Egilsay

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Egilsay
Scottish Gaelic name?Eaglais (see meaning)
Scots nameEgilsay
Old Norse nameEgilsey [1]
Meaning of nameDisputed – either Norse "Egil's island" or Norse "ey" + Celtic "eaglais" – "Church island"
St Magnus Church.jpg
Egilsay from Rousay with St Magnus Church on the skyline
Location
Orkney Islands UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Egilsay
Egilsay shown within Orkney
OS grid reference HY470301
Coordinates 59°09′00″N2°54′58″W / 59.15°N 2.916°W / 59.15; -2.916
Physical geography
Island group Orkney Islands
Area650 hectares (1,600 acres)
Area rank67 [2]
Highest elevation35 m (115 ft)
Administration
Council area Orkney
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Demographics
Population26 [3]
Population rank62 [2]
Population density4/km2
Largest settlementSkaill
Lymphad3.svg
References [4] www.aroundrousay.co.uk/egilsay.shtml

Egilsay ( /ˈɛɡɪls/ , Scots : Egilsay) is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, lying east of Rousay. The anglicized name of Eagleshay was used in past centuries. The island is largely farmland and is known for St Magnus Church, dedicated or re-dedicated to Saint Magnus, who was killed on the island in 1117 by an axe blow to the head. For hundreds of years the story of St Magnus, part of the Orkneyinga saga, was considered just a legend until a skull with a large crack in it, such as it had been stricken by an axe, was found in the walls of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.

Contents

Etymology

Unusually for the Northern Isles, it has been suggested that Egilsay may have a partly Gaelic name. [1] [4] While at first sight, it appears to be Egil's island, "Egil" being a Norse personal name, the Gaelic eaglais (Celtic "eccles") meaning church, may be part of the root, as the island is dominated by a church of pre-Norse foundation. The island of Kili Holm just to the north, may represent cille, a monastic cell.

Present day

The island's population was 26 as recorded by the 2011 census [5] a drop of almost a third since 2001 when there were 37 usual residents. [6] During the same period, Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702. [7]

Orkney Ferries sail from the island to Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland via Wyre and Rousay.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Orkneyinga saga</i> Scandinavian-Scottish literary work

The Orkneyinga saga is a narrative of the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands and their relationship with other local polities, particularly Norway and Scotland. The saga has "no parallel in the social and literary record of Scotland" and is "the only medieval chronicle to have Orkney as the central place of action". The main focus of the work is the line of jarls who ruled the Earldom of Orkney, which constituted the Norðreyjar or Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland and there are frequent references to both archipelagoes throughout.

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Haakon Paulsson was a Norwegian jarl who ruled the earldom of Orkney together with his cousin Magnus Erlendsson from 1105 to 1123. Their lives and times are recounted in the Orkneyinga saga, which was first written down in the early 13th century by an unknown Icelandic author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kili Holm</span> Tidal island in the Orkney Islands, linked to Egilsay

Kili Holm is a tidal island in the Orkney Islands, linked to Egilsay. Unusually, like its neighbour Egilsay, it may have a partly Gaelic etymology, in this case from cille meaning a monk's cell. This may make it another “Papey” or island of the papar or culdees.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Magnus Church, Egilsay</span> Ruined medieval church located on the island of Egilsay in Orkney, Scotland

St Magnus Church is a ruined medieval round-tower church located on the island of Egilsay, in Orkney, Scotland. The site is recognized as the place of execution of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, in the 12th century. The roofless structure dates back to the 12th century, and has been described by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) as second only to St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, as a surviving Norse church in Scotland.

Helga Moddansdóttir was the mistress of Haakon Paulsson who was Earl of Orkney from 1105 to 1123.

References

  1. 1 2 Anderson, Joseph (ed.) (1873) The Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. Edmonston and Douglas. The Internet Archive. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  2. 1 2 Area and population ranks: there are c.300 islands over 20ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  3. "National Records of Scotland: Statistical Bulletin" (PDF). 15 August 2013. p. 12. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
  5. National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  6. General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Scotland's Census 2001 Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands . Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  7. "Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise". BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013.

59°09′N2°55′W / 59.150°N 2.917°W / 59.150; -2.917