Betty Corrigall: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Scottish woman found 150 years after her death}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} |
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{{Multiple issues| |
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{{notability|date=December 2016}} |
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{{tone|date=December 2016}} |
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[[File:Betty Corrigal's grave - geograph.org.uk - 140852.jpg|alt=Betty Corrigall's grave|thumb|Betty Corrigall's grave]] |
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'''Betty Corrigall''' ({{fl}}{{circa}} 1770) was a [[British people|Scot]] whose body was found 150 years after her suicide and burial in an unmarked grave. Her grave is now a popular tourist site on Orkney, and she was the inspiration behind the 2012 album ''Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North'' by [[The Magnetic North]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/12371-the-magnetic-north-andre-de-ridder-live-review|title=The Quietus {{!}} News {{!}} LIVE REPORT: The Magnetic North|newspaper=The Quietus|access-date=9 December 2016}}</ref> |
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==Life== |
==Life== |
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Corrigall lived in Greengairs Cottage near [[Rysa Little|Rysa on Hoy]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cantickhead.com/betty_corrigall.htm| |
Corrigall lived in Greengairs Cottage near [[Rysa Little|Rysa on Hoy]] on [[Orkney]] in the 1770s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=betty_corrigall |url=http://www.cantickhead.com/betty_corrigall.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307220827/http://www.cantickhead.com/betty_corrigall.htm |archive-date=7 March 2016 |access-date=8 December 2016 |website=www.cantickhead.com}}</ref> At the age of 27, she had a short romance and became pregnant.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geograph:: Hoy: the grave of Betty Corrigall (C) Chris Downer |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2608287 |access-date=9 December 2016 |website=www.geograph.org.uk}}</ref> Her boyfriend, a whaler by trade, abandoned her and returned to the sea. Betty had little in the way of support. She attempted suicide, but was rescued by local residents. A few days later, a second suicide attempt by hanging was successful. |
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Due to the laws |
Due to the laws at the time, the Lairds of Hoy and Melsetter would not allow her to be buried on their property.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thegranthams.co.uk/paul/graves/corrigall.html|title=Betty Corrigall's grave - unconsecrated burials in Britain|website=www.thegranthams.co.uk|access-date=8 December 2016}}</ref> She was laid to rest outside their boundary in an unmarked grave. |
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[[File:Betty Corrigal - RIP - geograph.org.uk - 1479977.jpg|thumb|Grave from a distance]] |
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== Exhumation and headstone == |
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Her body was discovered in 1933<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.catherinecavendish.com/2013/05/the-sad-tale-of-betty-corrigall-wronged.html| |
Her body was discovered in either 1933 or 1936 by peat diggers who came across her wooden coffin.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=The Sad Tale of Betty Corrigall - The Wronged Lady of Hoy |url=http://www.catherinecavendish.com/2013/05/the-sad-tale-of-betty-corrigall-wronged.html |access-date=8 December 2016 |website=www.scapaflow.co |publisher=}}</ref> Her remains were well preserved in the peat. The procurator fiscal requested that she be buried in the same spot. In 1941, a group of soldiers dug up her body and referred to her as the Lady of Hoy. After this, she was regularly dug up and quickly began to decompose. A concrete slab was therefore placed over the grave.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/historicalfigures/bettycorrigall/|title=Orkneyjar - Betty Corrigall's Grave|website=www.orkneyjar.com|access-date=8 December 2016}}</ref> |
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In 1949 |
In 1949, the American minister Reverend Kenwood Bryant visited Hoy and was so moved that he asked Mr. Harry Berry, a customs officer, to create a proper headstone. This eventually happened 27 years later, after Mr. Berry's retirement. However, due to the boggy ground, a stone headstone was unsuitable, and a fibreglass one was erected instead. It reads, "Here lies Betty Corrigall."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Betty Corrigall's Grave - Hoy Orkney |language=en-GB |newspaper=Hoy Orkney |url=http://www.hoyorkney.com/attractions/hoy-history/betty-corrigalls-grave/ |access-date=8 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Betty Corrigall {{!}} People of note {{!}} Culture and tradition {{!}} Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme |url=http://www.scapaflow.co/index.php/culture_and_tradition/people_of_note/betty_corrigall |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021214834/http://www.scapaflow.co/index.php/culture_and_tradition/people_of_note/betty_corrigall/ |archive-date=21 October 2014 |access-date=8 December 2016 |website=www.scapaflow.co}}</ref> |
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Betty's grave is now a popular tourist site. |
Betty's grave is now a popular tourist site. |
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== In popular culture == |
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In 2013, [[The Magnetic North]] released their debut album, ''Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North''. Founder member [[Erland Cooper]] stated that the inspiration for the making of the album was a dream he had, wherein Corrigall insisted he wrote an album about his home.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/music/music-news/simon-tong-reveals-how-orkneys-2065306|title=Simon Tong reveals how Orkney's rugged landscape inspired his new band to create haunting debut album|last=Fulton|first=Rick|date=19 July 2013|newspaper=dailyrecord|access-date=9 December 2016}}</ref> |
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The Scottish band The Knowe O'Deil (of which [[Ivan Drever]] was a member) released an album called ''Orkney Anthem,'' which includes the track "Betty Corrigall".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ivandrever.bandcamp.com/track/betty-corrigall|title=Betty Corrigall, by The Knowe O'Deil|website=Ivan Drever|access-date=9 December 2016}}</ref> |
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English folk singer-songwriter [[Reg Meuross]] wrote a song about Betty Corrigall called "The Dreamed and the Drowned", which is the title track of his 2011 album. |
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Scottish singer-songwriter [https://www.malcolmmacwatt.com/ Malcolm MacWatt] has a song about Betty Corrigall entitled "The Lady Of Hoy" on his 2024 EP 'Stubble And Straw: The Dark Harvest Gleanings' |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Suicides]] |
[[Category:Suicides by hanging in Scotland]] |
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[[Category:18th-century suicides]] |
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[[Category:18th-century Scottish women]] |
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Latest revision as of 17:28, 15 February 2024
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Betty Corrigall (fl.c. 1770) was a Scot whose body was found 150 years after her suicide and burial in an unmarked grave. Her grave is now a popular tourist site on Orkney, and she was the inspiration behind the 2012 album Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North by The Magnetic North.[1]
Life
[edit]Corrigall lived in Greengairs Cottage near Rysa on Hoy on Orkney in the 1770s.[2] At the age of 27, she had a short romance and became pregnant.[3] Her boyfriend, a whaler by trade, abandoned her and returned to the sea. Betty had little in the way of support. She attempted suicide, but was rescued by local residents. A few days later, a second suicide attempt by hanging was successful.
Due to the laws at the time, the Lairds of Hoy and Melsetter would not allow her to be buried on their property.[4] She was laid to rest outside their boundary in an unmarked grave.
Exhumation and headstone
[edit]Her body was discovered in either 1933 or 1936 by peat diggers who came across her wooden coffin.[4][5] Her remains were well preserved in the peat. The procurator fiscal requested that she be buried in the same spot. In 1941, a group of soldiers dug up her body and referred to her as the Lady of Hoy. After this, she was regularly dug up and quickly began to decompose. A concrete slab was therefore placed over the grave.[6]
In 1949, the American minister Reverend Kenwood Bryant visited Hoy and was so moved that he asked Mr. Harry Berry, a customs officer, to create a proper headstone. This eventually happened 27 years later, after Mr. Berry's retirement. However, due to the boggy ground, a stone headstone was unsuitable, and a fibreglass one was erected instead. It reads, "Here lies Betty Corrigall."[7][8]
Betty's grave is now a popular tourist site.
In popular culture
[edit]In 2013, The Magnetic North released their debut album, Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North. Founder member Erland Cooper stated that the inspiration for the making of the album was a dream he had, wherein Corrigall insisted he wrote an album about his home.[9]
The Scottish band The Knowe O'Deil (of which Ivan Drever was a member) released an album called Orkney Anthem, which includes the track "Betty Corrigall".[10]
English folk singer-songwriter Reg Meuross wrote a song about Betty Corrigall called "The Dreamed and the Drowned", which is the title track of his 2011 album.
Scottish singer-songwriter Malcolm MacWatt has a song about Betty Corrigall entitled "The Lady Of Hoy" on his 2024 EP 'Stubble And Straw: The Dark Harvest Gleanings'
References
[edit]- ^ "The Quietus | News | LIVE REPORT: The Magnetic North". The Quietus. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "betty_corrigall". www.cantickhead.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Geograph:: Hoy: the grave of Betty Corrigall (C) Chris Downer". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Betty Corrigall's grave - unconsecrated burials in Britain". www.thegranthams.co.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "The Sad Tale of Betty Corrigall - The Wronged Lady of Hoy". www.scapaflow.co. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Orkneyjar - Betty Corrigall's Grave". www.orkneyjar.com. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Betty Corrigall's Grave - Hoy Orkney". Hoy Orkney. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Betty Corrigall | People of note | Culture and tradition | Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme". www.scapaflow.co. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ Fulton, Rick (19 July 2013). "Simon Tong reveals how Orkney's rugged landscape inspired his new band to create haunting debut album". dailyrecord. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "Betty Corrigall, by The Knowe O'Deil". Ivan Drever. Retrieved 9 December 2016.