Forewick Holm
Encyclopedia
Forewick Holm is a 1 hectares (2.5 acre) island in the Sound of Papa in the Shetland islands, Scotland
. located between Papa Stour
and the Sandness
peninsula.
and 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) north of Melby on the Sandness peninsula.
60°19′07"N 01°39′49"W
A small islet called Scarf's Head is accessible from Forewick Holm at low tide.
resident Stuart Hill
(aka "Captain Calamity").
Hill claims that King donated the island's udal title
(allodial title
) to Hill in 2008 in order to support Hill's ongoing activism regarding Shetland's legal and constitutional position. In 2008 Hill claimed Forewick Holm as the Crown Dependency of Forvik
.
King stated this was not the case and he had agreed to sell the island to Hill. In March 2009 King still claimed ownership stating that Hill had not paid for the island as agreed.
and modern Norwegian word for bay. Får is sheep in modern Norwegian, Danish and Swedish. Holm
is a common name in the Orkney and Shetland islands, and elsewhere, for a small, rounded island, an example is Stockholm
.
era building.
The SS Highcliffe was wrecked on the islet on 6 February 1940. The ship and cargo were destroyed but there was no loss of life.
and thus an independently administered jurisdiction - one of the British Islands
- and so not a part of the United Kingdom
or of the European Union
.
Hill is accepting Forvik citizenship applications; land-owning citizenship (Shetland Islands residents only) which includes a one square metre plot of land, and honorary citizenship which doesn't but is open to non-Shetlanders. As well as an application fee, both types of citizen will pay an annual skat (tax) of one Forvik Gulde per year.
On 18 July 2008 Hill began inviting companies with a "proven track record" to bid for oil exploration rights in Forvik Island's territorial waters.http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/news_07_2008/Hill%20lures%20oil%20prospectors%20to%20isle.htmhttp://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/07/19/island-owner-welcomes-oil-bids-86908-20654195/
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. located between Papa Stour
Papa Stour
Papa Stour is one of the Shetland Islands in Scotland, with a population of under twenty people, some of whom immigrated after an appeal for residents in the 1970s. Located to the west of mainland Shetland and with an area of 828 hectares , Papa Stour is the eighth largest island in Shetland...
and the Sandness
Sandness
Sandness is a headland and district in the west of Mainland, Shetland. The "d" is not pronounced locally.The headland flanks the south side of Papa Sound near Papa Stour leading into St Magnus Bay and the district includes the headland and forms the mainland part of Walls parish...
peninsula.
Location
About 200 metres (656 ft) south of Forewick Ness headland on Papa StourPapa Stour
Papa Stour is one of the Shetland Islands in Scotland, with a population of under twenty people, some of whom immigrated after an appeal for residents in the 1970s. Located to the west of mainland Shetland and with an area of 828 hectares , Papa Stour is the eighth largest island in Shetland...
and 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) north of Melby on the Sandness peninsula.
60°19′07"N 01°39′49"W
A small islet called Scarf's Head is accessible from Forewick Holm at low tide.
Ownership
Ownership of the islet is in dispute between Papa Stour resident Mark King and CunningsburghCunningsburgh
Cunningsburgh, formerly also known as Coningsburgh , is a hamlet and ancient parish in the south of Mainland, Shetland. The hamlet is on the coast, nine miles south south west of Lerwick, about half way between there and Sumburgh Head. The parish was merged with Dunrossness and Sandwick...
resident Stuart Hill
Stuart Hill (Sailor)
Stuart Alan Hill also known as Captain Calamity is an English amateur sailor, jurist and activist in the Shetland Islands independence movement.-Early life:Hill was born 1943 in Bromley, Kent, the son of a nuclear engineer...
(aka "Captain Calamity").
Hill claims that King donated the island's udal title
Udal Law
Udal law is a near-defunct Norse derived legal system, which is found in Shetland and Orkney, Scotland and in Manx law at the Isle of Man. It is closely related to Odelsrett....
(allodial title
Allodial title
Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property that is independent of any superior landlord, but it should not be confused with anarchy as the owner of allodial land is not independent of his sovereign...
) to Hill in 2008 in order to support Hill's ongoing activism regarding Shetland's legal and constitutional position. In 2008 Hill claimed Forewick Holm as the Crown Dependency of Forvik
Crown Dependency of Forvik
The Crown Dependency of Forvik is a micronation located on the island of Forewick Holm in the Shetland Islands of Scotland.Forvik was created in June 2008 by the island's disputed owner, sole occasional occupant, and Cunningsburgh resident, Stuart Hill when he unilaterally declared Forvik to be a...
.
King stated this was not the case and he had agreed to sell the island to Hill. In March 2009 King still claimed ownership stating that Hill had not paid for the island as agreed.
Name
The island is officially named Forewick Holm but Hill coined the name Forvik Island and claims it means "island of the bay of sheep". Wick is an anglicisation of vik, a NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
and modern Norwegian word for bay. Får is sheep in modern Norwegian, Danish and Swedish. Holm
Holm (island)
This page is a set index; for other uses of the term, see Holm There are numerous islands containing the word Holm, especially in Scotland. In many cases the name is derived from the Old Norse holmr, meaning "a small and rounded islet"...
is a common name in the Orkney and Shetland islands, and elsewhere, for a small, rounded island, an example is Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
History
There are no records of the island being permanently inhabited at any time, and currently Stuart Hill resides there for a few days a year. Its small size (just under a hectare/2 acres) renders it unable to support any significant population. However, there is some evidence of a circular construction on its SSE tip, which could represent anything from a sheep pen, to a PictishPicts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
era building.
The SS Highcliffe was wrecked on the islet on 6 February 1940. The ship and cargo were destroyed but there was no loss of life.
Declaration of Dependence
On 21 June 2008, Hill, the island's only occasional resident, declared Forvik to be a British Crown dependency named the Crown Dependency of ForvikCrown Dependency of Forvik
The Crown Dependency of Forvik is a micronation located on the island of Forewick Holm in the Shetland Islands of Scotland.Forvik was created in June 2008 by the island's disputed owner, sole occasional occupant, and Cunningsburgh resident, Stuart Hill when he unilaterally declared Forvik to be a...
and thus an independently administered jurisdiction - one of the British Islands
British Islands
British Islands is a term within the law of the United Kingdom which since 1889 has referred collectively to the following four states:*the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ;...
- and so not a part of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
or of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Hill is accepting Forvik citizenship applications; land-owning citizenship (Shetland Islands residents only) which includes a one square metre plot of land, and honorary citizenship which doesn't but is open to non-Shetlanders. As well as an application fee, both types of citizen will pay an annual skat (tax) of one Forvik Gulde per year.
On 18 July 2008 Hill began inviting companies with a "proven track record" to bid for oil exploration rights in Forvik Island's territorial waters.http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/news_07_2008/Hill%20lures%20oil%20prospectors%20to%20isle.htmhttp://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/07/19/island-owner-welcomes-oil-bids-86908-20654195/
External links
- www.forvik.com: HillStuart Hill (Sailor)Stuart Alan Hill also known as Captain Calamity is an English amateur sailor, jurist and activist in the Shetland Islands independence movement.-Early life:Hill was born 1943 in Bromley, Kent, the son of a nuclear engineer...
's 'official' Forvik project website. - Forvik Island Shetlopedia article with photograph.
- Stuart Hill declares independence Shetland News article
- Forvik - Truth & Light Satirical site pretending to represent the island's "real owners"