Scottish Island of St Kilda
Location
OS grid reference:	NF095995
Names
Gaelic or Celtic name:	Hirta or Hiort
Norse name:	possibly Skildir
Meaning of name:	possibly Gaelic for 'westland'.
Area and Summit
Area:	854.6 ha
Area rank if >40 ha:	64 (Hirta only at 670 ha)
Highest elevation:	Conachair 430 m
Population
Population:	Uninhabited since 1930
Population rank:	0 out of 89
Main settlement:	The Village
Administrative Groupings
Local Authority:	Na h-Eileanan Siar
Former county:	Inverness-shire
Scottish Parliament:	Western Isles
UK Parliament:	Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Police force:	Northern Constabulary
Lieutenancy:	Western Isles
Constituent country:	Scotland
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
References:	[1]

Coordinates: 57°49′N, 8°34′W Saint Kilda. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... // Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family. ... Hirta is the largest island in the Saint Kilda archipelago. ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as Council Areas of Scotland which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as Councils which have the option under the Local Government (Gaelic Names) (Scotland) Act 1997(as chosen by Na h-Eileanan an Iar) of being known... Western Isles redirects here. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Inverness-shire (Siorrachd Inbhir Nis in Gaelic) is one of the traditional counties of Scotland. ... The Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) has 73 constituencies, each electing one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post system of election, and eight additional member regions, each electing seven additional member MSPs. ... The Western Isles are a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. ... Scotland is divided into 59 constituencies of the United Kingdom Parliament - 19 Burgh constituencies and 40 County constituencies. ... Na h-Eileanan an Iar is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created in 1918. ... There are a number of policing agencies in the United Kingdom. ... Map showing the council areas of Scotland, with the ones in the police area highlighted. ... The Lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial lords-lieutenant, the monarchs representatives, in Scotland. ... Constituent countries is a phrase sometimes used, usually by official institutions, in contexts in which a number of countries make up a larger entity or grouping; thus the OECD has used the phrase in reference to the former Yugoslavia (example here) and European institutions such as the Council of Europe... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots3 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  -  First Minister Jack McConnell... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Image File history File links McdonaldBoat. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

St Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: Hirta or Hiort) is an isolated archipelago situated 64 kilometres (40 mi) west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. The largest island is Hirta whose sea cliffs are the highest in the United Kingdom. The Gaelic-speaking population probably never exceeded 180 in number and was never more than 100 after 1851. Although St Kilda was permanently inhabited for at least two millennia and had a unique way of life, the local population was evacuated in 1930. The islands continue to be administratively a part of the Western Isles of Scotland.^[2] // Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... The Mergui Archipelago An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... Location of North Uist Landsat image of North Uist North Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Tuath) is an island of the Outer Hebrides. ... Hirta is the largest island in the Saint Kilda archipelago. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ... The Western Isles are an archipelago in Scotland. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots3 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  -  First Minister Jack McConnell...

They are a breeding ground for many important seabird species including Northern Gannets, Leach's Petrels, Atlantic Puffins, and Northern Fulmars. The St Kilda Wren and St Kilda Field Mouse are endemic sub-species.^[1] The Sooty Tern is highly aerial and marine and will spend years flying at sea without returning to land. ... Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 Northern Gannet range The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieillot, 1818) The Leachs Storm-petrel or Leachs Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) is a small seabird of the tubenose family. ... Binomial name Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird in the auk family. ... Species Fulmar (Linnaeus, 1761) Southern Fulmar (Smith,A, 1840) The two Fulmars are closely related seabirds occupying the same niche in different oceans. ... Genera Donacobius Campylorhynchus Odontorchilus Salpinctes Catherpes Hylorchilus Cinnycerthia Thryomanes Ferminia Troglodytes Cistothorus Uropsila Thryorchilus Thryothorus Henicorhina Microcerculus Cyphorhinus Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) Stamp FR 345 of Postverk Føroya, Faroe Islands Issued: 22 February 1999 Artist: Astrid Andreasen The true wrens are members of a mainly New World passerine bird family... Binomial name Apodemus sylvaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) or Long-tailed Field Mouse is a common rodent, closely related to the Yellow-necked Mouse, that was recognised as a distinct species in 1894. ...

The entire archipelago is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and became one of Scotland's four World Heritage Sites in 1986, and is one of the few in the world to hold joint status for its 'natural', 'marine' and 'cultural' qualities.^[3] The standard of the NTS The National Trust for Scotland, or NTS, describes itself as The conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotlands natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to enjoy. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Parties of volunteers work on the islands in the summer months to restore the numerous and unique ruined buildings the native St Kildans left behind. They share the island with a small military base which was created in 1957.^[2]

Origin of names

There is no known saint by the name of Kilda, and various theories have been proposed for the word's origin. Martin Martin, who visited in 1697, believed that the name "is taken from one Kilder, who lived here; and from him the large well Toubir-Kilda has also its name".^[4] Maclean (1972) suggests it may come from a corruption of the Old Norse name for the spring on Hirta, Tobar Childa, and states that a 1588 map identifies the archipelago as Kilda. He also speculates that it may be a corruption of Culdee the name for anchorites who may (or may not) have brought Christianity to the island, or a corruption of the Gaelic name, the islanders tending to pronounce ‘r’ as ‘l’ and thus habitually referring to the island as Hilta.^[5] Steel (1988) further suggests that the islanders pronounced the 'H' with a "somewhat guttural quality" making the sound they used for 'Hirta' "almost" 'Kilta'.^[2] Martin Martin (?1699-1719) was a Scottish writer, he is best known for his work A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland (1695), particularly noted for its information on St Kilda. ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... The Culdees formed an ancient monastic order with settlements in Ireland and Scotland. ...

Haswell-Smith (2004) notes that the full name St Kilda first appears on a Dutch map of 1666 and that it may have been derived from Old Norse sunt kelda meaning sweet wellwater or from the Dutch assuming that Tobar Childa (Scots Gaelic; well of childa) was dedicated to a saint.^[1] Maclean also suggests that the Dutch may have simply made a cartographical error and confused Hirta with Skildar, the old name for an island much nearer the west coast of the Outer Hebrides. Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) redirects here. ...

Quine (2000) suggests that it is derived from a series of cartographical errors commencing with the use of the Old Icelandic Skildir meaning 'shields' and appearing as 'Skildar' on a map by Nicholas de Nicolay published in 1583. This, so the theory goes, was then transcribed in error by Lucas J. Waghenear in his 1592 charts without the trailing 'r' and with a period after the 'S', so creating 'S.Kilda' This was then in turn assumed to stand for a saint by others, so creating the form that has been in use for several centuries, 'St Kilda'.^[6][7]

The origin of 'Hirta' is similarly open to interpretation. Martin (1703) avers that "Hirta is taken from the Irish Ier, which in that language signifies west".^[4] Maclean offers several options including an (unspecified)^[8] Celtic word meaning gloom or death, or the Scots Gaelic h-Iar-Tir meaning westland. Drawing on an Icelandic saga describing an early 13th century voyage to Ireland which mentions a visit to the islands of Hirtir, he also speculates that the shape of Hirta resembles a stag, Hirtir being the Old Norse for stags.^[5] Steel (1998) quotes the belief of Reverend Neil Mackenzie who lived there from 1829 to 1844 that the name derived from the Gaelic I-Ard (English: 'high island') and a further possibility that it is from the Old Norse Hirt, meaning 'shepherd'.^[2] In a similar vein Murray (1966) speculates that the Norse Hirdö, pronounced 'Hirtha' and meaning 'herd island' may be the origin.^[9] The Icelanders sagas (Icelandic: Íslendingasögur) or family sagas are prose histories describing mostly events that took place in Iceland during the Age of Settlement (870-930) and the following century. ... Genera About 15 in 4 subfamilies. ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ...

Geography

A cleit above Village Bay

The geology of the islands is comprised of Tertiary igneous formations of granites and gabbro, heavily weathered by the elements. The archipelago represents the remnants of a long extinct ring volcano rising from a seabed plateau approximately 40 m below sea level.^[10] Hirta is the largest island in the group, followed by Soay, (English: sheep island) half a kilometre (0.3 mi) northwest of Hirta; and Boreray, (the fortified isle) six kilometres (3.6 mi) northeast of Hirta. There are several smaller islets and stacks including Stac an Armin (warrior's stack), Stac Lee (blue stack) and Levenish (stream or torrent).^[5][6] The island of Dùn (fort), which protects Village Bay from the prevailing south-westerly winds, was at one time joined to Hirta by a natural arch. MacLean (1972) suggests that the arch was broken when struck by a galleon fleeing the defeat of the Armada, but other sources, such as Mitchell (1992), provide the more credible (if less romantic) explanation that the arch was simply swept away by one of the many fierce storms which batter the islands every winter. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Tertiary (disambiguation). ... Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. ... Granite is a common and widely-occurring group of intrusive felsic igneous rocks that form at great depths and pressures under continents. ... Gabbro specimen. ... Hirta is the largest island in the Saint Kilda archipelago. ... Soay (Gaelic:Soaigh, from the Old Norse so-øy meaning sheep island) is an uninhabited island in the St Kilda archipelago (Outer Hebrides, Scotland, ) in the North Atlantic, about 2 km northwest of Hirta. ... Boreray (Scottish Gaelic language Boraraigh) is an uninhabited island in the St Kilda archipelago (British Isles, county Isle of Harris) in the North Atlantic, about 66 km west-north-west of North Uist. ... Mōkōlea Rock in Kailua Bay, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, 2. ... Big Flowerpot, Canada Old Man of Hoy, Scotland Stack near Old Harry Rocks, England A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast. ... A Spanish galleon A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries. ... For the navy of Spain, see Spanish Navy. ...

The highest point in the archipelago is on Hirta - Conachair (the beacon) at 430 metres (1,400 ft), which lies immediately north of the village. In the south east is Oiseval (east fell) which reaches 290 metres (950 ft), and Mullach Mor (big hill summit) 361 metres (1,185 ft) is due west of Conachair. Ruival (red fell) 137 metres (449 ft) and Mullach Bi (pillar summit) 358 metres (1,192 ft) dominate the western cliffs. Boreray reaches 384 metres (1,260 ft) and Soay 378 metres (1,240 ft).^[1] The extraordinary Stac an Armin reaches 196 metres (643 ft), and Stac Lee, 172 metres (564 ft) making them the highest sea stacks in Britain.^[11][12] Stack, near Old Harry Rocks Old Harry Rocks A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast. ...

In modern times St Kilda's only settlement was at Village Bay (Scottish Gaelic: Bàgh a' Bhaile) on Hirta, although Gleann Mor on the north coast of Hirta and Boreray also contain the remains of earlier habitations.^[5] The sea approach to Hirta into Village Bay suggests a small settlement flanked by high rolling hills in a semi-circle behind it. This is however misleading.^[13] The whole north face of Conachair is a vertical cliff up to 427 metres (1,400 ft) high,^[14] falling sheer into the sea, and these constitute the highest sea cliffs in the UK.^[15] // Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ...

Indeed, the archipelago is the site of what many consider the most spectacular sea cliffs in the British Isles, one writer suggesting that St Kilda:

is a mad, imperfect God's hoard of all unnecessary lavish landscape luxuries he ever devised in his madness. These he has scattered at random in Atlantic isolation 100 miles from the corrupting influences of the mainland, 40 miles west of the westmost Western Isles. He has kept for himself only the best pieces and woven around them a plot as evidence of his madness.^[16]

Although 64 km (40 miles) from the nearest land, St Kilda is visible from as far away as the summit ridges of the Skye Cuillin, some 129 km (80 miles) distant.^[9] The Old Man of Storr, Skye The Isle of Skye, usually known simply as Skye (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Eilean Sgiathanach) is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. ... The Cuillin from the north The Cuillin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. ...

The climate is oceanic with high levels of rainfall (1,400 mm or 55 in) and humidity. Temperatures are generally cool averaging 5.6°C in January and 11.8°C in July. The prevailing winds, which are especially strong in winter, are southerly and south-westerly. Wind speeds average 13 kph (7 knots) for approximately 85% of the time and over 24 kph (17 knots) for more than 30% of the time. Gale force winds occur for under 2% of the total time in any one year, but gusts of 185 kph (115 mph) and more regularly occur on the high tops. The tidal range is 2.9 m (9.5 ft) and ocean swells of 5 m (16.4 ft) frequently occur, which can make landings difficult or impossible at any time of year.^[17][18] The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... Some knots: 1. ...

Fauna and flora

Soay sheep on St Kilda

St. Kilda is a breeding ground for many important seabird species including Northern Gannets, of which it has the world's largest colony, with 30,000 pairs, amounting to 24% of the world population. There are 49,000 breeding pairs of Leach's Petrels, which is up to 90% of the European population. There are 136,000 pairs of Atlantic Puffins, about 30% of the UK total breeding population, and there are 67,000 Northern Fulmar pairs, about 13% of the UK total.^[19] The small island of Dùn is home to the largest colony of fulmars in Britain. Prior to 1828 St Kilda was their only UK breeding ground but they have since spread and established colonies elsewhere such as at Fowlsheugh.^[20] The last Great Auk seen in Britain was killed on Stac an Armin in July 1840.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Sooty Tern is highly aerial and marine and will spend years flying at sea without returning to land. ... Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 Northern Gannet range The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieillot, 1818) The Leachs Storm-petrel or Leachs Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) is a small seabird of the tubenose family. ... Binomial name Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird in the auk family. ... Species Fulmar (Linnaeus, 1761) Southern Fulmar (Smith,A, 1840) The two Fulmars are closely related seabirds occupying the same niche in different oceans. ... Species (Linnaeus, 1761) (A. Smith, 1840) For other uses, see Fulmar (disambiguation). ... Fowlsheugh cliffs in breeding season. ... Binomial name Pinguinus impennis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis, formerly Alca impennis) is an extinct bird. ...

There are also two animal taxa which are unique to St Kilda: a subspecies of wren, Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis, and a subspecies of mouse known as the St Kilda Field Mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus hirtensis. The third taxon endemic for St Kilda, a subspecies of mouse - Mus musculus muralis vanished completely after the evacuation of human inhabitants, as it was strictly associated with settlements and buildings.^[1] Binomial name Troglodytes troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) The Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) is a very small bird, a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. ... Binomial name Apodemus sylvaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) or Long-tailed Field Mouse is a common rodent, closely related to the Yellow-necked Mouse, that was recognised as a distinct species in 1894. ... It has been suggested that C57BL-6 be merged into this article or section. ...

The St Kildans kept up to 2,000 sheep which were removed at the time of the evacuation, but a herd of 107 indigenous Soay sheep were transferred onto Hirta from Soay and now live wild. Numbers now vary from 600 to 1,700 on Hirta and 200 remain on Soay.^[14] The sheep remaining on Boreray are a Blackface/Old Scottish Shortwool cross with no wool on the face or lower legs but a thicker fleece than the Soay breed.^[21][6] Soay sheep, Culloden Moor. ... The Scottish Blackface is the most common breed of sheep in the United Kingdom. ...

The archipelago's isolation has also resulted in a lack of bio-diversity. Only 58 species of butterfly and moth occur on the islands compared to 367 recorded on the Western Isles.^[22] Plant life is heavily influenced by the salt spray, strong winds and acidic peaty soils. There are no trees at all, although there are more than 130 different flowering plants, 162 species of fungi, 160 bryophytes and several rarities amongst the 194 lichen species. Kelp thrives in the surrounding seas, which also contain a diversity of unusual marine invertebrates.^[1][17] Rainforests are the most biodiverse ecosystem on earth Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of life. ... Superfamilies and families Superfamily Hedyloidea: Hedylidae Superfamily Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae Superfamily Papilionoidea: Papilionidae Pieridae Nymphalidae Lycaenidae Riodinidae A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. ... A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ... The Western Isles are an archipelago in Scotland. ... Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota The Fungi (singular: fungus) are a large group of organisms ranked as a kingdom within the Domain Eukaryota. ... The bryophytes are those embryophyte plants (land plants) that are non-vascular: they have tissues and enclosed reproductive systems, but they lack vascular tissue that circulates liquids. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... Families Alariaceae Chordaceae Laminariaceae Lessoniaceae Phyllariaceae Pseudochordaceae Kelp are large seaweeds (algae), belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. ...

Way of life

The predominant theme of life on St Kilda was isolation. When Martin Martin visited the islands in 1697,^[4] the only means of making the journey was by open longboat, which could take several days and nights of rowing and sailing across the open ocean and was all but impossible outside of the spring and summer months. In all seasons forty foot waves lashed the beach of Village Bay and even on calmer days landings onto the slippery rocks could be hazardous. To provide but one example, after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, it was rumoured that Prince Charles Edward Stuart and some of his senior Jacobite aides had escaped to St Kilda. An expedition was launched and in due course British soldiers were ferried ashore to Hirta. They found a deserted village as the St Kildans, fearing pirates, had fled to caves in the slopes to the west. When they were persuaded to come down the soldiers discovered that not only were the natives ignorant as to the existence of the Young Pretender, but that they had never previously heard of King George either.^[2] Combatants British Army Jacobite Forces Commanders William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender Strength ca. ... For the U.S. politician, see Charles E. Stuart Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis Philip Casimir Stuart (December 31, 1720 – January 31, 1788), was the exiled claimant to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Charles was the son of James Francis... Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, wearing the Jacobite blue bonnet Jacobitism was (and, to a very limited extent, remains) the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland. ... Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Silvester Severino Maria Stuart (December 31, 1720 – January 31, 1788), was the exiled claimant to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Charles was the son of James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, who was... George II (George Augustus; 10 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death. ...

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica). Seabirds were the mainstay of the St Kildan diet

Even in the late nineteenth century the only methods the islanders had of communicating with the rest of the world in an emergency were by lighting a bonfire on the summit of Conachair, and hoping a passing ship might see it, or by the St Kilda mailboat. This idea was the invention of John Sands who was visiting in 1877. During his stay a shipwreck left nine Austrian sailors marooned there and by February supplies were running low. Sands attached a message to a lifebuoy salvaged form the Peti Dubrovacki and threw it into the sea.^[23] Nine days later it was picked up on the Orkney island of Birsay and a rescue was duly arranged. The St Kildans built on this idea and fashioned a piece of wood into the shape of a boat and placed a small bottle or tin containing a message within it. It was launched when the wind came from the northwest and two thirds of the messages were later found on the west coast of Scotland or, less conveniently, in Norway.^[5] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 93 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Atlantic Puffin on Machias Seal Island, by Thomas ONeil. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 93 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Atlantic Puffin on Machias Seal Island, by Thomas ONeil. ... Location Geography Area Ranked 16th  - Total 990 km²  - % Water  ? Admin HQ Kirkwall ISO 3166-2 GB-ORK ONS code 00RA Demographics Population Ranked 32nd  - Total (2005) 19,590  - Density 20 / km² Politics Orkney Islands Council http://www. ... Birsay is a parish in the north west corner of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. ...

Another significant feature of St Kildan life was the diet. The islanders kept sheep and a few cattle, and were able to grow a limited amount of food crops such as barley, corn and potatoes on the better drained land in Village Bay. They eschewed fishing due to the heavy seas and unpredictable weather. The mainstay of their food supplies was the profusion of island birds, especially gannet and fulmar. These they harvested as eggs and young birds and ate both fresh and cured. Adult puffins were also caught by the use of fowling rods.^[14] However, this feature of island life came at a price. When Henry Brougham visited in 1799 he noted that "the air is infected by a stench almost insupportable - a compound of rotten fish, filth of all sorts and stinking sea-fowl".^[24] An excavation of the Taigh an T-Sithiche (see below) in 1877 by Sands unearthed the remains of gannet, sheep, cattle and limpets amidst various stone tools. The building is between 1,700 and 2,500 years old, which suggests that the St Kildan diet had changed little over the millennia. Indeed the tools were recognised by the St Kildans, who could put names to them as similar devices were still in use.^[5] Lord Henry Peter Brougham Baron Brougham & Vaux sitting as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux (September 19, 1778 - May 7, 1868) was Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. ...

These fowling activities involved considerable skills in climbing, especially on the precipitous sea stacks. An important island tradition involved the 'Mistress Stone', a door- shaped opening in the rocks north-west of Ruival over-hanging a gully. Young men of the island had to undertake a ritual there to prove themselves on the crags and worthy of taking a wife.

The Mistress Stone

In the face of the rock, south from the town, is the famous stone, known by the name of the mistress-stone; it resembles a door exactly; and is in the very front of this rock, which is twenty or thirty fathom perpendicular in height, the figure of it being discernable about the distance of a mile; upon the lintel of this door, every bachelor-wooer is by an ancient custom obliged in honour to give a specimen of his affection for the love of his mistress, and it is thus; he is to stand on his left foot, having the one half of his sole over the rock, and then he draws the right foot further out to the left, and in this posture bowing, he puts both his fists further out to the right foot; and then after he has performed this, he has acquired no small reputation, being always after it accounted worthy of the finest mistress in the world: they firmly believe that this achievement is always attended with the desired success. This being the custom of the place, one of the inhabitants very gravely desired me to let him know the time limited by me for trying of this piece of gallantry before I design’d to leave the place, that he might attend me; I told him this performance would have a quite contrary effect upon me, by robbing me both of my life and mistress at the same moment.^[4] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Another important aspect of St Kildan life was the daily 'Parliament'. This was a meeting held in the street every morning after prayers attended by all the adult males during the course of which they would decide upon the day's activities. There was no leader of any kind and all had the right to speak. 'Discussion frequently spread discord, but never in recorded history were feuds so bitter as to bring about a permanent division in the community'.^[2]

Whatever the privations, the St Kildans were fortunate in some respects for their isolation spared them some of the evils of life elsewhere. Martin noted in 1697 that the citizens seemed 'happier than the generality of mankind as being almost the only people in the world who feel the sweetness of true liberty'^[4] and in the nineteenth century their health and well being was contrasted favourably with conditions elsewhere in the Hebrides.^[25] No resident St Kildan is known to have fought in a war, and in four centuries of history, no crime was recorded there.^[2] This article is about the Hebrides islands in Scotland. ...

History

14th to 17th century

St Kilda was continuously inhabited for two millennia or more, from the Bronze Age to the 20th century.^[26] However, little is known of the early history, the first written record of which dates from the late 14th century when John of Fordun mentions 'the isle of Irte, which is agreed to be under the Circius and on the margins of the world'. ^[27] The islands were historically part of the domain of the MacLeods of Harris whose steward was responsible for the collection of rents in kind and other duties. The first report of a visit to the islands dates from 1549 when Donald Munro suggested that: John of Fordun (d. ... Clan MacLeod Crest. ... An Cliseam from the Abhainn Mharaig, just off the main road to Lewis. ...

The inhabitants thereof ar simple poor people, scarce learnit in aney religion, but M’Cloyd of Herray, his stewart, or he quhom he deputs in sic offfice, sailes anes in the zear ther at midsummer, with some chaplaine to baptize bairnes ther.^[28]

The chaplain's best efforts notwithstanding, the islander's isolation and dependence on the bounty of the natural world meant their philosophy bore as much relationship to Druidism as it did to Christianity^[14] until the arrival of Rev John MacDonald in 1822. For example, Macauley (1764) reports the existence of five druidic altars including a large circle of stones fixed perpendicularly in the ground, by the Stallir House on Boreray.^[29] Druidry or Druidism was the religion of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic and Gallic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... There are two islands named Boreray in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland: Boreray, North Uist Boreray, Saint Kilda This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

At the time of Martin's visit in 1697 the population was 180 and the steward:

elected the most "meagre" among his friends in the neighbouring islands, to that number and took them periodically to St. Kilda to enjoy the nourishing and plentiful, if primitive, fare of the island, and so be restored to their wonted health and strength.^[4]

Religion and tourism in the 18th and 19th centuries

However, visiting ships in the 18th century brought cholera and smallpox^[1] and in 1727 the loss of life was so high that there were not enough men to man the boats and new families were brought in from Harris to replace them.^[30] By 1758 the population had risen to 88 and reached just under 100 by the end of the century. This figure remained fairly constant from the 18th century on until 1851 when 36 islanders emigrated to Australia on board the Priscilla, a loss from which the island never fully recovered.^[5] Cholera (frequently called Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera) is a severe diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ... An Cliseam from the Abhainn Mharaig, just off the main road to Lewis. ...

One factor in the decline was the influence of religion. A missionary called Alexander Buchan came to St Kilda in 1705, but despite a lengthy stay there the idea of organised religion did not seem to take hold. This changed when Rev John MacDonald, the 'Apostle of the North' arrived in 1822. He set about his mission with zeal, preaching thirteen lengthy sermons during his first eleven days there. He returned regularly and fund-raised on behalf of the St Kildans, although privately he was appalled by their lack of religious knowledge. The islanders took to him with enthusiasm and wept when he left for the last time eight years later. His successor, who arrived on 3 July 1830 was Rev Neil Mackenzie, a resident Church of Scotland minister who greatly improved the conditions of the inhabitants. He re-organised island agriculture, was instrumental in the rebuilding of the village (see below) and supervised the building of a new church and manse. With help from the Gaelic School Society, MacKenzie and his wife introduced formal education to Hirta, beginning a daily school to teach reading, writing and arithmetic and a Sunday school for religious education.^[5] July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Church of Scotland (CofS, known informally as The Kirk, Eaglais na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is the national church of Scotland. ... Sunday school, Indians and whites. ...

Mackenzie left in 1844 and although he had clearly achieved a great deal, the weakness of the St Kildan's dependence on an external authority was exposed in 1865 with the arrival of Rev John Mackay, a minister in the new Free Church of Scotland. Mackay was a religious zealot who may have done more than any single individual to destroy the St Kildan way of life. He introduced a routine of three two to three hour services on Sunday at which attendance was effectively compulsory. One visitor noted in 1875 that: This article concerns the Free Church of Scotland 1843-1900, for the Free Church of Scotland existing from 1900 to the present day see Free Church of Scotland (post 1900). ...

The Sabbath was a day of intolerable gloom. At the clink of the bell the whole flock hurry to Church with sorrowful looks and eyes bent upon the ground. It is considered sinful to look to the right or to the left.^[31]

The excessive time spent in religious gatherings began to interfere seriously with the practical routines of running the island. Old ladies and children who made a noise in church were lectured at length and warned of the dire punishments they could expect in the afterworld. During a period of food shortages on the island a relief vessel arrived on a Saturday only to be informed by the minister that the islanders had to spend the day preparing for church on the Sabbath and it was Monday before any supplies were landed. Children were forbidden to play games and required to carry a bible wherever they went. The St Kildans endured Mackay for twenty four years.^[5]

Stac Lee, St Kilda.

Tourism had a different but similarly de-stabilising impact on St Kilda. During the 19th century steamers began to visit Hirta, enabling the islanders to earn money from the sale of tweeds and bird's eggs but at the expense of their self-esteem as the tourists clearly regarded them as curiosities. The boats also brought other previously unknown diseases, especially tetanus infantum which resulted in infant mortality rates as high as 80% during the late nineteenth century.^[14] The cnatan na gall or boat-cough became a regular feature of life.^[24][23] Image File history File links St_Kilda_Stac_Lee. ... Image File history File links St_Kilda_Stac_Lee. ... Tweed is a type of fabric using the twill weave. ... Tetanus is a medical condition characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers. ...

By the turn of the 20th century formal schooling had become a feature of the islands and in 1906 the church was extended to make a schoolhouse. The children all now learned English in addition to their native Gaelic. Improved midwifery skills, denied to the island by Reverend Mackay, reduced the problems of childhood tetanus. There had been some talk of an evacuation in 1875 during MacKay's period of tenure, but despite occasional food shortages and flu epidemic in 1913 the population was stable at between 75 and 80 and there was no obvious sign that within a few years the millennia old occupation of the island was to end.^[2][5] // Midwifery is the term traditionally used to describe the art of assisting a woman through childbirth. ...

World War One

Early in the 'Great War' the Royal Navy erected a signal station on Hirta and daily communications with the mainland were established for the first time in St Kilda's history. In a belated response a German submarine arrived in Village Bay on the morning of 15 May 1918 and after issuing a warning, started shelling the island. Seventy two shells in all were fired and the wireless station was destroyed. The manse, church and jetty storehouse were also damaged but there was no loss of life.^[2] One eye-witness recalled Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

It wasn't what you would call a bad submarine because it could have blowed every house down because they were all in a row there. He only wanted Admiralty property. One lamb was killed… all the cattle ran from one side of the island to the other when they heard the shots.^[32]

As a result of this attack a Mark II QF gun was erected on a promontory overlooking Village Bay, but it was never fired in anger. Of greater long-term significance to the islanders was the introduction of regular contact with the outside world and the slow development of a money-based economy, both of which made life easier, but less self-reliant. These were both factors in the evacuation of the island only a little more than a decade later.^[2]

Evacuation

Boreray, Stac Lee, and Stac an Armin (left) from the heights of Conachair

There were thus numerous reasons for the evacuation. The islands had existed for centuries with only fleeting contacts with the rest of the world. The advent of tourism and the presence of the military in World War One had enabled the islanders to understand that there were alternatives to the privations they had routinely suffered. Despite the provision of a small jetty in 1902 the islands remained at the mercy of the weather.^[33] The authorities were unable to do much to assist them, although reliable radios and other infrastructure denied to the civilian islanders were later to be provided for the military base at a cost of millions of pounds.^[34] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... There are two islands named Boreray in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland: Boreray, North Uist Boreray, Saint Kilda This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

After World War one most of the young men left the island and the population fell from 73 in 1920 to 37 in 1928.^[14] After the death of four men from influenza in 1926, and a succession of crop failures in the 1920s, the last straw came with the death from appendicitis of a young woman, Mary Gillies, in January 1930. On 29 August 1930, the last 36 inhabitants were evacuated to Morvern on the Scottish mainland at their own request. Influenza, commonly known as flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by an RNA virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses). ... Appendicitis (or epityphlitis) is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix[1]. While mild cases may resolve without treatment, most require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ... Morvern is a region on the west coast of Scotland located approximately 56°3608N 5°4659W. Ferries depart from the coast to the Island of Mull, also part of Morvern. ...

The morning of the evacuation promised a perfect day. The sun rose out of a calm and sparkling sea and warmed the impressive cliffs of Oiseval….Observing tradition the islanders left an open Bible and a small pile of oats in each house, locked all the doors and at 7 a.m. boarded the Harebell… They were reported to have stayed cheerful throughout the operation. But as the long antler of Dun fell back onto the horizon and the familiar outline of the island grew faint, the severing of an ancient tie became a reality and the St Kildans gave way to tears.^[5]

The islands were purchased in 1931 by Lord Dumfries (later 5th Marquess of Bute), from Sir Reginald MacLeod^[35] and for the next twenty six years the island experienced quietude, save for the occasional summer visit from a returning St Kildan family. John Crichton-Stuart, 5th Marquess of Bute (August 4, 1907–August 14, 1956 was the son of John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute and Augusta Bellingham. ... The title of Marquess of Bute was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1796 for the 4th Earl of Bute (in the Peerage of Scotland). ...

Later military events

The islands took no active part in World War II during which they were completely abandoned,^[2] but there are three aircraft crash sites from that period. A Beaufighter LX798 based at Port Ellen on Islay crashed into Conachair within 100 metres of the summit on the night of 3-4 June 1943. A year later, just before midnight on 7 June 1944, the day after D-Day, a Sunderland flying boat was wrecked at the head of Gleann Mor. There is a small plaque in the kirk dedicated to those who lost their lives in this accident.^[6] A Wellington bomber crashed on the south coast of Soay at some point in 1943. It was not until 1978 that any formal attempt was made to investigate the wreck, and its identity has not been absolutely determined. Amongst the wreckage a Royal Canadian Air Force cap badge was discovered, which suggests it may have been a flight lost on 28 September 1943.^[2] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Bristol Beaufighter is also the name of a car produced by Bristol Cars in the 1980s. ... Landsat image of Islay Islay (pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: , or ee-luh), a Scottish island, known as The Queen of the Hebrides, is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... The S.25 Sunderland was a flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers, first flown on 16 October 1937. ... Boeing 314 A flying boat is an aircraft that is designed to take off and land on water, in particular a type of seaplane which uses its fuselage as a floating hull (instead of pontoons mounted below the fuselage). ... The Vickers Wellington was a twin-engine, medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs Chief Designer, R.K. Pierson. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping boobs. ... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ...

In 1955 the British government decided to incorporate St Kilda into a missile tracking range based in Benbecula, where test firings and flights are carried out. Thus in 1957 St Kilda became permanently inhabited once again. A variety or new military buildings and masts have since been erected, including the island's first licensed premises, the 'Puff Inn'. The Ministry of Defence leases St Kilda from the National Trust for Scotland for a nominal fee.^[2] The main island of Hirta is still occupied all year round by a small number of civilians working in the military base there.^[36] Benbecula (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn na Faoghla, meaning the mountain of the ford) is an island of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. ... The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ...

Nature conservation

St. Kilda^a
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type	Mixed
Criteria	iii, v, vii, ix, x
Identification	#387
Regionb	Europe and North America
Inscription History UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links St_Kilda_Village_Bay. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. ...
Formal Inscription:	1986 10th Session
Extension/s	2004; 2005
a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List b As classified officially by UNESCO A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

On his death on 14 August 1956 the Marquess of Bute's will bequeathed the archipelago to the National Trust for Scotland, provided they took up the offer within six months of his death. After much soul-searching the Executive Committee agreed to do so in January 1957, and the slow renovation and conservation of the village was begun. Much of this has been undertaken by summer volunteer work parties.^[2] There is also on-going research carried out by scientists on the feral Soay sheep population and other aspects of the natural environment. In 1957 the area was designated as a National Nature Reserve.^[37] August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The standard of the NTS The National Trust for Scotland, or NTS, describes itself as The conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotlands natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to enjoy. ... Soay sheep, Culloden Moor. ... National Nature Reserve is a United Kingdom government conservation designation for a nature reserve of national significance. ...

In 1986 the islands became the first place in Scotland^[38] to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was for its terrestrial natural features and subsequently St Kilda achieved a joint 'marine' status in 2004 for the superlative natural features, its habitats for rare and endangered species, and its internationally important population of seabirds.^[39] In 2005 St Kilda thus became one of only two-dozen global locations to be awarded World Heritage Status for both 'natural' and 'cultural' significance. The islands share this honour with internationally important sites such as Machu Picchu in Peru, Mount Athos in Greece and the Ukhahlamba/Drakensberg Park in South Africa.^[40] UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Piqchu Old Peak; sometimes called the Lost City of the Incas) is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruin located at 2,430 m (7,970 ft)[1] on a mountain ridge. ... Capital Karyes Languages Koine Greek, Church Slavonic (both liturgical), as well as Modern Greek, Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Bulgarian, Romanian (civil) Head of State Greek Minister of For. ... The Drakensberg Drakensberg Range from space, April 1993 Maluti mountains in Lesotho The Drakensberg (Afrikaans for Dragons Mountain) mountains are the highest in Southern Africa, rising up at Thabana Ntlenyana to 3,482 m (11,422 ft) in height. ...

The St Kilda World Heritage Site covers a total area of 24,201.4 ha (93.4 sq mi) including the land and sea.^[41] The land area is 854.6 ha (2,111.8 acres).^[18] A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ...

St Kilda is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument, a National Scenic Area, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and a European Community Special Protection Area.^[42] Visiting yachts may find some shelter in Village Bay but those wishing to land should contact the National Trust for Scotland in advance. There is concern about the introduction of non-native animal and plant species into such a fragile environment.^[1]

St Kilda's marine environment of underwater caves, arches and chasms also offers a challenging but superlative diving experience.^[43] Such is the power of the North Atlantic swell that the effects of the waves can be detected 70 metres below sea level.^[44]

Architecture

Prehistoric buildings

Ruins in Gleann Mor

The oldest structures on St Kilda are the most enigmatic. There are large sheep folds inland from the existing village at An Lag Bho'n Tuath (English: the hollow in the north) which contain curious 'boat-shaped' stone rings, or 'settings'. Soil samples suggest a date of 1850 BC but they are unique to St Kilda and their purpose is unknown. In Gleann Mor there are 20 'horned structures'; essentially ruined buildings with a main court measuring about 3 x 3 m, two or more smaller cells and a forecourt formed by two curved or horn-shaped walls. Again, there is nothing like them anywhere else in Britain or Europe and their original use is unknown.^[6] Also in Gleann Mor is Tigh na Banaghasgeich, the 'Amazon's House'. As Martin (1703) reported there are numerous St Kilda tales about this female warrior. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

This Amazon is famous in their traditions: her house or dairy of stone is yet extant; some of the inhabitants dwell in it all summer, though it be some hundred years old; the whole is built of stone, without any wood, lime, earth, or mortar to cement it, and is built in form of a circle pyramid-wise towards the top, having a vent in it, the fire being always in the centre of the floor; the stones are long and thin, which supplies the defect of wood; the body of this house contains not above nine persons sitting; there are three beds or low vaults that go off the side of the wall, a pillar betwixt each bed, which contains five men apiece; at the entry to one of these low vaults is a stone standing upon one end fix’d; upon this they say she ordinarily laid her helmet; there are two stones on the other side, upon which she is reported to have laid her sword: she is said to have been much addicted to hunting, and that in her time all the space betwixt this isle and that of Harries, was one continued tract of dry land.^[4]

Similar stories of a female warrior who hunted the now submerged land between the Outer Hebrides and St Kilda are reported from Harris.^[5] The structure's forecourt is also akin to the other 'horned structures' in the immediate area but its original purpose is the stuff of legend rather than archaeological fact. An Cliseam from the Abhainn Mharaig, just off the main road to Lewis. ...

Much more is known of the unique cleitan (English: cleits) which decorate the archipelago in their hundreds. They are dome-shaped structures constructed of flat boulders with a cap of turf on the top. This enables the wind to pass through the cavities in the wall, but keeps the rain out. They were used for the storage of peat, nets, corn, preserved flesh and eggs, manure, hay and even as a shelter for lambs in winter. The date of origin of this St Kildan invention is unknown but they were in continuous use from prehistoric times until the 1930 evacuation. There are over 1,200 both ruined and intact cleitan on Hirta and a further 170 on the neighbouring islands.^[5][6]

House no. 16 in the modern village has an early Christian stone cross built into the front wall, which may date from the 7th century. ^[6]

Medieval village

This was located near Tobar Childa about 350 metres (1,150 feet) from the shore, at the foot of the slopes of Connachair. The oldest building is an underground passage with two small annexes called Taigh an T-Sithiche (house of the faeries) which dates to between 500 BC and 300 AD. The St Kildans believed it was a house or hiding place although a more recent theory is that was an ice house.^[6] A mobile structure used in ice fishing may also be known as an icehouse Categories: Buildings and structures stubs ...

There are extensive ruins of field walls and clietan and the remnants of a medieval 'house' with a beehive-shaped annexe. Nearby is the 'Bull's House' - a roofless rectangular structure in which the island's bull was kept during winter. Tobar Childa itself is supplied by two springs which lie just outside the Head Wall which was constructed right round the Village to prevent sheep and cattle gaining access to the cultivated areas within its boundary.^[6] There were twenty-five to thirty houses altogether. Most were Black houses of typical Hebridean design, but some older buildings were made of corbelled stone and turfed rather than thatched. The turf was used to prevent ingress of wind as well as rain, and the buildings resembled green hillocks rather than houses.^[5] The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... For the novel by the same name, see Black house (novel). ...

Recent structures

The Village. The Head Wall surrounds the site, with Tobar Childa top left, the nineteenth century Street at centre and the new military base to the right

The Head Wall was built in 1834 when the mediaeval village was abandoned and a new one planned between Tobar Childa and the sea some 200 metres down the slope. This came about as the result of a visit by Sir Thomas Dyke Ackland, the MP for Devon. Appalled by the primitive conditions he made a donation which ultimately resulted in the construction of a completely new settlement of 30 new blackhouses. These were further modified after several of the new dwellings were damaged by a severe gale in October 1860. 16 modern houses were then constructed amidst the blackhouses and a new Factor's house as well. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... “Devonshire” redirects here. ... In Scotland a Factor (or property manager) is a person or firm charged with superintending or managing properties and estates -- sometimes where the owner or landlord is unable to or uninterested in attending to such details personally, or in tenements in which several owners of individual flats contribute to the...

These houses were of dry stone construction with thick walls and roofed with turf. There was typically only one tiny window and a small aperture for letting out smoke from the peat fire which burnt in the middle of the room. As a result, the interiors were blackened by soot. The cattle occupied one end of the house in winter and once a year the straw from the floor was stripped out and spread on the ground.^[2]

One of the more poignant ruins on Hirta is the site of 'Lady Grange's House'. Lady Grange was married to the Jacobite sympathiser James Erskine of Grange for twenty five years, when he decided that she may have over-heard too many of his treasonable plottings. He had her kidnapped and sent to St Kilda whilst he maintained that she had died and arranged her funeral. She lived on Hirta from 1734-42 before being taken to Skye where she died after a failed rescue attempt.^[6][2] Jacobite refers to: A follower of Jacobitism, the political movement dedicated to the return of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland A member of the Jacobite Orthodox Church of Syria. ... James Erskine, Lord Grange (1679 - January 20, 1754), was Lord Justice Clerk and Lord of Justiciary. ... Looking towards Quiraing, Skye. ...

Boswell and Johnson discussed the subject during their 1773 tour of the Hebrides. Boswell wrote: James Boswell James Boswell (October 29, 1740 - May 19, 1795) was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... For other persons named Samuel Johnson, see Samuel Johnson (disambiguation). ...

After dinner to-day, we talked of the extraordinary fact of Lady Grange’s being sent to St Kilda, and confined there for several years, without any means of relief. Dr Johnson said, if M’Leod would let it be known that he had such a place for naughty ladies, he might make it a very profitable island.^[45]

In the 1860s unsuccessful attempts were made to improve the landing area by blasting rocks. A small jetty was erected in 1877 but it was washed away in a storm two years later. In 1883 representations to the Napier Commission suggested the building of a replacement but it was 1901 before the Congested Districts Board provided an engineer to enable one to be completed the following year. Nearby on the shore line are some huge boulders which were known throughout the Highlands and Islands in the nineteenth century as Doirneagan Hirt - Hirta's pebbles.^[2][6] The Napier Commission, offically the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands, was appointed in 1883, with Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier, as its chairman, under William Gladstones Liberal government of the United Kingdom. ... The Congested Districts Board (Scotland) was set up by the Congested Districts (Scotland) Act, 1897 for the purpose of administering the sums made available by the government for the improvement of congested districts in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. ... The Highlands and Islands is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. ...

At one time there were three churches on Hirta. Christ Church, in the site of the graveyard at the centre of the Village was in use in 1697 and was the largest, but this thatched-roof structure was too small to hold the entire population, and most of the congregation had to gather in the churchyard during services. St Brendan's church lay a mile away on the slopes of Ruival, and St Columba's at the west end of the Village street, but there is now little left of any of these buildings. A new kirk and manse were erected at the east end of the village in 1830 and a Factor's house in 1860.^[5] Kirk can mean church in general or The Church of Scotland in particular. ... The rectory is the title usually given to the building inhabited, or formerly inhabited, by the rector of a parish. ... In Scotland a Factor (or property manager) is a person or firm charged with superintending or managing properties and estates -- sometimes where the owner or landlord is unable to or uninterested in attending to such details personally, or in tenements in which several owners of individual flats contribute to the...

Buildings on other islands

Dun from Ruaival with Stac Levenish in the background at left.

Dun means 'fort' and there is but a single ruined wall of a structure said to have been built in the far-distant past by the Fir Bolg.^[5] The only 'habitation' is Sean Tigh (old house) a natural cavern sometimes used as a shelter by the St Kildans when they were tending the sheep or catching birds. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... In Irish mythology the Fir Bolg (Fir Bholg, Firbolg, men of Builg or men of bags, or possibly men with spears, bolg meaning spear - and let us not forget the modern Irish word bolg belly (originally bag)) were one of the races that inhabited the island of Ireland prior to...

Soay has a primitive hut known as Tigh Dugan (Dugan's house). This is little more than an excavated hole under a huge stone with two rude walls on the sides. The story of its creation relates to two sheep-stealing brothers from Lewis who came to St Kilda only to cause further trouble. Dugan was exiled to Soay where he died, the other, called Fearchar Mor, to Stac an Armin where he found life so intolerable he cast himself into the sea. Looking towards the Uplands in the centre of the Island of Lewis Lewis (Leòdhas in Scottish Gaelic) or The Isle of Lewis (Eilean Leòdhais), is the northern part of the largest island of the Western Isles of yr motherScotland or Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan Siar). ...

Boreray boasts the Cleitean McPhaidein - a 'cleit village' and three small bothies which were used on a regular basis during fowling expeditions. There is also the ruins of Tigh Stallar (the steward's house) which was similar to the Amazon's house in Gleann Mor although somewhat larger and had six bed spaces. The local tradition was that it was built by the 'Man of the Rocks' who led a rebellion against the landlord's steward.^[5]

There are no fewer than 78 storage cleitan on Stac an Armin and a small bothy. As a result of a smallpox outbreak on Hirta in 1727 three men and eight boys were marooned here until the following May. Incredibly, there is a small bothy on the precipitous Stac Lee too, also used by fowlers. Bothy In the United Kingdom a bothy is a simple shelter, left unlocked and available for anyone to use without charge. ...

Miscellany

Stac an Armin with Boreray to the left and Stac Lee beyond at right

In 1937, after reading of the St Kilda evacuation, Michael Powell made the film The Edge of the World about the dangers of island depopulation. It was shot, however, not on St Kilda but on Foula, one of the Shetland Islands. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Michael Powell film-maker. ... MacGinnis, Chrystall and Berry in The Edge of the World. ... Foula shown within Shetland Islands On the same latitude as Saint Petersburg lies hidden the bleak and yet spectacular island of Foula, Britain’s most remote permanently inhabited island, being one of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, and owned since the turn of the 20th Century by the Holbourn family. ... The Shetland Islands, also called Shetland (archaically spelled Zetland) formerly called Hjaltland, comprise one of 32 council areas of Scotland. ...

In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, St Kilda was named as the 9th greatest natural wonder in the British Isles. Opinion polls are surveys of opinion using sampling. ... Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ...

In 2007 an opera in Scots Gaelic called St Kilda - A European Opera about the story of the islands received funding from the Scottish Executive. It is due to be enacted over the summer solstice of 2007.^[46][47] The New Opera in Oslo, Norway The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... The Executives logo, shown with English and Scottish Gaelic caption The term Scottish Executive is used in two different, but closely-related senses: to denote the executive arm of Scotlands national legislature (i. ...

See also

• World Heritage Sites in Scotland
• Mingulay - the “near St Kilda”.

Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Mingulay is the second largest of the Bishops Isles in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. ...

Main references

• Baxter, Colin and Crumley, Jim St Kilda: A portrait of Britain's remotest island landscape, Biggar, Colin Baxter Photography, 1988
• Haswell-Smith, Hamish The Scottish Islands, Edinburgh, Canongate, 2004.
• Keay, J. & Keay, J. Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland, London, HarperCollins, 1994
• MacLean, Charles Island on the Edge of the World: the Story of St. Kilda, Canongate, 1977
• Martin, Martin - A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland and St. Kilda - Birlinn, 1994 (reissue of first written account of St. Kilda from 1697).
• Murray, W.H. The Hebrides, London, Heinemann, 1966
• Quine, David St. Kilda, Grantown-on-Spey, Colin Baxter Island Guides, 2000
• Steel, Tom The Life and Death of St. Kilda, London, Fontana, 1988

Martin Martin (?1699-1719) was a Scottish writer, he is best known for his work A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland (1695), particularly noted for its information on St Kilda. ... William Hutchi(n)son Murray (18 March 1913 - 19 March 1996) was one of a group of active Scottish mountain climbers, mainly from Clydeside, before and just after World War II. // Murray did much of his most influential climbing in the period just before WW2. ...

Further reading

• Buchanan, Margaret St Kilda: a Photographic Album, W. Blackwood, 1983
• Charnley, Bob Last Greetings of St. Kilda, Richard Stenlake, 1989
• Coates, Richard The Place-Names of St. Kilda, Edwin Mellen Press, 1990
• Fleming, Andrew St. Kilda and the Wider World: Tales of an Iconic Island, Windgather Press, 2005
• Gilbert, O. The Lichen Hunters. St Kilda: Lichens at the Edge of the World, The Book Guild Ltd., England, 2004
• Harman, Mary An Isle Called Hirte: History and Culture of St. Kilda to 1930, MacLean Press, 1996
• McCutcheon, Campbell St. Kilda: a Journey to the End of the World, Tempus, 2002
• Stell, Geoffrey P. & Mary Harman Buildings of St Kilda, RCAHMS, 1988

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) is an executive non-departmental public body financed by the Scottish Parliament through the Architecture Policy Unit of the Tourism, Culture and Sport Group of the Education Department of the Scottish Executive. ...

Citations and footnotes

The Flannan Isles (Scottish Gaelic: na h-Eileanan Flannach) are an island group in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, lying several miles west of Lewis. ... William Hutchi(n)son Murray (18 March 1913 - 19 March 1996) was one of a group of active Scottish mountain climbers, mainly from Clydeside, before and just after World War II. // Murray did much of his most influential climbing in the period just before WW2. ... Location of Achill Island. ... Scots refers to the Anglic varieties spoken in parts of Scotland. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

St Kilda (Scotland)

• St Kilda website by the National Trust for Scotland.
• St Kilda on culturehebrides.com.
• St Kilda on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites, with datasheets wcmc.org.uk, unep-wcmc.org.
• Revised Nomination of St Kilda for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List from the Scottish Executive.
• StKilda Yahoogroup - Email list.

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The Executives logo, shown with English and Scottish Gaelic caption The term Scottish Executive is used in two different, but closely-related senses: to denote the executive arm of Scotlands national legislature (i. ...

Photographs

• flickr.com
• Greenpeace
• webshots.com
• The Gallery at bullersofbuchan.me.uk
• Geograph British Isles
• BSAC Travel Club - St Kilda: The Holy Grail of UK Diving?
• With Nature and a Camera - Ebook containing photos of the islands and the inhabitants from the late 19th century.

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom
England	Blenheim Palace  ·  Canterbury Cathedral - St. Augustine's Abbey - St. Martin's Church  ·  Bath  ·  Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape  ·  Derwent Valley Mills  ·  Durham Castle and Cathedral  ·  Ironbridge Gorge  ·  Jurassic Coast  ·  Kew Gardens  ·  Liverpool  ·  Maritime Greenwich  ·  Westminster Palace - Westminster Abbey - St. Margaret's Church  ·  Saltaire  ·  Stonehenge and Avebury  ·  Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey  ·  Tower of London This article is about the Hebrides islands in Scotland. ... The Hebrides (Inner Hebrides in red) The Inner Hebrides are a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. ... The Ascrib Islands are a group of small islands lying in Loch Snizort off the north west coast of Skye, Scotland. ... Canna (Gaelic Canaigh )is the westernmost of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. ... Cara Island is a small island which is located off the west coast of Kintyre in Scotland, one kilometre south of Gigha. ... Coll shown within Argyll Coll is a small island (about 21 km long and 5 km wide) in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, west of Mull. ... Colonsay shown within Argyll Colonsay [Colbhasa] is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, located north of Islay and south of Mull. ... The Crowlin Islands (gaelic: crò linne) a group of uninhabited islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. ... The decaying pier on Easdale which was used to load the slate from the nearby quarries. ... Island of Eigg, as seen from a ferry An Sgurr Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. ... The twin beaches at Eilean Garbh, Isle of Gigha. ... Iona village viewed from a short distance offshore. ... Isay is an uninhabited island in the Inner Hebrides of the west coast of Scotland. ... Landsat image of Islay Islay (pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: , or ee-luh), a Scottish island, known as The Queen of the Hebrides, is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides. ... Jura shown within Argyll Satellite picture of Jura Jura (Scottish Gaelic Diùra) is a Scottish island, in the Inner Hebrides. ... Looking towards Gylen Castle, Kerrera. ... Lismore (coloured red) shown within Argyll Lismore is an island in Loch Linnhe, in Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. ... Luing (An t-Eilean Luinn in Gaelic) is one of the Slate Islands, in Lorne, in the west of Argyll in Scotland, about 16 miles south of Oban. ... This article is about the island of Lunga in the Firth of Lorn. ... Oronsay is a small island south of Colonsay in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. ... Muck is the smallest of the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. ... Tobermory with 700 people, the largest settlement on Mull, is home to the only whisky distillery on the island. ... Raasay is an island between the Isle of Skye and the mainland of Scotland. ... Rùm (a Scottish Gaelic name which is usually anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles, in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. ... Seil is one of the Slate Islands, lying west of Argyll in Scotland. ... Shuna is one of the Slate Islands in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, lying east of Luing. ... Looking towards Quiraing, Skye. ... Soay From Old Norse so-øy meaning Sheep Island Soay is an island just off the south coast of Skye, occasionally considered part of the Small Isles. ... Fingals Cave around 1900 View from West to East Staffa (Norse for staff, column, or pillar island), an island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. ... This article is about the Summer Isles in Scotland. ... Looking West to Balephuil Bay, across the famous Hebridean Machair. ... Puffins on Lunga. ... Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) redirects here. ... Castlebay, Barra Traigh Eaig beach This article is about the island of Barra in Scotland. ... The Barra Isles, also known as the Bishops Isles as they were historically owned by the church, are a small archipelago of islands in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. ... Benbecula (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn na Faoghla, meaning the mountain of the ford) is an island of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. ... Berneray (From viking Bjorns Isle) (Scottish Gaelic: Bheàrnaraidh) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. ... Eriskay, looking towards Easabhal on South Uist. ... The Flannan Isles (Scottish Gaelic: na h-Eileanan Flannach) are an island group in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, lying several miles west of Lewis. ... Great Bernera, often known just as Bernera (Scottish Gaelic: Bearnaraigh) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. ... An Cliseam from the Abhainn Mharaig, just off the main road to Lewis. ... Looking towards the Uplands in the centre of the Island of Lewis Lewis (Leòdhas in Scottish Gaelic) or The Isle of Lewis (Eilean Leòdhais), is the northern part of the largest island of the Western Isles of yr motherScotland or Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan Siar). ... Location of North Uist Landsat image of North Uist North Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Tuath) is an island of the Outer Hebrides. ... Rockall, a small, isolated rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean Rockall is a small rocky islet in the North Atlantic, in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the United Kingdom. ... Scalpay is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland west of Harris, to which it is linked by a bridge. ... Location of South Uist South Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Deas) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Flag_of_England_(bordered). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Download high resolution version (1752x1196, 311 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Blenheim Palace, The Great Court. ... Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. ... 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Avebury Henge and Village Avebury is the site of a large henge and several stone circles in the English county of Wiltshire at grid reference SU103699, surrounding the village of Avebury (its geographical location is 51°25′43″N, 1°51′15″W). ... Studley Royal Park is a park containing, and developed around, the ruins of the Cistercian Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. ... Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire is a Cistercian monastery first founded A.D. 1132. ... Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ...
England/Scotland	Frontiers of the Roman Empire (Hadrian's Wall)
Scotland	Edinburgh Old Town and New Town  ·  Heart of Neolithic Orkney (Maeshowe • Ring of Brodgar • Skara Brae • Standing Stones of Stenness)  ·  New Lanark  ·  St. Kilda The limes Germanicus, 2nd century. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots3 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  -  First Minister Jack McConnell... The Old Town of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ... The Edinburgh New Town is a neo-classical masterpiece. ... Heart of Neolithic Orkney refers to a group of Neolithic monuments found in the Scottish island of Orkney. ... Maeshowe Maeshowe Entrance Maeshowe (or Maes Howe) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. ... Ring of Brodgar The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar) is a neolithic henge and stone circle in The Mainland Orkney, Scotland, somewhat similar to Stonehenge in England. ... Skara Brae is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located in the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of mainland Orkney, Scotland. ... The Stenness Watch Stone stands next to the modern bridge leading to the Ring of Brodgar. ... New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately two kilometres from the Royal Burgh of Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. ...
Wales	Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd (Beaumaris Castle • Caernarfon Castle • Conwy Castle • Harlech Castle)  ·  Blaenavon Image File history File links Flag_of_Wales_(bordered). ... This article is about the country. ... The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd refers to a UNESCO-designated site of patrimony located in the Welsh area of Gwynedd. ... Beaumaris Castle and moat. ... The ward of Caernarfon Castle, showing (from left to right) the Black Tower, the Chamberlains Tower, and the Eagle Tower. ... Conwy Castle in its present state. ... The main gatehouse of Harlech Castle. ... Blaenavon (Welsh: Blaenafon) is a town and World Heritage Site in Torfaen, southern Wales, lying at the source of the Llwyd River. ...
Northern Ireland	Giant's Causeway
Overseas territories	Henderson Island  ·  Gough Island and Inaccessible Island  ·  St. George's Town Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister... The Giants Causeway is an area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns resulting from a volcanic eruption. ... Location of the British Overseas Territories (British Antarctic Territory and Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus not shown) A British Overseas Territory is one of fourteen[1] territories which are under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but not considered part of the United Kingdom itself. ... Map of Pitcairn Islands. ... Orthographic projection over Gough Island Gough Island (also called Diego Alvarez) is a volcanic island rising from the South Atlantic Ocean to heights of over 900 metres (2950 ft) above sea level and has an area of approximately 65 km² (25 mi²). It includes small satellite islands and rocks such... Inaccessible Island (Dellbridge Islands) (in Antarctica) and the Inaccessible Islands (South Orkney Islands). ... St. ...