Hildasay – Wikipedia

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Hildasay
Scots name Hildasay
Old Norse name Hildasey
Meaning of name battle island, or island of Hilda
Location
Hildasay is located in Shetland

Hildasay
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Hildasay shown within Scotland
OS grid reference HU355403
Coordinates

60°08′N 1°22′W / 60.14°N 1.36°W / 60.14; -1.36
Physical geography
Island group Shetland
Area 108 ha (267 acres)
Area rank 146 [1]
Highest elevation 32 m (105 ft)
Administration
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country Scotland
Council area Shetland Islands
Demographics
Population 1
Lymphad
References [2][3][4][5]

Hildasay (Scots: Hildasay; Old Norse: Hildisey) (from the Old Norse masculine name Hildir with ey “island”),[5] also known as Hildisay, is an uninhabited island off the west coast of the Shetland Mainland.

Geography and geology[edit]

Hildasay has an area of 108 hectares (267 acres), and is 32 metres (105 ft) in elevation at its highest point. It consists of red-green granite (epidotic syenite) that was quarried for many years.[3][6]

The south coast has two narrow inlets, Cusa Voe and Tangi Voe. “West”, the larger of two lochs, has a single islet. A satellite island, Linga lies to the south east. A long line of skerries and holms lies to the north west.[3]

History[edit]

Hildasay has been uninhabited since the late nineteenth century, but as late as 1891 had a population of 30. The island’s former industries included curing herring and quarrying granite. The remains of a railway line leading from the quarry to the harbour can still be seen.[6]

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As of 2020 there was one house on the island, which was temporarily occupied by charity walker Chris Lewis and his dog Jet when movement restrictions were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  2. ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
  3. ^ a b c

    Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.

  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b E. H. Lind. Norsk-Isländska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn från Medeltiden. Uppsala: A.-B. Lundequist. 1906-1915. s.n. Hildir, cols. 543-544. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009007424
  6. ^ a b “Hildasay”. Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  7. ^ “Former paratrooper self-isolating on ‘uninhabited’ Hildasay”. BBC News. BBC. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.

Coordinates: 60°8′48″N 1°21′35″W / 60.14667°N 1.35972°W / 60.14667; -1.35972


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