North Ronaldsay

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Ronaldshay, North, an island and a quoad sacra parish in Cross and Burness parish, Orkney. The island is the most northerly of the North Isles of Orkney, lying 2½ miles N of Tafts Ness in Sanday, and 15 E of Papa Westray. Divided from Sanday by North Ronaldshay Firth, very dangerous to navigation, it measures 3 miles in extreme length from N by E to S by W, and 2 miles in extreme breadth. Its outline is diversified by five headlands-Dennis Head in the NE, Brides Ness in the SE, Strom Ness in the S, Twinyas Ness in the SW, and Tor Ness in the NW. The seaweed-covered shores are flat and rocky; and the interior is much of it low and flat, but rises gently towards the middle of the island, which contains three small lakes, and consists partly of coarse slate rock. The soil is sandy but fertile, mixed in some places with clay, and mostly in a state of cultivation. Antiquities are several tumuli and vestiges of Burrian Castle, near which, on the southern headland, is a lighthouse built in 1854 at a cost of £12,927, whose flashing light attains its brightest state every ten seconds, and is visible at a distance of 17 nautical miles. Dr Traill of Woodwick is sole proprietor. The quoad sacra parish is identical with the island, and was constituted by the General Assembly in 1831, reconstituted by the Court of Teinds subsequent to 1843. It is in the presbytery of North Isles and the synod of Orkney; the minister's stipend is £120. The parish church is a parliamentary one, and there is also a Free church. Pop. (1811) 384, (1831), 522, (1861) 532, (1871) 539, (1881) 547.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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