Calf of Eday

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Calf of Eday
Scots nameCauf o Aidee [1]
Old Norse nameKalfr
Calfofeday.jpg
Grey Head, the northern tip of the Calf. Sea caves, and the beginning of an arch can be seen in the cliff.
Location
Orkney Islands UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Calf of Eday
Calf of Eday shown within the Orkney Islands
OS grid reference HY580393
Coordinates 59°14′N2°44′W / 59.23°N 02.73°W / 59.23; -02.73
Physical geography
Island group Orkney
Area243 hectares (0.94 sq mi)
Area rank98  [2]
Highest elevationThe Graand 54 metres (177 ft)
Administration
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country Scotland
Council area Orkney Islands
Demographics
Population0 [3]
Lymphad3.svg
References [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

The Calf of Eday (Scots : Cauf o Aidee; Old Norse : Kalfr [7] ) is an uninhabited island in Orkney, Scotland, lying north east of Eday. It is known for its wildlife and its prehistoric ruins.

Contents

History

There is a Neolithic chambered cairn in the southwest overlooking Calf Sound, which separates the island from Eday. Rectangular in shape, the cairn was excavated in 1936–37 and contains a small chamber with two compartments and a larger one with four stalls that has a separate entrance and was probably added at a later date. [9] Two similar structures have been identified nearby along with various other ancient ruins. [6]

From the 17th to the 19th centuries, the Calf of Eday was home to a salt works, [10] the remains of which can still be seen to the north of cairns. [6]

The pirate John Gow and his men successfully raided the Hall of Clestrain on 10 February 1725, but when they attempted to attack Carrick House on Eday, they ran aground on the Calf of Eday, where they were captured. [11] [12]

Etymology

Johan Blaeu's 1654 map of Orkney and Shetland. Note that the "Calf of Heth Oy" has been transposed from its true position north east of Eday to the west. Blaeu - Atlas of Scotland 1654 - ORCADVM ET SCHETLANDIAE - Orkney and Shetland.jpg
Johan Blaeu's 1654 map of Orkney and Shetland. Note that the "Calf of Heth Øy" has been transposed from its true position north east of Eday to the west.

The Norse gave animal names to some islands, especially to small islands alongside a larger one, other examples being the Calf of Man and the Horse of Copinsay. The islands name in Norse times was thus Kalfr. [7] "Eday" is a name derived from the Old Norse eið and means "isthmus island". [13] [14]

In the 17th century Eday was also known as "Heth Øy" and the Calf's name is recorded by Blaeu as "Calf of Heth Øy". [15]

Wildlife

The dominant vegetation on the island is dry dwarf-shrub heath dominated by Heather (Calluna vulgaris), with smaller areas of wet heath, semi-improved grassland and coastal grassland. The Calf of Eday supports 32 species of breeding birds and is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for its importance as a nesting area. Gulls and Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) nest in the dry heath and grassland areas, whilst Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and auks nest on the cliffs. [16]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Map of Scotland in Scots - Guide and gazetteer" (PDF).
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 390-91
  5. ↑ Orkney Placenames Orkneyjar.
  6. 1 2 3 Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 5 Orkney (Northern Isles) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2008. ISBN   9780319228111.
  7. 1 2 3 Anderson (1873) p. 176
  8. ↑ Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)
  9. ↑ Noble (2006) pp. 116–17
  10. ↑ Stewart, Walter (mid-1640s) "New Choreographic Description of the Orkneys" in Irvine (2006) p. 24
  11. ↑ "Overview of John Gow". Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  12. ↑ "John Gow - The Orkney Pirate". Orkneyjar, the heritage of the Orkney Islands. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  13. ↑ Haswell-Smith p. 386
  14. ↑ Waugh (2010) p. 550
  15. ↑ Blaeu, Johan (mid-1654) "Orcadum and Shetlandiæ" in Irvine (2006) p. 33
  16. ↑ "Calf of Eday SPA Description". Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 2006-02-23. Retrieved 2007-11-11.

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Eday Island off the coast of Scotland

Eday is one of the islands of Orkney, which are located to the north of the Scottish mainland. One of the North Isles, Eday is about 24 kilometres (15 mi) from the Orkney Mainland. With an area of 27 square kilometres (10 sq mi), it is the ninth largest island of the archipelago. The bedrock of the island is Old Red Sandstone, which is exposed along the sea-cliffs.

Westray

Westray is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, with a usual resident population of just under 600 people. Its main village is Pierowall, with a heritage centre, the 15th-century Lady Kirk church and pedestrian ferry service to Papa Westray. Westray has a number of archeological sites dating from 3500 BC, and remains of several Norse-Viking settlements. The spectacular sea cliffs around Noup Head are home to thousands of seabirds.

South Ronaldsay

South Ronaldsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. It is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, running via Burray, Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm.

Northern Isles Pair of archipelagos near Scotland

The Northern Isles are a pair of archipelagos off the north coast of mainland Scotland, comprising Orkney and Shetland. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are a total of 26 inhabited islands. The landscapes of the fertile agricultural islands of Orkney contrast with the more rugged Shetland islands to the north, where the economy is more dependent on fishing and on the oil wealth of the surrounding seas. However the two island groups have a lot in common as well. Both have a developing renewable energy industry. Both have a Pictish and Norse history. Both were absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland in the 15th century and remained part of it after the 1707 formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the 1801 formation of the United Kingdom. And both played a significant naval role during the world wars of the 20th century.

Eynhallow

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Faray

Faray is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying between Eday and Westray. Previously inhabited, the low-lying island is now a successful grey seal breeding colony.

Switha

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South Walls

South Walls, often referred to as Walls, is an inhabited island adjacent to Hoy in Orkney, Scotland. The name is a corruption of "Sooth Was", which means the "southern voes" – as with Kirkwall, it was assumed that it was a mispronunciation of "walls".

Cava, Orkney

Cava is an uninhabited island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is 107 hectares (0.41 sq mi) in extent and rises to 38 metres (125 ft) above sea level. The literal meaning of the name is calf island, a terminology often used to designate a small island near to a larger one. Cava is unusual in that it includes a small peninsula joined to the main body of the island by a narrow isthmus, which is in turn called Calf of Cava.

Muckle Green Holm

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Prehistoric Orkney

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St Magnus Bay

St Magnus Bay is a large coastal feature in the north-west of Mainland Shetland, Scotland. Roughly circular in shape with a diameter of about 19 kilometres (12 mi), it is open to the North Atlantic Ocean to the west. The indented coastline to the north, south and east between Esha Ness in the north and the Ness of Melby in the south contains numerous bays, firths and voes and there are several islands around the perimeter. The waters of the bay are up to 165 metres (541 ft) deep and may have been the site of a substantial meteor impact.

Hoy and West Mainland National Scenic Area

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References

Coordinates: 59°14′N2°44′W / 59.233°N 2.733°W / 59.233; -2.733

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