Gypsy bowls

Older Orcadians remember when the travellers would bring spongeware bowl seconds up to Orkney. These bowls could be found in most Orcadian homes. They were of similar shape but each with a unique design. Each family member knew their unique bowl, would take it down from the shelf at mealtime and return the clean bowl back to the shelf after use in anticipation for the next meal. No overfull cupboard of dishes just unique one bowl per person. It is said that wherever you dig in Orkney you will find shards of these bowls.