- published: 18 Mar 2009
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- author: channelswimmer
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Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport (Scottish Gaelic: Port-adhair Obar Dheathain) (IATA: ABZ, ICAO: EGPD) is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately 5 NM (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) northwest of Aberdeen city centre. Over 3.1 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2011, an increase of 11.5% compared with 2010, making it the 14th busiest airport in the UK. The airport was the second busiest airport in Scotland, and sixth busiest in the United Kingdom by number of flight movements in 2011.
The airport is owned and operated by BAA, which also owns and operates five other UK airports, and is itself owned by ADI Limited, an international consortium, which includes Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and GIC Special Investments, that is led by the Spanish Ferrovial Group.
Aberdeen Airport is a base for BMI Regional (a subsidiary of BMI) and Eastern Airways. The Airport also serves as the main heliport for the Scottish offshore oil industry. With the utilization of newer aircraft, helicopters can reach northern most platforms on both the East and west of Shetland areas. However, Helicopters frequently use Wick, Kirkwall, Scatsa and Sumburgh for refuelling stops.
wn.com/Aberdeen_Airport -
Angus
Angus (Scottish Gaelic: Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City. Main industries include agriculture and fishing.
Angus was historically a county (known officially as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1928, when it reverted to its ancient name) until 1975 when it became a district of the Tayside Region. In 1996, two-tier local government was abolished and Angus was established as one of the replacement single-tier Council Areas. The former county had borders with Kincardineshire to the north-east, Aberdeenshire to the north and Perthshire to the west. Southwards, it faced Fife across the Firth of Tay. The boundaries of the present council area are exactly the same as those of the old county minus the City of Dundee.
Areas similar to that of the council area are covered by the Angus Westminster constituency for the UK Parliament and the area is also represented at the Scottish Parliament by both the Angus and North Tayside Holyrood constituencies.
wn.com/Angus -
Argyll
Argyll (English pronunciation: /ɑrˈɡaɪl/), archaically Argyle (Earra-Ghàidheal in modern Gaelic pronounced [ˈaːr̴əɣɛː.əɫ̪]), is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath. Argyll was also a medieval Bishopric with its cathedral at Lismore, as well as an early modern Earldom and Duchy, the Duchy of Argyll.
The name derives from Old Gaelic airer Goídel (border region of the Gaels). The early thirteenth century author of De Situ Albanie explains that "the name Arregathel means margin (ie, border region) of the Scots or Irish, because all Scots and Irish are generally called Gattheli (i.e. Gaels), from their ancient warleader known as Gaithelglas."
However, the word airer naturally carries the meaning of the word 'coast' when applied to maritime regions, so the placename can also be translated as "Coast of [the] Gaels". Woolf has suggested that the name Airer Goídel replaced the name Dál Riata when the 9th century Norse conquest split Irish Dál Riata and the islands of Alban Dál Riata off from mainland Alban Dál Riata; the mainland area, renamed Airer Goídel, would have contrasted with the offshore islands of Innse Gall, literally "islands of the foreigners", so-called because during the 9th to 12th centuries they were ruled by Norse-speaking Gall-Gaels.
wn.com/Argyll -
Auskerry
Auskerry (Old Norse: Austrsker, east skerry) is a small island in eastern Orkney, Scotland. It lies in the North Sea south of Stronsay and has a lighthouse, completed in 1866.
Auskerry is a small, flat, red sandstone islet, 3 miles (5 km) south of Stronsay. A standing stone and mediaeval chapel are signs of early settlement. The island was uninhabited for a time after the automation of the lighthouse in the 1960s. It was previously a popular location for hunting seals.
Auskerry has been inhabited for 30 years by a family who keep a flock of rare North Ronaldsay sheep. There are three small wind turbines and four solar panels on the island, which provide most of the power. After a series of expansions and renovations, the single roomed stone bothy is now a modern house with four bedrooms, kitchen, shower room and living room. The chemical toilet is outdoors due to the complication of installing septic tanks. Mail is delivered from Stronsay, once a month, by a fishing boat.[citation needed]
wn.com/Auskerry -
Ayrshire
Ayrshire (Scots: Coontie o Ayrshire; Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, pronounced [ʃirˠəxk iɲiˈɾʲaːɾʲ]) is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the last seven years[when?] and eight times in total. Approximately 200,000 visitors came to Troon during the 2004 Open.[citation needed] It was the members of Prestwick Golf Club who first created the British Open Championship in 1860 with the club hosting the event twenty-four times up until 1925.
Ayrshire, under the name the County of Ayr, is a registration county. The electoral and valuation area named Ayrshire covers the three council areas of South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire, therefore including the Isle of Arran, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae. The three islands were part of the County of Bute until 1975 and are not always included when the term Ayrshire is applied to the region. The same area is known as Ayrshire and Arran in other contexts.
wn.com/Ayrshire -
Balfour Castle
Balfour Castle is a historic building on the southwest of Shapinsay, Orkney Islands. Though built around an older structure that dates at least from the 18th century, the present castle was built in 1847, commissioned by Colonel David Balfour, and designed by Edinburgh architect David Bryce.
The small island of Shapinsay has been inhabited since prehistoric times, the most notable evidence being the extant Broch of Burroughston, located not far from Balfour Castle to the northeast; moreover, the Mor Stein standing stone dating to the stone age is found also to the east of Balfour Castle, evidencing even earlier presence of man in the vicinity.
Coordinates: 59°01′54″N 2°55′00″W / 59.0318°N 2.9166°W / 59.0318; -2.9166
wn.com/Balfour_Castle -
Balfour, Orkney
Coordinates: 59°01′48″N 2°54′25″W / 59.030°N 2.907°W / 59.030; -2.907
Balfour is a village on the island of Shapinsay, Orkney. The village is situated on Elwick Bay, which was used as an anchorage by Haakon IV of Norway before sailing south to eventual defeat at the Battle of Largs. Today, the village still possesses a harbour, with mock defensive walls constructed at the same time as the castle. David Balfour even added a stone marked with the date 1725, taken from Noltland Castle on the island of Westray, to his defences. A car ferry to Kirkwall, operated by Orkney Ferries, sails from a pier at the harbour. This became a roll-on/roll-off service in 1990.
Originally known as Shoreside, Balfour was built by in the 1780s by Thomas Balfour, a former tenant farmer who acquired a private income by marrying the sister of an Earl. With his new-found wealth, Balfour purchased the estate of Sound, whose estate house had been burned down in revenge for the then owner's support of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. In 1782, to make way for a new residence, Balfour cleared cottars from the south-west of the island, and appropriated part of the common, building the village of Shoreside to house those evicted. To help finance his building work, Thomas Balfour borrowed money from his brother John, who made his fortune serving with the British East India Company.
wn.com/Balfour,_Orkney -
Banffshire
The County of Banff is a registration county for property, and Banffshire (
/ˈbæmfʃər/; Scots: Coontie o Banffshire, Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a Lieutenancy area of Scotland.
The County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, was a local government county of Scotland with its own county council between 1890 and 1975. The county town was Banff although the largest community was Buckie to the west. It bordered the Moray Firth to the north, Moray and Inverness-shire to the west, and Aberdeenshire to the south. Until 1891 the county contained various exclaves which were locally situated in Aberdeenshire, the biggest being the parish and village of St. Fergus. The county's area is now split between Moray council and Aberdeenshire council.
The region remained largely Roman Catholic after the Reformation (16th century) and suffered greatly in the ensuing struggles. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (17th century), Banffshire was a Royalist stronghold. Located in the area are the ruins of several medieval castles and the 12th century kirk of Gamrie. From 1975 to 1996, the area of the previous county lay within the Grampian Region.
wn.com/Banffshire -
Battle of Bauds
Coordinates: 57°38′56″N 2°53′35″W / 57.649°N 2.893°W / 57.649; -2.893
Battle of Bauds was a battle fought in 962 in an area known as the Bauds, south of Findochty and West of Cullen, Scotland between Scotland under king Indulf, and Danish pirates. The Danes had been raiding and burning through Scotland, and had won numerous victorious skirmishes against the Scots, including the Battle of Dollar. However, in this battle, the Danes were defeated. Afterwards, the Danish control in Scotland fell apart. However, Indulf was killed in the battle.
wn.com/Battle_of_Bauds -
Battle of Renfrew
Coordinates: 55°51′40″N 4°24′07″W / 55.861°N 4.402°W / 55.861; -4.402
The Battle of Renfrew in 1164 was a significant engagement near Renfrew, Scotland. The army of King Malcolm IV of Scotland (Malcolm the Maiden) led by Walter fitz Alan was attacked by forces led by Somerled mac Gillebride (Somerled), including the Celtic King of Mann and the Isles, King of Argyll, Cinn Tìre (Kintyre) and Lorne. Somerled was killed and his forces were defeated.
After defeating and deposing the Norse Gofraidh mac Amhlaibh (Godred II), King of Mann and the Isles during the Battle of the Isle of Man, he was approached by powerful Scottish nobles to help in overthrowing Malcolm IV and replace him on the throne with the boy William fitz William, the “Boy of Egremont”, son of William fitz Duncan, grandson of King Duncan II of Scotland. A series of attacks and raids were undertaken by Somerled along the coast of Scotland. Malcolm IV then demanded the fealty of Somerled and the resignation of his lands into the hands of the sovereign (although Somerled would have continued to hold them as a vassal of the Crown). When no response was given, Malcolm IV prepared to enforce his authority by assembling a powerful army at Renfrew Castle, Renfrew.
wn.com/Battle_of_Renfrew -
Battle of Skyhill
The Battle of Scacafell or Skyhill took place about one mile (1.5 km) west of Ramsey, Isle of Man in 1079. This was during the third and final time that the Norse-Gael warrior Godred Crovan had invaded the island, finally taking it from the ruling king Fingal Godredson.
At the time of the battle, the Isle of Man was part of a larger political entity called the Kingdom of the Sudreys, which consisted of Mann and the Hebrides. According to the Chronicles of Mann Godred Crovan's father was "Harald the Black of Ysland" about whom nothing more is known. Other sources suggest he may have been a brother or son of Ivar Haraldsson who died in 1054.
In 1070 King Godred Sitricson died and his throne was passed to Fingal, but he does not seem to have remained there long. In 1079, Godred Crovan assembled a fleet and an army, probably of Norsemen from the Hebrides, and attacked the island. He was repulsed, but was soon back for a second attempt. Again he was repulsed, but later in the same year Godred Crovan came back a third time, and the chronicles are reasonably clear as to what happened next:
wn.com/Battle_of_Skyhill -
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 November 1978.
BBC Radio Scotland broadcasts 24 hours, delivering archive programming under the name, the zones, through the night.
BBC Radio Scotland was founded as a full-time radio network in 1978, although the name had been used since 1974 for the Scottish opt-out version of BBC Radio 4 (previously the Scottish Home Service and then Radio 4 Scotland). The establishment of a separate network was only made possible when Radio 4 became a fully UK-wide network and moved from medium wave to long wave.
There is no BBC Local Radio in Scotland and although opt-out stations were established in Inverness (BBC Radio Highland) on 25 March 1976, followed by Radio Aberdeen in April 1976, BBC Radio Orkney and BBC Radio Shetland in May 1977, Selkirk (BBC Radio Tweed) on 11 April 1983 and Dumfries (BBC Radio Solway) on 16 April 1983, only the Orkney and Shetland stations still exist; the others had all been closed by the early 1990s and are now served by Radio Scotland with four opt-out news bulletins a day. Previously planned opt-outs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee were never realised with local coverage available only online for those cities.
wn.com/BBC_Radio_Scotland -
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482. The county was on occasion referred to as Duns-shire or Dunsshire during the Victorian period and after, reflecting the fact that Duns had become the county town.
Berwickshire is one of the ancient counties of Scotland and between 1890 and 1975 had a county council for local government purposes. Its county town, after which it is named, had been Berwick-upon-Tweed, but the royal burgh changed hands in 1482, subsequently becoming part of the county of Northumberland, in England. Thereafter the county's administration was conducted at Duns or Lauder until Greenlaw became the county town in 1596. When a county council was established in 1890 the county town once more became Duns, where the former county's Sheriff Court still sits, and where the Scottish Borders Council still maintains a principal set of offices.
wn.com/Berwickshire -
Bornais
Coordinates: 57°14′N 7°25′W / 57.23°N 7.42°W / 57.23; -07.42
Bornais is a village on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
Excavations of a Norse settlement nearby have provided important information about lifestyles during this period. It suggests that pigs were a more important aspect of Viking farming than prior to that time, that red deer numbers may have been "controlled" rather than the species simply being subject to hunting, that herring fishing became an important commercial consideration and that trade with centres to the south such as Dublin and Bristol may have been important. Coins found at Bornais and nearby Cille Pheadair were produced in Norway, Westphalia, and England, although there were none from Scotland. Ivory from Greenland was also found there.
It is known that Hebrides were taxed using the Ounceland system and evidence from Bornais suggests that settlers there may have been more prosperous than families of a similar status in the Northern Isles, possibly due to a more relaxed political regime.
wn.com/Bornais -
Broch of Gurness
The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village on the northwest coast of Mainland Orkney in Scotland overlooking Eynhallow Sound. The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres (11.8 ft) high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres (13.5 ft) thick. The broch probably had a conical or mildly hyperbolic top, and has the remains of a settlement surrounding and adjoining it.
Pieces of a Roman amphora dating to before 60 AD were found here, lending weight to the record that a "King of Orkney" submitted to Emperor Claudius at Colchester in 43 AD.
The broch is in the care of Historic Scotland.
Coordinates: 59°07′19″N 3°04′41″W / 59.122°N 3.078°W / 59.122; -3.078
wn.com/Broch_of_Gurness -
Brough of Birsay
The Brough of Birsay is a small (21 hectare) uninhabited tidal island off the north west coast of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland, in the parish of Birsay.
The island is accessible on foot at low tide via a largely natural causeway. It is separated from the mainland by a 240 metre stretch of water at high tide: the Sound of Birsay.
The Norse settlement has been partly removed by coastal erosion, and the cliffs are reinforced by concrete rip-rap to prevent further damage.
The earliest settlement on the island is thought to have been in the 5th century, perhaps by Christian missionaries. By the 7th century it was a Pictish fortress, and in the 9th century the Picts were displaced by Norsemen. Another Pictish fort on the northwest of Mainland Orkney is Gurness, a well preserved broch.
wn.com/Brough_of_Birsay -
Burray
Burray is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It lies to the east of Scapa Flow and is one of a chain of islands linked by the Churchill Barriers.
Burray lies between Mainland, Orkney and South Ronaldsay, and is linked to both by the Churchill Barriers. Barriers 1, 2, and 3 connect Burray with Mainland, Orkney via the islets of Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm in Holm Sound to the north east. Barrier 4 links to South Ronaldsay, across Water Sound. To the west is the tidal island of Hunda, also joined by a causeway. Further west, across Scapa Flow, are the islands of Flotta and Calf of Flotta, approximately 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) away.
In 2001, the population of Burray was 357. The main settlement, Burray Village, is a former fishing port on the south west coast. There are also settlements of Northtown, Southtown and Hillside on the island.
Burray is made up of old red sandstone of the Devonian period. The island is indented in the north west by Echnaloch Bay, which takes its name from Echna Loch. Burray Ness and Burray Haas are two headlands in the east.
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Caithness
Caithness (Scots: Caitnes,Scottish Gaelic: Gallaibh) is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (1708 to 1918). Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is now entirely within the Highland council area. In 2007 the Highland Council, which is now the local government authority, created the Caithness ward management area, which has boundaries similar to those of the historic local government area.
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Calf of Eday
The Calf of Eday (Old Norse: Kalfr) is an island in Orkney, Scotland, lying north east of Eday.
"Calf" is a name usually given to a small island alongside a larger one, e.g. Calf of Man.
From the 17th to the 19th centuries, the Calf of Eday was home to a salt works, remains of which can still be seen.
The island is home to three large chambered cairns, the remains of prehistoric houses and a lighthouse.
The pirate John Gow and his men successfully raided the Hall of Clestrain on 10 February 1725, but when they attempted to attack Carrick House on Eday, they ran aground on the Calf of Eday, where they were captured.
The dominant vegetation on the island is dry dwarf-shrub heath dominated by Heather (Calluna vulgaris), with smaller areas of wet heath, semi-improved grassland and coastal grassland. The Calf of Eday supports 32 species of breeding birds and is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for its importance as a nesting area. Gulls and Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) nest in the dry heath and grassland areas, whilst Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and auks nest on the cliffs.
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Calf of Flotta
The Calf of Flotta is a small island in Scapa Flow, Orkney. The Calf is next to Flotta, with "Calf" deriving from Old Norse/Norn and meaning a smaller island by a larger one.
The Calf is made of red sandstone.
It is approximately half a mile (0.8 km) long, and is thin in shape, orientated west-east.
Coordinates: 58°51′N 3°04′W / 58.85°N 3.067°W / 58.85; -3.067
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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Cava (island)
Cava is an uninhabited island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is 107 hectares (0.41 sq mi) in extent and rises to 38 metres (125 ft) above sea level. The literal meaning of the name is 'calf island', a terminology often used to designate a small island near to a larger one. Cava is unusual in that it includes a small peninsula joined to the main body of the island by a narrow isthmus, which is in turn called 'Calf of Cava'.
It is situated in the Scapa Flow just offshore from the much larger island of Hoy. Nearby are the islets of Rysa Little and Fara and the skerry Barrel of Butter. To the south of Cava, between Fara and Rysa Little lies Gutter Sound, the scene of the mass-scuttling of the interned German Imperial High Seas Fleet in 1919.
In the eighteenth century a notorious Orkney pirate, John Gow, raided Hall of Clestrain, in Orphir and abducted two servant girls. Reports vary as to their treatment, with one claiming that they were put ashore on Cava "so loaded with presents that they soon afterwards got husbands." Gow's ship Revenge then ran ashore on the Calf of Eday, leading to his capture.
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Churchill Barriers
The Churchill Barriers are a series of four causeways in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, with a total length of 1.5 miles (2.3 km). They link the Orkney Mainland in the north to the island of South Ronaldsay via Burray and the two smaller islands of Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.
The barriers were built in the 1940s primarily as naval defences to protect the anchorage at Scapa Flow, but now serve as road links, carrying the A961 road from Kirkwall to Burwick.
On 14 October 1939, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak was sunk at her moorings within the natural harbour of Scapa Flow in a nighttime attack by the German U-boat U-47 under the command of Günther Prien. Shortly before midnight on the 13 October the U-47 had entered Scapa Flow through Kirk Sound between Lamb Holm and the Orkney Mainland. Although the shallow eastern passages had been secured with measures including sunken block ships, booms and anti-submarine nets, Prien was able to navigate the U-47 around the obstructions at high tide. He then launched a surprise torpedo attack on the unsuspecting Royal Navy battleship while it was at anchor in Scapa Flow. The U-47 then escaped seaward using the same channel by navigating between the block ships.
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Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire (Scots: Clackmannanshire and from the Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn meaning 'Stone of Manau'), often abbreviated to Clacks, is a local government council area in Scotland, and a lieutenancy area, bordering Perth and Kinross, Stirling and Fife.
As Scotland's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed 'The Wee County'.
Between 1889 and 1975, the County of Clackmannan was a local government county, bordering on Perthshire, Stirlingshire and Fife.
The council area was recreated in 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the former Clackmannan district of the Central region. Prior to the Central District being created in 1975 the area had historically been called Clackmannanshire and there was strong pressure to resurrect this title rather than hold to the rather bland title of "Central Region". Central Region had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to include the county of Clackmannan plus the Muckhart and Glendevon areas, formerly in the county of Perth. Technically these two areas had been transferred to Clackmannanshire in 1971 under a reorganisation of boundaries.
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Copinsay
Copinsay (Old Norse: Kolbeinsey) is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, lying off the east coast of the Orkney Mainland. The smaller companion island to Copinsay is called the Horse of Copinsay and lies to the north east to the main island. The island is now uninhabited and managed as a bird reserve. Copinsay is also home to a lighthouse.
Myths about the island include the story of the Copinsay Brownie.
For many generations, prior to the final inhabitants moving to the Mainland in 1958, Copinsay was full of life; the large, double storey farm house and behind it the Steading (or farm buildings) form the farm tenants, a school with a school teacher and up to three lighthouse keepers' families.
There is also an ancient burial site on the island.
In the earlier part of the century a weekly postal service provided contact with the Mainland and fortnightly shopping trips to Deerness, allowing for weather. The farm boasted working horses, cattle and sheep - all of which had to be transported on the "coo" or "cow" boat. Birds' eggs provided a good supplement to the islanders diet, and men were lowered over the cliffs and a special rope, or rowed out to the Horse to bring back this addition.
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Corn Holm
Corn Holm is a small tidal island in Orkney, near Copinsay to the west. There was once a small chapel here , and it is covered in birdlife.
Corn Holm is made up of red sandstone .
At low tide it is connected to Black Holm and Ward Holm, and is connected to Copinsay by a stretch called "Isle Rough". The sections north and south of Isle Rough are known as North and South Bay.
Coordinates: 58°54′N 2°42′W / 58.9°N 2.7°W / 58.9; -2.7
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County of Bute
The County of Bute (Siorrachd Bhòid in Gaelic) is one of the registration counties of Scotland. In 2001 its usually resident population was 13,720.
Bute, also known as Buteshire, was a local government county of Scotland with its own elected county council from 1890 to 1975. The council area comprised a number of islands in the Firth of Clyde, between the local government counties of Argyll and Ayrshire, the principal islands being the Isle of Bute, the Isle of Arran, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae.
The county town was Rothesay, located on the Isle of Bute.
In 1975 the county area was divided between the Argyll and Cunninghame districts of the Strathclyde region. The Isle of Bute became part of Argyll while the Isle of Arran and the Cumbraes became part of Cunninghame.
As a result of local government reorganisation in 1996, when unitary council areas were created, the Isle of Bute is now part of Argyll and Bute, and the other islands are within North Ayrshire.
There was a Buteshire constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. Between 1708 and 1832 it was one of the Buteshire and Caithness alternating constituencies: one constituency elected a Member of Parliament (MP) to one parliament then the other elected an MP to the next. Between 1832 and 1918 it was a separate constituency, electing an MP to every parliament.
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County of Moray
Coordinates: 57°18′N 3°18′W / 57.3°N 3.3°W / 57.3; -3.3
Moray (pronounced "Murray" and spelled Moireibh in Gaelic) is one of the registration counties of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It was formerly in use as a local government county until 1975, when Elgin was the county town.
Prior to 1889 there were two large detached portions of Moray situated locally in Inverness-shire, and a corresponding part of Inverness-shire situated locally in Moray. With the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 these parts were merged into the areas in which they locally lay. The county was officially called Elginshire, or 'Morayshire', sharing the name of the Elginshire parliamentary constituency, so named since 1708.
In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, most of the county was combined with Aberlour, Buckie, Cullen, Dufftown, Findochty, Keith and Portknockie areas of the county of Banffshire to form the Moray district of the Grampian region. Grantown-on-Spey and Cromdale areas were combined with Kingussie and Badenoch areas of the county of Inverness-shire to form the Badenoch and Strathspey district of the Highland region. In 1996 this district was superseded by the council area of Moray 1996, under the provisions of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.
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Crown Dependencies
The Crown Dependencies are self-governing possessions of the British Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.
Being independently administered jurisdictions, none forms part of the United Kingdom nor of the European Union.
"The Crown" is defined differently in each Crown Dependency. In Jersey, statements in the 21st century of the constitutional position by the Law Officers of the Crown define it as the "Crown in right of Jersey", with all Crown land in the Bailiwick of Jersey belonging to the Crown in right of Jersey and not to the Crown Estate of the United Kingdom. Legislation of the Isle of Man defines the "Crown in right of the Isle of Man" as being separate from the "Crown in right of the United Kingdom". In Guernsey, legislation refers to the "Crown in right of the Bailiwick", and the Law Officers of the Crown of Guernsey submitted that "The Crown in this context ordinarily means the Crown in right of the république of the Bailiwick of Guernsey" and that this comprises "the collective governmental and civic institutions, established by and under the authority of the Monarch, for the governance of these Islands, including the States of Guernsey and legislatures in the other Islands, the Royal Court and other courts, the Lieutenant Governor, Parish authorities, and the Crown acting in and through the Privy Council." This constitutional concept is also worded as the "Crown in right of the Bailiwick of Guernsey".
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Damsay
Damsay is an island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is approximately 18 hectares (0.07 sq mi) in extent and rises to only 11 metres (36 ft) above sea level. It is situated in the Bay of Firth north of the Orkney Mainland near Finstown. Nearby is the smaller islet of Holm of Grimbister.
It is now uninhabited, but at one time a Norse hall stood there, and it was the scene of the killing of Earl Erlend Haraldsson by Earls Rögnvald Kali Kolsson and Harald Maddadsson in 1154. Erlend celebrated after returning to the island for Christmas and retired to his ship the worse for drink on the night of 21st December. Despite being warned of an attack by Sweyn Asleifsson and the presence of a full moon his men were taken by surprise by the attack by his co-rulers and Erlend was killed.
Later a small nunnery was built on the island leading to a legend that no frogs or toads (or possibly rats and mice) could live there. It is also said that unmarried woman who became pregnant would go there to pray at an abandoned shrine to St Mary.
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Deerness
Deerness (Old Norse: Dyrnes) is a quoad sacra parish (i.e. one created and functioning for ecclesiastical purposes only) and peninsula in Mainland, Orkney.
It is about 8½ miles south east of Kirkwall. Politically Deerness forms a part of the Parish of St. Andrews, which was made separate in 1845.
It consists chiefly of the peninsula, but also takes in Copinsay and its surrounding islands, the Horse, Corn Holm and so on.
Edwin Muir was born here in 1887.
This article incorporates text from - Wilson, Rev. John The Gazetteer of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone
Coordinates: 58°56′45″N 2°45′15″W / 58.94583°N 2.75417°W / 58.94583; -2.75417
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Dingwall
Coordinates: 57°35′44″N 4°25′34″W / 57.595435°N 4.426125°W / 57.595435; -4.426125
Dingwall (Scots: Dingwal,Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Pheofharain) is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbour but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts of which may date back to the 12th-century building. In 1411 the Battle of Dingwall is said to have taken place between the Clan Mackay and the Clan Donald.
Dingwall railway station has lain on what is now called the Far North Line since circa 1865. It also serves the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, with the junction between the two lines being located within the town. The station is served with around 26 trains a day, 14 of which go to Inverness.
Dingwall formerly served as the county town of the county of Ross and Cromarty. It lies near the head of the Cromarty Firth where the valley of the Peffery unites with the alluvial lands at the mouth of the Conon, 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Inverness.
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Dounby
Dounby is a village in Orkney in the north of Scotland on the A986 Road. It features a co-operative store, a doctor's surgery, pharmacy, care home, pub, post office, hairdressers, church and a community school that serves, Dounby, Sandwick, Stenness, Harray, Twatt and Birsay.
Dounby village has grown at the crossroads of what are now the A986 and B9057 close to the meeting point of the 3 parishes of Sandwick, Birsay and Harray (mainly lying in Sandwick).
The West Mainland Agricultural Show (commonly called the Dounby Show) occurs here every August on the Thursday before the Orkney County Show The County show is always the 2nd Saturday in August.
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Dublin
Dublin ( /ˈdʌblɨn/; locally /ˈdʊbᵊlən/; Irish: Baile Átha Cliath, meaning "town of the hurdled ford", pronounced [blʲaˈklʲiə] or Áth Cliath, [aː klʲiə], occasionally Duibhlinn) is the capital and most populous city of Ireland. The English name for the city is derived from the Irish name Dubhlinn, meaning "black pool". Dublin is situated near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and the centre of the Dublin Region.
Originally founded as a Viking settlement, it evolved into the Kingdom of Dublin and became the island's principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century; it was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire and the fifth largest in Europe. Dublin entered a period of stagnation following the Act of Union of 1800, but it remained the economic centre for most of the island. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, the new parliament, the Oireachtas, was located in Leinster House. Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State and later the Republic of Ireland.
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Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries (Siorrachd Dhùn Phris in Gaelic) is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.
Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries. It bordered Kirkcudbrightshire to the west, Ayrshire to the north-west, Lanarkshire, Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire to the north, and Roxburghshire to the east. To the south was the coast of the Solway Firth, and across the English border Cumberland.
Dumfries had three traditional subdivisions - Annandale, Eskdale and Nithsdale.
Today it forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway council area.
Notable people from Dumfriesshire include:
The coastline measures 21 miles (34 km). The county slopes very gradually from the mountainous districts of the Southern Uplands in the north, down to the sea; lofty hills alternating in parts with stretches of tableland or rich fertile holms. At various points within a few miles of the Solway are tracts of moss land, like Craigs Moss, Lochar Moss and Longbridge Moor in the west, and Nutberry Moss in the east, all once under water, but now largely reclaimed.
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Dunbartonshire
Coordinates: 55°58′N 4°32′W / 55.96°N 4.53°W / 55.96; -4.53
Dunbartonshire (Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn in Gaelic) or the County of Dumbarton is a lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Until 1975 it was a county used as a primary unit of local government with its county town and administrative centre at the town of Dumbarton. The area had been previously been part of the historic district of Lennox, which was a duchy in the Peerage of Scotland related to the Duke of Lennox.
In modern local government, the county is divided into two of the thirty-two council areas of Scotland, namely East Dunbartonshire, with its administrative headquarters at Kirkintilloch, and West Dunbartonshire, with its administrative centre at Dumbarton.
Dumbarton was the county town from which the name of Dunbartonshire derives. The name of the town comes from the Scottish Gaelic Dùn Breatainn meaning "fort of the Britons".
Historically, the spelling of the county town and the county were not standardised. By the 18th century the names "County of Dunbarton" and "County of Dumbarton" were used interchangeably. Different county bodies used the two spellings: the Dunbarton County Constabulary were formed in 1857 by the Commissioners of Supply for the County of Dunbarton. Dumbartonshire County Council, set up under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 adopted the spelling "Dunbartonshire" by 1914, a fact recognised by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947.
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East Lothian
East Lothian (Scots: Aest Lowden, Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Lodainn an Ear) (formerly Haddingtonshire) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh.
The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the East Lothian district of the Lothian region. The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and it consisted of the local government county of East Lothian, plus the burgh of Musselburgh and the Inveresk area, both formerly within the county of Midlothian.
When abolished, for local government purposes, in 1975, the county of East Lothian bordered the county of Midlothian to the west, and the county of Berwick to the south. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. At this time, border changes saw several villages on the outskirts of Edinburgh (e.g. Whitecraig) become part of East Lothian.
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East Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire (Scots: Aest Renfrewshire, Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù an Ear) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975 it formed part of the county of Renfrewshire for local government purposes along with the modern council areas of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde. Although no longer a local authority area, Renfrewshire still remains the registration county and lieutenancy area of East Renfrewshire.
The East Renfrewshire local authority was formed in 1996, as a successor to the Eastwood district, along with Barrhead, which came from Renfrew district. It borders onto North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and the City of Glasgow.
The leader of East Renfrewshire Council is Cllr Jim Fletcher (Labour - Giffnock & Thornliebank) and the Civic Leader is Provost Alex Mackie (Liberal Democrat - Giffnock & Thornliebank). A 2001 survey showed that about half of Scotland's Jewish population lives in East Renfrewshire.
The following six persons have been appointed as Honorary Freeman of East Renfrewshire under section 206 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 for being persons of distinction or persons who have rendered eminent service to the area:
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Eday
Eday is one of the islands of Orkney, which are located to the north of the Scottish mainland. One of the North Isles, Eday is about 24 kilometres (15 mi) from the Orkney Mainland. With an area of 27 square kilometres (10 sq mi), it is the ninth largest island of the archipelago. The bedrock of the island is Old Red Sandstone, which is exposed along the sea-cliffs.
There are various well-preserved Neolithic tombs, as well as evidence of Bronze Age settlement and the remains of a Norse-era castle. During the period of Scottish rule the substantial property of Carrick House was developed at Calfsound, which became a burgh for a short period. During the British era many agricultural improvements were introduced, although there has been a substantial decline in the population since the mid-nineteenth century. In the twenty-first century the Eday Partnership has had success in promoting the island's economy. Local placenames reflect the diverse linguistic heritage and the landscapes of the island and its surrounding seas attract abundant wildlife.
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Eday Airport
Eday Airport (IATA: EOI, ICAO: EGED) is located on Eday in Orkney, Scotland. Due to its location close to the Bay of London it is known locally as London Airport.
Eday Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P573) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Orkney Islands Council). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
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Edinburgh
Edinburgh (
i/ˈɛdɪnbʌrə/ ED-in-burr-ə; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) is the capital city of Scotland and the seat of the Scottish Parliament. It is the second largest city in Scotland and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a 30 square miles (78 km2) rural area. Located in the south-east of Scotland, Edinburgh lies on the east coast of the Central Belt, along the Firth of Forth, near the North Sea.
The city was one of the historical major centres of the Enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh, helping to earn it the nickname Athens of the North. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 in recognition of the unique character of the Medieval Old Town and the planned Georgian New Town. It covers both the Old and New Towns together with the Dean Village and the Calton Hill areas. There are over 4,500 listed buildings within the city. In May 2010, it had a total of 40 conservation areas covering 23% of the building stock and 23% of the population, the highest such ratios of any major city in the UK. In the 2011 mid-year population estimates, Edinburgh had a total resident population of 495,360.
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Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport (Scottish Gaelic: Port-adhair Dhùn Èideann) (IATA: EDI, ICAO: EGPH) is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2011, handling just under 9.4 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements. It is located 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) west of the city centre and is situated just off the M8 motorway.
The airport is owned and operated by Global Infrastructure Partners, which also owns and operates two other UK airports .
The present terminal building, designed by Robert Matthew, was constructed in 1977 and has been upgraded in recent years, with new car parking facilities and an extended arrivals hall. A new control tower was completed in 2005.
There are plans for expansion of the airport, with passenger numbers expected to reach 26 million per annum by 2030.
On 19th October 2011, BAA Limited announced that it intends to sell Edinburgh Airport, following a decision by the UK's Competition Commission requiring BAA to sell either Glasgow or Edinburgh Airport.
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Egilsay
Egilsay is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, lying east of Rousay. The island is largely farmland and is known for its corncrakes.
Extremely unusual for the Northern Isles, it has been suggested that Egilsay may have a partly Gaelic name. While at first sight, it appears to be Egil's island, "Egil" being a Norse personal name, the Gaelic eaglais (Celtic "eccles") meaning church, may be part of the root, as the island is dominated by a church of pre-Norse foundation. The island of Kili Holm just to the north, may represent cille, a monastic cell.
The church itself has a highly unusual Irish style round tower, which itself is extremely rare in Scotland, and is unique in Orkney (though other examples are known to have existed in the past). The building is roofless and the tower has been slightly truncated, but it is otherwise complete. It is maintained by Historic Scotland as an Ancient Monument and Category A listed building.
Egilsay was the place where Saint Magnus was killed in 1117 by an axe blow to the head. While the church is dedicated to him, the foundation may be far older. For hundreds of years the story of St. Magnus, part of the Orkneyinga saga, was considered just a legend until a skull with a large crack in it, such as it had been stricken by an axe, was found in the walls of St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.
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EMEC
The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) is a UKAS accredited test and research centre focusing on wave and tidal power development based in the Orkney Islands, UK. It claims to provide developers with the opportunity to test full-scale grid-connected prototype devices in unrivalled wave and tidal conditions. The operations are spread over three sites:
EMEC was established by a grouping of public sector organisations following a recommendation by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee in 2001. The centre offers, apart from access to water with high wave and tidal energy potential, various kinds of support regarding regulatory issues, grid connection and meteorological monitoring as well as local research and engineering support.
EMEC’s wave test facility is placed on the western edge of the Orkney mainland, in an area with one of the highest wave energy potentials in Europe. The exposed North Sea location means the island group is subjected to the powerful dynamic forces of the North Atlantic Ocean. Construction of the wave test facility was completed in October 2003, and operational activities commenced shortly thereafter. The Centre's facilities consist of four test berths situated along the 50m water depth contour off Billia Croo, Stromness on the Orkney mainland (some 2 km offshore). A shallow water berth situated close to the substation is also currently under construction.
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England
Englandi/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
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Evie
Evie is a former parish and village on The Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It now forms part of the civil parish of Evie and Rendall.
Evie is home to two large dairy farms called Dale and Georth as well as Burgar farm. There are also a few beef farms. This is due to the very good quality of soil contained in this area of Orkney. All three dairy farms contribute milk to the award winning Orkney cheese as well as Orkney ice cream and other dairy products.[citation needed]
The five wind turbines on Burgar Hill in Evie are visible from a large part of the West Mainland. Established in 1983, this was one of the first wind farms in the UK.
Evie is the birthplace of Orcadian writer Ernest Marwick.
Within the parish are a number of prehistoric features, including Gurness, an Iron Age broch that overlooks Eynhallow Sound.
In folklore, Evie was the home of the farmer, Guidman o' Thorodale who drove away the Finfolk, shape-shifting mer-people, from the island of Eynhallow.
Coordinates: 59°6′53″N 3°7′52″W / 59.11472°N 3.13111°W / 59.11472; -3.13111
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Eynhallow
Eynhallow (Old Norse: Eyinhelga) is a small, presently uninhabited island, part of the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland.
Eynhallow lies in Eynhallow Sound between Mainland, Orkney and Rousay. It is 75 hectares (0.29 sq mi) in area.
There is no ferry to the island, although Orkney Heritage Society organises a trip each July. Otherwise, visitors have to arrange their own transport to the island by private local boat hire. Access can be problematic, as there are strong tidal surges in the surrounding strait, squeezed between Mainland of Orkney and Rousay.
The island's main attraction is Eynhallow Church dating from the twelfth century or earlier, and perhaps originally part of a monastery. The site is maintained by Historic Scotland.
In 1841 it had a population of 26. It has been uninhabited since the landowner cleared crofters away in 1851. It is now a bird sanctuary.
It has its own folklore, concerning the initial finding of the island. Eynhallow was believed to be the summer residence of the shape-shifting mer-people the Finfolk, who were driven away by the farmer, Guidman o' Thorodale from Evie.
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Eynhallow Sound
Eynhallow Sound is a seaway lying between Mainland Orkney and the island of Rousay in the Orkney Islands,Scotland. The tidal indraught is "scarcely felt beyond a line joining Costa Head and the Reef of Quendale". An Iron Age broch, Gurness, has a strategic outlook over the Eynhallow Sound.
Coordinates: 59°07′52″N 3°04′34″W / 59.131°N 3.076°W / 59.131; -3.076
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Fara, Orkney
Fara (Old Norse: Færey) is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying in Scapa Flow between the islands of Flotta and Hoy. It has been uninhabited since the 1960s.
Coordinates: 58°50′30″N 3°10′17″W / 58.84163°N 3.17125°W / 58.84163; -3.17125
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Faray
Faray (Old Norse: Færey) is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying between Eday and Westray. Previously inhabited, the low-lying island is now a successful Grey Seal breeding colony.
Faray and Holm of Faray are formed of a ridge of Old Red Sandstone which extends southwards from Weather Ness at the southern tip of the island of Westray and almost connects Westray to Eday. The two islands are separated by the Lavey Sound.
Faray was known as Pharay (or North Pharay to distinguish it from South Pharay, now called Fara). Both names are derived from the Old Norse 'faerey', "sheep island".
The only man-made relic of note is a chambered cairn beside Lavey Sound. Faray had a population of eighty-two in 1861, falling to fifty-eight by 1891. By the late 1930s there were eight families living on the island. They had crofts and supplemented their income by lobster fishing. The second world war led to many departures. By 1947 the last islander had left Faray and, apart from occasional summer occupation, the island was deserted. A road still runs up the central spine of the island serving the scattered empty houses.
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Fife
Coordinates: 56°15′00″N 3°12′00″W / 56.25°N 3.2°W / 56.25; -3.2
Fife ([ˈfəif]; Scottish Gaelic: Fìobha) is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire. It was once one of the major Pictish kingdoms, known as Fib, and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland.
It is a lieutenancy area, and was a county of Scotland until 1975. It was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire in old documents and maps compiled by English cartographers and authors. A person from Fife is known as a Fifer.
Fife was a local government region divided into three districts: Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and North-East Fife. Since 1996 the functions of the district councils have been exercised by the unitary Fife Council.
Fife is Scotland's third largest local authority area by population. It has a resident population of just under 360,000, almost a third of whom live in the three principal towns of Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. Kirkcaldy is Fife's largest town by population (48,108 in 2006), followed by Dunfermline (45,462 in 2006) and then Glenrothes (38,927 in 2006).
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Finstown
Finstown in the parish of Firth on Mainland, Orkney is the third largest settlement on the island. According to travel author Linklater, the homes in Finstown are tidy and well cared for. This settlement is situated along the Bay of Firth, whose fringe is a shallow intertidal mudflat.
Prehistoric finds have been made in the form of ancient cists, somewhat west of the primary school. Further east towards Kirkwall is the Rennibister Earth House, estimated to be 3000 years old.
Finstown has a post office, Firth Primary School, two pubs (one closed at present), a shop and a garage. Most of these buildings are situated on the main Stromness to Kirkwall road.
Formerly called "Toon o' Firth", the origin of the name is thought to come from an Irishman named David Phin who came to the area in 1811. A soldier with the 9th Royal Veteran Battalion, he married a Kirkwall girl in 1813. In 1820 he opened an ale house which was called the 'Toddy Hole' by arrangement with John Miller of Millquoy. Four years later they quarrelled and Phin left for Aberdeen, but his name remained. Today the hostelry is called the Pomona Inn, after an old name for Mainland Orkney.
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Flotta
Flotta is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying in Scapa Flow. The island is known for its large oil terminal and is linked by Orkney Ferries to Houton on the Orkney Mainland and Lyness and Longhope on Hoy.
At the turn of the 20th century, the island was a quiet rural community like many other small islands of Orkney, but its sheltered location led to three major upheavals in the island in the century.
Until 1914, Flotta was a quiet farming community. In 1910, a population of 431 included two blacksmiths, four carpenters and three dressmakers. But everything changed with the arrival of the Royal Navy in Scapa Flow at the start of World War I. There is a photograph held by the Imperial War Museum in London that shows a boxing match taking place on Flotta in front of a wartime audience of 10,000 people.
During World War I, the island was home to a naval base. The dreadnought HMS Vanguard sank nearby in 1917, reputedly the worst maritime disaster in UK waters. In WW2, the island was again used as a military base.
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Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. It was set up in 1919 to expand Britain's forests and woodland after depletion during the First World War. To do this the commission bought large amounts of former agricultural land, eventually becoming the largest land owner in Britain.
Over time the purpose of the Commission broadened to include many other activities beyond timber production. One major activity is scientific research, carried out at several designated "research forests" across Britain. Recreation is also important, with several outdoor activities being actively promoted. Protecting and improving biodiversity within Britain's forests are both part of the Forestry Commission's remit.
The Forestry Commission manages almost one million hectares of land in Great Britain, making it the country's biggest land manager. The majority of the land (60%) is in Scotland, 26% of the landholding is in England and the remainder in Wales. Some of Britain's best-loved and most spectacular landscapes are in its care. Activities carried out on the forest estate include maintenance and improvement of the natural environment and the provision of recreation, timber harvesting to supply domestic industry, regenerating brownfield and replanting of harvested areas.
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Gairsay
Gairsay (Old Norse: Gáreksey) is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, located in the parish of Rendall, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) off the coast, astride one of the approaches to the bays of Firth and Kirkwall. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and includes one conical hill and a small harbour called Millburn Bay, which is sheltered by the peninsula known as the Hen of Gairsay.
According to the Orkneyinga saga, in Norse times Gairsay was the winter home of the Norse chieftain Sweyn Asleifsson, one the last great Vikings. He farmed during the summer months and spent the winters with his eighty men at arms on his Gairsay estate. After the spring planting had been done Sweyn would go on Viking raids down the west coast of Scotland, England and Ireland. He died attempting to conquer Dublin in the year 1171.
A mansion called Langskaill was built on the site of Sweyn's estate in the seventeenth century by a wealthy merchant, Sir William Craigie, who lived there with his wife Margaret Honyman, daughter of the Bishop of Orkney. He was a member of Parliament and died in Edinburgh in 1712.
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Glims Holm
Glims Holm (OS: Glimps Holm; Old Norse: Glums Holm) is a small uninhabited islet in Orkney, Scotland.
Glims Holm lies in Holm Sound, one of the eastern entrances to Scapa Flow, between Mainland, Orkney and the island of Burray, The Churchill Barriers link South Ronaldsay to the Orkney Mainland. Glims Holm is connected to Lamb Holm, to the northeast, by Barrier number 2, and to Burray by Barrier number 3.
Scapa Flow had many entrances, making it difficult to protect the anchorages in this natural harbour. Blockships had been sunk to close the narrow passages, but these proved inadequate. The Churchill Barriers were built during World War II to block the eastern entrances. Much of the labour for the causeways was provided by over 1300 Italian prisoners of war, captured in North Africa and stationed in Camp 60 on Lamb Holm and two camps on Burray.
Coordinates: 58°52′30″N 2°55′12″W / 58.875°N 2.92°W / 58.875; -2.92
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Graemsay
Graemsay is an island in the western approaches to Scapa Flow, in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. The island has two lighthouses.
Graemsay lies between Hoy and Stromness on Mainland Orkney, separated from the Mainland by Clestrain Sound. The island is 409 ha (1.58 sq mi) in area and is mainly crofted.
The island's geology is old red sandstone of the Devonian period, with two volcanic faults. On the north coast there is granite-schist, a great rarity in Orkney.
Graemsay is surrounded by strong tidal races, known locally as roosts. An Orkney Ferries service links the island with Stromness and Moaness on Hoy.
Birds include oystercatchers, ringed plovers, redshank and curlew.
Parts of the island are largely undeveloped and are a haven for wild plants.[citation needed]
As with many other Orkney Islands, there is a connection to the Celtic Church, possibly a pre-Norse one. There are the remains of two early churches, dedicated to St Bride and to St Columba., who are both saints of Irish origin.
The island has two lighthouses, Hoy High (NE) and Hoy Low (NW), both built in 1851 by Alan Stevenson for the 19th century herring industry.
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Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain (Welsh: Prydain Fawr, Scottish Gaelic: Breatainn Mhòr, Cornish: Breten Veur) is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, the largest European island, and the largest of the British Isles. With a population of about 60.0 million people in mid-2009, it is the third most populous island in the world, after Java and Honshū. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1,000 smaller islands and islets. The island of Ireland lies to its west. Politically, Great Britain may also refer to the island itself together with a number of surrounding islands which comprise the territory of England, Scotland and Wales.
All of the island is territory of the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and most of the United Kingdom's territory is in Great Britain. Most of England, Scotland, and Wales are on the island of Great Britain, as are their respective capital cities: London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
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Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey ( /ˈɡɜrnzi/ GURN-zee; French: Bailliage de Guernesey, IPA: [bajaʒ də ɡɛʁnəzɛ]), is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, and Lihou. Furthermore, the Bailiwick includes Alderney and Sark, which each has its own parliament.
Although its defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom, the Bailiwick of Guernsey is not part of the UK; and while it participates in the Common Travel Area, it is not part of the European Union.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is included (along with the Bailiwick of Jersey) in the grouping known as the Channel Islands.
The name of Guernsey, as well as that of neighbouring Jersey, is of Old Norse origin. The second element of Guernsey (-ey) is the Old Norse for "island". Guern similar to Spanish "Cuerno", French "Coi(r)n", Dutch "Hoorn", Frisian "Hoarn", Swedish "Hörn", Swiss "Gorn" means "Corner". - Corner Island.
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Harray
Harray (Old Norse: Herað - cf Harris) is a former parish on Mainland, Orkney, now merged with Birsay. It has the unique distinction of being the only landlocked parish on the islands, however it is next to the freshwater Loch of Harray.
Harray has many mounds or howes from the Old Norse word Haugr meaning mound or hill. Excavations have revealed burial cist in the largest mound as well as a Bronze Age building nearby.
Harray was merged with Birsay to form a united parish in the north west of Mainland. It extends southward from the south east of Birsay Parish, and is about six miles by four in extent. It is mostly flat and swampy.
Coordinates: 59°2′48″N 3°11′0″W / 59.04667°N 3.183333°W / 59.04667; -3.183333
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Hebrides
The Hebrides ( /ˈhɛbrɨdiːz/; Scottish Gaelic: Innse Gall) comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive influences of Celtic, Norse and English-speaking peoples. This diversity is reflected in the names given to the islands, which are derived from the languages that have been spoken there in historic and perhaps prehistoric times.
A variety of artists have been inspired by their Hebridean experiences. Today the economy of the islands is dependent on crofting, fishing, tourism, the oil industry and renewable energy. The Hebrides lack biodiversity in comparison to mainland Britain, but these islands have much to offer the naturalist. Seals, for example, are present around the coasts in internationally important numbers.
The Hebrides have a diverse geology ranging in age from Precambrian strata that are amongst the oldest rocks in Europe to Tertiary igneous intrusions.
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Helliar Holm
Helliar Holm is an uninhabited island off the coast of Shapinsay in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. It is home to a 42-foot-tall (13 m) lighthouse, which was built in 1893 and automated in 1967. It is a tidal island that used to be connected to Shapinsay. It is still possible to walk across from the mainland during very low tides.
The island is owned by George & James Balfour-Kinnear.
The island also has the ruins of a broch, cairn and chapel.
In the Orkneyinga Saga it is referred to as both "Hellisey" and "Eller Holm" and John of Fordun refers to it as "Helene-holm"
Coordinates: 59°01′26″N 02°53′42″W / 59.02389°N 2.895°W / 59.02389; -2.895
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HMS Royal Oak (08)
Coordinates: 58°55′51″N 2°59′00″W / 58.93083°N 2.9833333°W / 58.93083; -2.9833333 (HMS Royal Oak)
HMS Royal Oak (pennant number 08) was a Revenge-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. Launched in 1914 and completed in 1916, Royal Oak first saw action at the Battle of Jutland. In peacetime, she served in the Atlantic, Home and Mediterranean fleets, more than once coming under accidental attack. The ship drew worldwide attention in 1928 when her senior officers were controversially court-martialled. Attempts to modernise Royal Oak throughout her 25-year career could not fix her fundamental lack of speed, and by the start of the Second World War, she was no longer suited to front-line duty.
On 14 October 1939, Royal Oak was anchored at Scapa Flow in Orkney, Scotland when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-47. Of Royal Oak's complement of 1,234 men and boys, 833 were killed that night or died later of their wounds. The loss of the old ship – the first of the five Royal Navy battleships and battle cruisers sunk in the Second World War – little affected the numerical superiority enjoyed by the British navy and its Allies, but the effect on wartime morale was considerable. The raid made an immediate celebrity and war hero out of the U-boat commander, Günther Prien, who became the first Kriegsmarine submarine officer to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. To the British, the raid demonstrated that the Germans were capable of bringing the naval war to their home waters, and the shock resulted in rapidly arranged changes to dockland security.
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Holm of Faray
The Holm of Faray is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, near Faray and Westray, which it lies between. Together with its neighbour Faray, it is designated a SSSI due to its importance as a haul-out site and breeding area for grey seals.
Holm of Faray is made up of red sandstone. It is effectively a continuation of Faray, but separated from it by Lavey Sound. It has a "head" and a "torso", which are created by East Bight and West Bight, which almost create a separate islet. It is 16 m (52 ft) at its highest point.
It is on the west side of the Sound of Faray, which separates it from tiny Red Holm, and the North Ayre on Eday which is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) away. It is separated from Westray by Rapness Sound in the west (an extension of Westray Firth) and Weatherness Sound to the north.
Coordinates: 59°14′2″N 2°49′45″W / 59.23389°N 2.82917°W / 59.23389; -2.82917
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Holm of Huip
The Holm of Huip is a small island in the Orkney Islands, in Spurness Sound to the north west of Stronsay.
The Holm has a cairn on it, and a number of grey seals.
Like most of Orkney, the Holm is formed from Old Red Sandstone.
It lies opposite the airstrip and Huipness on Stronsay, and separated from it by Huip Sound.
Coordinates: 59°10′N 2°39′W / 59.167°N 2.65°W / 59.167; -2.65
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Holm of Papa
The Holm of Papa (or Holm of Papay, Holm of Papa Westray and known locally as the Papay Holm,) is a very small uninhabited island in the Orkney islands. It is around 15 ha (1000 x 150 metres) in size. It can be visited from its neighbouring island Papa Westray, or Papay, an island less than a hundred metres west of the Holm.
The main sight on the small island is the Southcairn, a 20 metre long chambered cairn dating from approx. 3500 BC, on whose stones one can find ancient carvings. The long, stalled cairn, built of local stone, was once a communal burial place for the bones of an ancient community. It is protected by a modern roof and entered by a trapdoor from above. It is possible that the inhabitants of the Knap of Howar buried their dead here. There are three ancient chambered cairns on the holm. Visitors can arrange privately for small boat access through the Co-op shop on Papa Westray. The cairn is readily visible from the larger island.
“Eyebrow motif” carvings found in the southernmost chambered cairn bear a resemblance to the "eyes" of the Orkney Venus found at Links of Noltland on Westray.
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Holm of Scockness
The Holm of Scockness is a small island in the Orkney Islands, between Rousay and Egilsay.
It is currently used for grazing.
Its name is Norse in origin and means "little island of the crooked headland".
The bedrock is middle red sandstone like the neighbouring islands.
It is similar to a map of India in shape, "pointing" southwards.
It is in the north of Rousay Sound, and separated from Rousay itself by the Sound of Longstaing, and from Egilsay by Howie Sound. It is south east of Kili Holm and due north of Wyre's far east coast.
Coordinates: 59°10′N 2°57′W / 59.167°N 2.95°W / 59.167; -2.95
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Houton
Coordinates: 58°55′05″N 3°11′10″W / 58.918°N 3.186°W / 58.918; -3.186
Houton is a settlement 5 miles southeast of Stromness on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. From here, a ferry sails to Lyness on Hoy and the oil terminal at Flotta. Nearby are the remains of the round church of St Nicholas (the only medieval round church in Scotland) and the Earl's Bu, the ruins of a former manor house of the Earldom of Orkney. These sites are in the care of Historic Scotland.
The Holm of Houton is nearby.
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Hoy
Hoy (from Norse Háey meaning high island) is an island in Orkney, Scotland. With an area of 143 square kilometres (55 sq mi) it is the second largest in the archipelago after the Mainland. It is connected by a causeway called The Ayre to South Walls. Unusually, the two islands are treated as one entity by the UK census.
The dramatic coastline of Hoy greets visitors travelling to Orkney by ferry from the Scottish mainland. It has extremes of many kinds: some of the highest sea cliffs in the UK at St John's Head, which reach 350 metres (1,150 ft); the impressive and famous sea stack, the Old Man of Hoy; some of the most northerly surviving natural woodland in the British Isles; the remote possibility that Arctic Char survive in Heldale Water and the most northerly Martello Towers, which were built to defend the area during the Napoleonic War, but were never used in combat.
The highest point in Orkney, Ward Hill, is found on Hoy.
The main naval base for the British fleet Scapa Flow in both the First and Second World Wars was situated at Lyness in the south-east of the island. Some rather incongruous art deco structures nearby date from this period.
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Hunda
Hunda is an uninhabited island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is 100 hectares (0.39 sq mi) in extent and rises to 42 metres (138 ft) above sea level. It is situated in the Scapa Flow and connected to the nearby island of Burray by a causeway built in 1941 to stop passage of small surface craft as part of the boom defences, and thence to the Orkney Mainland via the Churchill Barriers.
The name is derived from the Old Norse for 'dog island'. The Vikings made the Orkney Islands their headquarters for their expeditions against Scotland and Norway, and the islands were under the rule of Norse earls until 1231. The island is rich in bird life, and contains a disused quarry. A small inlet in the northern cliffs is known as 'Sunless Geo'.
Hunda is currently used to raise sheep and goats for wool.
Coordinates: 58°51′15″N 2°58′39″W / 58.85417°N 2.9775°W / 58.85417; -2.9775
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Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan a-staigh, "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of Mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than 30 hectares (74 acres). The main commercial activities are tourism, crofting, fishing, and whisky distilling. In modern times the Inner Hebrides have formed part of two separate local government jurisdictions, one to the north and the other to the south. Combined, the islands have an area of approximately 412,850 hectares (1,594 sq mi), and had a population of 18,257 people in 2001. The population density is therefore a little over 4 persons per km2 (11 persons per square mile).
There are various important prehistoric structures, many of which pre-date the first written references to the islands by Roman and Greek authors. In the historic period the earliest known settlers were Picts to the north and Gaels in the southern kingdom of Dalriada prior to the islands becoming part of the Suðreyjar kingdom of the Norse, who ruled for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Control of the islands was then held by various clan chiefs, principal of whom were the MacLeans, MacLeods and MacDonalds. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century had a devastating effect on many communities and it is only in recent years that population levels have ceased to decline.
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Inverclyde
Inverclyde (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Chluaidh, pronounced [iɲiɾʲˈxlˠ̪uəj]) is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire - which current exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area - located in the west central Lowlands. It borders on to the Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire council areas, and is otherwise surrounded by the Firth of Clyde.
Inverclyde District was one of nineteen districts within Strathclyde Region, from 1975 until 1996. Prior to 1975, Inverclyde was governed as part of the local government county of Renfrewshire, comprising the burghs of Greenock, Port Glasgow and Gourock, and the former fifth district of the county. Its landward area is bordered by the Kelly, North and South Routen burns to the south west (separating Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire), part of the River Gryfe and the Finlaystone Burn to the south-east.
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Inverness
Coordinates: 57°28′18″N 4°13′31″W / 57.4717°N 4.2254°W / 57.4717; -4.2254
Inverness (from the Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Nis pronounced [iɲɪɾʲˈniʃ], meaning "Mouth of the River Ness" listen (help·info)) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland. Inverness lies near two important battle sites: the 11th century battle of Blàr nam Fèinne against Norway which took place on The Aird and the 18th century Battle of Culloden which took place on Culloden Moor. It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the Great Glen (Gleann Mòr) at its north-eastern extremity where the River Ness enters the Moray Firth. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim (King David I) in the 12th century. The Gaelic king, Mac Bethad mac Findláich (MacBeth) nicknamed An Rígh Dearg (The Red King) held a castle within the city where he ruled as Mormaer of Moray and Ross.
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Ireland
Coordinates: 53°20′N 08°00′W / 53.333°N 8°W / 53.333; -8
Ireland (pronounced [ˈaɪrlənd] (
listen); Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann or Airlan) is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth. To its east is the larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea.
Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
Relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain epitomise Ireland's geography with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 17th century. Today, it is one of the most deforested areas in Europe. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.
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Irish Free State
The Irish Free State (Irish: Saorstát Éireann) (6 December 1922–1937) was the state established as a dominion under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand. On the day the Irish Free State was established, it comprised the entire island of Ireland, but Northern Ireland almost immediately exercised its right under the treaty to remove itself from the new state. The Irish Free State effectively replaced both the self-proclaimed Irish Republic (founded 21 January 1919) and the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland. W. T. Cosgrave, the first President of the Irish Free State had led both of these "governments" since August 1922.
The Irish Free State came to an end in 1937, when the citizens voted by referendum to replace the 1922 constitution. It was succeeded by the sovereign, modern state of the Republic of Ireland.
The Easter Rising of 1916, and in particular the decision of the British military authorities to execute many of its leaders after courts martial, generated sympathy for the republican cause in Ireland. Republicans and some independent Nationalists who led opposition to the idea of compulsory military service for Irish men in the conscription crisis of early 1918. The Irish Parliamentary Party, who supported the Allied cause in World War I in response to the passing of the Third Home Rule Bill in 1914 was discredited by the crisis. In the December 1918 general election, a large majority of Irish seats in the Westminster parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland were won by Sinn Féin, with 73 of 105 constituencies returning Sinn Féin members. Sinn Féin was a previously non-violent separatist party founded by Arthur Griffith in 1905. Under Éamon de Valera's leadership from 1917, it had campaigned aggressively for an Irish republic.
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Isle of Man
The Isle of Man ( /ˈmæn/; Manx: Ellan Vannin, pronounced [ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn]), otherwise known simply as Mann (Manx: Mannin, IPA: [ˈmanɪn]), is a self-governing Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The island is not part of the United Kingdom, but its foreign relations and defence are the responsibility of the UK Government. Although the United Kingdom does not usually interfere in the island's domestic matters, its "good government" is ultimately the responsibility of the Crown (that is, in practice, the Government of the United Kingdom).
The island has been inhabited since before 6500 BC. Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century AD, and the Manx language, a branch of the Gaelic languages, gradually emerged. In the 9th century, the Norse began to settle there. A Norse-Gaelic culture arose and the island came under Norse control. In 1266, the island became part of Scotland as formalised by the Treaty of Perth. After a period of alternating rule by the kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal overlordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship revested into the British Crown in 1764 but the island never became part of Great Britain or its successor the United Kingdom and retained its status as an internally self-governing Crown dependency.
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Jarlshof
Jarlshof is the best known prehistoric archaeological site in Shetland, Scotland. It lies near the southern tip of the Shetland Mainland and has been described as "one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles". It contains remains dating from 2500 BC up to the 17th century AD.
The Bronze Age settlers left evidence of several small oval houses with thick stone walls and various artefacts including a decorated bone object. The Iron Age ruins include several different types of structure including a broch and a defensive wall around the site. The Pictish period provides various works of art including a painted pebble and a symbol stone. The Viking-age ruins make up the largest such site visible anywhere in Britain and include a longhouse; excavations provided numerous tools and a detailed insight into life in Shetland at this time. The most visible structures on the site are the walls of the Scottish period fortified manor house, which inspired the name "Jarlshof" that first appears in an 1821 novel by Walter Scott.
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Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, French: Bailliage de Jersey ( /ˈdʒɜrzi/, French: [ʒɛʁzɛ]; Jèrriais: Jèrri), is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs.
Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems.
The island of Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands. Although the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey are often referred to collectively as 'the Channel Islands', they are not a constitutional or political unit. Jersey has a separate relationship to the British Crown from the other Crown Dependencies of Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It is not part of the United Kingdom, and has an international identity separate from that of the UK but the United Kingdom is constitutionally responsible for the defence of Jersey. Jersey is not a part of the European Union but has a special relationship with it, being treated as part of the European Community for the purposes of free trade in goods.
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Kili Holm
Kili Holm is a tidal island in the Orkney Islands, linked to Egilsay. Unusually, like its neighbour Egilsay, it may have a partly Gaelic etymology, in this case from cille meaning a monk’s cell (Egilsay may derive from eaglais a church). This may make it another “Papey” or island of the papar or culdees.
There is a cairn on the island, and it is currently used as rough grazing for sheep.
Kili Holm is made up of red sandstone.
It is separated from Egilsay by Smithy Sound, which dries out at low tide. The north east is known as Point of Ridden, and the north west as Point of Pitten. The west is known as Marlow.
It is due east of Rousay, and much further to the north is Westray.
Coordinates: 59°11′N 2°55′W / 59.183°N 2.917°W / 59.183; -2.917
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Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns (from A' Mhaoirne meaning 'The Stewartry') was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland. It was bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and west, and by Angus on the south.
The Kincardineshire name is retained for a lieutenancy area, a registration county of Scotland and Kincardine and Mearns is a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council.
The county town was originally the town of Kincardine (not, as many believe, the village of Kincardine O'Neil, which was in the County of Aberdeen). The town of Kincardine, however, ceased to exist during the Middle Ages. The only visible sign of its previous existence is the ruin of Kincardine Castle, 2 miles north-east of Fettercairn. In 1296, King John Balliol wrote a letter of surrender from the castle to Edward I of England after a short war which marked the beginning of the wars of Scottish independence. In 1600 Parliament caused the government of Kincardineshire to be conducted at the Stonehaven Tolbooth. The county used to go as far north as the River Dee but in 1891 the Royal Burgh of Torry was incorporated into Aberdeen.
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Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain (including both modern-day England and Wales) and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales. It had a land border with the Kingdom of Scotland to the north. At the start of the period its capital and chief royal residence was Winchester, but Westminster and Gloucester were accorded almost equal status, with Westminster gradually gaining preference.
England as a state began on 12 July 927 after a gathering of kings from throughout Britain at Eamont Bridge, Cumbria, but broadly traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain and the Heptarchy of petty states that followed and ultimately united. The Norman invasion of Wales from 1067–1283 (formalised with the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284) put Wales in England's control, and Wales came under English law with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542. On 1 May 1707, England was united with Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain under the terms of the Acts of Union 1707. Though no longer a sovereign state, modern England continues as one of the countries of the United Kingdom.
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Kinross-shire
Kinross-shire or the County of Kinross is a registration county, electoral ward and historic county in the Perth and Kinross council area in the east central Lowlands of Scotland. Surrounding its largest settlement and county town of Kinross, Kinross-shire borders Perthshire to the north, Fife to the east and south and Clackmannanshire to the west.
Kinross-shire was a local government county, for most of its history running a joint county council with Perthshire. It was finally abolished in 1975, becoming part of the former Tayside Region. Since 1996 it has been part of Perth and Kinross council area.
The area is dominated by Loch Leven, a large inland loch, with 2 islands and home to an internationally important nature reserve. One of the islands contains a castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots, was once held prisoner. Much of the land in Kinross–shire is fertile agricultural land and most of the inhabitants were originally employed on the land. The gently-rolling farmland surrounding Loch Leven gives way to steep, more rugged terrain.
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Kirkcudbrightshire
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright ( /kərˈkuːbriː/ kirr-KOO-bree; Siorrachd Chille Chuithbheirt in Gaelic) or Kirkcudbrightshire (/kərˈkuːbriːʃər/ kirr-KOO-bree-shər) was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire.
Kirkcudbrightshire bounded on the north and north-west by Ayrshire, on the west and southwest by Wigtownshire, on the south and southeast by the Irish Sea and the Solway Firth, and on the east and northeast by Dumfriesshire. It included the small islands of Hestan and Little Ross. It had an area of 575,565 acres (2,323 km²). That area is now part of the unitary authority of Dumfries and Galloway, and is additionally administratively used for property registration.
In 1372 Archibald the Grim, a natural son of Sir James Douglas "the Good", became Lord of Galloway and received in perpetual fee the Crown lands between the Nith and the Cree. He appointed a steward to collect his revenues and administer justice, and there thus arose the designation of the "Stewartry of Kirkcudbright" (see History below).
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Kirkwall
Coordinates: 58°58′52″N 2°57′36″W / 58.981°N 2.960°W / 58.981; -2.960
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty. In 1486, King James III of Scotland elevated Kirkwall to the status of a royal burgh; modern roadsigns still indicate "The City and Royal Burgh of Kirkwall".
The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name Kirkjuvagr (Church Bay), which was later corrupted to Kirkvoe, Kirkwaa and Kirkwall.
Situated on the northern coast of Mainland Orkney and with a population of about 8,500, Kirkwall is a port with ferry services to Aberdeen and Lerwick, as well as the principal north islands in the group. At the heart of the town stands St. Magnus Cathedral, which was founded in memory of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney 1108-1117 by Earl (later Saint) Rögnvald Kali. Next to the Cathedral are the ruins of the former Bishop's Palace and Earl's Palace. The town has two museums: Tankerness House Museum, which is contained within one of Scotland's best-preserved sixteenth century town-houses, contains items of local historical interest. The prehistoric, Pictish and Viking collections are of international importance. The other museum is the Orkney Wireless Museum, dealing with the history of radio and recorded sound.
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Knap of Howar
At Knap of Howar on the island of Papa Westray in Orkney, Scotland, a Neolithic farmstead may be the oldest preserved stone house in northern Europe. Radiocarbon dating shows that it was occupied from 3700 BC to 2800 BC, earlier than the similar houses in the settlement at Skara Brae on the Orkney Mainland.
The farmstead consists of two adjacent rounded rectangular thick-walled buildings with very low doorways facing the sea. The larger and older structure is linked by a low passageway to the other building, which has been interpreted as a workshop or a second house. They were constructed on an earlier midden, and were surrounded by midden material which has protected them. There are no windows; the structures were presumably lit by fire, with a hole in the roof to let out smoke. Though they now stand close to the shore, they would have originally lay inland. The shore shows how the local stone splits into thin slabs, giving a ready source of construction material.
The walls still stand to an eaves height of 1.6m, and the stone furniture is intact giving a vivid impression of life in the house. Fireplaces, partition screens, beds and storage shelves are almost intact, and post holes were found indicating the roof structure.
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Lamb Holm
Lamb Holm is a small uninhabited island in Orkney, Scotland. The remarkable Italian Chapel, constructed during the Second World War, is the island's main attraction.
Lamb Holm lies in Holm Sound, one of the eastern entrances to Scapa Flow, between Mainland, Orkney and the island of Burray, It is 40 hectares (0.15 sq mi) in area.
The Churchill Barriers carry the road from South Ronaldsay to Mainland, Orkney. Lamb Holm is connected to Glims Holm, to the southwest, by Barrier number 2, and to Mainland by Barrier number 1.
The quarry used to build the Churchill Barriers has now been flooded and converted into a fish farm.
Built by Italian prisoners of war during World War II, the highly ornamented Italian Chapel is now the island's main attraction.
In 1942, more than 1300 Italian prisoners of war were captured in North Africa and taken to Orkney, where they remained until early 1945. 550 were taken to Camp 60, where they were put to work building the Churchill Barriers, four causeways created to block access to Scapa Flow.
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Lerwick, Shetland
Coordinates: 60°09′18″N 1°08′42″W / 60.155°N 1.145°W / 60.155; -1.145
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles (160 km) off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland. Lerwick is about 210 miles (340 km) north of Aberdeen, 230 miles (370 km) west of Bergen in Norway and 230 miles (370 km) south east of Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands.
Lerwick, Shetland's only burgh, had a population of about 7,500 residents in 2010 and is the most northerly and most easterly town in Scotland (there are other large settlements more northerly in Shetland, most notable the village of Brae).
One of the UK's coastal weather stations is located at Lerwick.
Lerwick is a name with roots in Old Norse and its local descendant, Norn, which was spoken in Shetland until the mid-19th century. The name "Lerwick" means bay of clay. The corresponding Norwegian name is Leirvik, leir meaning clay and vik meaning "bay" or "inlet". Towns with similar names exist in south western Norway (Leirvik) and on the Faroe Islands as well.
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Linga Holm
Midgarth, also known as the Holm of Midgarth and Linga Holm is an uninhabited Scottish island extending to approximately 57 hectares (0.22 sq mi) situated 700 metres (770 yd) west of Stronsay island in the Orkney archipelago. The name "Linga Holm" is derived from the Old Norse Lyngholm.
In common with many other Orkney islands, Midgarth contains numerous archaeological remains. These include pictish houses and ancient cairns.
Although it is currently uninhabited, a household of six was recorded in 1841.
It is thought to be the third largest breeding ground for the Atlantic Grey Seal in the world, and is an important nesting site for Greylag geese.
Coordinates: 59°07′57″N 2°40′28″W / 59.13256°N 2.67444°W / 59.13256; -2.67444
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Linton Chapel
Linton Chapel is a ruined chapel on the east coast of Shapinsay, Orkney Islands (Grid Reference HY5218). The chapel is thought to date as early as the 12th century AD. Slightly to the south is a megalithic monument, Castle Bloody, in the vicinity of which a rare cotton grass, Eriophorum vaginatum has been identified.
Coordinates: 59°03′08″N 2°49′17″W / 59.0521°N 2.8215°W / 59.0521; -2.8215
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Longhope, Orkney
Coordinates: 58°47′N 3°13′W / 58.79°N 3.21°W / 58.79; -3.21
Longhope is a coastal settlement on the island of South Walls which is one of the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland. South Walls is linked to Hoy by causeway; Longhope is the largest settlement on the two islands.
An RNLI lifeboat has been stationed at Longhope since 1874; a former lifeboat station is now a museum. On 17 March 1969 the station suffered one of the worst tragedies in British lifeboat history when its lifeboat, T.G.B., was lost with all eight crew after answering a mayday call during severe storms. In total, as of 2004, the station has received 26 bravery honours.
Due to its proximity to the former Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow a coastal artillery base, Hackness Gun Battery, was established near Longhope at ND338912. Excavation undertaken by Headland Archaeology proved that this battery had undergone two stages of development. It was built between 1813 and 1815 in response to a perceived threat from American privateers. On recommendations made by the Admiralty the base was constructed alongside one of only three martello towers in Scotland; the others being across the bay from Hackness at Crockness and in Leith. Eight 24-pounder guns were placed in the original battery, but were replaced in 1866 with four 68-pounder guns as part of an overhaul. This remodelling was in response to a perceived threat from Fenians based in America. No guns were ever fired in anger from the battery and the excavated remains have been left for public display.
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Lyness
Coordinates: 58°49′44″N 3°12′14″W / 58.829°N 3.204°W / 58.829; -3.204
Lyness is a village on the east coast of the island of Hoy, Orkney, Scotland.
During the 1920's Lyness was briefly the headquarters of the metal salvage firm of Cox and Danks's raising of the German High Seas Fleet, scuttled by the Germans on June 21st 1919 during the Armistice.
During the Second World War it was home to HMS Proserpine, the main base for the naval fleet based at Scapa Flow.
Today an Orkney Ferries Ro-Ro car ferry links it to Longhope South Walls, the island of Flotta in Scapa Flow, and Houton on Mainland, Orkney.
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Maeshowe
Maeshowe (or Maes Howe; Norse: Orkhaugr) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It gives its name to the Maeshowe type of chambered cairn, which is limited to Orkney. Maeshowe is a magnificent example of Neolithic craftsmanship and is, in the words of the distinguished archaeologist Stuart Piggott, "a superlative monument that by its originality of execution is lifted out of its class into a unique position." The monuments around Maeshowe, including Skara Brae, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
Maeshowe is one of the largest tombs in Orkney; the mound encasing the tomb is 115 feet (35 m) in diameter and rises to a height of 24 feet (7.3 m). Surrounding the mound, at a distance of 50 feet (15 m) to 70 feet (21 m) is a ditch up to 45 feet (14 m) wide. The grass mound hides a complex of passages and chambers built of carefully crafted slabs of flagstone weighing up to 30 tons. It is aligned so that the rear wall of its central chamber held up by a bracketed wall, is illuminated on the winter solstice. A similar display occurs in Newgrange.
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Mainland, Orkney
The Mainland is the main island of Orkney. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections.
Seventy-five per cent of Orkney's population live on the island, which is more densely populated than the other islands of the archipelago. The lengthy history of the island's occupation has provided numerous important archaeological sites and the sandstone bedrock provides a platform for fertile farmland. There is an abundance of wildlife, especially seabirds.
The name Mainland is a corruption of the Old Norse Meginland. Formerly the island was also known as Hrossey meaning "Horse Island". The island is sometimes referred to as "Pomona" (or "Pomonia"), a name that stems from a sixteenth century mis-translation by George Buchanan and which has rarely been used locally, although it is retained in the name of the Pomona Inn at Finstown in the parish of Firth, as well as a local cafe in the capital of Kirkwall also known as the Pomona.
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Midlothian
Midlothian ( /mɪdˈloʊðiən/; Scots: Midlowden, Scottish Gaelic: Meadhan Lodainn) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas.
The County of Midlothian used for local government purposes formerly encompassed the city of Edinburgh, and within these borders still serves as a registration county.
Midlothian Council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the Midlothian district of the Lothian region. The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and it consisted of the local government county of Midlothian, minus the burgh of Musselburgh and Calder, Cramond, Currie and Inveresk areas.
There is a Midlothian constituency of the House of Commons. There was a Midlothian constituency of the Scottish Parliament up to the 2011 elections when it was divided between Midlothian North and Musselburgh and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale.
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Moray
Moray (pronounced Murray, Scottish Gaelic Moireibh or Moireabh, Latin Moravia) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.
The Moray council area was established in 1975; see History of the subdivisions of Scotland and History of local government in Scotland.
The Moray council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the former Moray district of the two-tier Grampian region.
Local government districts had their own directly elected councils. Therefore, they were said to be part of a two-tier system of local government. This was abolished by the 1994 legislation, in favour of unitary council areas. The districts, and the regions, had been formed in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
The Moray district had been formed by combining the local government county of Moray, except Grantown-on-Spey and Cromdale areas, with Aberlour, Buckie, Cullen, Dufftown, Findochty, Keith and Portknockie areas of the county of Banff. The Grantown-on-Spey and Cromdale areas had been combined with Kingussie and Badenoch areas of the county of Inverness to form the Badenoch and Strathspey district of the Highland region.
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Moray Firth Radio
Moray Firth Radio or MFR is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the Scottish Highlands, Moray, the Orkney islands and parts of north west Aberdeenshire. The station, owned and operated by Bauer Radio, broadcasts from studios in the Scorguie area of Inverness and forms part of Bauer's Place Network of stations.
Moray Firth Radio operates two separate services on 97.4 FM (from the Mounteagle transmitter) and 1107 AM.
MFR on FM largely broadcasts contemporary and chart music-led programming alongside hourly news bulletins and traffic & sports updates. The majority of the station's output is produced and broadcast from the Inverness studios. Networked programming shared with the rest of Bauer's Scottish FM stations, is carried between 10pm & 6am each night and on weekend mornings, and broadcasts from Clyde 1's Glasgow studios and Forth 1's Edinburgh studios. As of Saturday 24 September 2011, the station also airs a weekly bilingual music programme in English and Scots Gaelic, which also airs on Argyll FM, Cuillin FM, Isles FM, Nevis Radio and Two Lochs Radio.
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Muckle Green Holm
Muckle Green Holm is an uninhabited island in the North Isles of the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is roughly 28 hectares (0.11 sq mi) in extent and rises to 28 metres above sea level, the summit having a trig point. The literal meaning of the name is somewhat contradictory. 'Holm' is from the Old Norse holmr, meaning a small and rounded islet. 'Muckle' is Scots for 'big' or 'large' so it's a big small island. To the south lies Little Green Holm, and between the two is the Sound of Green Holms. Eastward is a strait called Fall of Warness between Muckle Green Holm and the much larger island of Eday. In these waters the European Marine Energy Centre have installed tidal power testing equipment.
Muckle Green Holm has a Great Cormorant colony and a population of European Otters.
List of Orkney islands
Coordinates: 59°7′48″N 2°49′44″W / 59.13°N 2.82889°W / 59.13; -2.82889
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Nairn (boundaries)
Nairn (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Narann) was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Nairn as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the county area became one of the eight districts of the two-tier Highland region. The county of Nairn survived for registration purposes and, at the same time, the Nairn lieutenancy was defined as having the boundaries of the new district. In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, the local government district was merged into the unitary Highland council area.
The county, also known as Nairnshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Narann), was described in 1846 as:
"about twenty-two miles in length and fifteen miles (35x24 km) in breadth; comprising an area of 200 square miles (520 km2), or 128,000 acres; 2338 houses, of which 2235 are inhabited; and containing a population of 9217."
The county consisted of the royal burgh of Nairn (chartered in 1476), the four parishes of Ardclach, Auldearn, Dyke & Moy and Nairn; and most of the parish of Cawdor, and parts of those of Croy & Dalcross, Moy & Dalarossie, Petty and Urquhart & Logie Wester.
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Nesting, Shetland
Nesting is a parish in the east of Mainland, Shetland. It includes not only a part of the Mainland, measure about twelve miles (19 km) by four, on coast and seaboard from Gletness to Lunna Ness; comprehends also the islands of Whalsay and the Out Skerries, and is much diversified on all its coasts by voes and headlands. The land comprises only about 1,000 acres (4 km2) in tillage, and is mostly pastoral, or waste.
Lunnasting Parish was merged into it.
Nesting is generally divided into a north and south district.
Settlements in Nesting include:
James Stout Angus was from Nesting.
This article incorporates text from - Wilson, Rev. John The Gazetteer of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone
Coordinates: 60°18′N 1°8′W / 60.3°N 1.133°W / 60.3; -1.133
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Netherlands
The Netherlands (
i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdə(r)lɑnt] or [ˈneɪ̯də(r)lɑnt] (
listen); West Frisian: Nederlân; Papiamento: Hulanda) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with some islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces (a case of pars pro toto; see terminology of "the Netherlands").
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North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Tuath, pronounced [ʃirˠəxk iɲiˈɾʲaːɾʲ ə t̪ʰuə]) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South respectively.
The area was created in 1996 as a successor to the district of Cunninghame which covered exactly the same boundaries. The council headquarters are located in Irvine, which is the largest town. The area also contains the towns of Ardrossan, Beith, Dalry, Kilbirnie, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Skelmorlie, Stevenston, West Kilbride, as well as the Isle of Arran and the Cumbrae Isles.
Towns in the north (Largs, Fairlie, West Kilbride) are affluent commuter towns, while Ardrossan, Saltcoats, Stevenston and Kilwinning in the south, are rather more industrial and beset with high unemployment. The inland Garnock Valley towns (Dalry, Beith and Kilbirnie) were once a centre of steel and textile production, however this has long since gone. Tourism is the main industry on Arran and Cumbrae, however the number of holiday homes on the latter has begun to squeeze locals out of the housing market. Regeneration is currently taking place at Ardrossan Harbour and Irvine town centre, and there has been a rapid increase in the building of new housing in recent years.
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North Isles
The North Isles are the northern islands of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. The main islands in the group are Yell, Unst and Fetlar. Sometimes the islands in Yell Sound are included in this group.
They are a significant group, since Yell and Unst are the second and third largest islands in the archipelago, and also the third and fourth most populous (Whalsay, which is not in the group, is the second most populous). Combined, their total land area is far larger than the rest of the Shetland Islands (excluding Mainland) combined.
The group also contains the most northerly land of the United Kingdom and Shetland at Out Stack near Muckle Flugga, and its most northerly settlement Skaw on Unst. These also happen to be the most northerly British territorial claims currently in existence, since Canadian independence, in contradistinction to those of Cornwall, which only represent the southernmost parts of the UK, and not those of British overseas territories, such as the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and British Antarctic Territory. In similar fashion, Britain's most northerly maritime claims are also based on these islands, having great effect on its fishing and oil industries.
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North Lanarkshire
Coordinates: 55°49′44″N 3°55′19″W / 55.829°N 3.922°W / 55.829; -3.922
North Lanarkshire (Scots: North Lanrikshire, Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire. The council covers parts of the traditional counties of Lanarkshire, Dunbartonshire, and Stirlingshire.
The area was formed in 1996, largely from the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Motherwell and Monklands districts and significant elements of Strathclyde Regional Council.
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North Ronaldsay
North Ronaldsay is the northernmost of the Orkney Islands, Scotland and with an area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) is the fourteenth largest.
North Ronaldsay lies around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of its nearest neighbour, Sanday at grid reference HY759542. The island is around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long along its length and is defined by two large sandy bays; Linklet Bay on the eastern shoreline and South Bay at the south. The west of the island is very rocky with many skerries. Low lying and exposed, the island's climate is extremely changeable and frequently inclement. The surrounding waters are stormy and treacherous, and have been a notorious 'graveyard' for ships (hence the unusually early provision of a lighthouse on the island).
Hollandstoun at the south of the island is the most sizable settlement lying roughly equidistant from the airfield and the pier. The island is also home to a bird observatory.
North Ronaldsay has a unique dry stane dyke that surrounds the island whose purpose is to keep the seaweed-eating North Ronaldsay sheep off the arable land.
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Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann pronounced [ˈt̪ˠuəʃcəɾˠt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ] ( listen), Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann or Norlin Airlan) is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. As of 2001, its population was 1,685,000, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland is largely self-governing. According to the agreement, Northern Ireland co-operates with the rest of Ireland – from which it was partitioned in 1921 — on some policy areas, while other areas are reserved for the Government of the United Kingdom, though the Republic of Ireland "may put forward views and proposals".
Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter inter-communal conflict — the Troubles — which was caused by divisions between nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain as a part of the United Kingdom, and generally see themselves as British, while nationalists wish for it to be politically reunited with the rest of Ireland, independent of British rule, and generally see themselves as Irish. Additionally, people from both sides of the community may describe themselves as Northern Irish. Since 1998, most of the paramilitary groups involved in the Troubles have ceased their armed campaigns.
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Norway
Norwayi/ˈnɔrweɪ/ (Norwegian: Norge (Bokmål) or Noreg (Nynorsk)), officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and the subantarctic Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres (148,747 sq mi) and a population of about 5 million. It is the second least densely populated country in Europe. The majority of the country shares a border to the east with Sweden; its northernmost region is bordered by Finland to the south and Russia to the east; in its south Norway borders the Skagerrak Strait across from Denmark. The capital city of Norway is Oslo. Norway's extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, is home to its famous fjords.
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Old Man of Hoy
The Old Man of Hoy is a 449 feet (137 m) sea stack on the island of Hoy. It is a distinctive landmark from the Thurso to Stromness ferry and was first climbed in 1966.
The Old Man of Hoy is a red sandstone stack, perched on a plinth of basalt rock at grid reference HY175007. It stands close to Rackwick Bay on the west coast of the island of Hoy, in the Orkney Islands, Scotland and is a distinctive landmark seen from the Thurso to Stromness ferry. Nearby is The Dwarfie Stane.
The Old Man is probably less than 400 years old and may not get much older, as there are indications that it may soon collapse. On maps drawn between 1600 and 1750, the area appears as a headland with no sea stack. William Daniell, a landscape painter, sketched the sea stack in 1817 as a wider column with a smaller top section and an arch at the base, from which it derived its name. A print of this drawing is still available in local museums. Sometime in the early 19th century, a storm washed away one of the legs leaving it much as it is today, although erosion continues.
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Old Scatness
Old Scatness is an archeological site in the South Mainland of Shetland, near Sumburgh Airport consisting of mediaeval, Viking, Pictish, and Bronze Age remains. It has been a settlement for thousands of years, each new generation adding buildings, and leveling off old ones. A broch was discovered in 1975 and has been dated to 400 – 200BC.
The site was first unearthed during construction work for airport improvements in the late 70's. Since 1995, University of Bradford staff and students, professional archaeologists and local volunteers have been excavating the site and cataloguing the finds.
The site is managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust. In the summer, costumed guides provide tours of the site and the replica Iron Age and Pictish buildings. The visitor centre also includes exhibits, and there are demonstrations of ancient crafts.
Coordinates: 59°52′43″N 1°18′25″W / 59.878704°N 1.306931°W / 59.878704; -1.306931
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Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey (Welsh: Arolwg Ordnans), an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain (and to an extent, the Isle of Man), and one of the world's largest producers of maps with a particular both historical and architectural form in the maps resulting from the conflict at both local and world level of the scales of maps known from the 19th Century as the 'Battle of the Scales'.
The name reflects its creation together with the original military purpose of the organisation (see ordnance and surveying) in the first instance in mapping Scotland at the time of the creation of the British United Kingdom following many centuries of conflict and confirmed later during the Napoleonic Wars when there was a threat of invasion from France, and its logo includes the War Department's broad arrow heraldic mark. Ordnance Survey mapping is usually classified as 'large scale' (i.e. showing more detail) or 'small scale'. Large-scale mapping comprises maps at six inches to the mile or more (1:10,560, superseded by 1:10,000 in the 1950s); it was available in sheet-map form till the 1980s, since when it has become digital. Small-scale mapping comprises maps at fewer than six inches to the mile and includes the "leisure maps", such as the popular one inch to the mile and its metric successors, still available in traditional sheet-map form. Ordnance Survey of Great Britain maps are in copyright for 50 years after publication date. Some of the Copyright Libraries hold complete or near-complete collections of pre-digital O.S. mapping.
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Orkney
Orkney (Scottish Gaelic: Arcaibh) also known as the Orkney Islands (and sometimes "the Orkneys", a name which locals disparage), is an archipelago in northern Scotland, 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the coast of Caithness. Orkney comprises approximately 70 islands of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, known as the "Mainland" has an area of 523.25 square kilometres (202.03 sq mi) making it the sixth largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall.
The name "Orkney" dates back to the 1st century BC or earlier, and the islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years. Originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and forcibly annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. It was subsequently annexed to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Orkney College
Orkney College is a further and higher education college in Orkney, an archipelago in northern Scotland. It is an academic partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands.
The College serves the Orkney community, which is rural and has long had an economy based on agriculture and fishing. Its main campus is a purpose-built site opened in 2000 on the outskirts of Kirkwall. It is one of very few non-incorporated colleges in Scotland and is the responsibility of the Orkney Islands Council, which has devolved many powers, including management, funding and staffing to the College Management Council.
The College has strong links with agriculture and opened an Agronomy Institute in 2002.
Orkney College's courses provide students of all ages with a full range of qualifications from Scottish Vocational Qualifications, Scottish Group Awards (Higher Still) through Higher National Certificate and Diploma to Degree and postgraduate Degree Level. It hosts research in agronomy, archaeology, cultural studies, geophysics, Nordic studies, language and literature.
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Orphir
Orphir (Old Norse: Jorfjara/Orfjara) is a parish and settlement in Mainland, Orkney. It is averagely 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Kirkwall, and comprehends a seaboard tract of about 7 by 3½ miles (11 by 5½ km), and includes Cava and the Holm of Houton. The coast includes Houton Head, about 300 ft tall (91 m), but all elsewhere is nearly level; and the interior is an assemblage of vales and hills, the latter culminating at about 700 feet (210 m) above sea level, and commanding fine views.
A chief residence was the Hall of Clestrain; and chief antiquities include the ruins of Earl Paul's Palace, remains of pre-Reformation chapels, and several tumuli.
John Rae (30 September 1813 – 22 July 1893), the explorer of Canada's Arctic was born at the Hall of Clestrain in this parish.
This article incorporates text from - Wilson, Rev. John The Gazetteer of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone
Coordinates: 58°56′N 3°9′W / 58.933°N 3.15°W / 58.933; -3.15
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Outer Hebrides
Coordinates: 57°46′N 7°01′W / 57.76°N 7.02°W / 57.76; -7.02
The Outer Hebrides (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Siar, IPA: [nə ˈhelanən ˈʃiəɾ]) also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. They form part of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch and the Sea of the Hebrides. Scottish Gaelic is the predominant spoken language, although in a few areas English speakers form a majority.
Most of the islands have a bedrock formed from ancient metamorphic rocks and the climate is mild and oceanic. The 15 inhabited islands have a total population of about 26,500 and there are more than 50 substantial uninhabited islands. From Barra Head to the Butt of Lewis is roughly 210 kilometres (130 mi).
There are various important prehistoric structures, many of which pre-date the first written references to the islands by Roman and Greek authors. The Western Isles became part of the Norse kingdom of the Suðreyjar, which lasted for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Control of the islands was then held by clan chiefs, principal of whom were the MacLeods, MacDonalds, Mackenzies and MacNeils. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century had a devastating effect on many communities and it is only in recent years that population levels have ceased to decline. Much of the land is now under local control and commercial activity is based on tourism, crofting, fishing, and weaving.
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Papa Stronsay
Papa Stronsay (Old Norse: Papey Minni) is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying north east of Stronsay. It is 74 hectares (0.29 sq mi) in size, and 13 metres (43 ft) at its highest point.
According to folklore, some of the natives were descended from a female selkie. This was because they had horny skin on their feet and hands, and permanently smelt of fish.
The island has remains of two chapels. One dates from the eleventh century, and an eighth century Pictish monastery may lie under it. It has been described as the most northerly early Christian monastery ever found. Other remains include cairns and a Burnt mound, and a number of abandoned crofts.
The island is one of the "Papey"s or "islands of the papar. Joseph Anderson noted that:
The Orkneyinga saga recalls in Chapter XXXIV that Earl Rögnvald was killed on Papa Stronsay in 1046:
Everyone agrees that of all the Earls of Orkney Rögnvald Brusason was the most popular and gifted, and his death was mourned by many (Orkneyinga saga Ch. XXIX).
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Papa Westray
Papa Westray, also known as Papay, is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a population of 65 at the time of the 2001 Census, now increased to 70 people. The soil is very fertile, and this has long been a draw to the island.
Current historical attractions on the island include Holland House with an associated folk museum and the Knap of Howar Neolithic farmstead (Historic Scotland).
It is the tenth largest of the Orkney Islands with an area of 3½ square miles (about 9 km²). It is the second smallest inhabited island in Orkney.
Orkney Ferries sail from Papa Westray to Pierowall and Rapness on Westray, and Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. Britten-Norman Islanders operated by Loganair fly from Papa Westray Airport to Westray and Kirkwall; the hop from Papa Westray to Westray is the world's shortest scheduled flight, at approximately 2 minutes.
At the northern tip of the island lies North Hill 49 metres (161 ft), the island's highest point and an RSPB nature reserve. Many sea birds breed on the island, including Arctic terns and Arctic skuas. It was one of the last places where the Great Auk was found; the last individual was killed in 1813. The reserve is also home to the rare and tiny purple-flowered Scottish primrose Primula Scotica.
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Papa Westray Airport
Papa Westray Airport (IATA: PPW, ICAO: EGEP) is located 22 NM (41 km; 25 mi) north of Kirkwall Airport on Papa Westray, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The facility is best known for being one of the two airports joined by the shortest scheduled flight in the world, a leg of Loganair's inter-island service, to Westray Airport. The distance is 2.8 km (1.7 mi), the scheduled flight time, including taxiing, is two minutes.
Papa Westray Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P542) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Orkney Islands Council). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
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Peeblesshire
Peeblesshire (Siorrachd nam Pùballan in Gaelic), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale was a county of Scotland. Its main town was Peebles, and it bordered Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lanarkshire to the west.
After the local government reorganisation of 1975 the use of the name Peeblesshire was discontinued, and the area was governed as the district of Tweeddale.
The term Peeblesshire is still in common usage with local inhabitants as a form of identity and is regularly used in addresses as opposed to 'Tweedale' or 'Scottish Borders'. The local newspaper is called the Peeblesshire News and the area Peeblesshire used to cover approximates to the current catchment of Peebles High School.
Coordinates: 55°45′N 3°15′W / 55.75°N 3.25°W / 55.75; -3.25
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Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt), is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south. It was a local government county from 1890 to 1930.
Perthshire was known as the "big county" and had a wide variety of landscapes, from the rich agricultural straths in the east, to the high mountains of the southern Highlands.
Perthshire was a top-level local government area between 1890 and 1975, governed by a county council. From 1930, a joint county council was formed with the neighbouring small county of Kinross-shire, linking the two.
The county was abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and split between Central and Tayside Regions:
The two-tier system introduced in 1975 was replaced by a system of unitary authorities in 1996. The area of the former county is now divided between the council areas of Clackmannanshire, Perth and Kinross and Stirling. The area included in Dundee in 1975 was transferred to Perth and Kinross.
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Prehistoric Orkney
Prehistoric Orkney refers to a period in the human occupation of the Orkney archipelago of Scotland that was the latter part of these islands' prehistory. The period of prehistory prior to occupation by the genus Homo is part of the geology of Scotland. Although some written records refer to Orkney during the Roman invasions of Scotland, prehistory in northern Scotland does not end until the commencement of the Early Historic Period around AD 600.
There are numerous important prehistoric remains in Orkney, especially from the Neolithic period, four of which form a World Heritage Site. There are diverse reasons for the abundance of the archaeological record. The sandstone bedrock provides easily workable stone materials and the wind-blown sands have helped preserve several sites. The relative lack of industrialisation and low incidence of ploughing also have helped to preserve these ancient monuments. Local tradition hints at both a fear and veneration of these ancient structures (perhaps inherited from the Norse period of occupation) that may have helped to retain their structural integrity.
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Rendall
Rendall (Old Norse: Rennudalr or Rennadal) is a former parish in Mainland, Orkney. It is in the north west of the island and lies east of the parishes of Birsay and Evie and north east of Harray. The island of Gairsay is also in the parish.
Rendall was later merged with Evie, and now forms part of the civil parish of Evie and Rendall.
Coordinates: 59°4′6″N 3°3′35″W / 59.06833°N 3.05972°W / 59.06833; -3.05972
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Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east. The term Renfrewshire may also be used to refer to this historic county, also known as the County of Renfrew or Greater Renfrewshire, which remains in use as a registration county and lieutenancy area.
Although containing the traditional county town of Renfrew, from which its name derives, the centre of local government in Renfrewshire is found in the nearby town of Paisley, which is the area's main settlement. Renfrewshire borders the south-west of Glasgow, lying on the south bank of the River Clyde, and contains many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages.
Present day Renfrewshire borders the south-west of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages. Renfrewshire also has boundaries with North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire. Although by area one of Scotland's smallest unitary authorities (excluding the cities), it is one of the country's most populous areas, being the fifth largest unitary authority and the ninth largest including the city authorities.
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Republic of Ireland
Ireland (/ˈaɪərlənd/ or /ˈɑrlənd/; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen)) is a sovereign state in Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. Its capital is Dublin. The population of the state was 4.59 million in 2011. It is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy, with an elected president serving as head of state. In the 1937 constitution, the name of the state is given as simply "Ireland". The Constitution of Ireland (Article 4) and the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 provides that the "Republic of Ireland" (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann) is "the description of the state".
Ireland is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. A developed country with the seventh highest Human Development Index, Ireland is also highly ranked for press freedom, economic freedom and democracy and political freedom.
The modern Irish state was established in 1922 as the Irish Free State, a dominion within the British Empire, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty which brought an end to the Irish War of Independence. The partition of Ireland had already been provided for in previous British legislation in 1921 in response to opposition to Irish Home Rule or independence by Unionists, who formed a majority in the north-eastern part of the country. Six of the nine counties in the northern province of Ulster were established under that legislation as Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with which the Irish state shares its only land border. The state is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south east, and the Irish Sea to the east.
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Ring of Brodgar
The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar, or Ring o' Brodgar) is a Neolithic henge and stone circle on the Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, Scotland. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney
The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar, or Ring o' Brodgar) is a Neolithic henge and stone circle in Orkney, Scotland. Most henges do not contain stone circles; Brodgar is a striking exception, ranking with Avebury (and to a lesser extent Stonehenge) among the greatest of such sites. The ring of stones stands on a small isthmus between the Lochs of Stenness and Harray. These are the northernmost examples of circle henges in Britain. Unlike similar structures such as Avebury, there are no obvious stones inside the circle, but since the interior of the circle has never been excavated by archaeologists, the possibility remains that wooden structures, for example, may be present. The site has resisted attempts at scientific dating and the monument's age remains uncertain. It is generally thought to have been erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC, and was, therefore, the last of the great Neolithic monuments built on the Ness. A project called The Ring of Brodgar Excavation 2008 was undertaken in the summer of the year in an attempt to settle the age issue and help answer other questions about a site that remains relatively poorly understood. The results of the excavation are still preliminary.
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Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty:
committee area (1996-date)
Ross and Cromarty:
lieutenancy area (1996-date)
Ross and Cromarty:
district council (1975-1996)
Ross and Cromarty:
county (1889-1975)
Ross and Cromarty (Ros agus Cromba in Gaelic) is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use. Historically there has been a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (1832 to 1983), a local government county (1890 to 1975), a district of the Highland local government region (1975 to 1996) and a management area of the Highland Council (1996 to 2007). The local government county is now divided between two local government areas: the Highland area and Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Western Isles).
The region has some of the most spectacular landscapes, and among the oldest rock formations in Europe. The rocks are of Cambrian and Precambrian age. The population is very low, being mainly engaged in fishing and tourism. Crofting is widespread.
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Ross-shire
Coordinates: 57°48′N 5°00′W / 57.8°N 5.0°W / 57.8; -5.0
Ross-shire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Rois) is an area in the Highland Council Area in Scotland. The name is now used as a geographic or cultural term, equivalent to Ross. Until 1889 the term denoted a county of Scotland, also known as the County of Ross. The county bordered on Sutherland, Cromartyshire (of which it contained many exclaves), Inverness-shire and an exclave of Nairnshire. It included most of Ross as well as Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Dingwall was the traditional county town.
Under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 Ross-shire was combined with Cromartyshire to form the single local government county of Ross and Cromarty, which continued until 1975. Ross and Cromarty was also known as Ross-shire, which was the name of the postal county which covered the mainland part of the local government county, and remained the postal county until 1996.
In 1975, Ross and Cromarty was itself replaced by the Highland region and the Western Isles, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The region became a unitary council area in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.
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Rousay
Rousay (Old Norse: Hrólfsey meaning Rolf's Island) is a small, hilly island about 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Orkney's Mainland, off the north coast of Scotland, and has been nicknamed "the Egypt of the north", due to its archaeological diversity and importance.
It is separated from mainland Orkney by the Eynhallow Sound, and, like its neighbours Egilsay and Wyre, can be reached by a ro-ro ferry (MV Eynhallow) from Tingwall, on the mainland of Orkney, which takes 20–25 minutes. This service is operated by Orkney Ferries, and can take up to 95 passengers (reduced to 50 in winter), and 10 cars. The ferry links the islands of Rousay, Egilsay, and Wyre with each other, and with the mainland of Orkney.
In the 2001 census, Rousay had a population of 212 people. Most employment opportunities are in farming, fishing or fish-farming; there are also craft businesses and some seasonal tourism-related work. There is one circular road round the island, about 23 kilometres (14 mi) long, and most arable land lies in the few hundred yards between this and the coastline. With an area of 4,860 hectares (18.8 sq mi), it is the fifth largest of the Orkney Islands.
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Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.
It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh. Roxburghshire is now within the Scottish Borders council area.
Until 1975, Roxburghshire was one of the counties of Scotland, governed by a county council from 1890. The county council was based in Newtown St Boswells. At the time of the county's abolition it contained four burghs and four districts:
The ancient royal burgh of Roxburgh, from which the county had taken its name, had fallen into decay by the fifteenth century.
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 abolished the county and incorporated its area into the Borders Region. Borders was divided into four districts, one of which was named Roxburgh. Roxburgh District consisted of the former county less the Melrose area (which was included in Ettrick and Lauderdale District), plus the parish of Nenthorn from Berwickshire. The regional and four district councils were abolished in 1996, merging to form the present Scottish Borders council area.
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Rusk Holm
Rusk Holm is a small island in the Orkney Islands, near Faray to the west.
There is a prehistoric cairn on it .
Rusk Holm is also home to "Holmie Sheep", which are similar to the North Ronaldsay sheep.
Corn Holm is made up of red sandstone.
It is in Rapness Sound.
Coordinates: 59°12′N 2°51′W / 59.2°N 2.85°W / 59.2; -2.85
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Rysa Little
Rysa Little is an uninhabited island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is approximately 32 hectares in extent and rises to 20 metres (66 feet) above sea level.
It is situated in the Scapa Flow just offshore from the much larger island of Hoy and nearby is the islet of Cava. Between Rysa Little and Fara lies Gutter Sound, the scene of the mass-scuttling of the interned German Imperial High Seas Fleet in 1919.
Many of the smaller South Isles of Orkney lost their resident populations during the course of the twentieth century, but Rysa Little has not been inhabited since earlier times.
List of Orkney islands
Coordinates: 58°51′36″N 3°11′45″W / 58.86°N 3.19583°W / 58.86; -3.19583
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Sanday Airport
Sanday Airport (IATA: NDY, ICAO: EGES) is located 20 NM (37 km; 23 mi) north northeast of Kirkwall Airport on Sanday, Orkney Islands, Scotland.
Sanday Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P541) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Orkney Islands Council). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
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Sanday, Orkney
Sanday is one of the inhabited islands in the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland. With an area of 50.43 square kilometres (19.5 sq mi), it is the third largest of the Orkney Islands. The main centres of population are Lady Village and Kettletoft. Sanday can be reached by Orkney Ferries or plane from Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. Cultural activities revolve around the school.
Sanday, so called because of its sandy beaches, is thought to have been mostly underwater at some periods of prehistory. Archaeological evidence suggests that it at one time consisted of several smaller islands which joined together when the sea level decreased. There is a similarly named island, Sandoy, in the Faroe Islands. The island has large sand dunes where seals and otters can be found. Inland it is fertile and agricultural and there is some commercial lobster fishing. The underlying geology is predominantly Devonian sediments of the Rousay flagstone group with Eday sandstone in the south east.
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Sandsting
Sandsting is a parish in the west of Mainland, Shetland forming a southern arm of the Walls Peninsula. It contains the hamlet of Garderhouse, and the islands of Vementry and Papa Little[citation needed] on the south side of St Magnus Bay, and comprehends a mainland district of about ten miles by eight between that bay, and Scalloway Bay.
The coast is partly bold, and cavernous; the seaboard is cut into sections by long bays; and the interior is mostly an assemblage of knolls and hillocks, with a profusion of heath and interspersions of moss.
The seats are Sandhouse, Garde and Reawick. The antiquities include standing stones, tumuli, Norse fortifications and old burial grounds.
Coordinates: 60°13′N 1°24′W / 60.217°N 1.4°W / 60.217; -1.4
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Sandwick, Orkney
Sandwick (Old Norse: Sandvík, meaning "Sand Bay") is a parish on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney. It commences four miles north of Stromness.
The coast, except at the small sandy bay (whence the parish's name) consists of cavernous cliffs, from 100-200 ft, and includes a lofty natural arch called the hole of Rowe, and is much flanked by insulated pillar-rocks.
The interior is much diversified, and comprises both a large aggregate of flat arable land, and a considerable extent of hilly ground, partly more than 300 ft high.
The chief residence is Skaill House, and chief antiquities include numerous tumuli, a vitrified cairn, a remarkable cromlech, a remnant of a very large stone circle, five Norse forts, and the ruins of Sunsgar castle. Notably, Skara Brae and Yesnaby are in this parish. Sandwick is the biggest parish in Orkney.
St Peter's is an unaltered Church of Scotland Parish Kirk of 1836 situated on an exposed site near the Bay of Skaill. A large harled church, with two tall windows in the centre, a bellcote and a slate roof; the interior evokes the experience of Presbyterian worship in the 19th century when over 500 people attended the church. It was acquired by the Scottish Redundant Churches Trust in 1998 and restored between 2002-3.
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Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow (Old Norse: Skalpaflói—"bay of the long isthmus") is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about 312 square kilometres (120 sq mi). It has a shallow sandy bottom not deeper than 60 metres (200 ft) and most of it about 30 metres (98 ft) deep, and is one of the great natural harbours/anchorages of the world, with sufficient space to hold a number of navies. Viking ships anchored in Scapa Flow more than 1000 years ago, but it is best known as the site of the United Kingdom's chief naval base during World War I and World War II. The base was closed in 1956.
The Viking expeditions to Orkney are recorded in detail in the 11th century Orkneyinga sagas and later texts such as the Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar. According to the latter, King Haakon IV of Norway anchored his fleet, including the flagship Kroussden that could carry nearly 300 men, on 5 August 1263 at St Margaret's Hope, where he witnessed an eclipse of the sun prior to sailing south to the Battle of Largs. En route back to Norway Haakon anchored some of his fleet in Scapa Flow for the winter, but he died that December whilst staying at the Bishop's Palace in Kirkwall. In the 15th century towards the end of Norse rule in Orkney, the islands were run by the jarls from large manor farms, some of which were sited at Burray, Burwick, Paplay, Hoy, and Cairston (near Stromness) to guard the entrances to the Flow.
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Scotland
Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba ([ˈalˠ̪apə] listen (help·info))) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland constitutes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, the title of Europe's oil capital.
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Scottish Highlands
The Highlands (Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, "the place of the Gaels"; Scots: the Hielands) are an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands. The term is also used for the area north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east. The Great Glen divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands. The Scottish Gaelic name of A' Ghàidhealtachd literally means "the place of the Gaels" and traditionally, from a Gaelic-speaking point of view, includes both the Western Isles and the Highlands.
The area is very sparsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region, and includes the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. Before the 19th century the Highlands was home to a much larger population, but due to a combination of factors including the outlawing of the traditional Highland way of life following the Jacobite Rising of 1745, the infamous Highland Clearances, and mass migration to urban areas during the Industrial Revolution, the area is now one of the most sparsely populated in Europe. The average population density in the Highlands and Islands is lower than that of Sweden, Norway, Papua New Guinea and Argentina.
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Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: The Scots Pairliament) is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Members are elected for four-year terms under the mixed member proportional representation system. As a result, 73 MSPs represent individual geographical constituencies elected by the plurality ("first past the post") system, with a further 56 returned from eight additional member regions, each electing seven MSPs. The most recent general election to the Parliament was held on 5 May 2011.
The original Parliament of Scotland (or "Estates of Scotland") was the national legislature of the independent Kingdom of Scotland, and existed from the early 13th century until the Kingdom of Scotland merged with the Kingdom of England under the Acts of Union 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. As a consequence, the Parliament of Scotland merged with the Parliament of England to form the Parliament of Great Britain, which sat at Westminster in London.
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Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Shalcraig) is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Berwickshire to the north-east, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. It derives its name from its county town, the Royal burgh of Selkirk.
Until 1975 it was an one of the thirty three administrative counties of Scotland, with a county council formed by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. Under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 the use of counties as local government areas was abolished across Scotland, with its area becoming part of the Ettrick and Lauderdale district of the Borders Region. Unlike many counties, Selkirkshire has not continued to exist as a lieutenancy areas, but has become part of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale for these purposes.
In the 1st Century AD Selkirk formed part of the lands of the Gadeni who hunted it rather than settled there. Neither the Romans, Angles, or the Saxons cleared much of the forestry there and for centuries Selkirk was known for its forest coverage. Indeed an alternative name for the county was Ettrick Forest. Under the Scottish kings the forest was regarded as Royal. Despite this it was not until the reign of James V that sheriffs were appointed to administer the county on the Crown's behalf. Under Edward I of England, the forest was granted to the Earl of Gloucester. Later, the Earl of Pembroke assumed the hereditary sheriffdom. Under and after King Robert the Bruce, the Earls of Douglas, and later Earls of Angus administered the county on behalf of the Crown, until the Union of the Crowns.
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Shapinsay
Shapinsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. There is one village on the island, Balfour, from which roll-on/roll-off car ferries sail to Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. Balfour Castle, built in the Scottish Baronial style, is one of the island's most prominent features, a reminder of the Balfour family's domination of Shapinsay during the 18th and 19th centuries; the Balfours transformed life on the island by introducing new agricultural techniques. Other landmarks include a standing stone, an Iron Age broch, a souterrain and a salt-water shower.
With an area of 29.5 square kilometres (11.4 sq mi), Shapinsay is the eighth largest island in the Orkney archipelago. It is low-lying and fertile, consequently most of the area is given over to farming. Shapinsay has two nature reserves and is notable for its bird life.
As of the 2001 census, Shapinsay has a population of 300. The economy of the island is primarily based on agriculture with the exception of a few small businesses that are largely tourism-related. Plans for the construction of a wind turbine are under consideration.
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Shetland
Coordinates: 60°18′14″N 1°16′08″W / 60.3038°N 1.2689°W / 60.3038; -1.2689 Shetland (/ˈʃɛtlənd/) (from Middle Scots Ȝetland) is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast of Orkney and 280 km (170 mi) southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total area is 1,468 km2 (567 sq mi) and the population totalled 22,210 in 2009. Comprising the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, Shetland is also one of the 32 council areas of Scotland; the islands' administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick.
The largest island, known simply as "Mainland", has an area of 967 km2 (373 sq mi), making it the third-largest Scottish island and the fifth-largest of the British Isles. There are an additional 15 inhabited islands. The archipelago has an oceanic climate, a complex geology, a rugged coastline and many low, rolling hills.
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Skara Brae
Skara Brae ( /ˈskɑrə ˈbreɪ/) is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It consists of ten clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3180 BCE–2500 BCE. Europe's most complete Neolithic village, Skara Brae gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status as one of four sites making up "The Heart of Neolithic Orkney." Older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids, it has been called the "Scottish Pompeii" because of its excellent preservation.
In the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths. In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll, known in Scottish as a howe, which had been a local landmark. When the storm cleared, local villagers found in place of the howe an intact village, albeit without roofs. For about the next 75 years there were no serious scientific investigations of Skara Brae. In one weekend in 1913, the site was plundered by a party with shovels taking away an unknown quantity of artifacts. In 1924 another storm swept away part of one of the houses and it was determined the site should be made secure and more seriously investigated. The job was given to University of Edinburgh professor Vere Gordon Childe. In mid-1927 Childe traveled to Skara Brae for the first time.
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South Ronaldsay
South Ronaldsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. It is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, running via Burray, Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm.
With an area of 4,980 hectares (19.2 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of the Orkney islands after The Mainland, Hoy and Sanday.Ferries sail from Burwick on the island to John o' Groats on the Scottish mainland and from St Margaret's Hope to Gills Bay.
South Ronaldsay's main village is St Margaret's Hope, Orkney's third largest settlement. It is named either after Margaret, Maid of Norway, the heir to the Scottish throne who died in Orkney age seven or possibly St. Margaret. The village has a small blacksmith's museum and is known for its annual Boys' Ploughing Match. During this event young girls dressed in dark jackets play the part of the horses and young boys using miniature ploughs compete with one another at ploughing furrows in the nearby sands.
The cardinal points of the island are Ayre of Cara, by Churchill Barrier no. 4 (north), Grim Ness (east), Brough Ness, (south) and Hoxa Head, (west). The highest elevation is Ward Hill, which reaches 118 metres (387 ft). This name is common one in Orkney for the highest point on an island and comes from the historic use of these places used for the lighting of warning beacons.
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South Walls
South Walls is an inhabited island adjacent to Hoy in Orkney, Scotland. The name is a corruption of "Sooth Was", which means the "southern voes" - as with Kirkwall, it was assumed that it was a mispronunciation of "walls".
South Walls forms the southern side of the harbour of Longhope. It was a tidal island until a narrow causeway, was constructed over the sandbank, which was known as the Ayre, although this name has become transferred to the causeway itself. Although sometimes considered to be a peninsula, it is an island in all but name.
South Walls is a popular stopping off place for Barnacle Geese.
The island, like most of the Orkney archipelago, is made up of old red sandstone with the Rousay Flagstone Group predominating.
The island is more or less oval in shape, but there is a small promontory, called Cantick Head in the south east, which is created by Kirk Hope (Church Bay). It is separated from Hoy by an arm of the sea, also called Longhope. The area to the south of the causeway is known as Aith Hope.
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St Andrews, Orkney
St Andrews is a parish in Mainland, Orkney. It is located east of the town of Kirkwall and the parish of St Ola and lies north of Holm and west of Deerness. The settlements of Tankerness, Toab and Foubister are in the parish, as is Kirkwall Airport.
Saint Andrews is on the east side of Mainland, and extends from the eastern boundary of Kirkwall parish to the sea, and includes the island of Kirkholm.
The land is mostly flat, but has diversities of surface, and rises nowhere higher than 350 ft. The coast includes both sandy beach and precipitous rock, and has a large sea cavern.
For certain purposes, St Andrews and Deerness have been united.
Coordinates: 58°57′26″N 2°51′45″W / 58.95722°N 2.8625°W / 58.95722; -2.8625
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St Kilda, Scotland
Coordinates: 57°49′N 8°35′W / 57.817°N 8.583°W / 57.817; -8.583
St Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: Hiort) is an isolated archipelago 64 kilometres (40 mi) west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. It contains the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The largest island is Hirta, whose sea cliffs are the highest in the United Kingdom and three other islands (Dùn, Soay and Boreray), were also used for grazing and seabird hunting. The islands are administratively a part of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar local authority area.
St Kilda may have been permanently inhabited for at least two millennia, the population probably never exceeding 180 (and certainly no more than 100 after 1851). The entire population was evacuated from Hirta (the only inhabited island) in 1930. Currently, the only year-round residents are defence personnel although a variety of conservation workers, volunteers and scientists spend time there in the summer months.
The origin of the name St Kilda is a matter of conjecture. The islands' human heritage includes numerous unique architectural features from the historic and prehistoric periods, although the earliest written records of island life date from the Late Middle Ages. The medieval village on Hirta was rebuilt in the 19th century, but the influences of religious zeal, illnesses brought by increased external contacts through tourism, and the First World War all contributed to the island's evacuation in 1930. The story of St Kilda has attracted artistic interpretations, including an opera.
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St Magnus Cathedral
St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the British Isles, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built for the bishops of Orkney when the islands were ruled by the Norse Earls of Orkney. It is owned not by the church, but by the burgh of Kirkwall as a result of an act of King James III of Scotland following Orkney's annexation by the Scottish Crown in 1468. It has its own dungeon.
Its construction commenced in 1137 and it was added to over the next three hundred years. The first Bishop was William the Old, and the diocese was under the authority of the Archbishop of Nidaros in Norway. It was for Bishop William that the nearby Bishop's Palace was built.
Before the Reformation, the Cathedral was presided over by the Bishop of Orkney, whose seat was in Kirkwall. Today it is a parish church of the Church of Scotland.
The Orkneyinga Saga tells how bloodthirsty intrigue and saintly piety led to the Cathedral's foundation (summarised below). Other accounts tell a similar, though slightly less saintly, tale.
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St Ola
St Ola is a parish in Mainland, Orkney. It is in the centre of the island, east of the parish Firth and north of Holm. It contains the capital and largest town of the Orkney archipelago, Kirkwall. Both Kirkwall (Old Norse: kirkjuvagr, church-bay) and St Ola may take their name from the church of St. Olaf, built about 1035 on the north bank of the Papdale Burn.
Highland Park, the second most northerly Scotch whisky distillery is on the outskirts of Kirkwall.
Several ships of the North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company (later P&O Scottish Ferries) were named St Ola.
Coordinates: 58°58′5″N 2°58′2″W / 58.96806°N 2.96722°W / 58.96806; -2.96722
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St. Magnus Cathedral
St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the British Isles, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built for the bishops of Orkney when the islands were ruled by the Norse Earls of Orkney. It is owned not by the church, but by the burgh of Kirkwall as a result of an act of King James III of Scotland following Orkney's annexation by the Scottish Crown in 1468. It has its own dungeon.
Its construction commenced in 1137 and it was added to over the next three hundred years. The first Bishop was William the Old, and the diocese was under the authority of the Archbishop of Nidaros in Norway. It was for Bishop William that the nearby Bishop's Palace was built.
Before the Reformation, the Cathedral was presided over by the Bishop of Orkney, whose seat was in Kirkwall. Today it is a parish church of the Church of Scotland.
The Orkneyinga Saga tells how bloodthirsty intrigue and saintly piety led to the Cathedral's foundation (summarised below). Other accounts tell a similar, though slightly less saintly, tale.
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Stenness
Stenness is a village and parish on the Orkney Mainland in Scotland. It contains several notable prehistoric monuments including the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar.
Stenness parish adjoins the southern extremity of the Loch of Stenness, and also some notable standing stones. It is bounded on the west by the efflux of the loch, and a branch of Hoy Sound, and has been politically merged with Firth.
In Old Norse: Steinnes or Steinsnes means headland/peninsula of the stone.
The area has been inhabited for a considerable time. Near the village are located several notable prehistoric monuments including the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar.
This article incorporates text from Wilson, Rev. John The Gazetteer of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone
Coordinates: 58°59′9″N 3°12′30″W / 58.98583°N 3.20833°W / 58.98583; -3.20833
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Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling (Scots: Coontie o Stirlin, Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.
Until 1975 it was a county. Until the 1890s the county had two small exclaves: part of the parish of Logie, which was surrounded by Perthshire, and the parish of Alva, locally in Clackmannanshire. The Perthshire part of Logie was added to Stirlingshire, while Alva was annexed by Clackmannanshire.
In 1975 most of Stirlingshire was included in the Central Region, with Kilsyth and surrounding area becoming part of Strathclyde Region. Since 1996 the area of the former county has been part of the council areas of East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire and Stirling.
The County Council of Stirling was granted a coat of arms by Lord Lyon King of Arms on September 29, 1890. The design of the arms commemorated the Scottish victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in the county. On the silver saltire on blue of St Andrew was placed the rampant red lion from the royal arms of Scotland. Around this were placed two caltraps and two spur-rowels recalling the use of the weapons against the English cavalry.
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Stromness
Coordinates: 58°58′N 3°18′W / 58.96°N 3.3°W / 58.96; -3.3
Stromness local /ˈstrɒmnəs/ is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.
The name "Stromness" comes from the Norse Straumsnes.Straum refers to the strong tides that rip past the Point of Ness through Hoy Sound to the south of the town. Nes means "headland". Stromness thus means "headland protruding into the tidal stream ". In Viking times the anchorage where Stromness now stands was called Hamnavoe, meaning "peaceful" or "safe harbour".
A long-established seaport, it has a population of approximately 2,190 residents. The old town is clustered along the characterful and winding main street, flanked with houses and shops built from local stone, with narrow lanes and alleys branching off it. There is a ferry link from Stromness to Scrabster on the north coast of mainland Scotland.
First recorded as the site of an inn in the 16th century, Stromness became important during the late 17th century, when England was at war with France and shipping was forced to avoid the English Channel. Ships of the Hudson's Bay Company were regular visitors, as were whaling fleets. Large numbers of Orkneymen, many of whom came from the Stromness area, served as traders, explorers and seamen for both. Stromness Museum reflects these aspects of the town's history (displaying for example important collections of whaling relics, and Inuit artefacts brought back as souvenirs by local men from Greenland and Arctic Canada). An unusual aspect of the town's character is the large number of buildings decorated with displays of whale bones outside them.
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Stronsay
Stronsay is an island in Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland. The main village is Whitehall, home to a heritage centre. It is 3,275 hectares (13 sq mi) in size, and 44 metres (144 ft) at its highest point.
Sights on the island include the Vat of Kirbister natural arch and seabirds including arctic terns.
Orkney Ferries sail from Whitehall to Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland, and planes fly there from the island's airstrip.
There is one school on the island which is for both Primary and Secondary pupils. There is a Church of Scotland kirk and two Catholic chapels.
Two flint arrowheads discovered at a site investigated by Orkney College in April 2007 are believed to date from the late Paleolithic or early Mesolithic periods some 10-12,000 years ago. They were found amongst a scattered collection of other tools on a farm. If confirmed they could be the earliest human artifacts found so far in Scotland.
The island is now agricultural, but during the 18th and 19th centuries, kelp collection and herring curing employed up to five thousand people. The population while still high for a Scottish island was over a thousand for the entire 19th century, and up until the mid 20th century. The 1891 census, for example, recorded a population of 1275 people, excluding seasonal itinerants involved in the herring industry.
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Stronsay Airport
Stronsay Airport (IATA: SOY, ICAO: EGER) is located 15 NM (28 km; 17 mi) northeast by north of Kirkwall Airport on Stronsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland.
Stronsay Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P540) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Orkney Islands Council). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
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Sule Skerry
Sule Skerry is a remote skerry in the North Atlantic off the north coast of Scotland.
Sule Skerry lies 60 kilometres west of the Orkney Mainland at grid reference HX621244. Sule Skerry's sole neighbour, Sule Stack, lies 10km to the southwest. The remote islands of Rona and Sula Sgeir lie approximately 80km further to the west. Sule Skerry and Sule Stack are both a part of the Orkney Islands council area.
Sule Skerry is 16 ha in area and about 0.8 kilometres long along its length. It reaches a height of 12 meters. It is formed of Lewisian gneiss.
There is a lighthouse at the centre high point of the island and a number of small cairns around the periphery.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Sule Skerry lighthouse was the most remote manned lighthouse in Great Britain from its opening in 1895 to its automation in 1982. Its remote location meant that construction could only take place during the summer, thus it took from 1892-94 to complete.
A meteorological buoy used in Met Office's Marine Automatic Weather Station (MAWS) Network is located off Sule Skerry. Results from the buoy are used in the Shipping Forecast.
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Sule Stack
Sule Stack or Stack Skerry is an extremely remote island or stack in the North Atlantic off the north coast of Scotland. It is formed of Lewisian gneiss.
Sule Stack lies 66 kilometres west of the Orkney mainland at grid reference HX561179. Sule Stack's sole neighbour, Sule Skerry, lies 10 km to the north east and the remote islands of Rona and Sula Sgeir lie further to the west.
Sule Stack and Sule Skerry are home to thousands of Gannets and as a result are listed as a Special Protection Area.
Sule Stack comes within the administrative region of Orkney Islands.
Bird species nesting on the stack include:
Coordinates: 59°01′26″N 4°30′30″W / 59.02382°N 4.50846°W / 59.02382; -4.50846
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Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and former county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland council area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich Mhic Aoidh (or Dùthaich 'Ic Aoidh) (NW), Asainte (Assynt), and Cataibh (East). However, Cataibh will often be used to refer to the area as a whole.
The county town, and only burgh of the county, was Dornoch. Other settlements include Bonar Bridge, Lairg, Brora, Durness, Embo, Tongue, Golspie, Helmsdale, Lochinver, Scourie and Kinlochbervie.
Sutherland became a local government area in 1890, and the county was abolished in 1975, when the Sutherland district was created as one of eight districts of the Highland Region. The region was created at the same time as the district. The district was abolished in 1996, when the region became a council area.
The name Sutherland dates from the era of Norse rule and settlement over much of the Highlands and Islands, under the rule of the jarl of Orkney. Although it contains some of the northernmost land in the island of Great Britain, it was called Suðrland ("southern land") from the standpoint of Orkney and Caithness.
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Sweyn Holm
Note: There is also a "Sweyn Holm" off St Ninian's Isle, Shetland
Sweyn Holm is a small island in the Orkney Islands, next to Gairsay.
It is thought to be named for Sweyn Asleifsson (Sveinn), who was connected with Gairsay or possibly a corruption of "servant's island" in Norse.
Sweyn Holm is made up of red sandstone.
Coordinates: 59°5′23″N 2°57′4″W / 59.08972°N 2.95111°W / 59.08972; -2.95111
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Switha
Switha is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, south of Flotta, used for grazing sheep. There is no written record of the island ever being inhabited, but Neolithic standing stones and a cairn show that it was at least visited in prehistoric times.
Switha has many storm-petrel burrows and is the winter home to a large colony of barnacle geese.
Coordinates: 58°47′50″N 3°06′02″W / 58.79734°N 3.10054°W / 58.79734; -3.10054
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Swona
Swona is an uninhabited island in the Pentland Firth off the north coast of Scotland.
Swona is the more northerly of two islands in the Pentland Firth between the Orkney Islands and Caithness on the Scottish mainland. It lies in the southern approach to Scapa Flow, west of South Ronaldsay.
Situated in the tidal stream of the Pentland Firth, a tidal race is present at both the north and south ends of the island, being minimal briefly at the turn of the tide. Between the races is a calm eddy which extends down-tide as the tide strengthens. The races are highly visible, with over-falls and whirlpools. Large swell waves can also be present, especially in bad weather conditions. When entering or leaving the eddies crossing the races, even large powerful vessels can be pushed off course, such is the demarcation between the relatively calm eddy and the fast-moving tide in the races.
Swona is about 1.25 miles (2.0 km) long by about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide, with a maximum height of approximately 41 metres (135 ft) and an area of about 92 hectares (0.36 sq mi). It is made up of Old Red Sandstone with cliffs on the east coast.
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Thurso
Coordinates: 58°35′46″N 3°31′16″W / 58.596°N 3.521°W / 58.596; -3.521
Thurso (Scots: Thursa,Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Theòrsa) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the northernmost town on the British mainland. At the 2001 Census, Thurso had a population of about 9,000.
The name comes from Old Norse Thjórsá, meaning "Bull's River". Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness. It lies at the junction of the north-south A9 road and the west-east A836 road, connected to Bridge of Forss in the west and Castletown in the east.
Thurso's history stretches back to at least the era of Norse Orcadian rule in Caithness, which ended conclusively in 1266. The town was an important Norse port, and has a later history of trade with ports throughout northern Europe until the 19th century. In 1330 Scotland's standard unit of weight was brought in line with that of Thurso at the decree of King David II of Scotland, a measure of the town's economic importance. Old St Peter's Kirk is said to date from circa 1220 and the time of Caithness Bishop Gilbert Murray, who died in 1245. Much of the town, however, is a planned 19th-century development. A major expansion occurred in the mid-20th century when the Dounreay nuclear power plant was established at Dounreay, 9 miles (14 km) to the west of the town. Within a period of about five years, Thurso's population expanded rapidly, from around 2,500 to about 12,000 between 1955–58, as the nuclear plant attracted skilled migrants from all parts of the United Kingdom. By 1960, it dropped back to around 9,000, after a lot of the initial Dounreay construction crew left the area. Thurso is also the name of the viscountcy held by the Sinclair family in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The present Viscount Thurso is also the local MP.
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Tingwall, Shetland
Tingwall, (Old Norse: Þingvöllr = Field of the Thing assembly) is a hamlet and parish in Shetland, mostly on Mainland. The hamlet lies about 4 miles north west of Lerwick. It is at the head of a long narrow bay. Tingwall Airport is here.
Tingwall parish includes the settlements of Scalloway, Whiteness, Veensgarth and Gott, and the Vallafield housing estate. The centre of the parish was the Tingwall Kirk. It comprehends a section of Mainland, stretching from the Atlantic at Scalloway, to the North Sea at Rova Head and includes the formerly inhabited islands of Hildasay, Langa, Linga, and Oxna.
The Mainland section is divided into two districts by a hill ridge, and comprises two parallel valleys (nearly at right angles from the ridge). The Tingwall valley extends north from near Scalloway to the south end of Lax Firth. It is diversified by the lochs of Tingwall, Girlsta, Asta, Strom and some others.
It is so indented by the sea as to contain no point farther than two miles from it. Measured across marine intersections, it has a length of about nineteen miles, and a maximum breadth of ten miles.
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Tomb of the Eagles
Located on at cliff edge at Isbister on South Ronaldsay in Orkney, Scotland, the Tomb of the Eagles is a Neolithic chambered tomb. First explored by Ronald Simison in 1958, he conducted his own excavations at the site in 1976. Alerted by Simison, archaeologist John Hedges then mounted a full study, prepared a technical report and wrote a popular book that cemented the tomb's name.
16,000 human bones were found at the site, as well as 725 from birds. These were identified as predominantly belonging to the white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and represented between 8 and 20 individuals. These were originally interpreted as a foundation deposit, however this interpretation has been challenged by new dating techniques. These reveal that the eagles died c. 2450–2050 BC, up to 1,000 years after the building of the tomb. This confirms growing evidence from other sites that the neolithic tombs of Orkney remained in use for many generations.
Coordinates: 58°44′24″N 2°55′19″W / 58.740°N 2.922°W / 58.740; -2.922
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Trondheim
Trondheim (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈtrɔnhæjm]), historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 176,348, it is the third most populous municipality in Norway and city in the country, although the fourth largest urban area. It is the administrative centre of Sør-Trøndelag county. Trondheim lies on the south shore of the Trondheimsfjord at the mouth of the river Nidelva. The city is dominated by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), SINTEF, St. Olavs University Hospital and other technology-oriented institutions.
The settlement was founded in 997 as a trading post, and was the capital of Norway during the Viking Age until 1217. From 1152 to 1537, the city was the seat of the Archdiocese of Nidaros; since it has remained the seat of the Diocese of Nidaros and the Nidaros Cathedral. It was incorporated in 1838. The current municipality dates from 1964, when Trondheim merged with Byneset, Leinstrand, Strinda and Tiller.
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Tynwald
The Tynwald (Manx: Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald (Manx: Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.
The Houses sit jointly, for largely ceremonial purposes, on Tynwald Day at St John's, and usually once a month in the Legislative Buildings in Douglas. Otherwise, the two Houses sit separately, with the House of Keys originating most legislation, and the Legislative Council acting as a revising chamber.
The name Tynwald, like the Icelandic Þingvellir, is derived from the Old Norse word Þingvǫllr meaning the meeting place of the assembly, the field of the thing.
When Tynwald meets annually (normally on 5 July) at an open air ceremony at Tynwald Hill at St John's, the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man presides, unless HM The Queen as Lord of Mann, or a member of the Royal Family representing Her Majesty, is present. Here, all laws are promulgated and special petitions are received.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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Vidlin
Coordinates: 60°22′19″N 1°07′48″W / 60.372°N 1.13°W / 60.372; -1.13
Vidlin (from Old Norse: Vaðill meaning a ford), is a small village located in the Shetland Islands of Scotland.
It is at the head of Vidlin Voe, is the modern heart of the old parish of Lunnasting, which centred on the early church at Lunna on Lunna Ness.
The poet Rhoda Bulter's mother came from Skelberry in Lunnasting, and she herself lived there for two crucially formative years when young.
The Walls poet Christine de Luca has written a memoir and a series of poems about the branch of her family which hailed from Vidlin, on her father Alexander Pearson's side, entitled Dreams in Time's Ocean (2004).
The Lunnasting stone, which bears an undeciphered Pictish ogham inscription was found nearby and donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1876.
This article incorporates text from the corresponding article on Shetlopedia, which was licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License until September 14, 2007.
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Wales
Walesi/ˈweɪlz/ (Welsh: Cymru;Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkəm.rɨ] ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain,bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,200 km (750 mi) of coastline, including its offshore islands; the largest, Anglesey (Ynys Môn), is also the largest island in the Irish Sea. Wales is largely mountainous, with its highest peaks in the north and central areas, especially in Snowdonia (Eryri), which contains Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit.
During the Iron Age and early medieval period, Wales was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. A distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations today. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was recognised as King of Wales in 1057. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales. The castles and town walls erected to ensure its permanence are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to what was to become modern Wales, in the early 15th century. Wales was subsequently annexed by England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 since when, excluding those matters now devolved to Wales, English law has been the legal system of Wales and England. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and The Welsh Language Society in 1962. The National Assembly for Wales, created in 1999 following a referendum, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters.
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Ward Hill, Hoy
Ward Hill, on the island of Hoy, is the highest hill in Orkney, Scotland. It lies at the north of the island, between Moaness and Rackwick.
The hill forms a curved ridge, reminiscent of a 'J' in shape. The lower slopes are covered in heather and grass, though the top of the ridge is covered in small stones with bare sandy soil. The highest summit is towards the northern end, and is crowned by a trig point. The ridge is well separated from the other hills of Hoy, and both the other Marilyns on the island have high topographic prominence. Ward Hill is separated from Cuilags by the Glens of Kinnaird, and from Knap of Trowieglen by the glen carrying the road between Moaness and Rackwick, in which lies the Dwarfie Stane.
Ward Hill may be climbed from a variety of starting points. The northern side, directly above Hoy Village is steep and craggy, and thus presents the least appealing ascent route.
The existence of Anastrepta orcadensis (also known as Orkney Notchwort), a liverwort found in the United States, Canada, and widely in Europe, was first discovered on Ward Hill by William Jackson Hooker in 1808.
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West Lothian
West Lothian (Scots: Wast Lowden, Scottish Gaelic: Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire.
The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the West Lothian district of the Lothian region.
The county of West Lothian was called Linlithgowshire or the County of Linlithgow until 1921.
Before it was abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the county contained six burghs. Two are now outside the West Lothian unitary council area:
On abolition in 1975 the county, with the exception of the Bo'ness area, was included in the Lothian Region. Bo'ness became part of the Central Region. Lothian Region was divided into four districts, one of which was named West Lothian and approximated to the former county.
West Lothian District was created in 1975, comprising the county of West Lothian; less the burghs of Bo'ness and South Queensferry and the Kirkliston area; it also included the East Calder and West Calder districts of the former county of Midlothian. The council's headquarters were originally in Bathgate, later moving to the new town of Livingston. The unitary authority created in 1996 used the same boundaries.
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Westray
Westray is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a population of around 550 people. Its main village is Pierowall, with a heritage centre, the ruined Lady Kirk and ferries to Papa Westray.
With an area of 18.2 square miles (47 km2), it is the sixth largest of the Orkney Islands. The underlying geology is Rousay type Middle Old Red Sandstone, the flagstones of which make excellent building materials. There is very little peat and the soil is noted for its fertility.
At the time of the earliest known settlements, c. 3500 BC, in Westray and neighbouring Papa Westray, it is believed that the two islands were joined. A Neolithic and Bronze Age site at the Links of Noltland is in the care of Historic Scotland.Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland says that "A larger settlement at Noltland on Westray is less well preserved" than the one on neighbouring Papa Westray. The Westray Wife is a 4 cm carved Neolithic figurine discovered there during a dig there in the summer of 2009. It is the only Neolithic carving of a human form archaeologists have found in Scotland to date, and is the earliest depiction of a face found in the United Kingdom. In 2010 some local businesses reported a 45% increase in turnover since the discovery of the figurine.
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Westray Airport
Westray Airport (IATA: WRY, ICAO: EGEW) is an airport located at Aikerness, on Westray in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. It is best known for being one of the two airports joined by the shortest scheduled flight in the world, a leg of Loganair's inter-island service, to Papa Westray Airport. The distance is 2.8 km (1.7 mi), the scheduled flight time, including taxiing, is two minutes.. As well as the Papa Westray flights, services to the main Orkney town of Kirkwall are offered.
Westray Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P539) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Orkney Islands Council). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
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Whitehall, Orkney
Coordinates: 59°08′24″N 2°36′07″W / 59.140°N 2.602°W / 59.140; -2.602
Whitehall is the village on the island of Stronsay, in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. It is a small village with about 50 houses. It also has a shop, a café and heritage centre, known as the Fish Mart; the Stronsay Hotel, with attached pub; a post office, a fisherman's pier and a ferry pier.
Whitehall is a former boom town, whose historical growth and decline has been linked to that of the herring industry, which was initially developed by the Dutch.
It takes its name from a house built in the 1670s by Patrick Fea, a retired privateer, whose descendant John Fea pioneered the kelp burning industry on the island in 1722.
The fall of the herring industry came with overfishing, and the outbreak of WWII. There was also a similar decline during WWI, but a brief rebirth in the interbellum. Until then it had been the biggest herring port in the northern Orkney Islands, trading mainly with the Baltic ports. At its height, 300 boats were moored in Whitehall harbour, along with fifteen curing stations, and 1500 fish wives. Many of the population were itinerant. As a side effect, there were forty pubs here in the high season, and many houses took lodgers. The wealth can be seen in the large houses which still dominate the town.
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Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. The county town was historically Wigtown, with the administrative centre moving to Stranraer - the largest town - on the creation of a county council in 1890. As Wigtown, the county forms the lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Wigtown.
Wigtownshire borders Ayrshire to the north, and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright to the east. Together The Stewartry and Wigtownshire are referred to as Galloway: until the 19th century Wigtownshire was also sometimes known as West Galloway.
Wigtownshire includes the southernmost point in Scotland, the Mull of Galloway, the Machars and the Rhins of Galloway peninsula. Major road links to the area comprise the A77 to the north, and the A75 to the east.
Coordinates: 54°50′N 4°45′W / 54.833°N 4.75°W / 54.833; -4.75
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Wyre, Orkney
Wyre, also formerly spelt Weir, is one of the Orkney Islands, lying south-east of Rousay. It is 311 hectares (1.20 sq mi) and 32 metres (105 ft) at its highest point. It is one of the smallest inhabited islands in the archipelago.
Orkney Ferries sail from the island to Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland, Egilsay and Rousay.
Wyre's history is still very apparent, and it has two ancient monuments maintained by Historic Scotland, Cubbie Roo's Castle and St Mary's Chapel.
Bishop Bjarni grew up on Wyre, and was the son of Kolbein Hruga (see Cubbie Roo's Castle below), Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland says of him that he:
The poet Edwin Muir (1887–1959), known for his prominent part in the Scottish Renaissance, born in Deerness on Mainland, Orkney [1], spent much of his childhood on Wyre. In his autobiography he said of himself - "I'm an Orkneyman, a good Scandinavian", and commented that some of his happiest childhood years were spent here.
Cubbie Roo's Castle, built in about 1150, is one of the oldest castles in Scotland and was mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga. It takes its name from Kolbein Hruga who was said to have lived there.
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Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain, Scots: Aiberdeenshire) is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.
The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic Aberdeenshire - one of the counties of Scotland formerly used for local government purposes. Within these borders, the County of Aberdeen remains in existence as a registration county.
Aberdeenshire Council is headquartered at Woodhill House, in Aberdeen; the only Scottish council whose headquarters are based outwith its area's border. Aberdeenshire borders Angus and Perth and Kinross to the south, and Highland and Moray to the west.
Aberdeenshire has a rich prehistoric and historic heritage. It is the locus of a large number of Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites, including Longman Hill, Kempstone Hill, Catto Long Barrow and Cairn Lee. Since medieval times there have been a number of crossings of the Mounth (a spur of mountainous land that extends from the higher inland range to the North Sea slightly north of Stonehaven) through present day Aberdeenshire from the Scottish Lowlands to the Highlands. Some of the most well known and historically important trackways are the Causey Mounth and Elsick Mounth.
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Alistair Carmichael
Alexander Morrison "Alistair" Carmichael (born 15 July 1965) is a Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Scottish seat of Orkney and Shetland since the 2001 general election.
He was born on Islay, and attended Port Ellen Primary School and Islay High School. He worked between 1984-89 as an hotel manager, before beginning study at the University of Glasgow. There, he was a member of the Students' Representative Council and President of the Liberal Club, however he left his course early. He later returned to education at the University of Aberdeen, where he gained an LLB in 1992, qualifying as a solicitor in 1993. From 1993-96, he was a Procurator Fiscal Depute for Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and from 1996-2001 was a solicitor with Aberdeen and Macduff.
Carmichael was elected to represent Orkney and Shetland in the 2001 general election, the constituency previously held by Jim Wallace and Jo Grimond. He was appointed Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland and Scotland Spokesman by Sir Menzies Campbell in July 2007, but resigned in March 2008 in order to vote in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. He was reappointed to the position by Nick Clegg in October 2008. He had also briefly served as the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesman, following the resignation of Mark Oaten.
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Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England (north of the Trent) as well as the Isle of Man. The archbishop is a member ex officio of the House of Lords, and is styled Primate of England. (The Archbishop of Canterbury is "Primate of All England".)
His throne is in York Minster in central York and his official residence is Bishopthorpe Palace in the village of Bishopthorpe, outside York. The incumbent, since 5 October 2005, is John Sentamu. He signs +Sentamu Ebor: (since both John and Sentamu are his forenames).
There was a bishop in York from very early Christian times. Bishops of York were present at the Councils of Arles and Nicaea. However, this early Christian community was later destroyed by the pagan Saxons and there is no direct succession from these bishops to the post-Augustinian ones.
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Aud the Deep-Minded
Aud the Deep-Minded (Old Norse: Auðr djúpúðga Ketilsdóttir; Norwegian: Aud den djuptenkte, also known as Unn or Aud Ketilsdatter) (834–900 AD) was an earlier settler in Iceland.
Aud was the second daughter of Ketill Flatnose, a Norwegian hersir, and Yngvid Ketilsdóttir, daughter of Ketill Wether, a hersir from Ringarike. Aud married Olaf the White (Oleif), son of King Ingjald, who had named himself King of Dublin after going on voyages to Britain and then conquering the shire of Dublin. They had a son named Thorstein the Red. After Oleif was killed in battle in Ireland, Aud and Thorstein journeyed to the Hebrides. Thorstein married there and had many children; he also became a great warrior king, conquering over half of Scotland; however, he was killed in battle after being betrayed by his people. After this happened Aud, who was at Caithness, learned of her son’s death and built a Knarr, a Viking era ship commonly built for Atlantic voyages. She did this secretly in the forest possibly because women were not allowed to be in possession of these ships, or because she did not want anyone to know that she was building one. After its completion, Aud sailed to Orkney. There she married off one of her granddaughters, Groa, the daughter of Thorstein the Red. Aud then set off for Iceland.
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British people
British people (also referred to as the British, Britons, or informally as Brits or Britishers) are citizens or natives of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, of any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants.British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, which can be acquired, for instance, by birth in the UK or by descent from British nationals. When used in a historical context, the term British people refers to the ancient Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain south of the Forth.
Although early assertions of being British date from the Late Middle Ages, the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 triggered a sense of British national identity. The notion of Britishness was forged during the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and the First French Empire, and developed further during the Victorian era. The complex history of the formation of the United Kingdom created a "particular sense of nationhood and belonging" in Great Britain; Britishness became "superimposed on much older identities", of English, Scots and Welsh cultures, whose distinctiveness still resist notions of a homogenised British identity. Because of longstanding ethno-sectarian divisions, British identity in Northern Ireland is controversial, but it is held with strong conviction by unionists.
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Cacht ingen Ragnaill
Cacht ingen Ragnaill was the queen of Donnchad mac Briain, from their marriage in 1032 to her death in 1054, when she is styled Queen of Ireland in the Irish annals of the Clonmacnoise group: the Annals of Tigernach and Chronicon Scotorum. Her husband himself, though King of Munster, is not widely regarded as having been High King of Ireland and so the extent of Cacht's influence is uncertain. That her style is superior to his presents an obviously strange situation in medieval Gaelic Ireland's male-dominated politics.
Of Norse-Irish descent, Cacht almost certainly belonged to the dynasty of the Uí Ímair, and is usually assumed to have been a sister of Donnchad's ally Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, whose precise parentage is uncertain. He is regarded by scholars either as a descendant of Ivar of Waterford, or of Gofraid mac Arailt, but since both had children named Ragnall and both dynasties were in alliance with the Dál Cais, Cacht's father need not be identical with his.
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Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (before 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in what is today northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents. Those voyages, and his efforts to establish permanent settlements in the island of Hispaniola, initiated the process of Spanish colonization, which foreshadowed the general European colonization of what became known as the "New World".
In the context of emerging western imperialism and economic competition between European kingdoms seeking wealth through the establishment of trade routes and colonies, Columbus's speculative proposal to reach the East Indies by sailing westward received the support of the Spanish crown, which saw in it a promise, however remote, of gaining the upper hand over rival powers in the contest for the lucrative spice trade with Asia. During his first voyage in 1492, instead of reaching Japan as he had intended, Columbus landed in the Bahamas archipelago, at a locale he named San Salvador. Over the course of three more voyages, Columbus visited the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Central America, claiming them for the Spanish Empire.
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Claudius
Claudius (Latin: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy. Because he was afflicted with a limp and slight deafness due to sickness at a young age, his family ostracized him and excluded him from public office until his consulship, shared with his nephew Caligula in 37. Claudius' infirmity probably saved him from the fate of many other nobles during the purges of Tiberius and Caligula's reigns; potential enemies did not see him as a serious threat. His survival led to his being declared Emperor by the Praetorian Guard after Caligula's assassination, at which point he was the last adult male of his family.
Despite his lack of experience, Claudius proved to be an able and efficient administrator. He was also an ambitious builder, constructing many new roads, aqueducts, and canals across the Empire. During his reign the Empire conquered Thrace, Noricum, Pamphylia, Lycia and Judaea, and began the conquest of Britain. Having a personal interest in law, he presided at public trials, and issued up to twenty edicts a day. However, he was seen as vulnerable throughout his reign, particularly by the nobility. Claudius was constantly forced to shore up his position; this resulted in the deaths of many senators. These events damaged his reputation among the ancient writers, though more recent historians have revised this opinion. After his death in 54, his grand-nephew and adopted son Nero succeeded him as Emperor.
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Cornish people
The Cornish (Cornish: Kernowyon) are a people associated with Cornwall, a county in the South West of England, in the United Kingdom, which is seen in some respects as distinct from the rest of England and having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the UK such as Wales as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe. It has been long argued that the Cornish represent a distinct ethnic group within the UK, which can trace its roots to the ancient Britons who inhabited southern and central Great Britain prior to the Roman conquest, and some in the county today continue to assert a distinct identity, separately or in addition to English or British identities. Cornish identity has been adopted by migrants into Cornwall, as well as by emigrant and descendant communities from Cornwall, the latter sometimes referred to as the Cornish diaspora. Although not included as an explicit option in the UK census, the numbers of those claiming Cornish ethnic and national identity are officially recognised and recorded.
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D. E. R. Watt
Donald Elmslie Robertson Watt FRSE (15 August 1926–18 April 2004) was a Scottish historian and Professor Emeritus at St Andrews University.
Born in Aberdeen, D.E.R. Watt's family were the proprietors of the Aberdeen University Press. Watt studied at Aberdeen Grammar School, before reading history at Aberdeen University. He graduated in 1950, and moved to Oriel College, Oxford, receiving his D. Phil in 1957.
Watt taught history at St Andrews University for his entire career, excepting a year's study at Columbia University. He worked for many years on editing and translating a nine volume edition, the first since 1759, of Abbot Walter Bower's Scotichronicon, a key resource for Scotland in the Late Middle Ages. Professor Watt also published on the Scottish church where he was the acknowledged expert on sources, holding the chair in Scottish Church History at St Andrews.
He worked for the publication of the Atlas of Scottish History, issued by Edinburgh University in 1975 and again, with revisions, in 1995. He served as co-editor of the Scottish Historical Review for eight years, and as president of the Scottish History Society for four.
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Edwin Muir
Edwin Muir (15 May 1887 – 3 January 1959) was an Orcadianpoet, novelist and translator born on a farm in Deerness on the Orkney Islands. He is remembered for his deeply felt and vivid poetry in plain language with few stylistic preoccupations.
Muir was born in Deerness, where his mother was also born, at Hacco, remembered in his autobiography as "Haco". In 1901, when he was 14, his father lost his farm, and the family moved to Glasgow. In quick succession his father, two brothers, and his mother died within the space of a few years. His life as a young man was a depressing experience, and involved a raft of unpleasant jobs in factories and offices, including working in a factory that turned bones into charcoal. "He suffered psychologically in a most destructive way, although perhaps the poet of later years benefited from these experiences as much as from his Orkney 'Eden'." In 1919, Muir married Willa Anderson, and the two moved to London. About this, Muir wrote simply 'My marriage was the most fortunate event in my life'. They would later collaborate on highly acclaimed English translations of such writers as Franz Kafka, Gerhart Hauptmann, Sholem Asch, Heinrich Mann, and Hermann Broch.
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English people
The English (from Old English: Englisc) are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens. Their ethnonym is derived from the Angles, a Germanic people originally from Northern Germany who migrated to Britain.
Historically, the English population is descended from several genetically similar peoples—the earlier Britons (or Brythons), the Germanic tribes that settled in the area, including Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, collectively known as the Anglo-Saxons, who founded what was to become England (from the Old English Englaland), and the later Danes, Normans and other groups. Following the Act of Union in 1707, in which the Kingdom of England became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain, English customs and identity became closely aligned with British customs and identity.
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Eric Bloodaxe
Eric Haraldsson (Eric, anglicised form of Old Norse: Eiríkr; died 954), nicknamed ‘Bloodaxe’ (blóðøx), was a 10th-century Scandinavian ruler. He is thought to have had short-lived terms as King of Norway and possibly as the last independent ruler of the kingdom of Northumbria (c. 947/8–948 and 952–5).
Distinct from the king of Norway of the Norse sagas, a member of the Fairhair dynasty, the historical Eric of Northumbria has recently been argued to have actually belonged to the Uí Ímair (House of Ivar), a distinct dynasty long established in the British Isles by the time of his rule.
The little historical data which is available has been used by historians to reconstruct a narrative of his life and career. There is a distinction between contemporary or near contemporary sources for Eric's period as ruler of Northumbria, and the entirely saga-based sources that detail the life of Eric of Norway, a chieftain who ruled the Norwegian Westland in the 930s. Norse sources have identified the two as the same since the late 12th century, and while the subject was controversial among early modern historians, most historians have identified the two figures as the same since W. G. Collingwood's article in 1901. This identification has been rejected recently by the historian Claire Downham, who argued that later Norse writers synthesized the two Erics, possibly using English sources. This argument, though respected by other historians in the area, has not produced consensus.
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Eric Linklater
Eric Robert Russell Linklater (8 March 1899 – 7 November 1974) was a British writer, known for authoring more than 20 novels. He was also a writer of short stories, as well as an author on the subject of travel, military history and autobiographies.
Linklater was born in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. He was educated in Aberdeen Grammar School and Aberdeen University, where he was President of the Aberdeen University Debater. He spent many years in Orkney, and identified strongly with the islands, where his father had been born. His mother was the daughter of a Swedish-born sea captain who had become a naturalized British citizen and married an Englishwoman. He thus had Scandinavian origins through both parents (the name Linklater is a local Orkney name derived from the Old Norse), and throughout life he maintained a sympathetic interest in Scandinavia.
He was initially a medical student and then went into journalism, becoming a full time writer in the 1930s.
He stood, unsuccessfully, in the East Fife by-election of 1933 as the National Party of Scotland candidate.
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Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European (IE) language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic (also known as Common Germanic), which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe. Proto-Germanic, along with all of its descendants, is characterized by a number of unique linguistic features, most famously the consonant change known as Grimm's law. Early varieties of Germanic enter history with the Germanic peoples moving south from northern Europe in the 2nd century BC, to settle in north-central Europe.
The most widely spoken Germanic languages are English and German, with approximately 300–400 million and over 100 million native speakers respectively. They belong to the West Germanic family. The West Germanic group also includes other major languages, such as Dutch with 23 million and Afrikaans with over 6 million native speakers;. The North Germanic languages include Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, and Faroese, which have a combined total of about 20 million speakers. The SIL Ethnologue lists 53 different Germanic languages.
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Haakon IV of Norway
Haakon Haakonsson (c. March/April 1204 – 16 December 1263) (Old Norse: Hákon Hákonarson; Norwegian: Håkon Håkonsson), sometimes called Haakon the Old in contrast to his son and co-regent with the same name, and known in modern regnal lists as Haakon IV, was the King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. His reign lasted for 46 years, longer than any Norwegian king before him. At the start of his reign, during his minority, his later rival Earl Skule Bårdsson was regent. In 1240 he formally appointed his own son as co-ruler. Haakon was born into the troubled civil war era in Norway, but his reign eventually managed to put an end to the internal conflicts. As a king of the birkebeiner faction, he defeated the final bagler royal pretender, Sigurd Ribbung, in 1227. In 1240, he put a definitive end to the civil war era when he had Earl Skule Bårdsson killed, a year after he had himself proclaimed king in opposition to Haakon.
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Haakon Paulsson
Haakon Paulsson (Old Norse: Hákon Pálsson) was a Norwegian Jarl (1105–1123) and jointly ruled the Earldom of Orkney together with his cousin Magnus Erlendsson.
His father was Paul Thorfinnsson, the son of Thorfinn Sigurdsson and Ingibiorg Finnsdottir. His father and his uncle, Erlend Thorfinnsson, had ruled together as Earls of Orkney. King Magnus III of Norway took possession of the Orkney islands in 1098, deposing both Erlend and Paul. Haakon Paulsson was chosen to become regent on behalf of the Norwegian prince, the future King Sigurd I of Norway, who made Haakon an earl in 1105.
According to the Orkneyinga Saga, his cousin Magnus Erlendsson was initially rejected by the Norwegians rulers because of his religious convictions. Magnus was obliged to take refuge in Scotland, but returned to Orkney in 1105 and disputed the succession of Haakon. Having failed to reach an agreement, Magnus sought help from King Eystein II of Norway who granted him the joint earldom of Orkney.
Magnus and Haakon ruled jointly from 1105 until 1114. Their followers then had fallen out and the two sides met at the Thing assembly on the Orkney mainland, ready to do battle. Peace was negotiated and the Earls arranged to meet each other on the island of Egilsay, each bringing only two ships. Magnus arrived with his two ships, but Haakon turned up with eight ships. Magnus took refuge in the island's church overnight, but the following day he was captured and offered to go into exile or prison. An assembly of chieftains insisted that one earl must die. Haakon killed Magnus on the island of Egilsay in April 1116. This led to the "martyrdom" of Magnus and the construction of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.
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Harald I of Norway
Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair (Old Norse: Haraldr hárfagri, Norwegian: Harald Hårfagre), (c. 850 – c. 933), son of Halfdan the Black, was the first king (872–930) of Norway.
Little is known of the historical Harald. The only contemporary sources mentioning him are the two skaldic poems Haraldskvæði and Glymdrápa, which have been attributed to Þorbjörn Hornklofi or alternatively (in the case of the first poem) to Þjóðólfr of Hvinir. The first poem has only been preserved in fragments in 13th century Kings' sagas. It describes life at Harald's court, mentions that he took a Danish wife, and that he won a battle at Hafrsfjord. The second relates a series of battles Harald won. The validity of this evidence is doubtful and the facts offered by the poems are scant. Their unity is in any case questionable, as they have been reconstructed from fragments in the Kings' sagas, where they are attributed to more than one author.
Harald is not mentioned in any foreign sources earlier than the 12th century. His life is described in several of the Kings' sagas, but the first of these were not written until the end of the 12th century, over 250 years after his death. Their accounts of Harald and his life differ on several points, and much of the content is clearly mythological. He is credited with having unified Norway into one kingdom. Modern historians have generally assumed that his rule was limited to the coastal areas of southern Norway.
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Irish people
The Irish people (Irish: Muintir na hÉireann or na hÉireannaigh; Ulster-Scots: Airisch or Airish fowk) are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years (according to archaeological studies, see Prehistoric Ireland). The Irish people's earliest ancestors are recorded in legends – they are claimed to be descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians.Lebor Gabála Érenn, a book of Irish mythology tells that Tuatha Dé Dananns were Scythian descendants.
The main groups that interacted with the Irish in the Middle Ages include the Picts, Scots, and the Vikings. Due to this contact, Icelanders are noted for having some Irish descent. The Anglo-Norman invasion of the High Middle Ages, the English plantations and the subsequent English rule of the country introduced the Normans and Flemish into Ireland. Welsh, Picts, Bretons, and small parties of Gauls and even Anglo-Saxons are known in Ireland from much earlier times.
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Isabel Bruce
Isabel Bruce (Isabella de Brus or Isobail a Brus, or Isabella Robertsdotter Brus) (c. 1272 Carrick, Scotland – 1358, Bergen, Norway) was a Queen consort of Norway, married to King Eric II.
Isabel's parents were Robert Bruce and Marjorie, Countess of Carrick. Her brothers included King Robert I of Scotland, and Edward Bruce who briefly was High King of Ireland. She travelled to Norway with her father was married to King Eric in Bergen in 1293.
Isabel was king Erik's second wife, and indeed his second Scottish one. She was widowed, at age 24, at his death in 1299. Isabel never remarried, despite surviving her husband by 59 years. Their marriage did not produce a male heir, though it did produce a daughter, Ingeborg Eriksdottir of Norway, who, having firstly been engaged to Jon II, Earl of Orkney, married Valdemar Magnusson of Sweden, Duke of Finland, in 1312. Isabel herself arranged for her daughter's marriages.
She did not return to Scotland, but lived in Bergen in Norway the rest of her life. As a queen consort, there is little information of her life, but her life as a queen dowager is more documented. Isabel did the most out of her position as queen dowager, participated in many official events and ceremonies and did not lack influence. She was present at the inauguration of the new Bishop of Bergen with the royal couple in 1305. She had a good relationship with the clerical powers in Bergen, made donations and received properties from the church: in 1324, she received several houses from the church. It has been suggested, that she participated as a mediator in the conflicts between Orkney, Shetland and Scotland in 1312. In 1339, the king pardoned a prisoner at her request. She exchanged letters with her sister Christina in Scotland and sent soldiers there. In 1357, she was one of the heirs of her daughter, the duchess of Öland.
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Jim Wallace
James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, PC, QC (born 25 August 1954), is a British politician, currently a life peer in the House of Lords and the Advocate General for Scotland. He was formerly Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Member of Parliament (MP) for Orkney and Shetland, Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Orkney and the first Deputy First Minister of Scotland in the Scottish Executive.
Lord Wallace was born in Annan in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and grew up there. As a boy, his first interest in politics was stoked when he collected autographs from politicians visiting the local area: he still possesses one from Tam Dalyell, with whom he would later serve in the House of Commons. After finishing school in Annan he was accepted by Downing College, Cambridge, where he obtained a joint degree in Economics and Law, and was also rumoured to have been a member of the 'Three Kings' society. From there he returned to Scotland to read Law at Edinburgh, graduating in 1977. Based in Edinburgh, he practised as an advocate at the Scottish Bar, mostly in civil law cases.
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Jon Haraldsson
Jon Haraldsson was Earl of Orkney between 1206 and 1231.
Jon Haraldsson and his brother David were the sons of Harald Maddadsson with his second wife Hvarflod, daughter of Earl Máel Coluim of Moray. Jon and David were joint Earls of Orkney after the death of their father. David Haraldsson died of sickness in 1214, leaving Jon Haraldsson to rule alone.
In 1222, Jon Haraldsson was implicated, indirectly, in the burning of Bishop Adam of Caithness in his hall at Halkirk by local farmers. Jon was accused of looking on or of fomenting the discontent. King Alexander II of Scotland undertook harsh reprisals for the killing, to the satisfaction of Pope Honorius III.
Snaekoll Gunnisson, a great-grandson of Rognvald Kali, demanded that Jon Haraldsson should share the Earldom with him. The supporters of Jon and Snaekoll fought a war until it was agreed that King Haakon IV of Norway should settle the matter. All concerned set off to Norway, but a ship carrying Jon Haraldsson, his supporters and his kin, was lost at sea on the return voyage during 1231.[citation needed] An alternative version of Earl John's demise is that he was resident in Thurso, and had his hall burnt around him. He escaped to a cellar only to be mortally wounded by Hanef, quaestor to the King of Norway, with nine wounds. With his death the Norse line of the Earldom of Orkney, dating from the time of Harald Fairhair, became extinct. The Mormaer of Caithness was given over to Magnus, (Magnus mac Gille-Brighde of Angus), the son of Gille Brigte, Mormaer of Angus, forming the basis for a new governing presence. In 1236, Magnus was granted the Earldom of Orkney by King Haakon IV.
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Julius Pokorny
Julius Pokorny (June 12, 1887 – April 8, 1970) was an Austrian linguist and scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly Irish, and a supporter of Irish nationalism. He held academic posts in Austrian and German universities.
He was born in Prague, Austria–Hungary, and educated at the Piarist School in Prague and the Benedictine Abbey school in Kremsmünster, Austria. From 1905 until 1911 he studied at the University of Vienna, graduating in law and philology, and he taught there from 1913 to 1920. Roger Casement was in correspondence with Pokorny in Austria from Berlin in March 1916. He also served as a reservist in the Austrian Army during World War I.
In 1920 he succeeded Kuno Meyer as Chair of Celtic philology at Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. Although baptised Catholic at birth and being sympathetic to German nationalism, he was suspended in 1933 under the Nazi Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, because of his Jewish ancestry. He was reinstated later that year under the exemption for those who had worn the uniform of Germany or its allies in World War I, which had been insisted on by President Paul von Hindenburg before he signed the bill into law. In 1935 he was dismissed under the provisions of the racist Nuremberg Laws. He continued to live more or less openly in Berlin until at least 1939, but lived a shadowy existence there from around 1940. He escaped to Switzerland in 1943, where he taught for a few years at the University of Berne and at the University of Zürich until his retirement in 1959.
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Liam McArthur
Liam McArthur MSP (born 8 August 1967) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Orkney.
He was brought up on the Orkney Island of Sanday. He is married to Tamsin and they have two sons, Calum and Tom.
McArthur had previously worked as an aide to Jim Wallace in the House of Commons and as Special Adviser to the Deputy First Minister in 2002. He was elected in the 2007 Parliament election to replace the retiring Jim Wallace, also a Liberal Democrat.
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Ljótólfr
Ljótólfr is a minor character in the mediaeval Orkneyinga saga, who is purported to have flourished in the mid-12th century. The Orkneyinga saga was compiled in about 1200, and documents the reigns of the earls of Orkney. It depicts Ljótólfr as a nobleman who lived on the Outer Hebridean island of Lewis. During the 12th century, the Hebrides formed part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles.
The Orkneyinga saga relates how Ljótólfr was a friendly acquaintance of the Viking chieftain Sveinn Ásleifarson, who is one of the major characters of the entire saga. The saga states that Ljótólfr housed Sveinn for some time on Lewis, and took in Sveinn's brother, who was banished from Orkney. Ljótólfr's son, Fugl, appears in the saga, although he is depicted at being at odds with Sveinn, until a relative of Fugl's negotiates peace between the two. Several historians have considered Ljótólfr to be an ancestor of Clan MacLeod; one of these considered Ljótólfr to be the eponymous ancestor of the clan—although the current understanding of the clan's ancestry regards another man as the eponym.
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Magnus III of Norway
Magnus Barefoot (Old Norse: Magnús berfœttr, Norwegian; Magnus Berrføtt) or Magnus III Olafsson (1073 – 24 August 1103) was King of Norway from 1093 until 1103 and King of Mann and the Isles from 1099 until 1103.
Magnus was the son of King Olaf Kyrre, grandson of King Harald Hardrada and great-nephew of King Olaf the Saint. The epithet berfœtt means barefoot or bareleg and, according to the Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson, it came from his habit of wearing Gaelic-style clothing, leaving the lower legs bare. According to the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, he got the nickname because he was forced to flee from an attack in his bare feet.
Norway had experienced a period of peace during the reign of Magnus' father Olaf Kyrri. In the autumn of 1093 King Olaf died and Magnus was hailed as king in Viken in the month of September. Initially he had a rival in his cousin, Hakon Magnusson who was the son of Olaf's short-lived brother King Magnus II of Norway. A peaceful settlement was put in place but the relationship between the two was tense. As Håkon was only recognized at Oppland and in Trøndelag, his rule was in practice of limited importance. There was no armed confrontation between the two before Håkon died suddenly in February 1095.
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Manx people
The Manx (Manx: Manninee) are an ethnic group coming from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea in northern Europe. They are often described as a Celtic people, though they have had a mixed background including Norse and English influences.
According to the 2006 interim census, the Isle of Man is home to 80,058 people, of whom 26,218 reside in the island's capital Douglas. Most of the population is born in the British Isles, with 47.6% born in the Isle of Man, 37.2% born in England, 3.4% in Scotland, 2.1% in Northern Ireland, 2.1% in the Republic of Ireland, 1.2% in Wales and 0.3% born in the Channel Islands, with 6.1% of people being born elsewhere in the world.
Manx people living in the UK were commonly grouped by the 2001 census under "White British". As well as major immigration from England, the Isle of Man has had many Irish residents, and to a lesser degree, Scottish and Welsh people. The extremely high proportion of foreigners to natives has mostly corrupted local culture and vernacular speech, replacing it with a generic northern english culture and accent.[citation needed]
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Margot Livesey
Margot Livesey (born 1953) is a Scottish born writer. She is the author of six novels, numerous short stories, and essays on the craft of writing fiction.
Livesey came to North America during the 1970s where she worked to get her fiction published, reportedly because her boyfriend at the time was also a writer.
Livesey's work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and a number of literary quarterlies. She is also the Fiction Editor at Ploughshares, a renowned literary journal.
She currently lives in the Boston area and is the writer-in-residence at Emerson College.
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Norse-Gael
The Norse–Gaels were a people who dominated much of the Irish Sea region, including the Isle of Man, and western Scotland for a part of the Middle Ages; they were of Gaelic and Scandinavian origin and as a whole exhibited a great deal of Gaelic and Norse cultural syncretism. Other modern terms used include Scoto-Norse, Hiberno-Norse, Irish–Norse and Foreign Gaels.
The correct translation for Gall-Ghàidheil or any of the variant spellings is "Foreign Gaels" and is not specifically used to refer to Norse foreigners. It is a general term to describe a particular ethnic grouping of foreigners of which the Norse formed part. This term is subject to a large range of variations depending on chronological and geographical differences in the Gaelic language, i.e., Gall Gaidel, Gall Gaidhel, Gall Gaidheal, Gall Gaedil, Gall Gaedhil, Gall Gaedhel, Gall Goidel, etc. The modern term in Irish however, is Gall-Ghaeil, while the Scottish Gaelic is Gall-Ghàidheil.
The Norse-Gaels originated in Viking colonies of Ireland and Scotland, whose inhabitants became subject to the process of Gaelicisation, whereby starting as early as the ninth century, most intermarried with native Gaels (except for the Norse who settled in Cumbria) and adopted the Gaelic language as well as many other Gaelic customs.[citation needed] Many left their original worship of Norse gods and converted to Christianity, and this contributed to the Gaelicisation.
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Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.
The meaning of Norseman was "people from the North" and was applied primarily to Nordic people originating from southern and central[citation needed]Scandinavia. They established states and settlements in areas which today are part of the Faroe Islands, England, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Finland, Ireland, Russia, Canada, Greenland, France, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany.
Norse and Norsemen are applied to the Scandinavian population of the period from the late 8th century to the 11th century. The Old Frankish Nortmann "Northman" was Latinized as Normanni, famously in the prayer A furore normannorum libera nos domine ("From the fury of the Northmen release us, O Lord!"), attributed to monks of the English monasteries plundered by Viking raids in the 8th and 9th centuries,[citation needed] and entered Old French as Normands, whence the name of the Normans and of Normandy, which was settled by Norsemen in the 10th century.
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Olaf I of Norway
Olaf Tryggvason (Old Norse: Óláfr Tryggvason, Norwegian: Olav Tryggvason) (960s – 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken (Vingulmark and Ranrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King of Norway.
Olaf played an important part in the often forcible, on pain of torture or death, conversion of the Norse to Christianity. He is said to have built the first church in Norway (in 995) and to have founded the city of Trondheim (in 997). A statue of Olaf Tryggvason is located in the city's central plaza.
Historical information about Olaf is sparse. He is mentioned in some contemporary English sources, and some skaldic poems. The oldest narrative source mentioning him briefly is Adam of Bremen's Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum (c. 1070). In the 1190s, two sagas of Olaf Tryggvason were written in Iceland, by Oddr Snorrason and Gunnlaugr Leifsson. Snorri Sturluson gives an extensive account of Olaf in Heimskringla, (c. 1230), using Oddr Snorrason's saga as his main source. The accuracy of these late sources is not taken at face value by modern historians and their validity is a topic of some debate. The following account is mainly based on the late saga sources.
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Olvir Rosta
Olvir Rosta (Old Norse: Ölvir Rósta, and Ölvir Þorljótsson), also known as Aulver Rosta, is a character within the mediaeval Orkneyinga saga, who is purported to have lived during the early 12th century. His Old Norse byname, rósta, means "brawl", "riot". His name, and byname, appear variously in English secondary sources.
Ölvir appears in the saga as the son of Þorljót, and Steinnvör 'the Stout'. The mother of Steinnvör is Frakökk, who has been described as one the great villains of the entire saga. One of Frakökk's sisters, Helga, is the concubine of Earl Hákon Pálsson. Part of the saga relates of how the Earldom of Orkney is for a time jointly run by half-brothers—Haraldr Hákonsson and Páll Hákonsson, who are both sons of Earl Hákon. With the death of Earl Haraldr, son of Helga, Frakökk's family falls out of favour, and are forced to leave Orkney. In time, Frakökk conspire with the father of Earl Rögnvaldr, and agrees to a plan to take the Orkney by force and split it with Earl Rögnvaldr. She and Ölvir eventually make their way to the Suðreyjar, and may their return in a bid to win half of the earldom. However, their small fleet of ships are defeated in battle against Earl Páll. The saga also tells of how Ölvir kills an Orkney chieftain who fought against him during the sea-battle—by burning the man to death within his house. The chieftain's vengeful son later tracks down Ölvir and Frakökk, at their own home in Sutherland. After a short battle behind their homestead, Ölvir's men are routed and Frakökk is burned to death within her house; Ölvir flees from the scene, making for the Suðreyjar, and is not heard from again.
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Pict
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval Celtic people living in ancient eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the geographical distribution of brochs, Brythonic place name elements, and Pictish stones. Picts are recorded from before the Roman conquest of Britain until the 10th century, when they merged with the Gaels. They lived to the north of the rivers Forth and Clyde, and spoke the extinct Pictish language, thought to have been related to the Brythonic languages spoken by the Britons to the south. They are assumed to have been the descendants of the Caledonii and other tribes named by Roman historians or found on the world map of Ptolemy. Pictland, also known as Pictavia, gradually merged with the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata to form the Kingdom of Alba (Scotland). Alba expanded, absorbing the Brythonic kingdom of Strathclyde and Bernician Lothian, and by the 11th century the Pictish identity had been subsumed into the "Scots" amalgamation of peoples.
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Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval Celtic people living in ancient eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the geographical distribution of brochs, Brythonic place name elements, and Pictish stones. Picts are recorded from before the Roman conquest of Britain until the 10th century, when they merged with the Gaels. They lived to the north of the rivers Forth and Clyde, and spoke the extinct Pictish language, thought to have been related to the Brythonic languages spoken by the Britons to the south. They are assumed to have been the descendants of the Caledonii and other tribes named by Roman historians or found on the world map of Ptolemy. Pictland, also known as Pictavia, gradually merged with the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata to form the Kingdom of Alba (Scotland). Alba expanded, absorbing the Brythonic kingdom of Strathclyde and Bernician Lothian, and by the 11th century the Pictish identity had been subsumed into the "Scots" amalgamation of peoples.
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Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (23 AD – August 25, 79 AD), better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic work, Naturalis Historia, which became a model for all such works written subsequently. Pliny the Younger, his nephew, wrote of him in a letter to the historian Tacitus:
Pliny is referring to the fact that Tacitus relied on his uncle's now missing work on the History of the German Wars. Pliny the Elder died on August 25, 79 AD, while attempting the rescue by ship of a friend and his family from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that had just destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The prevailing wind would not allow his ship to leave the shore. His companions attributed his collapse and death to toxic fumes; but they were unaffected by the fumes, suggesting natural causes.
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Pomponius Mela
Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest Roman geographer. He was born in Tingentera (Algeciras) and died c. AD 45.
His short work (De situ orbis libri III.) occupies less than one hundred pages of ordinary print. It is laconic in style and deficient in method, but of pure Latinity, and occasionally relieved by pleasing word-pictures. Except for the geographical parts of Pliny's Historia naturalis (where Mela is cited as an important authority) the De situ orbis is the only formal treatise on the subject in Classical Latin.
Little is known of the author except his name and birthplace—the small town of Tingentera or Cingentera in southern Spain, on Algeciras Bay (Mela ii. 6, § 96; but the text is here corrupt). The date of his writing may be approximately fixed by his allusion (iii. 6 § 49) to a proposed British expedition of the reigning emperor, almost certainly that of Claudius in AD 43. That this passage cannot refer to Julius Caesar is evidenced by several references to events of Augustus's reign, especially to certain new names given to Spanish towns. Mela has been without probability identified by some with L. Annaeus Mela of Corduba, son of the rhetorician Seneca the Elder, and brother of the philosopher Seneca the Younger.
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Pytheas
Pytheas of Massalia or (using the Latin form) Massilia (Ancient Greek Πυθέας ὁ Μασσαλιώτης) (4th century BC), was a Greek geographer and explorer from the Greek colony, Massalia (modern day Marseilles). He made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe at about 325 BC. He travelled around and visited a considerable part of Great Britain. Pytheas is the first person on record to describe the Midnight Sun,polar ice, Germanic and possibly Finnic tribes. He is the one who introduced the idea of distant Thule to the geographic imagination. His account of the tides is the earliest to state they are caused by the moon.
Pliny says that Timaeus (born about 350 BC) believed Pytheas' story of the discovery of amber. Strabo says that Dicaearchus (died about 285 BC) did not trust the stories of Pytheas. That is all the information that survives concerning the date of Pytheas' voyage. Presuming that Timaeus would not have written until after he was 20 years old at about 330 BC and Dicaearchus would have needed time to write his most mature work, after 300 BC, there is no reason not to accept Tozer's window of 330 BC – 300 BC for the voyage. Some would give Timaeus an extra 5 years, bringing the voyage down to 325 BC at earliest. There is no further evidence.
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Páll Bálkason
Páll, son of Bálki, or Paal Baalkeson, was a 13th century Hebridean lord who was an ally of Olaf the Black, king of Mann and the Isles. He was long remembered in Gaelic tradition and is traditionally the progenitor of certain families with roots in the Hebrides. Páll is recorded as being a "sheriff" of Skye; a post which had earlier been held by another Páll, son of Bálki, who was possibly an ancestor. This earlier sheriff was said to have been a close friend of Godred II, King of Mann and the Isles.
Much of our knowledge of Páll comes from his appearances in the mediaeval Chronicle of Mann and later MacLeod tradition. Within the Chronicle of Mann he is named as Paul filius Boke, and is titled as a vicecomes of Skye. This title has usually been translated into English as "sheriff", since it is the regular form of "sheriff" in later times in Scotland. According to W.D.H. Sellar, it is more likely that vicecomes refers to a Norse title, such as syslumadh or armadhr (Gaelic: armann). His title appears to show that he was the official representative of the kings of Man on Skye. In later Gaelic tradition, Páll is portrayed as a "hermit"; it has been suggested that this description may actually refer to this Norse title.
wn.com/Páll_Bálkason -
Ragnall ua Ímair
Ragnall (Old Irish: Ragnall ua Ímair,Old Norse: Rögnvaldr) (died 920 or 921) was a Norse emperor or overlord of northern Britain, including Northumbria, the entire Irish Sea region including the Isle of Man, south to Waterford and briefly much of the Irish province of Munster, and then returning to Britain, briefly York as distinct from Northumbria at this time. According to the majority of modern scholars, at his height he was the most powerful Norse ruler the Anglo-Celtic Isles had yet seen. Ragnall was one of the grandsons of Ímar, the dynasty known as the Uí Ímair or House of Ivar, along with his contemporary kinsmen Sihtric Cáech and Gofraid. Although once questioned, the identity between the Ragnall of the Irish Sea and Ragnald of northern Britain is no longer in doubt. He may or may not have ruled territory in western and northern Scotland including the Hebrides and Northern Isles, but contemporary sources are silent on this matter.
The Ímar from whom the Uí Ímair were descended is generally presumed to be that Ímar, "king of the Northmen of all Britain and Ireland", whose death is reported by the Annals of Ulster in 873. Whether this Ímar is to be identified with the leader of the Great Heathen Army, or with Ivarr the Boneless, is less certain. In the period between the death of Ímar and the expulsion of the Northmen and Norse-Gaels from Dublin in 902, it is not certain that any descendants of Ímar played a notable part in the politics of the region. Members of the kindred appear to have led armies against the Picts following their expulsion, but these were killed and the armies destroyed in 904 by Constantín son of Áed, the king of Alba.
wn.com/Ragnall_ua_Ímair -
Ragnhild Eriksdotter
Ragnhild Eriksdotter (d. 984?) was the daughter of Eric Bloodaxe and his wife, Gunnhild. According to the Orkneyinga Saga, she was a scheming woman who sought power. Her first marriage was with Arnfinn Thorfinnsson in 954. Gunhildr and her children were returning after Erik's death at Stainmore. Her mother soon left for Denmark and Ragnhild sought her own power. Her husband was supposedly murdered at Murkle in Caithness sometime around 979. Her next husband was Arnfinn's brother, Havard. Havard may have been involved in his brother's murder, but he soon fell prey to Ragnhild's lust for power. Ragnhild convinced Einar Klining, possible nephew of Havard, to kill Havard for which she would marry him and make him Earl. This Einar promptly did. Havard was killed at Stenness on Orkney, though the date is uncertain. Before he could marry her, Ragnhild had promised Einar Hard-Jaw, who may have been another nephew, the same thing, if he would kill Einar Klining. This he did, but then Ragnhild took Havard's younger brother Liot as her husband. After Liot went on to defend Orkney and his claim the Earldom, he died of his wounds after the Battle of Skidmoor in Caithness. No more is heard of Ragnhild.
wn.com/Ragnhild_Eriksdotter -
Romanichal
The Romanichals (also Romnichals) are a Romani sub-group in the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world.
Romanichals are thought to have arrived in Britain in the 16th century. They are closely related to the Welsh Kale and Romani groups in continental Europe.
The word "Romanichal" is derived from Romani chal, where chal is Angloromani for "child".
Romanichal are found across the United Kingdom, particularly England, Lowland Scotland and Wales. The Romanichal diaspora emigrated from the UK, to other parts of the English-speaking world. There are now more people of Romanichal descent in the United States than Britain, based on some estimates.
They are also found in smaller numbers in South Africa, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The Romani people in England are thought to have spoken the Romani language until the nineteenth century, when it was replaced by English and Angloromani, a creole language that combines the syntax and grammar of English with the Romani lexicon. All Romanichals also speak English.
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Runic alphabet
Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets which were used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter. The Scandinavian variants are also known as futhark or fuþark (derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: F, U, Þ, A, R, and K); the Anglo-Saxon variant is futhorc or fuþorc (due to sound changes undergone in Old English by the same six letters). Runology is the study of the runic alphabets, runic inscriptions, runestones, and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.
The earliest runic inscriptions date from around AD 150. The characters were generally replaced by the Latin alphabet as the cultures that had used runes underwent Christianization by around AD 700 in central Europe and by around AD 1100 in Northern Europe. However, the use of runes persisted for specialized purposes in Northern Europe. Until the early 20th century runes were used in rural Sweden for decoration purposes in Dalarna and on Runic calendars.
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Scottish people
The Scottish people (Scots Gaelic: Albannaich), or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse. Later the Normans also had some influence.
In modern use, "Scottish people" or "Scots" is used to refer to anyone whose linguistic, cultural, family ancestral or genetic origins are from within Scotland. The Latin word Scotti originally applied to a particular, 5th century, Goidelic tribe that inhabited Ireland. Though sometimes considered archaic or pejorative, the term Scotch has also been used for the Scottish people, though this usage is current primarily outside Scotland.
There are people of Scottish descent in many countries other than Scotland. Emigration, influenced by factors such as the Highland and Lowland Clearances, Scottish participation in the British Empire, and latterly industrial decline and unemployment, resulted in Scottish people being found throughout the world. Large populations of Scottish people settled the new-world lands of North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. There is a Scottish presence at a particularly high rate in Canada, which has the second largest population of descended Scots ancestry, after the United States. They took with them their Scottish languages and culture.
wn.com/Scottish_people -
Sigurd Eysteinsson
Sigurd Eysteinsson (aka Sigurd the Mighty, ruled circa 875–892) was the second Viking Earl of Orkney, who succeeded his brother Rognvald Eysteinsson. He was a leader in the Viking conquest of what is now northern Scotland. Bizarrely, he was killed by the severed head of one his enemies, Máel Brigte, who may have been mórmaer of Moray. Sigurd strapped Máel Brigte's head to his saddle as a trophy of conquest, and as he rode, Máel Brigte's teeth grazed against Sigurd's leg. The wound became infected and Sigurd died.
The two main sources for Sigurd's life are the Norse Heimskringla and Orkneyinga sagas. According to the sagas, after the Battle of Hafrsfjord unified the Norwegian kingdom in or after 872, the Orkney and Shetland islands became a refuge for exiled Vikings, who raided their former homeland. The king of Norway, Harald Finehair, subdued the pirate Vikings with the aid of Rognvald Eysteinsson of Møre.
During the conquest, Rognvald's son, Ivar, was killed, and in compensation for his loss Harald gave Rognvald the islands along with the title of Jarl or Earl. With the consent of Harald, Rognvald transferred the title and lands to his brother Sigurd, who was one of Harald's forecastlemen. The Historia Norvegiæ, written around the same time as the sagas but from a different source, corroborates the conquest of the islands by Rognvald's family, but omits any details.
wn.com/Sigurd_Eysteinsson -
Sigurd the Stout
Sigurd Hlodvisson (circa 960–23 April 1014), popularly known as Sigurd the Stout, was Earl of Orkney. The main source for his life is the Orkneyinga Saga, written some two centuries after his death.
The Orkneyinga Saga reports that Sigurd was the son of Hlodvir, one of the five sons of Thorfinn Skull-Splitter, and Eithne, said to be a daughter of Kjarvalr, King of Ireland—Cerball mac Dúnlainge, King of Osraige, who died in 888. Hlodvir died in his bed and was succeeded as Earl by Sigurd.
Sigurd's uncle Ljot had been killed in war against the Scots, and Sigurd soon faced trouble from his southern neighbours. An "Earl Finnleik" led an army against him which outnumbered Sigurd's men by seven to one. The Saga famously records Sigurd's mother's reply when he went to her for advice:
I would long have fostered thee in my wool-basket, if I had known that thou wouldst live for ever, and fortune decides as to a man's life, and not circumstances. It is better to die with honour than to live with dishonour. Receive a standard which I have made with my whole knowledge, and I expect it will be victorious to him before whom it is carried, but the bane of him who bears it.
wn.com/Sigurd_the_Stout -
Sweyn Asleifsson
Sweyn Asleifsson (c. 1115 - 1171) was twelfth century Viking who appeared in the Orkneyinga Saga.
Sweyn (or Sveinn) was born in Caithness in the early twelfth century, to Olaf Hrolfsson and his wife Åsleik. According to the Orkneyinga Saga, he came to prominence when he murdered Earl Paul of Orkney's cup-bearer c. 1134 in a quarrel over a drinking game, and fled to Tiree to take refuge with Holdbodi Hundason.
In 1140, Holdbodi called on Sweyn to join him raiding the coast of Wales, but they were beaten off, Holdbodi withdrawing to the Isle of Man and Sweyn to Lewis. In the early summer of 1141, Sweyn arrived in Man to join Holdbodi, but the Hebridean had been persuaded to join forces with the Norman-Welsh lord Robert who had defeated them in the previous year, and attacked Sweyn. This created a feud between the former friends.
Some years later, after falling out with his own captains (led by his brother-in-law Thorbjorn Thorsteinsson), Sweyn was driven out of Orkney by Rognvald Kali Kolsson, but King David I persuaded them to make peace.
wn.com/Sweyn_Asleifsson -
Tacitus
Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56 – AD 117) was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors. These two works span the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus in AD 14 to (presumably) the death of emperor Domitian in AD 96. There are substantial lacunae in the surviving texts, including one four books long in the Annals.
Other writings by him discuss oratory (in dialogue format, see Dialogus de oratoribus), Germania (in De origine et situ Germanorum), and the life of his father-in-law Agricola, mainly focusing on his campaign in Britannia (see De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae).
Tacitus is considered to be one of the greatest Roman historians. He lived in what has been called the Silver Age of Latin literature, and as well as the brevity and compactness of his Latin prose, he is known for his penetrating insights into the psychology of power politics.
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Thorfinn Sigurdsson
Thorfinn Sigurdsson (1009?–c. 1064?), called Thorfinn the Mighty, was an 11th-century Earl of Orkney. One of five brothers (with Brusi, Sumarlidi, Einar and Hvelp), sons of Earl Sigurd Hlodvirsson by his marriage to the daughter of Malcolm II of Scotland. Thorfinn was the youngest of the five known sons of Earl Sigurd Hlodvirsson, but the only son of Sigurd's marriage to a daughter of Máel Coluim mac Cináeda. His elder half-brothers Einar, Brusi and Sumarlidi survived to adulthood, while a brother called Hundi ("the Dog") or 'Hvelp ("the Whelp") died in Norway, a hostage at the court of King Olaf Trygvasson. Thorfinn married Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, daughter of Finn Arnesson, Jarl of Halland.
The Heimskringla of Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, and the anonymous compiler of the Orkneyinga Saga, wrote that Thorfinn was the most powerful of all the earls of Orkney. He is said to have been earl for seventy-five years and ruler of nine earldoms in Scotland, of the Hebrides, and of part of Ireland. A sizable part of the account in the Orkneyinga Saga concerns his wars with a "King of Scots" named Karl Hundason whose identity is very uncertain.
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Thorstein the Red
Thorstein the Red or Thorstein Olafsson was a viking chieftain who flourished in late ninth-century Scotland. He was born around 850 AD and was the son of Olaf the White, King of Dublin, and Aud the Deep-minded, who was the daughter of Ketil Flatnose. After the death of Olaf, Aud and Thorstein went to live in the Hebrides, then under Ketil's rule. Thorstein eventually became a warlord and allied with the Jarl of Orkney, Sigurd Eysteinsson. Together Thorstein and Sigurd waged a series of campaigns in Caithness, Sutherland, Ross, Moray, and a number of other regions, eventually receiving tribute from half of Scotland. However, the Scottish chieftains plotted against Thorstein, and he was killed; the exact nature of his death is unknown but it probably took place around 880 or 890. After Thorstein's death Aud left Caithness, sojourning for a while in Orkney before settling with other members of her clan in Iceland.
Thorstein married Thurid, the daughter of Eyvind the Easterner. Thorstein and Thurid had a son, Olaf Feilan, and a number of daughters, including Groa, Thorgerd, Olof, Osk, Thorhild, and Vigdis. A woman named Unn, wife of Thorolf Mostur-beard, claimed to be the daughter of Thorstein, but this claim was viewed by other Icelanders with skepticism.
wn.com/Thorstein_the_Red -
Torf-Einarr
Einarr Rögnvaldarson, Torf-Einarr or Turf-Einar (fl. early 890s–920s) was one of the Norse Earls of Orkney. His rise to power is related in sagas which apparently draw on verses of Einarr's own composition for inspiration. After battling for control of the Northern Isles of Scotland, Einarr founded a dynasty which retained control of the islands for centuries after his death.
Einarr was the youngest son of Rögnvald Eysteinsson of Møre, Norway, by a concubine. Rögnvald's family conquered the Orkney and Shetland islands in the late ninth century, and Rögnvald's brother, Sigurd Eysteinsson, was made Earl of Orkney. After his death on campaign, Sigurd was succeeded by his son, Guthorm, who died shortly afterward. Rögnvald sent one of his sons, Hallad, to govern the islands but Hallad was unable to maintain control, resigned his earldom and returned to Norway as a common landholder.
According to the Norse Heimskringla and Orkneyinga sagas, Rögnvald had little regard for his youngest son Einarr because Einarr's mother was a slave. The sagas record that Rögnvald agreed to provide Einarr with a ship and crew in the hope that he would sail away and never return. Einarr sailed to the Scottish islands, where he defeated two Danish warlords, Þórir Tréskegg (Thorir Treebeard) and Kálf Skurfa (Kalf the Scurvy), who had taken residence there, and established himself as earl. It is unclear whether the account in the sagas of Einarr's conquest is accurate. Though the Historia Norvegiæ, written at the same time as the sagas but from a different source, confirms that Rögnvald's family conquered the islands, it gives few details. The scene in the sagas where Einarr's father scorns him is a literary device which often figures in Old Norse literature. Much of Einarr's story in the sagas appears to be derived from five skaldic verses attributed to Einarr himself.
wn.com/Torf-Einarr -
Ulster Scots people
The Ulster Scots (Ulster-Scots: tha Ulstèr-Scotch [fowk]) are an ethnic group that has lived on the island of Ireland since the 17th Century, and are predominantly citizens of the United Kingdom. Their ancestors were Scots from the Scottish Lowlands and English people from counties close to Scotland, many being from the "Border Reivers" culture. These people migrated to the island of Ireland in large numbers with the Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonisation which took place under the auspices of James VI of Scotland and I of England on land often confiscated from the Irish nobility, most extensively in the Province of Ulster. The term "Ulster-Scots" refers to both these colonists of the 17th century and, less commonly, to the Gallowglass who began to arrive from what is now northwest Scotland centuries earlier.
Ulster-Scots were largely descended from colonists from Galloway, Ayrshire, and the Scottish Borders Country, although some descend from people further north in the Scottish Lowlands and the Highlands. Ulster-Scots emigrated in significant numbers to the United States and all corners of the then-worldwide British Empire — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa — and to a lesser extent to Argentina and Chile. Scotch-Irish is a traditional term for Ulster Scots who later emigrated to what is now the United States; "Scots-Irish" is a more recent form of the American term, and is not to be confused with Irish-Scots, i.e., recent Irish immigrants to Scotland.
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Willem Blaeu
Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571 – 21 October 1638), also abbreviated to Willem Jansz. Blaeu, was a Dutch cartographer, atlas maker and publisher.
Blaeu was born at Uitgeest or Alkmaar. As the son of a well-to-do herring salesman, he was destined to succeed his father in the trade, but his interests lay more in Mathematics and Astronomy. Between 1594 and 1596 as a student of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe he qualified as an instrument and globe maker.
Once he returned to the Netherlands, he made country maps and world globes, and as he possessed his own printing works, he was able to regularly produce country maps in an atlas format, some of which appeared in the Atlas Novus published in 1635. In 1633 he was appointed map-maker of the Dutch East India Company. He was also an editor and published the works of Willebrord Snell, Adriaan Metius, Gerhard Johann Vossius and the historian and poet Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. He died in Amsterdam.
He had two sons, Johannes and Cornelis Blaeu, who continued their father's mapmaking and publishing business after his death in 1638. Prints of the family's works are still sold today. Original maps are rare collector items.
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World War I
World War I (WWI), which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939 (World War II), and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred around the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; but, as Austria–Hungary had taken the offensive against the agreement, Italy did not enter into the war). These alliances both reorganised (Italy fought for the Allies), and expanded as more nations entered the war. Ultimately more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. More than 9 million combatants were killed, largely because of enormous increases in lethality of weapons, thanks to new technology, without corresponding improvements in protection or mobility. It was the sixth-deadliest conflict in world history, subsequently paving the way for various political changes such as revolutions in the nations involved.
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Islands of Scotland - The Orkney Islands (1/3)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:52
- Updated: 13 Nov 2012
2) The Orkney Isles Orkney (also known as the Orkney Islands or, incorrectly, the Orkneys) is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated 10 miles (16 km) north of the coast of Caithness. Orkney comprises over 70 islands; around 20 are inhabited. The largest island, known as "Mainland," has an area of 202 sq mi (523 km²), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall. Orkney has been inhabited for at least 5500 years. Originally inhabited by neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and finally annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. It was subsequently re-annexed to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
http://wn.com/Islands_of_Scotland_The_Orkney_Islands_1_3
ORKNEY ISLANDS - Gill Bay to St Margarets Hope Ferry
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:16
- Updated: 06 Jan 2012
A video shot at Hope Bay Caithness and at St Margarets Hope on South Ronaldsway of the Pentland Ferry
http://wn.com/ORKNEY_ISLANDS_Gill_Bay_to_St_Margarets_Hope_Ferry
Nikon D7000: Orkney Islands at Christmas
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:10
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
A short film shot on location in the Orkney Isles. Nikon D7000. Music: "Saylon Dola" by Chameleon. Composed by Nigel Hess.
http://wn.com/Nikon_D7000_Orkney_Islands_at_Christmas
The Orkney Islands - A Video Tour
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:15
- Updated: 29 Oct 2012
A mixture of video clips shot during 2 days spent on the Orkney Islands in the North of Scotland. The two clips at the start of the video are from the mainland. One at Smoo Cave the other of the countryside along the North Western Coast. Footage is shot on a Flip Ultra HD. For more information about the Orkneys and stories behind the video please visit www.virtualwayfarer.com - please visit my profile for more videos of Scotland and the Highlands.
http://wn.com/The_Orkney_Islands_A_Video_Tour
Islands of Scotland - The Orkney Islands (2/3)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:51
- Updated: 13 Nov 2012
2) The Orkney Isles Orkney (also known as the Orkney Islands or, incorrectly, the Orkneys) is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated 10 miles (16 km) north of the coast of Caithness. Orkney comprises over 70 islands; around 20 are inhabited. The largest island, known as "Mainland," has an area of 202 sq mi (523 km²), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall. Orkney has been inhabited for at least 5500 years. Originally inhabited by neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and finally annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. It was subsequently re-annexed to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
http://wn.com/Islands_of_Scotland_The_Orkney_Islands_2_3
another day at work pentland firth orkney isles
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:41
- Updated: 28 Oct 2012
you want to see this in the winter when its dark and windy?
http://wn.com/another_day_at_work_pentland_firth_orkney_isles
Orkney Islands, Scotland - Travel Snapshots HD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:30
- Updated: 20 Nov 2012
Travel Snapshots of Orkney Islands, Scotland. Ramblers Holidays. By Jim G H. Other Travel Snapshots - Click 'More From' for link above or type in ' JimGuanhoe' in Google Video or YouTube Search. List below - Albania and Macedonia. Armenia. Bangkok - Thailand - LATEST. ...
http://wn.com/Orkney_Islands,_Scotland_Travel_Snapshots_HD
The Orkney Islands - Around The Mainland
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:35
- Updated: 24 Oct 2012
Movie taken mostly around Orkney Mainland August 2010
http://wn.com/The_Orkney_Islands_Around_The_Mainland
Ivan Drever & Dick Clarke- Orkney Islands Music
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:35
- Updated: 07 Nov 2012
The Orkney Islands of Scotland ,music is captured for my cameras in this rare video from my old television show in Arizona joelsamuelpresents- Ivan Drever has gone on to write songs for such movies as " Goodwill Hunting" with Robin Williams and has a large worldwide cult following. Sorry, but the phone and fax numbers are no longer valid this was shot in 1989. welcome and if you enjoy it tell your friends
http://wn.com/Ivan_Drever_Dick_Clarke_Orkney_Islands_Music
Scapa Flow WWI German ship wrecks, Orkney Islands, Scotland
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:05
- Updated: 21 Oct 2012
Scapa Flow, a huge natural harbour in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, is the resting place of the remaining wrecks of the ships the WWI German High Seas Fleet, which was interned in Scapa Flow during the WW1 Armistice negotiations. The ships were deliberately scuttled by the German commander. While many of the wrecks were salvaged, a number remain, and these have become major diving attractions and "must-do" dives for any serious wreck diver. These include the battleships SMS "Mark Graf" and SMS "Kronprinz Wilhelm", and the cruisers SMS "Brummer" and SMS "Koln". Filmed and narrated by Michael Baron, Eaglehawk Dive Centre, Tasmania. All footage in this video is © Michael Baron, Eaglehawk Dive Centre, all rights reserved. No part of this video can be used in any way and/or in any form without written permission of the copyright owner.
http://wn.com/Scapa_Flow_WWI_German_ship_wrecks,_Orkney_Islands,_Scotland
Tidal turbines power Orkney Island homes
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:36
- Updated: 18 Sep 2012
A tidal turbine has successfully completed a test in the Scottish Orkney Islands, providing power to homes and businesses on Eday. Each 1MW Hammerfest turbine can provide enough electricity to power 500 homes. Tidal power is more reliable than wind power because it is a constant source of energy. Authorities hope to expand the tidal array to a capacity of 10MW. Source: BBC, Clickgreen.org
http://wn.com/Tidal_turbines_power_Orkney_Island_homes
Skara Brae - Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:04
- Updated: 09 Feb 2012
tripwow.tripadvisor.com - Created at TripWow by TravelPod Attractions (a TripAdvisor™ company) Skara Brae Orkney Islands A Neolithic village buried in the southern shore of Sandwick. Read more at: www.travelpod.com Travel blogs from Skara Brae: - "... Nous devions cependant faire attention où nous mettions les pieds beurk! Finalement, nous avons visité Skara Brae, en commençant par un petit musée sur la période d'âge de pierre et nous nous sommes ..." - "... Skara Brae itself was impresive but we were perhaps even more captivated by Skaill House ..." Read these blogs and more at: www.travelpod.com Photos from: - Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom - Dounby, Mainland, Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom - Stromness, Mainland, Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom - Kirkwall, Mainland, Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom Photos in this video: - "Centre hearth and beds to either side - Skara Brae" by Linaanddame from a blog titled "Rugged Scotland" - "A maze of openings and passages - Skara Brae" by Linaanddame from a blog titled "Rugged Scotland" - "Inside a replica of a Skara Brae building" by Drewag from a blog titled "Orkney Island" - "Stone dresser near the fire, Skara Brae" by Drewag from a blog titled "Orkney Island" - "Inside the replica home at Skara Brae" by Linaanddame from a blog titled "Rugged Scotland" - "Skara Brae, Orkney Island, Scotland" by Malinda65 from a blog titled "Into the Orkneys" - "Shelves and benches - Skara Brae" by Linaanddame ...
http://wn.com/Skara_Brae_Orkney_Islands,_Scotland,_United_Kingdom
Orkney island tomb dig DAY 2
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:24
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
http://wn.com/Orkney_island_tomb_dig_DAY_2
Tall ships Orkney Islands kirkwall to Stromness July 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:59
- Updated: 31 Oct 2012
tall ships sail from kirkwall to stromness
http://wn.com/Tall_ships_Orkney_Islands_kirkwall_to_Stromness_July_2011
Orkney Islands, Scotland - a quick tour
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:35
- Updated: 16 Sep 2012
A quick,personal tour of Orkney during a 3 week architectural grad program in 2005 ... an amazing and wonderful place ...wonderful folks....great music!
http://wn.com/Orkney_Islands,_Scotland_a_quick_tour
Orkney Islands, Skara Brae and Old Man of Hoy
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:29
- Updated: 05 Oct 2012
A working visit to Orkney again, view from Milldoe Hill, Skara Brae (en.wikipedia.org and Old Man of Hoy from the Northlink ferry, the Hamnavoe from Stromness to Scrabster
http://wn.com/Orkney_Islands,_Skara_Brae_and_Old_Man_of_Hoy
Islands of Scotland - The Orkney Islands (3/3)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:51
- Updated: 13 Nov 2012
2) The Orkney Isles Orkney (also known as the Orkney Islands or, incorrectly, the Orkneys) is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated 10 miles (16 km) north of the coast of Caithness. Orkney comprises over 70 islands; around 20 are inhabited. The largest island, known as "Mainland," has an area of 202 sq mi (523 km²), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall. Orkney has been inhabited for at least 5500 years. Originally inhabited by neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and finally annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. It was subsequently re-annexed to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
http://wn.com/Islands_of_Scotland_The_Orkney_Islands_3_3
Destination Unknown South Orkney Island,
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:50
- Updated: 18 May 2012
On my way to the white continent of Antarctica, I passed by the South Orkney Islands. This remote group of islands gave me my first glimpse of the incredible beauty that is found only in the southern Atlantic Ocean.
http://wn.com/Destination_Unknown_South_Orkney_Island,
VP8ORK DXPEDITION 2011 - SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:01
- Updated: 12 Oct 2012
VP8ORK DXPEDITION 2011 SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS Micro-lite Penguins DXpedition Animation Flash by PY2MAJ
http://wn.com/VP8ORK_DXPEDITION_2011_SOUTH_ORKNEY_ISLANDS
Orkney Islands, Beekeepers from the extreme
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:55
- Updated: 26 Oct 2012
Karen Scott from the Centre of Rural Economy of the University of Newcastle give a interview on her work in Orkney. In Orkney islands, beekeeping is alway extreme due to the climate. Without trees, covered by moors and subject to violent winds, the bees have been introduce here by men and can not survive without them. Varroa free, sanctuary of the european Apis Mellofera mellifera, commonly called black been, the Orkney Islands are today a reference in England. The Orkney Beekeepers Association try to protect the islands from the introduction of varroa mite and from the importation of hybrids bees.
http://wn.com/Orkney_Islands,_Beekeepers_from_the_extreme
Reversing an artic onto an small Orkney Islands ferry
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:16
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
This artic is reversing down the ramp onto the small inter-island ferry operated in the Orkneys. It's just dropped off some equipment at the Flotta Oil Terminal and is loading onto the ferry again to return to the mainland . Shot by Biglorryblog!
http://wn.com/Reversing_an_artic_onto_an_small_Orkney_Islands_ferry
Orkney Island Gold
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:55
- Updated: 19 Jan 2012
The story of Orkney Island Gold
http://wn.com/Orkney_Island_Gold
German High Seas Fleet, Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, UK
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:29
- Updated: 01 Nov 2012
10 members from the Coatbridge Sub-Aqua Club dived the German High Seas Fleet in October 2008. The ships featured in the video are; the Brummer; the Dresden; the Flottenbegleiter (F2 and barge); the Karlsruhe; the Tabarka (block ship in Burra Sound); and the Kronprinz Wilhelm;
http://wn.com/German_High_Seas_Fleet,_Scapa_Flow,_Orkney_Islands,_UK
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
20 Nov 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling President Barack Obama's whirlwind tour of southeast Asia and meetings with dignitaries will have to walk a tightrope between either appearing to endorse military juntas or truly being committed to ongoing pro-democracy movements. Specifically at issue is Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic advocate...(size: 5.0Kb)
photo: AP / Sebastian D'souza
21 Nov 2012
MUMBAI, India - India executed the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai early Wednesday, India's home ministry said. Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani citizen, was one of 10 gunmen who rampaged through the streets of India's financial capital in November 2008, killing 166 people. Kasab was hung at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at a jail in...(size: 4.5Kb)
photo: AP / Emilio Morenatti
22 Nov 2012
A new battle is underway in Pakistan with its powerful military front-and-centre, but the fight is not against armed insurgents or ideological extremists - this opponent is a muscle-flexing Supreme Court. For the first time in decades, the military's iron grip over the South Asian country has been challenged, and it remains to be seen if it will...(size: 23.7Kb)
photo: AP / Melanie Gouby
21 Nov 2012
Hundreds of government soldiers and police in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surrendered to rebels at a stadium in Goma, Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri has reported from the scene. The M23 rebel group, believed to be backed by Rwanda seized the strategic, provincial capital of Goma in eastern Congo on Tuesday, home to more than 1 million...(size: 18.7Kb)
photo: UN / Logan Abassi
21 Nov 2012
A report by the UN says global attempts to curb emissions of CO2 are falling well short of what is needed to stem dangerous climate change. The UN's Environment Programme says greenhouse gases are 14% above where they need to be in 2020 for temperature rises this century to remain below 2C. The authors say this target is still technically...(size: 3.5Kb)
BBC News
22 Nov 2012
An oil terminal in the Orkney Islands has been given a major boost following a North Sea deal. Oil and gas firm Talisman Energy has signed an agreement to provide transportation and processing services to the Golden Eagle development, which is currently under construction. The services will be provided through the Talisman-operated Flotta terminal...(size: 2.3Kb)
BBC News
22 Nov 2012
The owners of a fishing boat which went on fire and sank off Orkney have been...(size: 0.5Kb)
Belfast Telegraph
20 Nov 2012
British mothers living in the UK's most remote spots should be among the happiest people in the country, a think-tank revealed as the Government prepared to release its first report on public quality of life. The study showed women were generally more content than men but appeared to experience more anxiety. It also identified geographical...(size: 2.4Kb)
BBC News
20 Nov 2012
A "forgotten forest" of small tree species require conservation efforts similar to those needed to protect taller trees, a charity has said. Moray-based Trees for Life said some species such as dwarf birch were becoming scarce in the UK. The charity has included what it calls "wee trees" in projects to...(size: 2.0Kb)
Scoop
19 Nov 2012
Tuesday, 20 November 2012, 10:27 am Press Release: Whitireia FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday 20 November 2012 Oldest Pacific island goes digital in The very ancient meets the most modern in Whitireia’s online literary journal, 4th Floor 2012, launched today. 4th Floor publishes annually, showcasing writers from Whitireia New Zealand’s...(size: 2.8Kb)
The Guardian
19 Nov 2012
Sefton site points to nomadic hunter-gatherer ways being given up after evidence found of 8,000-year-old permanent dwellings Lunt Meadow is close to Formby beach, where scores of trails of ancient human and animal footprints have been discovered preserved in the silty mud. Photograph: Colin Mcpherson/Corbis...(size: 4.8Kb)
Signon San Diego
18 Nov 2012
MSNBC
18 Nov 2012
A pickup truck slammed into house in Encinitas, crashing right through the living room, authorities confirmed. The collision happened around 6 p.m. Saturday at a residence on the 1800 block of MacKinnon Avenue at Cathy Lane, near Orkney Lane. According to deputies,...(size: 1.7Kb)
The Daily Telegraph
18 Nov 2012
A microlight instructor has died after his aircraft plunged into the Gulf of Thailand while he and a passenger were scattering the ashes of a friend who died recently. The broken microlight aircraft belonging to Scottish pilot Tom Grieve (inset) is brought ashore at Pattaya, Thailand Photo: Andrew Chant Pictures By Auslan Cramb...(size: 11.9Kb)
The Washington Post
16 Nov 2012
A FOREIGN COUNTRY By Charles CummingMacmillan, unabridged, 9½ hours, eight CDs, $39.99. Audible.com, $27.99; iTunes, $23.95; BN.com, $19.91 Loading... Comments Weigh In Corrections? Recommend Personal Post...(size: 5.9Kb)
BBC News
15 Nov 2012
A 45-year-old man who died following an industrial accident at a pier in Orkney...(size: 0.5Kb)
This article is about the islands in northern Scotland. For other places of the same name, see Orkney (disambiguation).
| Orkney Arcaibh |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Location | |||||
 |
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| Geography | |||||
| Area | Ranked 16th | ||||
| - Total | 990 km2 (380 sq mi) | ||||
| Admin HQ | Kirkwall | ||||
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-ORK | ||||
| ONS code | 00RA | ||||
| Demographics | |||||
| Population | Ranked 32nd | ||||
| - Total (2010 est.) | 20,100 | ||||
| - Density | 20 / km² | ||||
| Politics | |||||
| Orkney Islands Council http://www.orkney.gov.uk/ |
|||||
| Control | |||||
| Independent | |||||
| MPs | |||||
| MSPs | |||||
Orkney (Scottish Gaelic: Arcaibh[1][2]) also known as the Orkney Islands (and sometimes "the Orkneys", a name which locals disparage),[Notes 1] is an archipelago in northern Scotland, 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the coast of Caithness. Orkney comprises approximately 70 islands of which 20 are inhabited.[4][5] The largest island, known as the "Mainland" has an area of 523.25 square kilometres (202.03 sq mi) making it the sixth largest Scottish island[6] and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall.[7]
The name "Orkney" dates back to the 1st century BC or earlier, and the islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years. Originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and forcibly annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. It was subsequently annexed to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark.[8] Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Orkney is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, a constituency of the Scottish Parliament, a lieutenancy area, and a former county. The local council is Orkney Islands Council, one of only three Councils in Scotland with a majority of elected members who are independents.[Notes 2]
In addition to the Mainland, most of the islands are in two groups, the North and South Isles, all of which have an underlying geological base of Old Red Sandstone. The climate is mild and the soils are extremely fertile, most of the land being farmed. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy and the significant wind and marine energy resources are of growing importance. The local people are known as Orcadians and have a distinctive dialect and a rich inheritance of folklore. There is an abundance of marine and avian wildlife.
Contents |
Origin of the name[link]
Pytheas of Massilia visited Britain probably sometime between 322 and 285 BC and described it as being triangular in shape, with a northern tip called Orcas.[11] This may have referred to Dunnet Head, from which Orkney is visible.[12] Writing in the 1st century AD, the Roman geographer Pomponius Mela called the islands Orcades, as did Tacitus in AD 98, claiming that his father-in-law Agricola had "discovered and subjugated the Orcades hitherto unknown"[12][13] although both Mela and Pliny had previously referred to the islands.[11] The element Orc- is usually interpreted as a Pictish tribal name meaning "young pig" or "young boar".[Notes 3][15] The Old Irish name for the islands was Insi Orc ("island of the pigs").[16][17] The archipelago is known as Arcaibh in modern Scottish Gaelic, the -aibh representing a fossilized prepositional case ending.
With the arrival of Norwegian settlers from the late 9th century, orc was re-interpreted as Old Norse as orkn "seal", with the added suffix ey "island".[18] Thus the name became Orkneyjar (meaning "seal islands"), which was later shortened to Orkney in English.
History[link]
Main article: History of the Orkney Islands
Prehistory[link]
Main article: Prehistoric Orkney
A charred hazelnut shell, recovered in 2007 during excavations in Tankerness on the Mainland has been dated to 6820-6660 BC indicating the presence of Mesolithic nomadic tribes.[19] The earliest known permanent settlement is at Knap of Howar, a Neolithic farmstead on the island of Papa Westray, which dates from 3500 BC. The village of Skara Brae, Europe's best-preserved Neolithic settlement, is believed to have been inhabited from around 3100 BC.[20] Other remains from that era include the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Maeshowe passage grave, the Ring of Brodgar and other standing stones. Many of the Neolithic settlements were abandoned around 2500 BC, possibly due to changes in the climate.[21][22][23]
During the Bronze Age fewer large stone structures were built although the great ceremonial circles continued in use[24] as metalworking was slowly introduced to Scotland from Europe over a lengthy period.[25][26] There are relatively few Orcadian sites dating from this era although there is the impressive Plumcake Mound near the Ring of Brodgar and various islands sites such as Tofts Ness on Sanday and the remains of two houses on Holm of Faray.[27][28]
Iron Age[link]
Excavations at Quanterness on the Mainland have revealed an Atlantic roundhouse built about 700 BC and similar finds have been made at Bu on the Mainland and Pierowall Quarry on Westray.[29] The most impressive Iron Age structures of Orkney are the ruins of later round towers called "brochs" and their associated settlements such as the Broch of Burroughston[30] and Broch of Gurness. The nature and origin of these buildings is a subject of ongoing debate. Other structures from this period include underground storehouses, and aisled roundhouses, the latter usually in association with earlier broch sites.[31][32]
During the Roman invasion of Britain the "King of Orkney" was one of 11 British leaders who is said to have submitted to the Emperor Claudius in AD 43 at Colchester.[33][Notes 4] After the Agricolan fleet had come and gone, possibly anchoring at Shapinsay, direct Roman influence seems to have been limited to trade rather than conquest.[36]
By the late Iron Age, Orkney was part of the Pictish kingdom, and although the archaeological remains from this period are less impressive there is every reason to suppose the fertile soils and rich seas of Orkney provided the Picts with a comfortable living.[36][Notes 5] The Dalriadic Gaels began to influence the islands towards the close of the Pictish era, perhaps principally through the role of Celtic missionaries, as evidenced by several islands bearing the epithet "Papa" in commemoration of these preachers.[38] However, before the Gaelic presence could establish itself the Picts were gradually dispossessed by the Norsemen from the late 8th century onwards. The nature of this transition is controversial, and theories range from peaceful integration to enslavement and genocide.[39]
Norwegian rule[link]
Both Orkney and Shetland saw a significant influx of Norwegian settlers during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. Vikings made the islands the headquarters of their pirate expeditions carried out against Norway and the coasts of mainland Scotland. In response, Norwegian king Harald Hårfagre ("Harald Fair Hair") annexed the Northern Isles (comprising Orkney and Shetland) in 875.[Notes 6] Rognvald Eysteinsson received Orkney and Shetland from Harald as an earldom as reparation for the death of his son in battle in Scotland, and then passed the earldom on to his brother Sigurd the Mighty.[41]
However, Sigurd's line barely survived him and it was Torf-Einarr, Rognvald's son by a slave, who founded a dynasty that controlled the islands for centuries after his death.[42][Notes 7] He was succeeded by his son Thorfinn Skull-splitter and during this time the deposed Norwegian King Eric Bloodaxe often used Orkney as a raiding base before being killed in 954. Thorfinn's death and presumed burial at the broch of Hoxa, on South Ronaldsay, led to a long period of dynastic strife.[44][45]
Initially a pagan culture, detailed information about the return of the Christian religion to the islands of Scotland during the Norse-era is elusive.[47] The Orkneyinga Saga suggests the islands were Christianised by Olav Tryggvasson in 995 when he stopped at South Walls on his way from Ireland to Norway. The King summoned the jarl Sigurd the Stout[Notes 8] and said "I order you and all your subjects to be baptised. If you refuse, I'll have you killed on the spot and I swear I will ravage every island with fire and steel." Unsurprisingly, Sigurd agreed and the islands became Christian at a stroke,[46] receiving their own bishop in the early 11th century.[Notes 9]
Thorfinn the Mighty was a son of Sigurd and a grandson of King Máel Coluim mac Cináeda (Malcolm II of Scotland). Along with Sigurd's other sons he ruled Orkney during the first half of the 11th century and extended his authority over a small maritime empire stretching from Dublin to Shetland. Thorfinn died around 1065 and his sons Paul and Erlend succeeded him, fighting at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066.[50] Paul and Erlend quarreled as adults and this dispute carried on to the next generation. The martyrdom of Magnus Erlendsson, who was killed in April 1116 by his cousin Haakon Paulsson, resulted in the building of St. Magnus Cathedral, still today a dominating feature of Kirkwall.[Notes 10][Notes 11]
Unusually, from c. 1100 onwards the Norse jarls owed allegiance both to Norway for Orkney and to the Scottish crown through their holdings as Earls of Caithness.[53] In 1231 the line of Norse earls, unbroken since Rognvald, ended with Jon Haraldsson's murder in Thurso.[54] The Earldom of Caithness was granted to Magnus, second son of the Earl of Angus, whom Haakon IV of Norway confirmed as Earl of Orkney in 1236.[55] In 1290, the death of the child princess Margaret, Maid of Norway in Orkney, en route to mainland Scotland, created a disputed succession that led to the Wars of Scottish Independence.[56][Notes 12] In 1379 the earldom passed to the Sinclair family, who were also barons of Roslin near Edinburgh.[57][Notes 13]
Evidence of the Viking presence is widespread, and includes the settlement at the Brough of Birsay,[61] the vast majority of place names,[62] and the runic inscriptions at Maeshowe.[Notes 14]
Scottish rule[link]
In 1468 Orkney was pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as king of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland. As the money was never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland has become perpetual.[Notes 15]
The history of Orkney prior to this time is largely the history of the ruling aristocracy. From now on the ordinary people emerge with greater clarity. An influx of Scottish entrepreneurs helped to create a diverse and independent community that included farmers, fishermen and merchants that called themselves comunitas Orcadie and who proved themselves increasingly able to defend their rights against their feudal overlords.[66][67]
From at least the 16th century, boats from mainland Scotland and the Netherlands dominated the local herring fishery. There is little evidence of an Orcadian fleet until the 19th century but it grew rapidly and 700 boats were involved by the 1840s with Stronsay and then later Stromness becoming leading centres of development. White fish never became as dominant as in other Scottish ports.[68]
In the 17th century, Orcadians formed the overwhelming majority of employees of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada. The harsh climate of Orkney and the Orcadian reputation for sobriety and their boat handling skills made them ideal candidates for the rigours of the Canadian north.[69] During this period, burning kelp briefly became a mainstay of the islands' economy. For example on Shapinsay over 3,048 tonnes (3,000 long tons) of burned seaweed were produced per annum to make soda ash, bringing in £20,000 to the local economy.[70]
Agricultural improvements beginning in the 17th century resulted in the enclosure of the commons and ultimately in the Victoria era the emergence of large and well-managed farms using a five-shift rotation system and producing high quality beef cattle.[71]
20th century[link]
Orkney was the site of a Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow, which played a major role in World War I and II. After the Armistice in 1918, the German High Seas Fleet was transferred in its entirety to Scapa Flow to await a decision on its future. The German sailors opened the sea-cocks and scuttled all the ships. Most ships were salvaged, but the remaining wrecks are now a favoured haunt of recreational divers. One month into World War II, a German U-boat sank the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow. As a result, barriers were built to close most of the access channels; these had the additional advantage of creating causeways enabling travellers to go from island to island by road instead of being obliged to rely on ferries. The causeways were constructed by Italian prisoners of war, who also constructed the ornate Italian Chapel.[72]
The navy base became run down after the war, eventually closing in 1957. The problem of a declining population was significant in the post-war years, though in the last decades of the 20th century there was a recovery and life in Orkney focused on growing prosperity and the emergence of a relatively classless society.[73]
Overview of population trends[link]
In the modern era, population peaked in the mid 19th century at just over 26,000 and declined for a century thereafter to a low of less than 17,000 in the 1970s. Declines were particularly significant in the outlying islands, some of which remain vulnerable to ongoing losses. Although Orkney is in many ways very distinct from the other islands and archipelagos of Scotland this trend is very similar to those experienced elsewhere.[74][75]
| Year | Population[75] |
| 1801 | 22,280 |
| 1811 | 18,531 |
| 1821 | 23,207 |
| 1831 | 24,411 |
| 1841 | 25,526 |
| 1851 | 26,409 |
| Year | Population[75] |
| 1921 | 24,144 |
| 1931 | 22,102 |
| 1941 | 21,688 |
| 1951 | 21,275 |
| 1961 | 19,125 |
| 1971 | 16,976 |
| 1981 | 18,418 |
| 1991 | 19,570 |
| 2001 | 19,245 |
Geography[link]
The Pentland Firth is a seaway between Orkney and the mainland of Scotland. It is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) wide between Brough Ness on the island of South Ronaldsay and Duncansby Head in Caithness. Orkney lies between 58°41′and 59°24′North, and 2°22′and 3°26′West, measuring 80 kilometres (50 mi) from northeast to southwest and 47 kilometres (29 mi) from east to west, and covers 975 square kilometres (376 sq mi).[76][77]
The islands are mainly low-lying except for some sharply rising sandstone hills on Hoy, Mainland and Rousay and rugged cliffs on some western coasts. Nearly all of the islands have lochs, but the watercourses are merely streams draining the high land. The coastlines are indented, and the islands themselves are divided from each other by straits generally called "sounds" or "firths".[76][78]
The tidal currents, or "roosts" as some of them are called locally,[79] off many of the isles are swift, with frequent whirlpools.[Notes 16] The islands are notable for the absence of trees, which is partly accounted for by the amount of wind.[81]
Islands[link]
Main article: List of Orkney islands
The Mainland[link]
Main article: Mainland, Orkney
The Mainland is the largest island of Orkney. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, are on this island, which is also the heart of Orkney's transportation system, with ferry and air connections to the other islands and to the outside world. The island is more densely populated (75% of Orkney's population) than the other islands and has much fertile farmland.
The island is mostly low-lying (especially East Mainland) but with coastal cliffs to the north and west and two sizeable lochs: the Loch of Harray and the Loch of Stenness. The Mainland contains the remnants of numerous Neolithic, Pictish and Viking constructions. Four of the main Neolithic sites are included in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1999.
The other islands in the group are classified as north or south of the Mainland. Exceptions are the remote islets of Sule Skerry and Sule Stack, which lie 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of the archipelago, but form part of Orkney for local government purposes. In island names, the suffix "a" or "ay" represents the Norse ey, meaning "island". Those described as "holms" are very small.
The North Isles[link]
The northern group of islands is the most extensive and consists of a large number of moderately sized islands, linked to the Mainland by ferries and by air services. Farming, fishing and tourism are the main sources of income for most of the islands.
The most northerly is North Ronaldsay, which lies 4 kilometres (2 mi) beyond its nearest neighbour, Sanday. To the west is Westray has a population of 550. It is connected by ferry and air to Papa Westray, also known as "Papay". Eday is at the centre of the North Isles. The centre of the island is moorland and the island's main industries have been peat extraction and limestone quarrying.
Rousay, Egilsay and Gairsay lie north of the west Mainland across the Eynhallow Sound. Rousay is well-known for its ancient monuments, including the Quoyness chambered cairn and Egilsay has the ruins of the only round-towered church in Orkney. Wyre to the south east contains the site of Cubbie Roo's castle. Stronsay and Papa Stronsay lie much further to the east across the Stronsay Firth. Auskerry is south of Stronsay and has a population of only five. Shapinsay and its Balfour Castle are a short distance north of Kirkwall.
Other small uninhabited islands in the North Isles group include: Calf of Eday, Damsay, Eynhallow, Faray, Helliar Holm, Holm of Faray, Holm of Huip, Holm of Papa, Holm of Scockness, Kili Holm, Linga Holm, Muckle Green Holm, Rusk Holm and Sweyn Holm.
The South Isles[link]
The southern group of islands surrounds Scapa Flow. Hoy is the second largest of the Orkney Isles and Ward Hill at its northern end is the highest elevation in the archipelago. The Old Man of Hoy is a well-known seastack. Burray lies to the east of Scapa Flow and is linked by causeway to South Ronaldsay, which hosts the cultural events, the Festival of the Horse and the Boys' Ploughing Match on the third Saturday in August.[83] It is also the location of the Neolithic Tomb of the Eagles. Graemsay and Flotta are both linked by ferry to the Mainland and Hoy, and the latter is known for its large oil terminal. South Walls has a 19th century Martello tower and is connected to Hoy by the Ayre. South Ronaldsay, Burray, Glims Holm, and Lamb Holm are connected by road to the Mainland by the Churchill Barriers.
Uninhabited South Islands include: Calf of Flotta, Cava, Copinsay, Corn Holm, Fara, Glims Holm, Hunda, Lamb Holm, Rysa Little, Switha and Swona. The Pentland Skerries lie further south, closer to the Scottish mainland.
Geology[link]
Main article: Geology of Orkney
The superficial rock of Orkney is almost entirely Old Red Sandstone, mostly of Middle Devonian age.[84] As in the neighbouring mainland county of Caithness, this sandstone rests upon the metamorphic rocks of the Moine series, as may be seen on the Mainland, where a narrow strip is exposed between Stromness and Inganess, and again in the small island of Graemsay; they are represented by grey gneiss and granite.[85]
The Middle Devonian is divided into three main groups. The lower part of the sequence, mostly Eifelian in age, is dominated by lacustrine beds of the lower and upper Stromness Flagstones that were deposited in Lake Orcadie.[86] The later Rousay flagstone formation is found throughout much of the North and South Isles and East Mainland.[87]
The Old Man of Hoy is formed from sandstone of the uppermost Eday group that is up to 800 metres (870 yd) thick in places. It lies unconformably upon steeply inclined flagstones, the interpretation of which is a matter of continuing debate.[87][88]
The Devonian and older rocks of Orkney are cut by a series of WSW-ENE to N-S trending faults, many of which were active during deposition of the Devonian sequences.[89] A strong synclinal fold traverses Eday and Shapinsay, the axis trending north-south.
Middle Devonian basaltic volcanic rocks are found on western Hoy, on Deerness in eastern Mainland and on Shapinsay. Correlation between the Hoy volcanics and the other two exposures has been proposed, but differences in chemistry means this remains uncertain.[90] Lamprophyre dykes of Late Permian age are found throughout Orkney.[91]
Glacial striation and the presence of chalk and flint erratics that originated from the bed of the North Sea demonstrate the influence of ice action on the geomorphology of the islands. Boulder clay is also abundant and moraines cover substantial areas.[92]
Climate[link]
Orkney has a cool temperate climate that is remarkably mild and steady for such a northerly latitude, due to the influence of the Gulf Stream.[93] The average temperature for the year is 8°C (46°F); for winter 4°C (39°F) and for summer 12°C (54°F).[94]
The average annual rainfall varies from 850 millimetres (33 in) to 940 millimetres (37 in).[94] Winds are a key feature of the climate and even in summer there are almost constant breezes. In winter, there are frequent strong winds, with an average of 52 hours of gales being recorded annually.[95]
To tourists, one of the fascinations of the islands is their "nightless" summers. On the longest day, the sun rises at 03:00 and sets at 21:29 GMT and complete darkness is unknown. This long twilight is known in the Northern Isles as the "simmer dim".[96] Winter nights are long. On the shortest day the sun rises at 09:05 and sets at 15:16.[97] At this time of year the aurora borealis can occasionally be seen on the northern horizon during moderate auroral activity.[98]
Politics[link]
Orkney is represented in the House of Commons as part of the Orkney and Shetland constituency, which elects one Member of Parliament (MP), the current incumbent being Alistair Carmichael. This seat has been held by the Liberal Democrats or their predecessors the Liberal Party since 1950, longer than any other they represent in the UK.[99][100][101]
In the Scottish Parliament the Orkney constituency elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post system. The current MSP is Liam McArthur of the Liberal Democrats.[102] Before McArthur the MSP was Jim Wallace, who was previously Deputy First Minister.[103] Orkney is within the Highlands and Islands electoral region.
Orkney Islands Council consists of 21 members, all of whom are independent, that is they do not stand as representatives of a political party.[104]
The Orkney Movement, a political party that supported devolution for Orkney from the rest of Scotland, contested the 1987 general election as the Orkney and Shetland Movement (a coalition of the Orkney movement and its equivalent for Shetland). The Scottish National Party chose not to contest the seat to give the movement a "free run". Their candidate, John Goodlad, came 4th with 3,095 votes, 14.5% of those cast, but the experiment has not been repeated.[105]
Economy[link]
The soil of Orkney is generally very fertile and most of the land is taken up by farms, agriculture being by far the most important sector of the economy and providing employment for a quarter of the workforce.[106] More than 90% of agricultural land is used for grazing for sheep and cattle, with cereal production utilising about 4% (4,200 hectares (10,000 acres)) and woodland occupying only 134 hectares (330 acres).[107]
Fishing has declined in importance, but still employed 345 individuals in 2001, about 3.5% of the islands' economically active population, the modern industry concentrating on herring, white fish, lobsters, crabs and other shellfish, and salmon fish farming.[Notes 17]
Today, the traditional sectors of the economy export beef, cheese, whisky, beer, fish and other seafood. In recent years there has been growth in other areas including tourism, food and beverage manufacture, jewellery, knitwear, and other crafts production, construction and oil transportation through the Flotta oil terminal.[108] Retailing accounts for 17.5% of total employment,[107] and public services also play a significant role, employing a third of the islands' workforce.[109]
In 2007, of the 1,420 VAT registered enterprises 55% were in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 12% in manufacturing and construction, 12% in wholesale, retail and repairs, and 5% in hotels and restaurants. A further 5% were public service related.[107] 55% of these businesses employ between 5 and 49 people.[109]
Orkney has significant wind and marine energy resources, and renewable energy has recently come into prominence. The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) is a Scottish Government-backed research facility that has installed a wave testing system at Billia Croo on the Orkney Mainland and a tidal power testing station on the island of Eday.[110] At the official opening of the Eday project the site was described as "the first of its kind in the world set up to provide developers of wave and tidal energy devices with a purpose-built performance testing facility."[Notes 18] Funding for the UK's first wave farm was announced by the Scottish Government in 2007. It will be the world's largest, with a capacity of 3 MW generated by four Pelamis machines at a cost of over £4 million.[112] During 2007 Scottish and Southern Energy plc in conjunction with the University of Strathclyde began the implementation of a Regional Power Zone in the Orkney archipelago. This scheme (that may be the first of its kind in the world) involves "active network management" that will make better use of the existing infrastructure and allow a further 15MW of new "non-firm generation" output from renewables onto the network.[113][114]
Transport[link]
Air[link]
Highland and Islands Airports operates the main airport in Orkney, Kirkwall Airport. Loganair, a franchise of Flybe, provides services to the Scottish mainland (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International and Inverness), as well as to Sumburgh Airport in Shetland.[115]
Within Orkney, the council operates airfields on most of the larger islands including Stronsay, Eday, North Ronaldsay, Westray, Papa Westray, and Sanday.[116] Reputedly the shortest scheduled air service in the world, between the islands of Westray and Papa Westray, is scheduled at two minutes duration[117] but can take less than one minute if the wind is in the right direction.
Ferry[link]
Ferries serve both to link Orkney to the rest of Scotland, and also to link together the various islands of the Orkney archipelago. Ferry services operate between Orkney and the Scottish mainland and Shetland on the following routes:
- Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope (operated by Pentland Ferries)
- John o' Groats to Burwick on South Ronaldsay (seasonal passenger only service, operated by John o' Groats Ferries)
- Lerwick to Kirkwall (operated by Northlink Ferries)
- Aberdeen to Kirkwall (operated by Northlink Ferries)
- Scrabster Harbour, Thurso to Stromness (operated by Northlink Ferries)
Inter-island ferry services connect all the inhabited islands to Orkney Mainland, and are operated by Orkney Ferries, a company owned by Orkney Islands Council.[115]
Media[link]
Orkney is served by a weekly local newspaper, The Orcadian.
A local BBC radio station, BBC Radio Orkney, the local opt-out of BBC Radio Scotland, broadcasts twice daily, with local news and entertainment.[119] Orkney also has a commercial radio station, The Superstation Orkney, which broadcasts to Kirkwall and parts of the mainland and also broadcasts to most of Caithness. [120] Moray Firth Radio broadcasts throughout Orkney on AM and from an FM transmitter just outside Thurso. The community radio station Caithness FM also broadcasts to Orkney.[121]
Language, literature and folklore[link]
At the beginning of recorded history the islands were inhabited by the Picts, whose language was Brythonic.[Notes 19] The Ogham script on the Buckquoy spindle-whorl is cited as evidence for the pre-Norse existence of Old Irish in Orkney.[124][Notes 20]
After the Norse occupation the toponymy of Orkney became almost wholly West Norse.[126] The Norse language evolved into the local Norn, which lingered until the end of the 18th century, when it finally died out.[125] Norn was replaced by the Orcadian dialect of Insular Scots. This dialect is at a low ebb due to the pervasive influences of television, education and the large number of incomers. However attempts are being made by some writers and radio presenters to revitalise its use[127] and the distinctive sing-song accent and many dialect words of Norse origin remain in use.[Notes 21] The Orcadian word most frequently encountered by visitors is "peedie", meaning "small", which may be derived from the French petit.[129][Notes 22]
Orkney has a rich folklore and many of the former tales concern trows, an Orcadian form of troll that draws on the islands' Scandinavian connections.[131] Local customs in the past included marriage ceremonies at the Odin Stone that formed part of the Stones of Stenness.[132]
The best known literary figures from modern Orkney are the poet Edwin Muir, the poet and novelist George Mackay Brown and the novelist Eric Linklater.[133]
Orcadians[link]
Main article: Orcadians
An Orcadian is a native of Orkney, a term that reflects a strongly held identity with a tradition of understatement.[134] Although the annexation of the earldom by Scotland took place over five centuries ago in 1472, most Orcadians regard themselves as Orcadians first and Scots second.[135]
When an Orcadian speaks of "Scotland", they are talking about the land to the immediate south of the Pentland Firth. When an Orcadian speaks of "the mainland", they mean Mainland, Orkney.[136] Tartan, clans, bagpipes and the like are traditions of the Scottish Highlands and are not a part of the islands' indigenous culture.[137] However, at least two tartans with Orkney connections have been registered and a tartan has been designed for Sanday by one of the island's residents,[138][139][140] and there are pipe bands in Orkney.[141][142]
Native Orcadians refer to the non-native residents of the islands as "ferry loupers", a term that has been in use for nearly two centuries at least.[143][Notes 23] This designation is celebrated in the Orkney Trout Fishing Association's "Ferryloupers Trophy", suggesting that although it can be used in a derogatory manner, it is more often a light-hearted expression.[144]
Natural history[link]
Orkney has an abundance of wildlife especially of Grey and Common Seals and seabirds such as Puffins, Kittiwakes, Tysties, Ravens, and Bonxies. Whales, dolphins, Otters are also seen around the coasts. Inland the Orkney Vole, a distinct subspecies of the Common Vole is an endemic.[145][146] There are five distinct varieties, found on the islands of Sanday, Westray, Rousay, South Ronaldsay, and the Mainland, all the more remarkable as the species is absent on mainland Britain.[147]
The coastline is well-known for its colourful flowers including Sea Aster, Sea Squill, Sea Thrift, Common Sea-lavender, Bell and Common Heather. The Scottish Primrose is found only on the coasts of Orkney and nearby Caithness and Sutherland.[78][145] Although stands of trees are generally rare, a small forest named Happy Valley with 700 trees and lush gardens was created from a boggy hillside near Stenness during the second half of the 20th century.[148]
The North Ronaldsay Sheep is an unusual breed of domesticated animal, subsisting largely on a diet of seaweed, since they are confined to the foreshore for most of the year to conserve the limited grazing inland.[82]
See also[link]
References[link]
- Footnotes
- ^ Although "The Orkneys" is used by non-Orcadians and does have historical precedent, it is clear that this is frowned upon by the residents.[3]
- ^ The other independent run Councils are Shetland and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Moray is run by a Conservative/Independent coalition.[9][10]
- ^ The proto-Celtic root *φorko-, can mean either pig or salmon, thus giving an alternative of "island(s) of (the) salmon".[14]
- ^ Thomson (2008) suggests that there may have been an element of Roman "boasting" involved, given that it was known to them that the Orcades lay at the northern extremity of the British Isles.[34] Similarly, Ritchie describes Tacitus' claims that Rome "conquered" Orkney as "a political puff, for there is no evidence of Roman military presence".[35]
- ^ They were certainly politically organised. Ritchie notes the presence of an Orcadian ruler at the court of a Pictish high king at Inverness in 565 AD.[37]
- ^ Some scholars believe that this story, which appears in the Orkneyinga Saga is apocryphal and based on the later voyages of Magnus Barelegs.[40]
- ^ Sigurd The Mighty's son Gurthorm ruled for a single winter after Sigurd's death and died childless. Rognvald's son Hallad inherited the title but, unable to constrain Danish raids on Orkney, he gave up the earldom and returned to Norway, which according to the Orkneyinga Saga "everyone thought was a huge joke."[43]
- ^ Sigurd the Stout was Thorfinn Skull-splitter's grandson.
- ^ The first recorded bishop was Henry of Lund (also known as "the Fat") who was appointed sometime prior to 1035.[48] The bishopric appears to have been under the authority of the Archbishops of York and of Hamburg-Bremen at different times during the early period and from the mid twelfth century to 1472 was subordinate to the Archbishop of Nidaros (today's Trondheim).[49]
- ^ The Scandinavian peoples, relatively recent converts to Christianity, had a tendency to confer martyrdom and sainthood on leading figures of the day who met violent deaths. Magnus and Haakon Paulsson had been co-rulers of Orkney, and although he had a reputation for piety, there is no suggestion that Magnus died for his Christian faith.[51]
- ^ "St Magnus Cathedral still dominates the Kirkwall skyline - a familiar, and comforting sight, to Kirkwallians around the world."[52]
- ^ It is often believed that the princess's death is associated with the village of St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay but there is no evidence for this other than the co-incidence of the name.[56]
- ^ The notion that Henry the first Sinclair Earl, voyaged to North America many years before Christopher Columbus has gained some currency of late.[58] The idea is however dismissed out of hand by many scholars. For example, Thomson (2008) states "Henry's fictitious trip to America continues to received a good deal of unfortunate publicity, but it belongs to fantasy rather than real history".[59][60]
- ^ The Maeshowe inscriptions date from the 12th century.[63]
- ^ Apparently without the knowledge of the Norwegian Rigsraadet (Council of the Realm), Christian pawned Orkney for 50,000 Rhenish guilders. On 28 May the next year he also pawned Shetland for 8,000 Rhenish guilders.[64] He secured a clause in the contract that gave future kings of Norway the right to redeem the islands for a fixed sum of 210 kg of gold or 2,310 kg of silver. Several attempts were made during the 17th and 18th centuries to redeem the islands, without success.[65]
- ^ For example at the Fall of Warness the tide can run at 4m/sec (7.8 knots).[80]
- ^ Coull (2003) quotes the old saying that an Orcadian is a farmer with a boat, in contrast to a Shetlander, who is a fisherman with a croft.[68]
- ^ "The centre offers developers the opportunity to test prototype devices in unrivalled wave and tidal conditions. Wave and tidal energy converters are connected to the National Grid via seabed cables running from open-water test berths. Testing takes place in a wide range of sea and weather conditions, with comprehensive round-the-clock monitoring."[111]
- ^ There is convincing place-name evidence for the Picts use of Brythonic or P-Celtic, although no written records survive. No certain knowledge of any pre-Pictish language exists anywhere in Scotland, but there may well have been times of significant overlap.[122] For example, the early Scottish Earls spoke Gaelic when the majority of their subjects spoke Norn and both of these languages were then replaced by Insular Scots. It is therefore possible that the Pictish aristocracy spoke one language and the common folk an unknown precursor such as Proto-Celtic.[123]
- ^ Only two Q-Celtic words exist in the language of modern Orcadians - "iper" from eabhar, meaning a midden slurry, and "keero" from caora - used to describe a small sheep in the North Isles.[125]
- ^ Lamb (2003) counted 60 words "with correlates in Old Norse only" and 500 Scots expressions in common use in the 1950s.[128]
- ^ The word is of uncertain origin and has also been attested in the Lothians and Fife in the 19th century.[130]
- ^ The expression "ferry louper" has a literal meaning of "ferry jumper" i.e. one who has jumped off a ferry as distinct from a native.
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- ^ Dieckhoff, H. (1932) A Pronouncing Dictionary of Scottish Gaelic; reprinted in 1988 by Gairm ISBN 1-871901-18-9
- ^ Mark, C. ( 2004) The Gaelic-English Dictionary Routledge ISBN 0-415-29761-3
- ^ Anderson, Peter "Is 'The Orkneys' ever right? And other musings on 'Orkney' usage." Orkneyjar. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 336-403.
- ^ Wickham-Jones (2007) p. 1 states there are 67 islands.
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 334, 502.
- ^ Lamb, Raymond "Kirkwall" in Omand (2003) p. 184.
- ^ Thompson (2008) p. 220.
- ^ MacMahon, Peter and Walker, Helen (18 May 2007) "Winds of change sweep Scots town halls". Edinburgh. The Scotsman.
- ^ "Political Groups" Shetland Islands Council. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ a b Breeze, David J. "The ancient geography of Scotland" in Smith and Banks (2002) pp. 11-13.
- ^ a b "Early Historical References to Orkney" Orkneyjar.com. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ Tacitus (c. 98) Agricola. Chapter 10. "ac simul incognitas ad id tempus insulas, quas Orcadas vocant, invenit domuitque".
- ^ "Proto-Celtic - English Word List" (pdf) (12 June 2002) University of Wales. p. 101.
- ^ Waugh, Doreen J. "Orkney Place-names" in Omand (2003) p. 116.
- ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indo-European Etymological Dictionary. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ "The Origin of Orkney" Orkneyjar.com. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ Thomson (2008) p. 42.
- ^ "Hazelnut shell pushes back date of Orcadian site" (3 November 2007) Stone Pages Archaeo News. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^ "Skara Brae Prehistoric Village" Historic Scotland. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
- ^ Moffat (2005) p. 154.
- ^ Scotland: 2200-800 BC Bronze Age" worldtimelines.org.uk Retrieved 23 August 2008.
- ^ Ritchie, Graham "The Early Peoples" in Omand (2003) p. 32, 34.
- ^ Wickham-Jones (2007) p. 73.
- ^ Moffat (2005) pp. 154, 158, 161.
- ^ Whittington, Graeme and Edwards, Kevin J. (1994) "Palynology as a predictive tool in archaeology" (pdf) Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 124 pp. 55–65.
- ^ Wickham-Jones (2007) p. 74–76.
- ^ Ritchie, Graham "The Early Peoples" in Omand (2003) p. 33.
- ^ Wickham-Jones (2007) pp. 81-84.
- ^ Hogan, C. Michael (2007) Burroughston Broch. The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ Ritchie, Graham "The Early Peoples" in Omand (2003) pp. 35-37.
- ^ Crawford, Iain "The wheelhouse" in Smith and Banks (2002) pp. 118-22.
- ^ Moffat (2005) pp. 173-5.
- ^ Thomson (2008) pp. 4-5
- ^ Ritchie, Graham "The Early Peoples" in Omand (2003) p. 36
- ^ a b Thomson (2008) pp. 4-6.
- ^ Ritchie, Anna "The Picts" in Omand (2003) p. 39
- ^ Ritchie, Anna "The Picts" in Omand (2003) pp. 42-46.
- ^ Thomson (2008) pp. 43-50.
- ^ Thomson (2008) p. 24-27.
- ^ Thomson (2008) p. 24.
- ^ Thomson (2008) p. 29.
- ^ Thomson (2008) p. 30 quoting chapter 5.
- ^ Wenham, Sheena "The South Isles" in Omand (2003) p. 211.
- ^ Thomson (2008) pp. 56-58.
- ^ a b Thomson (2008) p. 69. quoting the Orkneyinga Saga chapter 12.
- ^ Abrams, Lesley "Conversion and the Church in the Hebrides in the Viking Age: "A Very Difficult Thing Indeed" in Ballin Smith et al (2007) pp. 169-89
- ^ Watt, D.E.R., (ed.) (1969) Fasti Ecclesia Scoticanae Medii Aevii ad annum 1638. Scottish Records Society. p. 247.
- ^ "The Diocese of Orkney" Firth's Celtic Scotland. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
- ^ Crawford, Barbara E. "Orkney in the Middle Ages" in Omand (2003) pp. 66-68.
- ^ Crawford, Barbara E. "Orkney in the Middle Ages" in Omand (2003) p. 69.
- ^ "St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall" Orkneyar. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- ^ Crawford, Barbara E. "Orkney in the Middle Ages" in Omand (2003) p. 64.
- ^ Crawford, Barbara E. "Orkney in the Middle Ages" in Omand (2003) pp. 72-73.
- ^ Thomson (2008) pp. 134-37.
- ^ a b Thompson (2008) pp. 146-47.
- ^ Thompson (2008) p. 160.
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 354.
- ^ Thomson (2008) pp. 168-9.
- ^ "Earl Henry Sinclair: The Zeno Narrative" Orkneyjar. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ Armit (2006) pp. 173–76.
- ^ Thomson (2008) p. 40.
- ^ Armit (2006) pp. 178–79.
- ^ "Diplom fra Shetland datert 24.november 1509" University Library, University in Bergen. (Norwegian). Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ "Norsken som døde" Universitas, Norsken som døde (Norwegian) Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ Thompson (2008) p. 183.
- ^ Crawford, Barbara E. "Orkney in the Middle Ages" in Omand (2003) pp. 78-79.
- ^ a b Coull, James "Fishing" in Omand (2003) pp. 144-55.
- ^ Thompson (2008) pp. 371-72.
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 364-65.
- ^ Thomson, William P. L. "Agricultural Improvement" in Omand (2003) pp. 93, 99.
- ^ a b Thomson (2008) pp. 434-36.
- ^ Thomson (2008) pp. 439-43.
- ^ Wenham, Sheena "Modern Times" in Omand (2003) p. 110.
- ^ a b c "Orkney Islands" Vision of Britain. Retrieved 21 September 2009. Data is not available for 1851 - 1921.
- ^ a b "Get-a-Map" Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ Whitakers (1990) pp. 611, 614.
- ^ a b Brown, John Flett "Geology and Landscape" in Omand (2003) p. 19.
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- ^ "Fall of Warness Test Site " EMEC. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "The Big Tree, Orkney". Forestry Commission. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ a b "Sheep Breeds: North Ronaldsay". Sheep Breeds. Seven Sisters Sheep Centre. http://www.sheepcentre.co.uk/sheep_breeds.htm. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ^ "The Festival of the Horse and the Boys' Ploughing Match". Orknejyar. http://www.orkneyjar.com/tradition/festivalofhorse.htm. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ^ Marshall, J.E.A., & Hewett, A.J. "Devonian" in Evans, D., Graham C., Armour, A., & Bathurst, P. (eds) (2003) The Millennium Atlas: petroleum geology of the central and northern North Sea.
- ^ Hall, Adrian and Brown, John (September 2005) "Basement Geology". Retrieved 10 November 2008.
- ^ Hall, Adrian and Brown, John (September 2005) "Lower Middle Devonian". Retrieved 10 November 2008.
- ^ a b Brown, John Flett "Geology and Landscape" in Omand (2003) pp. 4-5.
- ^ Mykura, W. (with contributions by Flinn, D. & May, F.) (1976) British Regional Geology: Orkney and Shetland. Institute of Geological Sciences. Natural Environment Council.
- ^ Land Use Consultants (1998) "Orkney landscape character assessment". Scottish Natural Heritage Review No. 100.
- ^ Odling, N.W.A. (2000) "Point of Ayre". (pdf) "Caledonian Igneous Rocks of Great Britain: Late Silurian and Devonian volcanic rocks of Scotland". Geological Conservation Review 17 : Chapter 9, p. 2731. JNCC. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ Hall, Adrian and Brown, John (September 2005) "Orkney Landscapes: Permian dykes" Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ Brown, John Flett "Geology and Landscape" in Omand (2003) p. 10.
- ^ Chalmers, Jim "Agriculture in Orkney Today" in Omand (2003) p. 129.
- ^ a b "Regional mapped climate averages" Met Office. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
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- ^ "Alistair Carmichael: MP for Orkney and Shetland" alistaircarmichael.org.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
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- ^ "Social Work Inspection Agency: Performance Inspection Orkney Islands Council 2006. Chapter 2: Context." The Scottish Government. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ "Candidates and Constituency Assessments: Orkney (Highland Region)" alba.org.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2008
- ^ Chalmers, Jim "Agriculture in Orkney Today" in Omand (2003) p. 127, 133 quoting the Scottish Executive Agricultural Census of 2001 and stating that 80% of the land area is farmed if rough grazing is included.
- ^ a b c "Orkney Economic Review No. 23." (2008) Kirkwall. Orkney Islands Council.
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- ^ a b "Orkney Economic Update" (1999) (pdf) HIE. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
- ^ "European Marine Energy Centre". http://www.emec.org.uk/. Retrieved 3 February 2007.
- ^ "First Minister Opens New Tidal Energy Facility at EMEC" (Press release). Highlands and Islands Enterprise. 28 September 2007. http://www.allmediascotland.com/media_releases/1687/first_minister_opens_new_tidal_energy_facility_at_emec. Retrieved 1 October 2007.
- ^ "Orkney to get 'biggest' wave farm" BBC News. Retrieved 25 February 2007.
- ^ Registered Power Zone Annual Report for period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007. (2007) Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution and Southern Electric Power Distribution.
- ^ Facilitate generation connections on Orkney by automatic distribution network management (pdf) DTI. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
- ^ a b "Getting Here" Visit Orkney. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ "Air Travel" Orkney Islands Council. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ "Getting Here" Westray and Papa Westray Craft and Tourist Associations. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ^ "Welcome to Orkney Ferries". Orkney Ferries Ltd. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
- ^ "Radio Orkney". BBC. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "Superstation Orkney" thesuperstation.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "Welcome to the Caithness F.M. website" Caithness FM. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ Clarkson (2008) pp. 30-34.
- ^ Lamb, Gregor "The Orkney Tongue" in Omand (2003) pp. 248-49.
- ^ Forsyth, Katherine (1995). "The ogham-inscribed spindle-whorl from Buckquoy: evidence for the Irish language in pre-Viking Orkney?" (PDF). The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (ARCHway) 125: 677–96. http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/psas/volumes.cfm. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ a b Lamb, Gregor "The Orkney Tongue" in Omand (2003) p. 250.
- ^ Lamb, Gregor (1995) Testimony of the Orkneyingar: Place Names of Orkney. Byrgisey. ISBN 0-9513443-4-X
- ^ "The Orcadian Dialect" Orkneyjar. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
- ^ Lamb, Gregor "The Orkney Tongue" in Omand (2003) pp. 250-53.
- ^ Clackson, Stephen (25 November 2004) The Orcadian. Kirkwall.
- ^ Grant, W. and Murison, D.D. (1931-1976) Scottish National Dictionary. Scottish National Dictionary Association. ISBN 0-08-034518-2.
- ^ "The Trows". Orkneyjar. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ Muir, Tom "Customs and Traditions" in Omand (2003) p. 270.
- ^ Drever, David "Orkney Literature" in Omand (2003) p. 257.
- ^ "The Orcadians - The people of Orkney" Orkneyjar. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "‘We are Orcadian first, and Scottish second’ many people would tell me during the course of my fieldwork." McClanahan, Angela (2004) The Heart of Neolithic Orkney in its Contemporary Contexts: A case study in heritage management and community values. Historic Scotland/University of Manchester, p. 25 (§3.47) [1] Retrieved 8 January 2010.
- ^ "Where is Orkney?" Orkneyjar. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ Orkneyjar FAQ Orkneyjar. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "Orkney tartan" tartans.scotland.net Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "Sanday Tartan" www.clackson.com. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
- ^ "Clackson tartan" tartans.scotland.net. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "Kirkwall City Pipe Band" kirkwallcity.com. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "Stromness RBL Pipe Band" stromnesspipeband.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ Vedder, David (1832) Orcadian Sketches. Edinburgh. William Tait.
- ^ "2009 Competition Programme". (2010) Orkney Trout Fishing Association.
- ^ a b "Northern Isles". SNH. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- ^ Benvie (2004) pp. 126–38.
- ^ Haynes, S., Jaarola M., & Searle, J. B. (2003). "Phylogeography of the common vole (Microtus arvalis) with particular emphasis on the colonization of the Orkney archipelago" (abstract page). Molecular Ecology 12 (4): 951–956. DOI:10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01795.x. PMID 12753214. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01795.x. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- ^ "Boggy hillside reborn as Orkney forest reserve". ( 27 May 2011) BBC. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- General references
- Armit, Ian (2006) Scotland's Hidden History. Stroud. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-3764-X
- Benvie, Neil (2004) Scotland's Wildlife. London. Aurum Press. ISBN 1-85410-978-2
- Ballin Smith, B. and Banks, I. (eds) (2002) In the Shadow of the Brochs, the Iron Age in Scotland. Stroud. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2517-X
- Ballin Smith, Beverley; Taylor, Simon; and Williams, Gareth (eds) (2007) West Over Sea: Studies in Scandinavian Sea-borne Expansion and Settlement Before 1300. Brill. ISBN 90-04-15893-6
- Clarkson, Tim (2008) The Picts: A History. Stroud. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-4392-8
- Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- Moffat, Alistair (2005) Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History. London. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05133-7
- Omand, Donald (ed.) (2003) The Orkney Book. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-84158-254-9
- Thomson, William P. L. (2008) The New History of Orkney. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 978-1-84158-696-0
- Whitaker's Almanack 1991 (1990). London. J. Whitaker & Sons. ISBN 0-85021-205-7
- Wickham-Jones, Caroline (2007) Orkney: A Historical Guide. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-84158-596-3
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Further reading[link]
- Margot Livesey, The Flight of Gemma Hardy (a novel). HarperCollins, 2012. ISBN 978-0-06-206422-6
- Fresson, Captain E. E. Air Road to the Isles. (2008) Kea Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9518958-9-4
- Lo Bao, Phil and Hutchison, Iain (2002) BEAline to the Islands. Kea Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9518958-4-9
- Warner, Guy (2005) Orkney by Air. Kea Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9518958-7-0
- Batey, C.E. et al (eds.) (1995) The Viking Age in Caithness, Orkney and the North Atlantic. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-0632-0
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Orkney Islands |
- Orkney.com The gateway to everything Orkney
- Orkney Islands Council, the local authority website
- Orkney travel guide from Wikitravel
- Orkneyjar, an Orcadian History and Heritage Site
- Spirit-of-Orkney, History and Heritage Site
- Vision of Britain - Groome Gazetteer entry for Orkney
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Coordinates: 59°00′N 3°00′W / 59°N 3°W / 59; -3
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http://ru.wn.com/Оркнейские острова
http://nl.wn.com/Orkney-eilanden
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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2011) |
Ivan Drever is a folk singer, songwriter and guitarist popular not only with the Scottish folk scene but also in other European countries such as Norway, Denmark and Spain. He often tours with popular fiddler Duncan Chisholm who founded the celtic rock band Wolfstone which Drever joined in 1990 but left in later years. For three decades, Drever has produced a unique music sound, mixing traditional folk with some rock and roll sounds.
Contents |
Life[link]
Drever spent his childhood as one of ten children on Sanday one of the islands of Orkney in Scotland. Interest in music was clear from a young age with Drever winning youth talent shows at 12. He enjoyed country music and Jim Reeves. In 1974 he founded the band 'Knowe O'Deil' and stayed until the late 80's. In the 90's Ivan moved to Easter Ross and joined Wolfstone. Drever spent many years in the Scottish town of Inverness which inspired many songs. His album 'Waterfront' is named after a favourite bar and restaurant there. Ivan has 4 children, including musician Kris Drever.[1]
Career[link]
In 1989 he released his debut album, Homeland. In 1990 Drever joined Wolfstone where he played guitar, cittern, whistle, mandola and pipes as well as providing lead vocals and songwriting but pursued a flourishing career of solo and duo work. In 1998 Drever and Duncan Chisholm released their own album, Lewis Blue. In the early 90's Drever released a duo album with fellow Wolfstone member, Struan Eaglesham. 'Long December Night' is a recent duo album (also released as DVD) with Duncan Chisholm. Apart from his continuing collaboration with Duncan Chisholm, Drever has often joined up with other musicians, either as a duo with Bruce MacGregor, as Band with "The Vast Majority" or with former Wolfstone members Mop Youngston and Andy Murray as "The Black Sheep" in 2007.[2] Due to Mop Yongston's illness, they could not continue touring.[2] This project, however, has been revived as the Ivan Drever Band. The current line-up now includes Finlay Wells (bass), Iain Coates (drums) and Andy Murray (guitar).[3] In 1998, he took a side-project from Wolfstone with the album This Strange Place, although this album was marketed as a Wolfstone album. That same year, he and Duncan Chisholm issued their collaboration album, The Lewis Blue.
The Ivan Drever Band[link]
The Ivan Drever Band is a folk-meets-rock band featuring Ivan Drever, Andy Murray, Finlay Wells and Iain Coates.[2] They have released an EP with 5 songs: Every Beat of the Drum, Harbour Lights, Ballad of Jimmy Fry, Walk Beside Your Shoes and Stranger's Tongue.[2] A full album, 'Sea Air', is to be released soon after their current tour of the UK and Denmark.
Career highlights[link]
- 2001- One of Ivan's most popular projects which gained huge media interest was a Californian dance spectacular named 'Celtic Fusion' in which he provided the music and toured not only in the UK but in the US with the high-profile team. He was the chief songwriter.
- The popular Irish band The Dubliners have recorded some of his tunes.
- The 1997 film Good Will Hunting included one of Ivan and Duncans songs.[4]
- In 1988 he recorded a duo album, 'October Bridge', with Dick Clarke
- In 1996 he hosted a BBC Radio 2 documentary about the Islands of Scotland
Solo albums[link]
- Homeland (1989)
- Isles Ne'er Forgotten (1992, re-released in 1999)
- Four Walls (1996)
- Black, White And Blue (2000)
- The Orkney Years Vol. 1 (1998, Collection of previous songs 1986-1992)
- The Orkney Years Vol. 2 (2006)
- Tradition (2004)
- Waterfront (2006)
- Notes from an Island (2010)
- Bless The Wind (2011)
Duo albums[link]
The Knowe O'Deil (with Ian Cooper)
- Orkney Anthem (1986)
- The Viking's Bride (1987)
with Dick Clarke
- October Bridge (1988)
with Wayne Mackenzie
- Drever Mackenzie (1991, re-released as a Wolfstone album "This Strange Place“ in 1992)
with Struan Eagelsham
- Back to Back (1994)
with Duncan Chisholm
- The Lewis Blue (1998)
- A Long December Night (2004, also as DVD)
Other albums[link]
- This Strange Place (1998) (marketed incorrectly as a Wolfstone album)
- Celtic Fusion (2003)
- Number One (2007, EP "The Black Sheep")
- Every Beat of The Drum (2009, EP "Ivan Drever Band")
Wolfstone albums with Ivan Drever[link]
- Unleashed (1991)
- The Chase (1992)
- Burning Horizons (1993)
- Year of the Dog (1994)
- The Half Tail (1996)
- Pick of the Litter (1997)
- This Strange Place (1998)
References[link]
- ^ "Trad music award winners chosen". BBC. 2008-12-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7769951.stm.
- ^ a b c d "Delighted Drever ends solo solitude". Inverness Courier. 2009-06-26. http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/9845/Delighted_Drever_ends_solo_solitude.html.
- ^ "Ivan and Duncan back on the road". Highland News. 2008-05-01. http://www.highland-news.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/3678/Ivan_and_Duncan_back_on_the_road.html.
- ^ "Chisholm and Drever return". Southern Reporter. 2010-05-10. http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/lifestyle/chisholm_and_drever_return_1_111875.
External links[link]
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http://wn.com/Ivan_Drever
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Drever
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
