Uyea
Encyclopedia
Uyea is an uninhabited island
, lying south of Unst
in Shetland, Scotland
.
, and a chambered cairn
can still be seen.
In the 12th century, Saint Olaf's chapel
overlooking Brei Wick was built.
In 1745, two girls from Uyea rowed to the small island of Haaf Gruney
to milk some of the cows grazing here. Unfortunately, their return was marred by a strong storm, and eventually they found their tiny boat blown to Karmøy
in south west Norway
. The Uyea girls ended up marrying Karmøy men, and their descendants still live there.
Jack Priest, in his evocative memoir of the isle during World War II
, describes it as "a beachcomber's dream - washed as it is with a westerly Atlantic tide through Bluemull Sound, fed from the east by waters of the Norwegian basin and finally the North Sea
pressing up from among the isles through the narrow channel between Yell
and Fetlar
and feeding Colgrave Sound on the south side of Uyea Isle."
The island was the home of Sir Basil Neven-Spence
, Member of Parliament
(MP) for Orkney and Shetland
from 1935 to 1950.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
, lying south of Unst
Unst
Unst is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third largest island in Shetland after the Mainland and Yell. It has an area of .Unst is largely grassland, with coastal cliffs...
in Shetland, 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...
.
History
The island was inhabited as early as the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, and a chambered cairn
Chambered cairn
A chambered cairn is a burial monument, usually constructed during the Neolithic, consisting of a cairn of stones inside which a sizeable chamber was constructed. Some chambered cairns are also passage-graves....
can still be seen.
In the 12th century, Saint Olaf's chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
overlooking Brei Wick was built.
In 1745, two girls from Uyea rowed to the small island of Haaf Gruney
Haaf Gruney
Haaf Gruney is a small island in the north east of the Shetland Islands.-Geography and geology:The island is between Unst and Fetlar which are to the north and south respectively. Between it and Yell are a mini-archipelago of small islands including Linga, Sound Gruney, Urie Lingey, Daaey and...
to milk some of the cows grazing here. Unfortunately, their return was marred by a strong storm, and eventually they found their tiny boat blown to Karmøy
Karmøy
Karmøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located southwest of the city of Haugesund in the traditional district of Haugaland....
in south west Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The Uyea girls ended up marrying Karmøy men, and their descendants still live there.
Jack Priest, in his evocative memoir of the isle during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, describes it as "a beachcomber's dream - washed as it is with a westerly Atlantic tide through Bluemull Sound, fed from the east by waters of the Norwegian basin and finally the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
pressing up from among the isles through the narrow channel between Yell
Yell
Yell is one of the North Isles of Shetland, Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 957. It is the second largest island in Shetland after the Mainland with an area of , and is the third most populous in the archipelago , after the Mainland and Whalsay.The island's...
and Fetlar
Fetlar
Fetlar is one of the North Isles of Shetland, Scotland, with a population of 86 at the time of the 2001 census. Its main settlement is Houbie on the south coast, home to the Fetlar Interpretive Centre...
and feeding Colgrave Sound on the south side of Uyea Isle."
The island was the home of Sir Basil Neven-Spence
Basil Neven-Spence
Sir Basil Hamilton Hebden Neven-Spence was a Scottish Unionist Party politician and military physician....
, Member of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
(MP) for Orkney and Shetland
Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency)
Orkney and Shetland is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
from 1935 to 1950.
External links
- "Brochs and photos from Shetland, UK" Licenced under the GNU Free Documentation LicenseGNU Free Documentation LicenseThe GNU Free Documentation License is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights to copy, redistribute, and modify a work and requires all copies and...