Gometra
| Gometra | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 Gometra
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| Gometra shown within Argyll and Bute | |
| OS grid reference | NM361414 |
| Names | |
| Gaelic name | Gòmastra |
| Norse name | Goðrmaðrey |
| Meaning of name | Possibly Good-man's island |
| Area and summit | |
| Area | 425 hectares (1.6 sq mi)[1] |
| Area rank | 75 |
| Highest elevation | 155 metres (509 ft)[2] |
| Population | |
| Population | 5 |
| Population rank | 80= out of 100 |
| Groupings | |
| Island group | Mull |
| Local Authority | Argyll and Bute |
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| If shown, area and population ranks are for all Scottish islands and all inhabited Scottish islands respectively. Population data is from 2001 census. | |
Gometra (Scottish Gaelic: Gòmastra [ˈkoːməs̪t̪ɾə]) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, lying west of Mull. It lies immediately west of Ulva, to which it is linked by a bridge, and at low tide also by a beach. It is approximately 425 hectares (1.64 sq mi) in size. The name is also applied to the island summit, which is a Marilyn.
| Gometra | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 155 m (509 ft) |
| Prominence | 155 m (509 ft) |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Location | |
| Location | Off the coast of Mull, Scotland |
| Topo map | OS Landrangers 47, 48 |
Contents |
[edit] Etymology
According to Gillies (1906) Gometra is from the Norse gottr + madr + ey and means "The good-man's island" or "God-man's island".[3] Mac an Tàilleir (2003) offers "Godmund's island".[4]
[edit] Geography
The island is agricultural, formerly growing grain for the monastery on Iona.[5] Once home to a population of over a hundred, it is now down to a tight-knit community of a handful of people, up to a thousand black face sheep, a flock of feral goats, and red deer. Historical sites on the island include an old burial ground, the remains of two duns and old settlements.[5] It has no school, doctor, ferry or postal service. The etymology of the name has been traced to both the Norse Goðrmaðray meaning "warrior priest's island" and the Gaelic Gu mòr traigh meaning "only at low tide", but the latter is an example of folk etymology.
It is part of the Loch Na Keal National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland.[6]
[edit] History
The island became part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, during the Norse era. Whereas nearby Ulva belonged to the MacQuarries from the 10th century, Gometra was a possession of the Iona monastery prior to passing into the hands of the Duke of Argyll. In 1845 it was sold by the MacDonalds of Staffa to Francis William Clark who began a brutal clearance of a substantial proportion of the inhabitants of both Gometra and Ulva within a few years.[7]
In 1932, the island was sold to the English mountaineer Hugh Ruttledge (1884–1961), who had taken early retirement from the Indian Civil Service and planned a life as a farmer. While living on the island, Ruttledge led two British expeditions to Mount Everest, in 1933 and 1936, and took up sailing. In 1950, he moved to Dartmoor.[5][8]
Gometra House had fallen into disrepair by the 1980s, but was reoccupied and restored as a family home in the 1990s.[5] Principal exports include blackface breeding stock, lamb, mutton, wool, venison, oysters, vegetables and jewelry. There are currently four households on the island, and the islanders are dedicated to a low-impact lifestyle, doing without electricity in their homes.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 79
- ^ Ordnance Survey
- ^ Gillies (1906) p. 129.
- ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) pp. 58-59
- ^ a b c d Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 105
- ^ "National Scenic Areas". SNH. Retrieved 30 Mar 2011.
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 102-03
- ^ Salkeld, Audrey, Ruttledge, Hugh (1884–1961), mountaineer in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, online at Ruttledge, Hugh (1884–1961) (subscription required) accessed 1 March 2008
[edit] References
- Gillies, Hugh Cameron (1906) The Place Names of Argyll. London. David Nutt.
- Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 1841954543.
- Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Placenames/Ainmean-àite le buidheachas (pdf). Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
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