Twatt, Orkney Explained

Country:	Scotland
Official Name:	Twatt
Os Grid Reference:	HY270242
Coordinates:	59.098°N -3.274°W
Post Town:	ORKNEY
Postcode District:	KW17
Postcode Area:	KW
Dial Code:	01856

Twatt is a settlement in the parish of Birsay on the Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. It was previously the location of RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern), 1940 - 1949.^{[1] [2] [3]} Twatt is situated at the junction of the A986 and the A967.^{[4] [5]}

Etymology

The settlement name originates from the Old Norse þveit, meaning 'small parcel of land'. The Norse word commonly produces in England the place name element Thwaite.^{[6] [7]}

The name Twatt is similar to the common English expletive "Twat," (a vulgar word for vulva and also an insulting term meaning a weak or contemptible individual). For this reason, Twatt remains a source of amusement to people from outside the parish. Its name featured at no. 4 of the most vulgar sounding names in Rude Britain, along with its Shetland namesake.

Local services

A post office opened at Twatt on 1 November 1879. It closed on 10 April 2002.^[8]

External links

• Buildings at Risk - Control Tower, Twatt Aerodrome

Notes and References

1. Web site: RNAS Twatt airfield, HMS Tern. Control Towers.co.uk. 13 October 2007.
2. Web site: Twatt. Abandoned, Forgotten and Little Known Airfields in Europe. 10 November 2014.
3. Web site: Twatt Airfield. Canmore. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. 10 November 2014.
4. Web site: A986. Sabre. 1 January 2015.
5. Web site: A967. Sabre. 1 January 2015.
6. Book: Glossary . 2010 . The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names . Watts . Victor . xlviii . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-16855-7 .
7. Book: Smith . A. H. . Albert Hugh Smith . The Place-names of the West Riding of Yorkshire . 7 . Cambridge University Press . 1962 . 284.
8. Forster, Ken: "Goodbyes & hellos", Stamp Magazine, September 2002, page 46.