Recently while exchanging email with someone about my grandfather's uncle, Peter Blanche from Shetland, I decided to look the family up in the 1851 census. His father Robert, 59, who was a joiner, was raising his family in Calback, Delting parish ... which so far's I can see, was near the present-day Sullum Voe oil terminal. There were 51 households enumerated in their district, Garth, which included one household on Little Roe. 

For the first time with this 1851 census, I went through the header pages too, and I was fascinated to find, on the summary page, a section for Remarks of the Minister of the Parish. The minister of Delting parish was one John McIntyre, 49, who had been born in Edinburgh -- and he definitely had something to say! Good for him, taking the opportunity to speak up for the people of his parish. So I thought I would pass on a copy to you.

Now I'll be on the lookout for more ministers' comments in 1851!

Talk to you later,
Claire toynbee

Claire kindly sent in a translation of the hard to read text...

Many of the people of this district are from 3 to 4 miles distant from the parish church at Scatsta and are also remote from the Par. School at Moorfields. -- As there is a want of roads & of bridges and as the mosses are deep the ministry is often [....] --
 
The Secretary of State and her Majesty's Government will turn to a salutary account the present Census of this parish and of Zetland if they shall bear in mind that Delting is in a pauperised state with the exception of half a dozen families and of [8?] teachers whose incomes are severally about 25 ₤ per An. -- that the whole population are not actually paupers is because those who are exceptions possess some measure of youth, health & strength.
 
Since the operation of the present Poor Law the descent of the people into misery has been rapid while the increase in the expense of pauper maintainance is such as to threaten to reduce all ere long to the same hopeless state -- a disgrace even to the empire itself. The population are prevented from the regular attendance of church & school in due numbers not only by the general severity of the weather and the distances and roadless tracts which they have to travel but by destitution as to necessary clothing --
 
It is humbly suggested that valuable lessons in pauper legislation might be derived from an accurate acquaintance with the peculiar [...tition] and sufferings of the people of these islands, compared with the writings of the late Dr. Chalmers [Dr.] philosophies whose wisdom experience and achievements in the department of legislation have been, we think greatly overlooked and undervalued by the legislation of the land while preference has been shown to antiquated error and to the erroneous views of modern empiricism.

This parish is totally destitute of Medical Aid. The assistance tendered by Government for this purpose has been tried and found altogether inefficient from its smallness and the poverty of the people. The resident midwives are wholly without training instruction or proper experience. 

John McIntyre Minister of Delting