harray was used by theVikings for waterway transportation.[5]Old Norse was reportedly still being spoken in Harray by the early 1700s.[6]
TheHudson's Bay Company (HBC) was a significant employer in Harray and the rest of the Orkney Islands in the 18th and 19th centuries. 16 people worked for the HBC in 1788, 34 in 1800, 35 in 1812, and 25 in 1818.[7] As a result of their employment with the HBC, some men from Harray married and had children with women from theFirst Nations in Canada. John Spence returned to Harray with his three mixed-race children in the mid-19th century after being widowed.[8]
59°2′48″N3°11′0″W / 59.04667°N 3.18333°W /59.04667; -3.18333