Butt of Lewis Rubha Robhanais (Scottish Gaelic) | |
|---|---|
Headland | |
 Butt of Lewis | |
  Butt of Lewis | |
| Coordinates:58°30′56″N6°15′40″W / 58.5156°N 6.26119°W /58.5156; -6.26119 | |
| Grid position | NB 51951 66481 |
| Native name | Rubha Robhanais (Scottish Gaelic) |
TheButt of Lewis (Scottish Gaelic:Rubha Robhanais) is the most northerly point on theIsland of Lewis, in theOuter Hebrides, Scotland. Theheadland, which lies in theNorth Atlantic, is frequently battered by heavy swells and storms and is marked by theButt of Lewis Lighthouse. The nearest populated area is the village ofEoropie, about 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) to the south.[1][2]
The road to the lighthouse passes a sheltered cove calledPort Stoth. Southwest from the lighthouse is anatural arch called the "Eye of the Butt" (Scottish Gaelic:Sùil an Rubha).
It is claimed that the Butt of Lewis is one of the windiest locations in the United Kingdom.[3][4]
The Gaelic name for the Butt of Lewis,Rubha Robhanais, means "Robhanais Point". The nameRobhanais, formerly anglicised asRowaness, comes from the NorseRófunes, meaning "promontory of the tail".[5]
The Butt of Lewis Lighthouse was built by the famous lighthouse builderDavid Stevenson in 1862.[6] Other sources includeThomas Stevenson as one of the builders too.[7] Little is known of the station's early history. A plaque in the lightroom indicates that the present equipment was installed in 1905. The station became the radio link for the keepers on the isolatedFlannan Islands in the early 1930s, and continued to function as such until 1971, when the Flannans was made automatic.[6]
The light was most-likely fuelled by fish oil in the beginning. This was then replaced by a paraffin burner in 1869 and finally by electricity in 1976.[6]
It was operated by three Keepers who lived at the Station with their families but the fog signal was discontinued on 31 March 1995 and the light was automated on 30 March 1998. It is now remotely monitored from Edinburgh.[6]
Until the early 1960s, all supplies were delivered by sea because of the poor road system on the island. This would occur at the nearby Port Stoth, where small cargo vessels would regularly berth if the weather allowed it to offload provisions for the lighthouse station.[4]
The Butt of Lewis was also one the General Lighthouse Authorities transmitting stations for Differential GPS until March 2022.[6]
One kilometre south-west of the Butt is thestack, or small island, of Eilean nan Luchruban, also known as the Pygmies' Isle. The isle was first mentioned byDean Munro in about 1549 and described as being a "kirk" wherepygmies were buried. There are several structures on the island and earlier historical records mention bones in the structures.[8] It was excavated byantiquarians sometime before 1905, when bones and pottery were found. The bones were found to be from animals[8] and the pottery was later found to be from the Neolithic period.[9]
RCAHMS surveyed the isle in 1928 and found part of the structures had collapsed since the excavations.[10] A survey in 2005 found some additional structures not mentioned by the earlier sources.[11]
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