Copinsay
Old Norse name | Kolbeinsey |
---|---|
Meaning of name | "Kobeinn's Island" |
Southwards from the eastern edge of the Horse of Copinsay. Copinsay lighthouse is on the high ground in the distance. | |
Location | |
OS grid reference | HY607015 |
Coordinates | 58°54′N 2°40′W / 58.9°N 2.67°W |
Physical geography | |
Island group | Orkney |
Area | 73 hectares (0.28 sq mi) |
Area rank | 170 [1] |
Highest elevation | 64 metres (210 ft) |
Administration | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Council area | Orkney Islands |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
References | [2][3][4][5][6] |
Copinsay Lighthouse | |
Coordinates | 58°53′47″N 2°40′19″W / 58.896432°N 2.672027°W |
Constructed | 1915 |
Built by | David Alan Stevenson |
Construction | stone tower |
Automated | 1991 |
Height | 16 metres (52 ft) |
Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
Markings | white tower, black lantern, ochre trim |
Power source | solar power |
Operator | Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [7][8] |
Heritage | category B listed building |
Focal height | 39 metres (128 ft) |
Range | 21 nautical miles (39 km; 24 mi) |
Characteristic | Fl(5) W 30s |
Copinsay (
Myths about the island include the story of the Copinsay Brownie.[9]
For many generations, prior to the final inhabitants moving to the Mainland in 1958, Copinsay was full of life. This is evidenced by the large double story farmhouse, the Steading (or farm buildings) behind it for the farm tenants, a school with a schoolteacher, and up to three lighthouse keepers' families.
There is also an ancient burial site on the island.
In the earlier part of the 20th century, a weekly postal service provided contact with the Mainland, and there were fortnightly shopping trips to Deerness, allowing for weather. The farm boasted working horses, cattle and sheep - all of which had to be transported on the "coo" or "cow" boat. Bird's eggs provided a good supplement to the islanders' diet, and men were lowered over the cliffs on a special rope, or were rowed out to the Horse to bring back this addition.
Pigs were loosed in the Spring on the Horse for many years, and they fed on the bird's eggs.
Many interesting facts and accounts of life on Copinsay are still retold in the Deerness Community, with many members still remembering when the island was still home to loved ones.
Ecology
The island was bought by the ornithology charity
Notable residents
Edwin Muir, a famous poet
See also
References
- 2011 census.
- ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
- ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- ^ Get-a-map (Map). Ordnance Survey.
- ISBN 0-901824-25-9
- ^ Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Orkney". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ Copinsay Archived 2016-03-24 at the Wayback Machine Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 25 May 2016
- ^ "Copinsay Brownie". Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- RSPB.
- JNCC.