Model, of sixern fishing boat

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A sixern was a widely-used Shetland fishing boat with six oars, a direct descendant of the Viking longship. This wooden model represents a sixern from around 1885 from the island of Foula. Foula is situated 26 miles west of mainland Shetland.

The model was made by David Henry of Foula 'with no better equipment than a penknife and a resting chair'. As it is a contemporary model, complete with sail and oars, it gives an accurate representation of small details and fittings. It is built to a scale of 1:4.

The name sixern is derived from the Old Norse word 'sexaeringer' which means six-oared boat. A smaller version with four oars was known as a 'fourern'. Both boats were widely used in the Shetland Islands and until 1860 were imported from Norway in marked pieces, ready for assembly. Later they were built locally but, because of the lack of trees in Shetland, the pine continued to be imported from Norway.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-180-002-062-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland Part 2
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  T.1885.134
• Date: Model & original: 1885
  
• Material: Fishing boat / sixern / model
  
• Dimensions: 71.50" L x 22.00" W
  
• What: Fishing boat / sixern / model
  
• Subject: 23. SHIPPING, Fishing Boats (Departmental Classification)
  
• Who: D. Henry, Foula (Model maker)
  
• Where: Scotland, Shetland Islands, Foula
  Scotland, Shetland, Foula
  
• Event:
• Description: Model of a sixern fishing boat of the Shetland Islands of around 1885, with sail and oars, made to a scale of 1:5 by D. Henry of Foula
  
• References:
  • Storer, J D. Ship Models in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh: A catalogue of models representing the history of shipping from 1500 BC to the present day. Edinburgh: Royal Scottish Museum Information Series, 1985, p 51. 
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