Several of the women doctors we have so far identified were born in Orkney. Some went South to pursue their careers, while others remained to practise on the islands. Dr Harriet Taylor chose to practise in Orkney for most of her professional life.
Clockwise: Elizabeth (Lizzie), Harriet, William, Georgina (Gena) and their dog. Thanks to the family for permission to use the photo thought to have been taken about 1920.
She was born Harriet Johnston Sutherland Taylor on 9 October 1896 in Longhope, Walls, on the island of Hoy. She was one of twins, though it was said the girls never looked alike. Her father, William, is listed variously as a postmaster or farmer, and the family lived at Ness House, up from the pier at Longhope.[1] Her mother, Georgina Sutherland, died when Harriet was just 4 years old, leaving William to raise Harriet and Elizabeth (twins), Georgina (born 1898) and step-daughter Lena (1883, died 1918).[1, 2]
Harriet seems to have excelled at school in Walls, as in 1911 she was awarded a bursary by the Orkney & Zetland Association for the Kirkwall Burgh School[3] and a Highlands and Islands Bursary for Education in 1913.[4]
In 1915 she is registered as a medical student at the University of Aberdeen, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine (M.B) and a Bachelor of Surgery (ChB) in 1921.[5]
In 1922 she appears to have been practising at Greenhill, Longhope and signed a number of death certificates during that year, but not later.[6]
From 1923 to 1926, Dr Taylor had her registered address as Ness House, Longhope in the relevant UK Medical Registers for those years.[7] However it’s unclear whether she was actually practising in Walls at that time, or simply used that as her registered address. More research is needed for that period.
We do know from the Orkney Herald of 27 May 1925 that she next went to Shapinsay. The Herald reports:
“Dr Harriet Taylor, of Longhope Post Office, at present in practise in England has been appointed medical officer for the island of Shapinsay. She takes up her duties on 1st June”.[8]
Dr Taylor remained on Shapinsay until 1951. (Between the 1920s and 40s the population of Shapinsay was approximately 600.[9]) First living at Howanbank, which was apparently part of the Balfour Castle Estate.
We have a wonderful insight into Dr Taylor’s character from Lesley Anderson of Dounby. Lesley’s mother, Violet, left Dounby to work as Dr Taylor’s housekeeper at Howanbank. She has shared lovely recollections of Harriet, and her kindness to Lesley’s family[10]:
“My mum, Violet Taylor, went to Shapinsay from Dounby to be Doctor Taylor’s housekeeper as she couldn't cook, she couldn't even boil an egg. Harriet and my mum became very good friends. My mum met my dad in Shapinsay and because mum's parents were dead, Doctor Taylor paid for the wedding. She was a lovely kind lady, when I came along she ordered all my clothes from Harrods in London. She had a little dog called Pepper. She drove a car, I don’t remember what make it was. I thought it was very grand, probably a Ford, black and square shaped. When she got a new car she gave the old one to my parents, the new one was an Austin A30.”
In 1931, Dr Taylor moved to Elwickbank on the island. This seems to have been after she had complained to the County Council that Howanbank was in bad repair. The County Council minutes details a discussion about who owned the property and who was responsible for repair. It was then agreed to write to the Church of Scotland to see if a Manse was available.[11]
As Dr Taylor is one of our “later” doctors and was on Shapinsay for a considerable time, there are a number of memories of her time as Medical Officer there.
Photo of Dr Harriet Taylor, thought to be at Ness on Shapinsay.
This iconic photo of her shows what a remarkable woman she was, known to have ridden a motorbike although not the one in the photo).[12] She also had at least 2 cars, and was very much an important part of the community she served on Shapinsay.
The bike in the photo above was registered to Jane Angus of Stenness from 1924 till it was scrapped in 1976 so Dr Taylor is probably just posing by it.[13] Unsurprising really as she’s hardly dressed for roaring around Shapinsay with that hat on!
Dr Taylor was present at a number of births on the island including those of twins Wilma and Agnes Foubister. The story goes she delivered Wilma on 31 August 1923 and had returned home. Only to be called out a few hours later to deliver a twin, Agnes, who having been born after midnight, had a birth date of 1 September 1923.[14] Given the limited diagnostic tools available at that time, it was apparently not that unusual for twins to be a surprise at birth
A number of babies had a middle name of “Taylor” in recognition of Dr Taylor delivering them. Including a relative of Fiona Sanderson, artist and researcher/ curator of the “Finding Dr Garvie” exhibition who found a signature of a relative in the Helliar/Hellyar Holm Lighthouse Visitors Book.
Fiona says “I was at first puzzled when I tried to figure out who this might be… an adult signature, but not the right name or signature to be my Grandad’s, who was the light keeper on Helliar Holm at that time. Then I realised, when I saw the flourishes Grandad had used elsewhere in the book, that this was my Grandad proudly signing the full name of his first child in a book that would have been very meaningful to him… and then came a moment of sheer delight when it dawned on me that my uncle John’s middle name was Taylor, after Harriet who must have been attending doctor at his birth. Relatives confirmed that this was the case.”[15]
Indeed Dr Taylor visited the lighthouse on a number of occasions and the Shapinsay Arts and Crafts Heritage Centre have her signature in the visitors book,[16] together with that of her sister, Gena Taylor [15]
The Orkney Herald also has a number of reports of Dr Taylor’s involvement in the community. These included taking part in a sketch at a concert in the Drill Hall on Shapinsay in 1927 [17], and a talk in 1932 to the Shapinsay SWI on “The Romance of Anaesthetics” – a history of anaesthetics, which, apparently had some amusing references.[18]. In 1933 Dr Taylor was the chair of the newly formed SWI group and urged women of the group to come forward for the County Show to uphold the tradition of the island! She also presided over a concert followed by a dance – it seems it was a lively evening![19]. She generously gifted a Christmas tree to the island Christmas Party in 1936[20] and in 1939 presided over a concert in the Drill Hall.[21] It was said how interested she was in the children’s rehearsals for the event.
When we posted a photo of Dr Taylor on social media a number of stories were recounted by those who remember her. One contributor shared “Mum remembers Dr Taylor coming round in a peedie car collecting bairns to take them to things on in the community” with another recalling “She always had her hair in a bun at each side of her ears”. [22]
Jenny Hall, who is a member of our group, has been researching Dr Taylor on Shapinsay and has spoken to a few local folk. Jenny has shared some of her thoughts on those stories “I have a very vivid picture of Dr Taylor leaving her motorbike on the top road and striding across the fields to visit Granny Groat of Skenstoft... with whom she was great friends and shared her birthday month and day. One islander recalls being sent with other bairns to accompany the good doctor to the house across the fields, she was apparently very good with children... and even after she left Shapinsay she sent Granny Groat a birthday and Christmas card every year. Living along from Skenstoft I can 'see' that journey from my own home.”[22]
After retiring from Shapinsay in 1951, she returned home to Longhope and lived with her sisters, Lizzie (Elizabeth) and Gena (Georgina).[2] Again memories shared from those who visited remember them as being kindly ladies in old age, and someone remarked that they were like the “Austen Sisters” going about together! Harriet died in hospital in Kirkwall on 18 January 1984, aged 88.[22]
Although we have more information for Dr Taylor than many other doctors, there are still questions to answer and blanks to fill in. For instance, who financed her studies at Aberdeen University? Where did she get the money to afford cars, pay for a wedding and other generous acts, as her salary would have not been great as a medical officer on the islands? If you have any further information or stories to share we would love to hear them.
Blog post written by Sian Thomas
Research by Sian Thomas, Jenny Hall, Andrea Massey and Fiona Sanderson, Jane Harries.
With thanks to the Orkney Library and Archive staff, Shapinsay Arts & Crafts Heritage Centre, Lesley Anderson, Jenny Hall, Fiona Sanderson and Andrea Massey.
References:
[1] Census for Walls, Hoy 1901, 1911, 1921
[2] Record for Harriet Taylor, Ancestry.co.uk
[3] Orkney Herald 2 August 1911
[4] Orkney Herald 3 September 1913
[5] UK Medical & Dental Students Registers 1915 (via Ancestry)
[6] Death Registrations, courtesy of Jane Harris.
[7] UK and Ireland Medical Registers 1923 to 1926 (via Ancestry)
[8] Orkney Herald 27 May 1925
[9] Population figures in Barclay R.S. “The Population of Orkney". Published by W.R. Mackintosh, The Kirkwall Press, 1965.
[10] Lesley Anderson, personal recollection.
[11] Orkney Herald 3 June 1931
[12] Photo produced with permission from the Shapinsay Art and Craft Heritage Centre
[13] Orkney Library and Archive registration records
[14] Scottland’s People Birth Records for Wilma and Agnes Foubister
[15] Photo of the Helliar Holm Lighthouse Visitors Book courtesy of Fiona Sanderson for John Taylor Sanderson and Gena Taylor
[16] Photo of the Helliar Holm Lighthouse Visitors Book signature for Harriet Taylor courtesy of Jenny Hall
[17] Orkney Herald 30 March 1927
[18] Orkney Herald 22 February 1932
[19] Orkney Herald 29 March 1933
[20] Orkney Herald 30 December 1936
[21] Orkney Herald 26 April 1939
[22] Social media recollections
Comments
Post a Comment