Mugdrum Island
Scottish Gaelic name | muc-dhruim |
---|---|
Meaning of name | hog-back |
Location | |
OS grid reference | NO225189 |
Physical geography | |
Island group | River Tay |
Area | 32 ha |
Highest elevation | 4 m |
Administration | |
Council area | Fife |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
References | [1][2] |
Mugdrum Island lies in the Firth of Tay, offshore from the town of Newburgh, Fife, in the east of Scotland.[3]
Geography
Mugdrum is low-lying and reedy, with the "North Deep" and "South Deep" channels on either side of the island. It covers an area of 32 acres (130,000 m2).[3]
History
Mugdrum's name is from muc-dhruim, the Scottish Gaelic for hog-back. However, this was applied to the coast opposite, which part it was named for.[3]
The reeds were once harvested for thatching and for protecting potatoes during transshipment. Until 1926, a 50-acre (200,000 m2) farm grew cereals, potatoes and turnips in the island's alluvial soil. It is now a nature reserve under the stewardship of the Tay Valley Wildfowlers' Association.
The Laing Museum in Newburgh preserves the stuffed body of a two-headed kitten born in the 19th century on Mugdrum.
External links
Footnoates
- ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
- ^ Ordnance Survey
- ^ a b c "Historical perspective for Mugdrum Island". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 2008-10-05.