Inchcolm
Scottish Gaelic name | Innis Choluim |
---|---|
Meaning of name | Island of St Columba |
Inchcolm and Braefoot Bay | |
Location | |
OS grid reference | NT189827 |
Coordinates | 56°02′N 3°18′W / 56.03°N 3.30°W |
Physical geography | |
Island group | Islands of the Forth |
Area | 9 hectares (22 acres) |
Highest elevation | 34 metres (112 feet) |
Administration | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Council area | Fife |
Demographics | |
Population | 2[1] |
References | [2][3][4][5] |
Inchcolm (from the
Inchcolm Abbey and the surrounding island are now in the care of Historic Scotland. The island is accessible to visitors during the day via private boat tours from Queensferry. Many of the religious buildings on Inchcolm remain in fair condition and Inchcolm is described as having the best-preserved cloister in Scotland.[6]
Geography
Inchcolm lies in the Firth of Forth off the south coast of Fife opposite Braefoot Bay, east of the Forth Bridge, south of Aberdour, Fife, and north of the City of Edinburgh. It is separated from the Fife mainland by a stretch of water known as Mortimer's Deep.[7] The island forms part of the parish of Aberdour, and lies a quarter of a mile from the shore. In the days when people were compelled to cross the Firth of Forth by boat as opposed to bridge, the island was a great deal less isolated, and on the ferry routes between Leith/Lothian and Fife.
The island can be broadly divided into three sections: the east, where its military defensive operations were centred during the Second World War, the lower central part, with the small natural harbour and shop, and a larger western end.
In 2001 there was a resident population of 2[8] but at the time of the 2011 census there were no "usual residents" recorded.[1]
History
Early history
Inchcolm was anciently known as Emona, Aemonia or Innis Choluim.[9] It may have been used by the Roman fleet in some capacity, as they had a strong presence at Cramond for a few years, and had to travel to the Antonine Wall.
It was supposedly visited by St Columba (an Irish missionary monk) in 567, and was named after him in the 12th century. As such, the present name Inchcolm means 'Island of Colm', with Inch a derogation of innish, Gaelic for Island and Colm believed to be a reference to St Columbia, whose relics were held at Dunkeld Cathedral, originally the head of Inchcolm's dicoese.[10]
It is believed to have served the monks of the Columban family as an "Iona of the east" from early times. It was first established as a priory in the 1100s.[11] A primitive stone-roofed building survived on the island, preserved and given a vaulted roof by the monks of the later abbey, probably served as a hermit's oratory and cell in the 12th century, if not earlier. Fragments of carved stonework from the Dark Ages testify to an early Christian presence on the island. A hogback stone, preserved in the abbey's visitor centre, can be dated to the late 10th century, making it probably Scotland's earliest type of monument originating among Danish settlers in northern England. A 16th-century source states that a stone cross was situated nearby, although no features could be found which related to the monument. In 1235, the priory was made into an abbey.[11]
The island has a mention in Shakespeare's Macbeth:
- That now Sweno, the Norwayes King,
- Craves composition:
- Nor would we deigne him buriall of his men,
- Till he disbursed, at Saint Colmes ynch,
- Ten thousand Dollars, to our generall use
The reference in Shakespeare arose because Inchcolm was long used as an exclusive burial site (much like
Like other centres of
The earliest known charter is in 1162, when the canons were already well established, and it was raised to the status of an abbey in 1235. Its buildings, including a widely visible square tower, a largely ruined church, cloisters, refectory and small chapter house, are the best preserved of any Scottish medieval monastic house. The ruins are under the care of Historic Scotland (entrance charge; ferry from South Queensferry).
Mortimer's Deep, the channel which separates Inchcolm from the mainland, supposedly got its name during this period when some monks of the island who had been tasked with transporting the body of Sir Alan Mortimer to be interred at the church there, instead disposed of his coffin in the sea.[13]
Walter Bower, Abbot 1418–49, was the author of the Latin Scotichronicon, one of Scotland's most important medieval historical sources. The island was part of the medieval diocese of Dunkeld (also dedicated to St Columba), and several of the medieval bishops were buried within the Abbey church.
Late Middle Ages and English raids
Like nearby Inchkeith and the Isle of May, Inchcolm was attacked repeatedly by English raiders in the 14th century. This was the period of the Scottish Wars of Independence, and decisive battles were being fought in the Lothians and in the Stirling/Bannockburn region, and so the island was effectively in the route of any supply or raiding vessels.
In 1335, there was an especially bad raid by an English ship when the abbey's treasures were stolen, along with a statue of Columba. The story goes that the ship was nearly wrecked on Inchkeith and had to dock at Kinghorn. The sailors taking a religious turn, thought that this was due to the wrath of Columba, returned the statue and treasures to the island, and experienced good weather on their outward journey.
In 1384, an English raid attempted to set alight Inchcolm Abbey, but this again was foiled by the weather – in this case a strong wind blew out the flames.
In 1441, the Abbot Walter Bower wrote an influential historical study of Scotland called the Scotichronicon.[14]
The island was used as a form of prison in the 14th and 15th centuries. Amongst those interned here were Archbishop
Tudor and early modern period
In the 16th century, the island suffered further English depredation. In 1547, after the
After the Protestant
In the 16th century it became the property of
In the 1880s, a skeleton was found built into one of the abbey's walls. It was standing upright and is of unknown date.
Military defences
During both the
The defences of Inchcolm were significantly strengthened in 1916-17 when it was decided to move the Grand Fleet from Scapa Flow to the Forth. As part of these works 576 Cornwall Works Company, Royal Engineers, built a tunnel under the hill at the east end of the island, to link a new battery of guns to their magazine, on the protected side of the island.[19] The tunnel is dated 1916–17. At the east end of the island, there were emplacements for two 12-pounder and two twin 6-pounder guns.[19]
The First World War engine house (which powered the defence searchlights) was adapted in the 1930s as a visitor centre, which it is still used by
Tourist attraction
There are currently two ferry services and one charter yacht company that operate trips to Inchcolm island, and allow passengers 1.5 hours to explore the island. The Maid of the Forth[20] and the Forth Belle[21] both operate from the Hawes Pier in South Queensferry between Easter and late October.
The main feature of the island is the former Augustinian Inchcolm Abbey (Historic Scotland), Scotland's most complete surviving monastic house. In former times, and perhaps partly due to its dedication to Columba, it was sometimes nicknamed 'Iona of the East'. The well-preserved abbey and ruins of the 9th-century hermit's cells attract visitors to the island.[7]
It was the home of a religious community linked with St Colm or St Columba, the 6th-century Abbot of Iona. King Alexander I was storm-bound on the island for three days in 1123 and in recognition of the shelter given to him by the hermits, promised to establish a monastic settlement in honour of St Columba. Though the king died before the promise could be fulfilled, his brother David I later founded a priory here for monks of the Augustinian order; the priory was erected into an abbey in 1223.
Wildlife
The west end of the island is home to a large colony of
Seals are commonly spotted around the island and basking on neighbouring outcrops. There are no stoats or hedgehogs on the island; thus, eggs can often be found on the ground.
Between April and July
The island is also home to one of the very few colonies of black rats in Britain.[23]
Today the island is inhabited the Historic Scotland monument manager and a residential steward, along with non-resident staff duties include running the shop, maintaining the site and assisting with landing boats.
See also
Footnotes
- ^ a b 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.
- ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- ^ Ordnance Survey
- ^ Iain Mac an Tailleir. "Placenames" (PDF). Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
- ^ Area estimate from Morris, Ron (2003) "The Wildlife of Inchcolm :" [permanent dead link] Hillside. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
- ISBN 978-1-84917-257-8.
- ^ a b "Overview of Inchcolm". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
- ^ General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Scotland's Census 2001 – Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- .
- ISBN 978-1-84917-257-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84917-257-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84917-257-8.
- ^ Sibbald, Robert (1803). The history ... of the sheriffdoms of Fife and Kinross. p. 92.
- ISBN 978-1-84917-257-8.
- ^ Patten, William, The Expedition in Scotland 1547, (1548).
- ^ Starkey, David, ed., The Inventory of Henry VIII, Society of Antiquaries (1998), 144.
- ^ Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 1 (1898), 24, 90 Andrew Dudley and Luttrel to Somerset
- ISBN 978-1-84917-257-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84917-257-8.
- ^ "Maid of the Forth".
- ^ "Forth Tours".
- ISBN 978-1-84917-257-8.
- ^ "Revealed: Historic Scottish island home to black rats | The Scotsman".
- Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland
External links
- RCAHMS - The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
- Cyberscotia's page on the island - Includes maps, drawings, and photographs
- Report of overnight stay on the island