Rousay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rousay | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
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| OS grid reference: | HY407309 |
| Names | |
| Gaelic name: | |
| Norse name: | Hrólfsey |
| Meaning of name: | Old Norse for "Hrolf's island" |
| Area and Summit | |
| Area: | 4,860 ha |
| Area rank (Scottish islands): | 23 |
| Highest elevation: | Blotchnie Fiold 250 m |
| Population | |
| Population (2001): | 212 |
| Population rank (inhabited Scottish islands): | 30= out of 97 |
| Main settlement: | Banks |
| Groupings | |
| Island Group: | Orkney |
| Local Authority: | Orkney Islands |
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| References: | [1][2][3][4][5][6] |
Rousay (Old Norse Hrólfsey meaning Rolf's Island) is a small, hilly island about 3 km (2 miles) north of Orkney's Mainland, off the north coast of Scotland, and has been nicknamed "the Egypt of the north", due to its tremendous 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 (the 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, and 11 cars. The ferry links the islands of Rousay, Egilsay, and Wyre with each other, and with the mainland of Orkney.[7]
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[edit] Geography and natural history
In the 2001 census, it 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 14 miles long, and most arable land lies in the few hundred yards between this and the coastline. With an area of nineteen square miles, it is the joint third largest of the Orkney Islands along with South Ronaldsay and Sanday.
Rousay is a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest' with notable cliff formations and wildflower colonies, and has an RSPB bird reserve. The hilliest Orkney island after Hoy, it offers good views of neighbouring islands from Blotchnifiold (816 ft or 249 m), and Keirfea or Knitchen (both over 750 ft or 229 m).
Summertime brings visitors drawn by its natural beauty and wildlife, including Rousay's seals and otters, and by its archaeological remains, especially the cluster of important sites connected by a footpath near the western shore.
[edit] History
The island has evidence from every stage in the history of Orkney, with a Neolithic settlement at Rinyo, Bronze Age burnt mounds, Iron Age crannogs and brochs (the highest density anywhere in Scotland: three within 500 metres of coastline), Viking boat burials, remains of a medieval church and the stately home at Trumland.
Over 100 archaeological sites have been identified, but only a small fraction of them have been excavated and researched. The best known and most spectacular of the island's archaeological sites is the Midhowe complex of broch and chambered tomb. Blackhammer Stalled Burial Cairn, Taversoe Tuick, and Yarso are also important tombs on the island.
Rousay placenames reflect its Norse heritage. 'Hrólfs-øy' or 'Hrolfsey' was based on the male name 'Hrolf' (Rolf). Hugh Marwick's work has shown the name developing from 'Rollesay' in the 14th century, through 'Rolsay' in the 15th, and 'Rowsay' in the early 16th, with the spelling 'Rousay' first recorded in 1549.[8]
Most Rousay people have always earned their living from farming and/or fishing. In the 19th century, records show there were also tradespeople supplying the needs of a rural community: blacksmiths and joiners, shoemakers and shopkeepers, with women doing dressmaking and straw plaiting. Throughout the century, Rousay's landlords demanded high rents from crofters, most of whom were made homeless in a series of clearances ordered by landowner George William Traill, and his nephew General Sir Frederick William Traill-Burroughs.
Rousay's population in the mid-19th century was over 900, but emigration following land clearances reduced that to 627 by 1900, and half a century later it had fallen to 342. Depopulation accelerated, and in the next 20 years the number fell to 181, its lowest ever. From the 1970s onward new families started to settle on Rousay: most came from the south, especially from England. The population is now over 200.
[edit] Local Education
There is a local primary school,[9] which provides education for boys and girls aged 3 to 12, and has a school roll of 17. Once a child completes his/her primary education, they must then move up to secondary school. Kirkwall Grammar School, or 'KGS', Kirkwall, is the usual school, however, in recent years, Stromness Academy, Stromness, has been the secondary school of choice for many of the pupils.
Many of the pupils, both at primary and secondary, are entitled to school transport on the island, which is free to the pupils.
[edit] Local authors
The poet Pauline Stainer spent several years on the island, and published a collection of her poems about Rousay, Parable Island (1999).
Robert C. Marwick is a local author whose publications include From My Rousay Schoolbag (1995).
[edit] References
- ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
- ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
- ^ Orkney Placenames
- ^ Ordnance Survey
- ^ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
- ^ Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)
- ^ M.V. Eynhallow (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-07-27.
- ^ Marwick, Hugh (1947) The Place-names of Rousay.
- ^ Rousay Primary School. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
[edit] External links
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