| Scottish Gaelic name | Raghnallsaigh a Deas |
|---|---|
| Scots name | Sooth Ronalshee[1] |
| Old Norse name | Rǫgnvaldsey |
| Meaning of name | Old Norse for "Rognvald/Ronald's island" |
 St Margaret's Hope on South Ronaldsay | |
| Location | |
  South Ronaldsay South Ronaldsay shown within Orkney | |
| OS grid reference | ND449899 |
| Coordinates | 58°47′N2°57′W / 58.78°N 2.95°W /58.78; -2.95 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Orkney |
| Area | 4,980 hectares (19.2 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 22 [2] |
| Highest elevation | Ward Hill 118 metres (387 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Orkney Islands |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 984[3] |
| Population rank | 15 [2] |
| Population density | 19.8 people/km2[3][4] |
| Largest settlement | St Margaret's Hope |
 | |
| References | [4][5][6][7][8] |
South Ronaldsay (/ˈrɒnəltsiː/, also/ˈrɒnəldziː/,Scots:Sooth Ronalshee) is one of theOrkney Islands off the north coast ofScotland. It is linked to theOrkney Mainland by theChurchill Barriers, running viaBurray,Glimps Holm andLamb Holm.
The earliest written reference to the island appears in the thirteenth centuryOrkneyinga saga where it is calledRognvaldsey fromOld NorseRǫgnvalds ("Ronald's") +ey ("island"). Schei states that the name became confused withRínansey in the north isles of Orkney, which had also come to be known as "Ronaldsay". They were thus re-namedNorth Ronaldsay and South Ronaldsay to distinguish them from each other.[9] Irvine's 2006 reprint ofBlaeu's Atlas Novus of 1654 contains various references to South Ronaldsay including:-
With an area of 4,980 hectares (19.2 square miles), it is the fourth largest of the Orkney islands afterThe Mainland,Hoy andSanday.[4]Ferries sail fromBurwick on the island toJohn o' Groats on the Scottish mainland and fromSt Margaret's Hope toGills Bay.[12]
South Ronaldsay's mainvillage isSt Margaret's Hope, Orkney's third largest settlement. It is named either afterMargaret, Maid of Norway, the heir to the Scottish throne who died in Orkney age seven[13] or possiblySaint Margaret of Scotland. The village has a small blacksmith'smuseum and is known for its annualBoys' Ploughing Match. During this event young girls and boys dressed in dark jackets play the part of the horses and young boys using miniature ploughs compete with one another at ploughing a 4-foot square rig in the nearby sands.[12]
The cardinal points of the island areAyre of Cara, by Churchill Barrier no. 4 (north),Grimness (east), Brough Ness, (south) and Hoxa Head, (west). The highest elevation is Ward Hill, which reaches 118 metres (387 ft). This name is common one in Orkney for the highest point on an island and comes from the historic use of these places used for the lighting ofwarning beacons.[14]
Theisland is known for theNeolithic Isbister Chambered Cairn, popularly known as the "Tomb of the Eagles". Discovered by Ronald Simison in 1958 in the south east of the island, 16,000 human bones and 725 bird bones were found at the site, the latter predominantly belonging to the White-tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). The evidence suggests that the human bodies had been exposed to the elements to remove the flesh before burial. The tomb was in continuous use for a millennium or more.[15][16]
Theburnt mound at nearby Liddle, discovered by Simison in 1972, is the best example of aBronze Age cooking place in Orkney. Made of flat slabs originally sealed with clay, the central stone trough would have been filled with water heated by stones usingpeat as a fuel. The building was probably roofless.[17]
There is abroch site at Howe ofHoxa in the north west that may have been the burial place ofThorfinn "Skullsplitter".[12]
In 1627 nine chapels were recorded on the island with some of the names hinting at the existence of Christian worship prior to theNorse conquest of Orkney. They were: Sant Androis at Woundwick, Our Ladie at Halcro, Sant Colmis at Loch of Burwick, Ruid chappell in Sandwick, Sant Tola [Olaf] in Wydwall, Sant Colme in Hoxay, Sant Margrat in the Howp, Sant Colmeis in Grymnes and Sant Ninian in Stow. The locations are all known although little physical evidence remains in several cases.[18]
In the late 17th century South Ronaldsay was described as "fertile in Corns and abounding with People".[19] In the early 18th century Sir James Stewart commenced significant agricultural improvements in a 170 hectares (420 acres) enclosure called the Park of Cara.[20] This was located at the northern end of South Ronaldsay overlooking Burray, rectangular in shape and surrounded by stone dykes.[21]
Murdoch MacKenzie's 1750 map of the island indicates the site oflead workings near Grimness and a visitor in 1774 "saw several deep holes which I was informed were sunk in search of Lead ore" although only small quantities were mined.[18]
By the late 18th century South Ronaldsay was divided into two unequally sized parishes, St Peter's covered the northern two thirds of the island while St Mary's formed the southern third. St Peter's Church has a date stone of 1642 and appears onBlaeu's 1654 map. By 1793 the building had no roof and was "exposed to all the winds of heaven" but as probably repaired by 1801. APictish symbol stone was discovered in a window in the church. On one face of the slab is a mirror-case underlying part of an undecorated crescent and V-rod and on the other a crescent and V-rod, ornamented with scrollwork, below a decorated panel.[18]
During the 19th century the island's economy benefited from the herring fishing industry[22] and St Margaret's Hope became the main trading centre for theSouth Isles. In 1890 there were 20 shops and 18 tradesmen located there.[13]
Tomison's Academy was founded byWilliam Tomison, a native of the island who became Governor of theHudson's Bay Company. When it opened it had 170 pupils but the school closed in the 1960s. Tomison is buried nearby in the grounds of his former home, Dundas House.[23]
In 1991, the island was rocked by falseallegations of widespread child abuse, as part of the worldwideSatanic panic, that saw nine children being removed from their families by police and social workers. The case was thrown out of court when it was found the social workers were using unorthodox interrogation techniques to force confessions from the children, who all denied the abuse.[24]
There are many well-preserved houses and other structures in the local vernacular style.
The island is part of the "East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray" ward, represented on the Orkney Islands Council by three independent councillors.[25] The localcommunity council covers both South Ronaldsay and Burray.
Microtus arvalis ronaldshaiensis is one of five varieties of theOrkney vole, a sub-species of thecommon vole found only in the Orkney islands. Larger than the common vole, it resembles thefield vole but has shorter, paler fur.
The Orkney voles were introduced to thearchipelago in Neolithic times. The oldest knownradiocarbon-dated fossil of the Orkney vole is 4600 years BP, which marks the latest possible date of introduction.[26]
no
58°47′N2°57′W / 58.783°N 2.950°W /58.783; -2.950
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