Hirta (Scottish Gaelic: Hiort) is the largest island in the St Kilda archipelago, on the western edge of Scotland. The names Hiort (in Scottish Gaelic) and Hirta (historically in English) have also been applied to the entire archipelago. Now without a permanent resident population, the island had nearly all of St Kilda's population of about 180 residents in the late 17th century and 112 in 1851. It was abandoned in 1930 when the last 36 remaining inhabitants were evacuated to Lochaline on the mainland.[6]
The National Trust for Scotland owns the entire archipelago.[7] It became one of Scotland's six World Heritage Sites in 1986 and is one of the few in the world to hold mixed status for both its natural and cultural qualities.[8] Visits to the island are encouraged during months when the few facilities for tourists are open.[9]
Geography
Overview of Village Bay
The island measures 3.4 kilometres (2+1⁄8 miles) from east to west, and 3.3km (2+1⁄16mi) from north to south. It has an area of 6.285km2 (2+7⁄16sqmi) and about 15km (9mi) of coastline. The only real landing place is in the shelter of Village Bay on the southeast side of the island. The island slopes gently down to the sea at Glen Bay (at the western end of the north coast), but the rocks go straight into the sea at a shallow angle and landing here is not easy if there is any swell at all. Apart from these two places, the cliffs rise sheer out of deep water. However, sea kayakers can also land for a break on a small boulder beach backed by cliffs in the north of the island, just before the northeast side where the highest summit in the island, Conachair, forms a precipice 430m high (1,410ft). St Kilda is probably the core of a Tertiaryvolcano, but, besides volcanic rocks, it contains hills of sandstone in which the stratification is distinct.
Dùn is separated from Hirta by a shallow strait by (Caolas an Dùin) which is about 50 metres (55 yards) wide; the strait is normally impassable but is reputed to dry out on rare occasions.[3]
Surrounding stacks
Bradastac
Hirta is surrounded by a number of small stacks. Bradastac, Mina Stac and Sgeir Domhnuill lie under the cliffs of Conachair to the east and Sgeir nan Sgarbh further south under the heights of Osieval. An Torc is west of Ruabhal and Sgeir Mhòr is further north under Mullach Bi.
There are also various large stacks in the narrow strait between Hirta and Soay: Stac Dona, Stac Soay and Stac Biorach.
Etymology
The origin of Hirta is open to interpretation. Martin (1703) states that "Hirta is taken from the IrishIer, which in that language signifies west".[10] Maclean offers several options, including an unspecified Celtic word meaning "gloom" or "death", later suggested to be Ei hirt – dangerous or deathlike,[3] or the Scots Gaelic hIar-Tìr ("westland"). Drawing on an Icelandic saga describing an early 13th-century voyage to Ireland that mentions a visit to the islands of "Hirtir", he speculates that the shape of Hirta resembles a stag, (hirtir meaning "stags" in Norse).[11] Steel (1998) quotes the view of Reverend Neil Mackenzie, who lived there from 1829 to 1844, that the name is derived from the Gaelic Ì Àrd ("high island"), and a further possibility that it is from the Norse hirt ("shepherd").[12] In a similar vein, Murray (1966) speculates that the Norse Hirðö ("herd island", /hirðø/, HIRR-dhur), may be the origin.[13]
History and lifestyle
The St Kilda islands were continuously populated from prehistoric times. Archeologists working at the archipelago between 2017 and 2019 confirmed habitation as long as 2,000 years ago. Finds included Iron Age pottery and some potsherds that might be from Bronze Age pottery. The director of the project told BBC News that the work "revealed that the eastern end of Village Bay on St Kilda was occupied fairly intensively during the Iron Age period, although no house structures were found".[14]
Abandoned homes on Hirta, built in the 1860s
In more recent history, Hirta was inhabited until 29 August 1930, when the 36 inhabitants were removed to the Scottish mainland at their own request.
St Kilda was part of the Lordship of the Isles, then a property of the MacLeods of Dunvegan from 1498 until 1930.[15] There were three chapels on St Kilda, dedicated to Saint Brendan, Saint Columba, and Christ Church, but little remains. There are also the remains of a beehive house, known as the Amazon's House.
According to UNESCO, "St Kilda represents subsistence economies everywhere – living off the resources of land and sea and changing them over time, until external pressures led to decline".[16] Indeed, the islanders had a tough life, and survived by exploiting the thousands of sea birds living on the islands. An 1885 report by a surgeon who visited Hirta reported that the inhabitants had no fruit or vegetables, except for a few potatoes of poor quality. They ate "oatmeal, salted fowl, and seabird eggs during summer and salted mutton in winter. They obtained tea, sugar, flour and tobacco from tourists and from the owner's factor". Water was obtained from freshwater springs.[17]
The Street, Village Bay (St Kilda Village), 1886
A history of Village Bay on Hirta states that some improvements in housing were made in the 1830s by the "landlord and the Rev. Neil MacKenzie". The report adds that "the old village further up the hill was replaced by a crescent of blackhouses ... Those were damaged by a hurricane, and in 1861, 16 new dwellings replaced the blackhouses which were relegated to byres".[18]
A cleit, used for storing and drying food; 1898 photo
Missionaries provided education for many years but by 1872, the state took over; a true school building was eventually built.[17]
A diary (now owned by the NTS) written by a school teacher who worked in Village Bay shed some light on life here in the early 1900s. One source offers this perspective about the island in that era:[19]
"relatively speaking, a vibrant, well-connected and economically successful place thanks to a booming tourist trade and a buoyant market for the island’s tweed. Whaling boats brought supplies of coal and the government was able to provide more services for the islanders – visiting doctors had spent the two weeks ... vaccinating its residents – and the frequent presence of English fishing fleets meant they were better linked to the wider world than ever before".
Medical care was always limited. In the late 1890s, there was a single nurse stationed on the island, with limited medical supplies. That level continued until the contingent was increased in 1915.[20]
In 1908, British Pathé News released a documentary film, The Island Of St. Kilda, which shed light on the lifestyle in Hirta during that era. The film is available for viewing on several Web sites.[21]
A documentary film which included scenes and people in Hirta filmed primarily in 1923, was released in 1928. The summary for St Kilda, Britain's Loneliest Isle, states: "A voyage from Glasgow to St Kilda, containing scenes of the Western Isles and island life of the crofters on St Kilda". The film is available for viewing on a National Library of Scotland Web page which also includes a great deal of specifics in the text, in a "Shotlist".[22]
Declining population
In 1764 (according to the Census),[23] there were 90 St Kildans, 105 in 1841, and 112 in 1851. The following year, 36 left for Australia, financed by the Highland and Island Emigration Society.[24] By the 1861 census, the population was only 71; by 1911 it was 74, and 43 by 1927, declining to 36 by 1930.[17]
Early in the First World War, the Royal Navy erected a signal station on Hirta, and the first daily communications with the mainland were established. In a belated response, the German submarine SM U-90[25] arrived in Village Bay on the morning of 15 May 1918 and, after issuing a warning, started shelling the island. One report states that "the wireless station was destroyed. The manse, church & jetty storehouse were damaged, but no loss of life occurred".[26]
Another source offers this perspective about the significance of WW I: "Ironically, things improved with the war, which brought a naval detachment and regular deliveries of mail and food from naval supply vessels. But when these services were withdrawn at end of the war, the sense of isolation increased. Able bodied young islanders left for a better life, resulting in a breakdown of the island economy".[19]
Evacuation and subsequent years
Before the evacuation in 1930, thirteen men, ten women, eight girls and five boys lived in St Kilda, all on Hirta. The 10 households rented cottages from the landowner, with the other six cottages being unoccupied. The evacuation was encouraged by Williamina Barclay, the resident Queen's Nurse, who was very concerned about health issues on Hirta, especially after the deaths of two young women. The islanders finally agreed and the majority signed a petition on 10 May 1930, stating that "it would be impossible to stay on the island another winter." The plan was supported by Dugald Munro, the missionary and schoolteacher, and by Nurse Barclay.[27][28]
The evacuation was completed on 29 August 1930, using HMS Harebell which took them to Lochaline, in the Morvern peninsula.[29] One report provided this summary:
The morning of the evacuation promised a perfect day. The sun rose out of a calm and sparkling sea and warmed the impassive cliffs of Oiseval. The sky was hopelessly blue and the sight of Hirta, green and pleasant as the island of so many careless dreams, made parting all the more difficult. Observing tradition the islanders left an open Bible and a small pile of oats in each house, locked all the doors and at 7am boarded the Harebell. Although exhausted by the strain and hard work of the last few days, 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.[30][31]
A film made by a private individual in summer 1930 includes some scenes of the "preparations and evacuation of the island". It is owned by the National Library of Scotland and available for viewing on their Web site.[32]
According to the National Records of Scotland, "officials found forestry work for the men, and most of them were settled at Lochaline near Oban, while other families went to live at Strome Ferry, Ross-shire, Culcabock near Inverness, and at Culross, Fife".[6]
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. A variety of military buildings and masts were erected, including a canteen (which is not open to the public), the Puff Inn. Some of the workers do live on the island throughout the year.[34] The Ministry of Defence (MoD) leases St Kilda from the National Trust for Scotland for a nominal fee.[35]
In summer 2018, the MOD facilities were being restored as part of building a new base; one report stated that the project included "replacing aged generators and accommodation blocks".[36] With no permanent population, the island population can vary between 20 and 70. These inhabitants include: MoD employees, National Trust for Scotland employees, and several scientists working on a Soay sheep research project.[37]
Tourism
Visits by tourists in summer became quite common starting in the 1870s when steamships and private yachts began arriving. A new pier was built in 1901, making it easier to land passengers from the larger craft, using rowboats.[17]
Abandoned Village Bay homes, Hirta, June 2007A cleit (storage shed); 2009
The remnants of the homes built in the early 1860s in Village Bay (also known as St Kilda Village)[38] and the remnants of three old chapels, are readily visible.[39] A tour operator's Web site states that when facilities in Hirta are open, "the St. Kilda museum, school and church provide a fascinating insight into the St Kildans’ way of life ... the remains of the village, the graveyard and Second World War gun" can also be viewed.[40]
The Historic Environment Scotland Web site adds that "the plain, two-bay church, with the schoolroom added to its north west in 1898" was "restored as they might have appeared in the 1920s". The Web site also explains that the "arrangement of St Kilda Village along a curving street is the result of mid-19th century improvement ... Distinctive drystone storage structures, known as cleitan, are scattered throughout the landscape. There are over 1,400 cleitan known throughout the St Kilda archipelago, but they are concentrated in the area around the village". (A cleit is a small stone building with a thatched roof that was used for drying and storing food.)[18][41]
The NTS has improved the Village over the years. "They have reroofed [some of] the cottages on the main street, restored the church, and restacked stones that years of gales had toppled from the cleits, or bothies, that dot the volcanic landscape", according to a November 2017 report.[42] One cottage, #3 on "The Street", was more extensively restored and turned into the museum.[43][44]
Tourist trips to the island are readily available from several tour operators by boat.[45]
↑ "Evidence St Kilda was inhabited 2,000 years ago". BBC News. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021. These few clues tell us that people were well established on St Kilda as part of the wider settlement of the Western Isles.
↑ "The Island Of St. Kilda". British Pathe. Retrieved 11 February 2021. The inhabitants completely isolated from the rest of the world, live on the products which nature furnishes them
↑ "ST. KILDA - BRITAIN'S LONELIEST ISLE". National Library of Scotland. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2021. Research suggests scenes on the island of Hirta taken in May 1923, with later footage of the voyage to the St Kilda islands taken c. 1928.
St Kilda is a remote archipelago situated 35 nautical miles west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. It contains the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The largest island is Hirta, whose sea cliffs are the highest in the United Kingdom; three other islands were also used for grazing and seabird hunting. The islands are administratively a part of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar local authority area.
The Soay sheep is a breed of domestic sheep descended from a population of feral sheep on the 100-hectare (250-acre) island of Soay in the St Kilda Archipelago, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) from the Western Isles of Scotland. It is one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep breeds.
The Edge of the World is a 1937 British film directed by Michael Powell, loosely based on the evacuation of the Scottish archipelago of St Kilda. It was Powell's first major project. The title is a reference to the expression ultima Thule, coined by Virgil.
Soay is an uninhabited islet in the St Kilda archipelago, Scotland. The name is from Old Norse Sauðey, meaning "island of sheep". The island is part of the St Kilda World Heritage Site and home to a primitive breed of sheep. Excluding Rockall, it is the westernmost point of the United Kingdom.
Stac Lee is a sea stack in the St Kilda group off the west coast of Scotland. An island Marilyn, it is home to part of the world's largest colony of northern gannet.
Stac an Armin, based on the proper Scottish Gaelic spelling, is a sea stack in the St Kilda archipelago. It is 196 metres (643 ft.) tall, qualifying it as a Marilyn. It is the highest sea stack in Scotland and the British Isles.
St Kilda was continuously inhabited for two millennia or more, from the Bronze Age to the 20th century.
Dùn is an island in St Kilda, Scotland. It is nearly 1 mile long. Its name simply means "fort" in Scottish Gaelic, but the fort itself has been lost – old maps show it on Gob an Dùin, which is at the seaward end.
Stac Biorach is a sea stack, 73 metres (240 ft) tall, situated in the Sound of Soay between the islands of Hirta and Soay in the St Kilda archipelago of Scotland. It lies west of the 62 metres (203 ft) high Stac Shoaigh. Regarded by the St Kildans as the most challenging of their stacks to climb, it was nonetheless an important source of food. The first written records date from the second half of the 17th century and the first recreational ascent took place in 1883. It is now part of the St Kilda World Heritage Site and in the care of the National Trust for Scotland.
John Sands (1826–1900) of Ormiston was a Scottish freelance journalist and artist who also had an interest in archaeology and folk customs, especially the way of life on Scottish islands. He spent almost a year on St Kilda and lived on several other remote islands.
The St Kilda field mouse is a subspecies of the wood mouse that is endemic to the Scottish archipelago of St Kilda, the island 40 miles (64 km) west of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, and 100 miles (160 km) from mainland Scotland. Unique to the islands, the mouse is believed to have arrived on the boats of Viking settlers more than a millennium ago. It is not to be confused with the St Kilda house mouse, a subspecies of the house mouse which is now extinct.
The Boreray, also known as the Boreray Blackface or Hebridean Blackface, is a breed of sheep originating on the St Kilda archipelago off the west coast of Scotland and surviving as a feral animal on one of the islands, Boreray. The breed was once reared for meat and wool, but is now used mainly for conservation grazing. The Boreray is one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep group of breeds.
The flora and fauna of the Outer Hebrides in northwest Scotland comprises a unique and diverse ecosystem. A long archipelago, set on the eastern shores of the Atlantic Ocean, it attracts a wide variety of seabirds, and thanks to the Gulf Stream a climate more mild than might be expected at this latitude. Because it is on the Gulf Stream, it also occasionally gets exotic visitors.
Boreray is an uninhabited island in the St Kilda archipelago in the North Atlantic.
St Kilda, Britain's Loneliest Isle (1928) is a short, silent film about St Kilda, an isolated archipelago to the west of Scotland, and the final period of its habitation.
A cleit is a stone storage hut or bothy, uniquely found on the isles and stacs of St Kilda; whilst many are still to be found, they are slowly falling into disrepair. There are known to be 1,260 cleitean on Hirta and a further 170 on the other St Kilda-group islands.
John Norman Heathcote was a British author, watercolourist and photographer, who wrote the book St Kilda, published in 1900, about the Scottish Hebridean archipelago of St Kilda.
The Lost Songs of St Kilda is an album by James MacMillan and Trevor Morrison, released in 2016 by Decca Records. The album contains modern recordings of traditional songs taught to Morrison as a boy by a resident of St Kilda, Scotland. Alongside MacMillan, the album features arrangements by Craig Armstrong, C Duncan, Rebecca Dale and Francis MacDonald. The album reached the top of the classical music chart and, because it was released after Morrison's death in 2012, became the fastest selling posthumously released debut album in chart history.
Williamina McIntosh Barclay MBE was a nurse who was one of the main initiators of the evacuation of the Scottish archipelago St Kilda.
Maclean, Charles (1977) Island on the Edge of the World: the Story of St. Kilda, Edinburgh. Canongate. ISBN0-903937-41-7
Martin, Martin (1703) "A Voyage to St. Kilda" in A Description of The Western Islands of Scotland, Appin Regiment/Appin Historical Society. Retrieved 3 March 2007
Murray, W.H. (1966) The Hebrides. London. Heinemann.
Steel, Tom (1988) The Life and Death of St. Kilda. London. Fontana. ISBN0-00-637340-2
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