Muckle Roe

Muckle Roe
Norse name Rauðøy Mikla[1]
Meaning of name big red island
Location
Muckle Roe
Muckle Roe shown within the Shetland Islands
OS grid reference HU317650
Physical geography
Island group Shetland
Area 1,773 hectares (6.8 sq mi)
Area rank 37[2]
Highest elevation Mid Ward 172 metres (564 ft)[3]
Political geography
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country Scotland
Council area Shetland Islands
Demographics
Population 130[4]
Population rank 43[2]
Population density 7.3people/km2[4][5]
Largest settlement Roesound
References [3][5][6][7]

Muckle Roe is an island in Shetland, Scotland, in St. Magnus Bay, to the west of Mainland, Shetland. It has a population of around 130 people, who mainly croft and live in the south east of the island.[7][8]

History

Muckle Ayre Beach

The island is referred to in the Orkneyinga saga.[9]

In 1905 a bridge was built between Muckle Roe and the Shetland Mainland over Roe Sound at a cost of £1,020 met from public subscription and a grant from the Congested Districts Board. The construction was of iron and concrete[7][10] and its completion was followed by a reversal in the population decline seen in the 19th and earlier 20th centuries. A replacement bridge was built in 1999.

Geography and geology

Muckle Roe is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) in diameter, with high cliffs in the south. Its highest point is Mid Ward 172 metres (564 ft).

The island's rock is red granite,[8] which gives the island its name - a combination of Scots and Old Norse meaning "big red island".[5][7]

There are crofts in the east and south east. The rest of the island is lochan-studded moorland.[11]

Population

Muckle Roe population
1851290
1871216
1881230
1961103
197194
1981101
1991115
2001104
2011130
source: [4][5]

Notes

  1. Waugh (2007) p. 541
  2. 1 2 Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands >20ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  3. 1 2 Ordnance Survey. Get-a-map (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure. Ordinance Survey. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013) (pdf) Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland - Release 1C (Part Two). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland’s inhabited islands". Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 406
  6. Fraser, Allen (2002) The Edinburgh Geologist: Old Norse and Norn names in Shetland. Issue 39 Retrieved 14 April 2007.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Keay & Keay, (1994) p. 711
  8. 1 2 Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 440
  9. 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
  10. Nicolson (1972) p. 108
  11. "Overview of Muckle Roe". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 2008-01-06.

References

External links

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Coordinates: 60°22′N 1°25.5′W / 60.367°N 1.4250°W / 60.367; -1.4250

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