Twatt is a settlement in the parish of
Birsay on the
Mainland
Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or demogr ...
of
Orkney
Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...
, Scotland. It was previously the location of
RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern), from 1940–1949. Twatt is situated at the junction of the
A986 and the
A967.
Etymology

The settlement name originates from the
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
, meaning 'small parcel of land'. The Norse word commonly produces in England the place name element ''
Thwaite''.
The name ''Twatt'' is similar to the common
English expletive ''
twat'', a vulgar word for
vulva
In mammals, the vulva (: vulvas or vulvae) comprises mostly external, visible structures of the female sex organ, genitalia leading into the interior of the female reproductive tract. For humans, it includes the mons pubis, labia majora, lab ...
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
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
opened at Twatt on 1 November 1879. It closed on 10 April 2002.
[Forster, Ken: "Goodbyes & hellos", ''Stamp Magazine'', September 2002, page 46.]
References
External links
Buildings at Risk - Control Tower, Twatt Aerodrome
Villages on Mainland, Orkney
{{Orkney-geo-stub