Court Appearances

Research by Dr Hugh Marwick has produced details of a number of incidents which cast light on the temperament of Patrick Fea I of Whitehall.  These include a Court held in the island by Henry Mudie in 1697.

Incidents from the Court Books of Stronsay (1679) for which Patrick Fea was the accused:
  • hitting Barbara Cormack for pasturing kye on his corn.  He confessed and was fined £10 Scots.
  • for hitting John Smith, servant, Huip with a great cudgel upon the hill
  • for mutual riot with Archibald Maxwell
  • for chasing and pursuing William Coghill in Strynie with a drawn whinger so that he being so furiously assaulted had to run into the sea
  • for threatening Rorie McLeod with his durk
  • for blooding Oliver Scott, servant to Pat Mackie Miller.  He confessed he gave Scott a “whup on the back”
  • for riot on Wm. Coghill in Duncan Fea’s house
  • for chasing Andrew Smith with his “drawn whinger”
  • for beating Wm. Gunn, servant to Edward Emme in Strynie, with a great baton in such furious measure he was not able to work half a year  after
  • for beating and ensuing Donald Goar in such cruel manner he was never able to work after and had to beg.  (It was alledged however Goar’s beasts had been eating his corns)

The Feas of Clestrain  (1932), Hugh Marwick
Proceedings of the Orkney Antiquarian Society Vol XI, p33-34

Six years later, on 17th October, he was tried over a ryott committed against John Traill of Elsness, with whom he had quarrelled over the infeftment of certain lands.  Wm. Orem NP desponed that being on horseback in the yle of Stronsay he saw Pat Fea “strick John Traill twyse alongs the shoulders with a kain.”  Patrick Fea was found guilty and fined £100 Scots.  He was sent to the Tolbooth in Kirkwall until he paid. At this time he was Baillie of Stronsay with responsibility for keeping the peace.