Women doctors in Orkney – sharing their stories

As Fiona mentioned in her first post, in the Winter of 2023 we began our research into early women doctors in Orkney. [Read her post here]

This project followed on from Fiona’s Beatrice Garvie research. We began our searches in 1894, when the first women doctors were allowed to graduate in Scotland. Our end date was 1948, when the NHS came into being and many things in healthcare changed.

We had no expectation of what we might find. To date we have discovered fifty-one women who were born or worked in Orkney between 1894 and 1948.  Yes FIFTY-ONE!  As you can imagine we are astonished, thrilled, and feeling a little overwhelmed.

Here is one of the earlier Orkney women doctors, Mary Baird Hannay who was a Doctor on the island of Flotta from 1897 to 1901.  This is a photo of Mary Hannay taken in 1897, before she arrived on the island.  She is the only woman taking part in a Post Graduate Class at the new Pathology Institute at the University of Glasgow.

 Photo by kind permission of University of Glasgow Archives & Special Collections Ref no. Sp Coll RB 5066

Nine of these women were born in Orkney, but most came and worked here for anything from a few short months to staying for many years.

Dr Harriet Taylor was born in Longhope on the island of Hoy in Orkney in 1896.  She later went on to become the local doctor on the island of Shapinsay from 1925 to 1946.  Harriet then returned to Longhope to care for her family.  She was known to be quite a character which comes across in this photo.  You will hear more about her and others in the future.

Photo by kind permission of  Shapinsay Heritage Centre

We have spent the past year delving into archives at the Orkney Library and Archive with the expert help of the archive staff, other local resources and searching online.  There are many stories to tell as well as further research to do.  But we are keen to begin telling the stories of these remarkable women now.

More to follow soon!

Blog post written by Sian Thomas