Moodie Treasures belonging to distinguished naval Commodore return to Orkney

Centuries-old exquisitely crafted weapons owned by Captain James Moodie – known locally for his dramatic murder in Broad Street, Kirkwall - have been gifted to the people of Orkney by his modern-day family and have arrived in the county and into the care of Orkney Islands Council’s Museums service.

The three stunning Ottoman weapons – a sabre and scabbard, a mace, and a dagger and sheath - date from the 1600s.

Images here are courtesy of Bloomsbury Historical Consultancy. 

They were a diplomatic gift to Captain Moodie, of Melsetter in Hoy, by Archduke Charles of Austria in 1707.

Aesthetically stunning and featuring superb quality craftsmanship and precious materials, these weapons are believed to be items left behind in Austria and the Balkans by retreating Ottoman armies from around 1683 and into the first two decades of the 1700s.

Completing the collection is an autographed letter from the Archduke (who later became Emperor Charles VI, monarch of Austria) commending Capt. Moodie to Queen Anne for his actions during the siege on the Archduke’s home city Denia, and a portrait of Captain Moodie - by family tradition attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller but now thought to be possibly by Thomas Murray, c.1715-20.

Described by researchers as ‘without parallel’ in any British museum, the artefacts portray the achievements of a local Orkney family at the centre of pivotal moments in British and European history at a time of the British Empire.

In family ownership since 1707, the items moved to South Africa when Benjamin Moodie emigrated there in 1817, after selling Melsetter. They then went back to the UK with Colonel George Pigot-Moodie of the Scots Greys, then to Rhodesia with him to return to South Africa to General Graham Moodie.

Now, more than 300 years after they were presented to Capt. Moodie, they have returned to Orkney as part of a wider collection known as ‘The Moodie Treasures’.

James Moodie was an accomplished and enigmatic Orcadian who gained recognition in Europe as a Commodore in the Royal Navy, as empires and ideologies clashed.

Moodie’s naval career spanned more than five decades and was forged against the backdrop of power struggles throughout Europe – including a growing Christian alliance throughout Europe, a declining Ottoman empire, and tensions between Catholic and Protestant monarchs and peoples.

In June 1707 and during the War of the Spanish Succession Capt. Moodie supported a small garrison against 9,000 French troops who had besieged Dénia. At Moodie’s intervention the attackers were forced back, suffering huge losses. The siege broke after 27 days - earning Capt. Moodie the letter of commendation to Queen Anne which forms part of the Moodie Treasures.   

Moodie brought that fighting spirit and stubbornness to his home ground – Melsetter House in Hoy. In the Royal Navy supporting the Hanoverian Monarch he become embroiled in a family feud with Sir James Stewart from Burray, whose Jacobite tendencies pitted him against the now retired and elderly Captain.

Around 2pm in the afternoon of 26 October 1725, outside Baillie Fea’s house in Broad St in Kirkwall, Captain Moodie was shot in the chest at close range. He was on his way to renew his appointment as Justice of the Peace – against the advice of many who knew the Stewarts were out for revenge, for punishment Moodie had dispensed to a Stewart who had trespassed and shot wildfowl on his land.   

Eighteen witnesses concurred that Sir James Stewart had commanded Moodie be fired upon, with the words, “The Hanoverian dog still stands.”  No-one was detained or brought to court for the attack.

Moodie passed away days later from his wounds, aged 80.

To date there has only been a pair of spectacles Moodie had on his person at the time of his attack in Kirkwall on display in The Orkney Museum, in the Earldom Gallery.

The return to Orkney of The Moodie Treasures is the result of a concerted efforts over many years by the Council’s Museums team to secure the artefacts on behalf of the county.

Over the years, the family has offered the artefacts for sale as a complete collection on a number of occasions. Each time, the Council’s Museums team has attempted to raise the necessary funds to purchase the collection and bring it to Orkney, acting either on its own or in partnership with partners such as Stromness Museum and The National Museum of the Royal Navy. However, the extremely high valuation and the controversial nature of imperial history repeatedly thwarted success. The last such attempt took place in 2023.

At the end of 2024, in an unexpected turn of events, the family offered the collection to Orkney one more time – as a donation. All that was requested was that the costs of transporting the collection to Orkney be covered.  

Convener of Orkney Islands Council, Graham Bevan, said: “We’re very fortunate that throughout the years the Moodie family have always maintained a strong commitment to keep the collection together, and for it to ultimately come to Orkney.

“Consistently faced with the choice of breaking the valuable collection up for sale on the open market or keeping it together and essentially gifting it to Orkney, the family has chosen the latter. The Museum service - and in turn I’m sure the Orkney community - is profoundly grateful.

“Upon receiving the offer and against very tight deadlines, our Museums team leapt into action and built a successful case to external funders to help with the costs of transporting this important collection back to Orkney – the result being people can expect to be able to view these items in all their splendour, at The Orkney Museum, by this summer.”

Nick Hewitt is Culture Team Manager for the Council: “We're all absolutely thrilled to be in this position. From almost giving up any hope of acquiring this collection, to now have welcomed specialist fine art movers carrying the artefacts here to Orkney is simply wondrous – we're still pinching ourselves!”

The voyage home of the Moodie Treasures has been made possible with financial support from the Robertson Ness Trust (£2,000), the Museums Association Beecroft Bequest (£9,500), the National Fund for Acquisitions (£2,164) and the Orkney Heritage Society (£500), along with support in kind from Northlink and the Council's Marine Services.

Nick adds: “The intention is for the collection to be on display to the people of Orkney from May 2025 - following the necessary conservation assessments, careful mounting of the artefacts, and the production of a display worthy of this spectacular acquisition.” 

Notes

National Fund for Acquisitions  

The National Fund for Acquisitions, administered with Scottish Government funding by National Museums Scotland, contributes towards the acquisition of objects for the collections of museums, galleries, specialist libraries and archives throughout Scotland. During financial year 2023/24, the NFA made 52 payments with a total value of £209,330, enabling 29 collections across Scotland to make acquisitions worth over £530,000. 

Find out more about the work of the National Fund for Acquisitions on our webpage:  

https://www.nms.ac.uk/our-impact/national-work/national-fund-for-acquisitions