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Hildasay

Coordinates: 60°8′48″N 1°21′35″W / 60.14667°N 1.35972°W / 60.14667; -1.35972
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Hildasay
Scots nameHildasay
Old Norse nameHildasey
Meaning of namebattle island, or island of Hilda
Location
Hildasay is located in Shetland
Hildasay
Hildasay
Hildasay shown within Scotland
OS grid referenceHU355403
Coordinates60°08′N 1°22′W / 60.14°N 1.36°W / 60.14; -1.36
Physical geography
Island groupShetland
Area108 ha (267 acres)
Area rank146 [1]
Highest elevation32 m (105 ft)
Administration
Council areaShetland Islands
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population1
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.

The pier on Hildasay

Geography and geology

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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

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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]

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

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  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.

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