The Orkney Antiquarian Society was founded in 1922 by Dr. Hugh Marwick, Archdeacon James Brown Craven, Joseph Storer Clouston and John Mooney, and continued in existence for 17 years.
[1] Early 20th century writing on the islands often emphasised their distinct character and Nordic elements in their history, and this influenced subsequent scholarly thought.
However, work exploring "Orkneyness" or "Norseness" varied from "excellent" to "suspect" and must be "used critically".
[2] Articles from the society's Proceedings are regularly cited by modern writers on archaeology and historical linguistics.
It came to an end with the beginning of World War II, although its name is on some of Marwick's post-war notes about finds made after 1939.