1840

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

• Publication of, Shetland and the Shetlanders, or the Northern Circuit, by Catherine Sinclair.
• c.1840 Tar-barrelling introduced as part of the Antonsmas celebrations
• The first bank in Shetland, the Union Bank, was established, located at 6 Clairmont Place, the building that now houses the Alder Lodge Guest House.
• The Topographical, Statistical and Historical Gazeteer of Scotland reported the following figures for Shetland fishery for the year ending April 5th, 1840: Lerwick 740 boats, 3,528 men & boys employed. Unst 139 boats and 651 men & boys, Walls 306 boats, 1,766 employed. Lerwick produced 16,000 barrels of herring, Unst 5,319 and Walls 4,366.
• John Cheyne (1) of Tangwick, the fourth Laird Cheyne of Tangwick, died.

May

• 7th
  Henry Cheyne of Tangwick, the fifth Laird Cheyne of Tangwick, married Barbara, eldest daughter of William Hay, of Laxfirth.

September

• 17th or 21st
  The wooden hulled sailing ship Brian O'Lin, (or Brian O'Linn), wrecked and sunk near Scalloway.

December

• 7th
  An unidentified vessel, laden with a cargo of timber, reported aground bottom up on the Hoevdi Grund, Foula. Crew persumed to have perished.

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