St Margaret's Hope
Encyclopedia
St Margaret's Hope, known locally as The Hope , is a village in the Orkney Islands
, situated off the north-east coast of Scotland
. It has a population of about 550, making it Orkney's third largest settlement after Kirkwall
and Stromness
.
Situated off Water Sound at the head of a sheltered bay on the northern coast of the island of South Ronaldsay
, it is connected to the Orkney Mainland by the A961 road
across the Churchill Barriers
.
The Hope is South Ronaldsay's main village, and is named either after Margaret, Maid of Norway
, who may have died there, or St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland
, the wife of Malcolm III
.
The latter explanation is suggested by Victorian Ordnance Survey maps which show the ancient site of an early Christian chapel dedicated to St. Margaret. No remnants of this structure can now be seen but it was situated near to the Smiddy Museum (on the present day site of a local authority housing development - Erlend Terrace).
The village has a primary school, a small blacksmith's museum, a number of shops and restaurants. Pentland Ferries
run a regular service from the pier in the bay to Gills Bay
on the Scottish mainland.
It is also known for its annual Boys' Ploughing Match, a local tradition where young boys plough in the sands at the nearby Sand of Wright, and young girls (or boys, though this is now a rarity) wear traditional 'horse' costumes.
Scant traces of an Iron-Age broch can be found in a field off the Ontaft road above the village.
Again, the site could once be identified by Victorian OS maps, but with the passage of time and all but a 'crop mark' remaining, modern maps fail to show its location.
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
, situated off the north-east coast of Scotland
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...
. It has a population of about 550, making it Orkney's third largest settlement after Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
and Stromness
Stromness
Stromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...
.
Situated off Water Sound at the head of a sheltered bay on the northern coast of the island of South Ronaldsay
South Ronaldsay
South Ronaldsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. It is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, running via Burray, Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm.-Geography and geology:...
, it is connected to the Orkney Mainland by the A961 road
A961 road
The A961 is a single-carriageway road on the eastern side of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, connecting the town of Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland to Burwick at the southern end of South Ronaldsay....
across the Churchill Barriers
Churchill Barriers
The Churchill Barriers are a series of four causeways in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, with a total length of 1.5 miles . They link the Orkney Mainland in the north to the island of South Ronaldsay via Burray and the two smaller islands of Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.The barriers were built in the...
.
The Hope is South Ronaldsay's main village, and is named either after Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret , usually known as the Maid of Norway , sometimes known as Margaret of Scotland , was a Norwegian princess who was Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death...
, who may have died there, or St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland , also known as Margaret of Wessex and Queen Margaret of Scotland, was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Born in exile in Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England...
, the wife of Malcolm III
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
.
The latter explanation is suggested by Victorian Ordnance Survey maps which show the ancient site of an early Christian chapel dedicated to St. Margaret. No remnants of this structure can now be seen but it was situated near to the Smiddy Museum (on the present day site of a local authority housing development - Erlend Terrace).
The village has a primary school, a small blacksmith's museum, a number of shops and restaurants. Pentland Ferries
Pentland Ferries
Pentland Ferries is a privately owned, family company which has operated a ferry service between Gills Bay in Caithness, Scotland and St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay in Orkney since May 2001.-History:...
run a regular service from the pier in the bay to Gills Bay
Gills Bay
Gills Bay, which is situated some 3mls. West of John o' Groats with the community of Gills close by, has one of the longest stretches of low-lying rock coast on the northern shores of Caithness. Its main features are a small harbour and the pier used as the mainland terminal for Pentland Ferries...
on the Scottish mainland.
It is also known for its annual Boys' Ploughing Match, a local tradition where young boys plough in the sands at the nearby Sand of Wright, and young girls (or boys, though this is now a rarity) wear traditional 'horse' costumes.
Scant traces of an Iron-Age broch can be found in a field off the Ontaft road above the village.
Again, the site could once be identified by Victorian OS maps, but with the passage of time and all but a 'crop mark' remaining, modern maps fail to show its location.