John Sands

John Sands (1826–1900) [ [http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/PERTHSHIRE/2003-02/1045016618 "Perthshire-L Archives 2003-2"] Rootsweb.com. Retrieved 06 October 2007.] of Ormiston [Steel (1988) "op cit" page 180.] was a Scottish freelance journalist and artist who also had an interest in archaeology and folk customs, especially the way of life on Scottish islands. He spent almost a year on St Kilda and lived on several other remote islands.

t Kilda

St Kilda is an isolated outlying archipelago in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and Sands played an important role in bringing the plight of the islanders to the world's attention. On his second visit Sands became stranded there in the winter of 1876–7, and during that time invented the "mailboat" by attaching a message to a lifebuoy salvaged from the wreck of the "Peti Dubrovacki" and throwing it into the sea. His book "Out of This World" was published in 1878 after his two visits to the archipelago in 1875 and 1876-7. [ Steel (1988) "op cit" page 180.] [ [http://www.kilda.org.uk/frame11.htm "St Kilda"] The National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 2 October 2007.]

In 1877 he excavated the "Taigh an t-Sithiche", an Iron Age soutterain. This unearthed the remains of gannet, sheep, cattle and limpets amidst various stone tools. The building is between 1,700 and 2,500 years old, which suggests that the St Kildan diet had changed little over the millennia. Indeed the tools were recognised by the St Kildans, who could put names to them as similar devices were still in use. [Maclean (1977) "op cit" page 26.] He publicly supported the St Kildans by, for example, writing to "The Scotsman" newspaper criticising MacLeod of Dunvegan, the island's landlord, for exploiting the residents. [Maclean (1977) "op cit" page 127.] He also discovered that the Kelsall Fund, a bequest set up in 1860 to support the island's infrastructure, was unknown to the islanders more than fifteen years later and argued that those who paid taxes on tobacco and whisky were entitled to public services such as postal deliveries. [ Fleming (2005) "op cit" pages 32, 152 and 154.] It is possible his visits to St Kilda were in part prompted by his romantic interest in a young woman who lived there. [Fleming (2005) "op cit" page 153.]

Sands spoke a little Gaelic and his only reading material whilst there was a Gaelic bible. He spent nearly a year on St Kilda all told, but his outspoken views created enemies. For example, George Seton published "St Kilda" in 1878 and:

using ridicule, traditional right-wing rhetoric and sarcasm, he sought to discredit Sands, calling him 'the theoretical philanthropist' and mocking his claims to divine inspiration. [ Fleming (2005) "op cit" pages153-4, quoting Seton, George (1878) "St Kilda" Edinburgh, pages 316-7, from a 1980 facsimile of the original.]

Nonetheless, Sands's efforts were influential in creating a regular steamer service to Hirta, the only permanently settled island of the St Kilda group. [Fleming (2005) "op cit" page 158.]

Other islands

Sands also spent time on the remote Scottish islands of Vaila, Papa Stour and Foula in Shetland, and also lived on Tiree in the Inner Hebrides and the Faroe Islands. [Fleming (2005) "op cit" page 159.] Whilst on Foula he fought hard against the prevailing truck system and created political cartoons lampooning its deficiencies. In one, he drew Foula as a beautiful young woman being strangled by a boa-constrictor labelled 'landlordism' watched by other reptiles called 'missionary', 'laird' and 'truck'. [Fleming (2005) "op cit" page 159. Fleming credits the source of this information as Nicolson, J. (3 July 1937) "John Sands". Shetland Times.]

Later career

Sands became a freelance journalist, artist and poet, writing humorous articles for "Punch" magazine. [Fleming (2005) "op cit" page 159.] He is occasionally described as a Member of Parliament. [This mentioned briefly by Maclean (1977) "op cit" page 117, and is repeated in the Rootsweb.com thread referred to above. No other evidence of him holding such office has emerged.] This may be due to a misinterpretation of remarks made by Seton who mockingly described him as the "M.P. for St Kilda". [Seton, George (1878) "St Kilda". Edinburgh. Page 27. See [http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=GQfZQkFVNd4C&q=john-sands+kilda&dq=john-sands+kilda&pgis=1 Google books search] Retrieved 8 October 2007.]

References

;General references
* Fleming, Andrew (2005) "St Kilda and the Wider World: Tales of an iconic island". Macclesfield. Windgather Press.
* Maclean, Charles (1977) "Island on the Edge of the World: the Story of St. Kilda". Edinburgh. Canongate.
* Steel, Tom (1988) "The Life and Death of St. Kilda". London. Fontana.;Specific references and notes

Further reading

* Sands, J. (1877) [http://www.widegrin.com/vicmisc/st_kilda.htm "Life in St Kilda"] . Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Art. Edinburgh. Published in book form as "Life in St Kilda or Out of the World" in 1878.
* Sands, J. (1877) "Notes on the Antiquities of St Kilda". P.S.A.S. Vol 12.
* Seton, George (1878) "St Kilda". Edinburgh.