Twatt, Orkney

Not to be confused with Twatt, Shetland.

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), from 1940–1949.^[1][2][3] Twatt is situated at the junction of the A986 and the A967.^[4][5]

Twatt
Twatt Location within Orkney
OS grid reference	HY270242
Civil parish	Birsay
Council area	Orkney Islands
Lieutenancy area	Orkney Islands
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ORKNEY
Postcode district	KW17
Dialling code	01856
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Orkney and Shetland
Scottish Parliament	Orkney
List of places UK Scotland 59.098°N 3.274°W / 59.098; -3.274

Etymology

Remains at Twatt airfield

Twatt Church

The settlement name originates from the Old Norse þveit, meaning 'small parcel of land'.^[6] The Norse word commonly produces in England the place name element Thwaite.^[7][8]

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.^[9]