Mealista
Appearance
Mealista
| |
---|---|
Mealasta beach | |
Location within the Outer Hebrides | |
Language | Scottish Gaelic English |
OS grid reference | NA991241 |
Civil parish | |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ISLE OF LEWIS |
Postcode district | HS2 |
Dialling code | 01851 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Mealista (Scottish Gaelic: Mealasta) was a township in the west of the Isle of Lewis. It is currently largely uninhabited due to the Highland Clearances, which occurred there in 1838.[1]
Mealista is a name of Norse origin, melr-stadhr, meaning 'lyme-grass steading'.[1] Mealasta lends its name to Eilean Mhealasta which is just to the southwest. The area of Mealasta is known to be the location of a medieval settlement, with a possible nunnery on the headland.[2]
During World War II, fourteen of the survivors of the merchant ship SS Geraldine Mary reached shore at Mealista in August 1940.[3] The ship had been torpedoed, off the coast of Ireland, by the German U-Boat U-52.[4][5][6]
References
- ^ a b "Mealista". Hebridean Connections. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "Data structure report of small-scale sampling at Mealasta, Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland". Durham University. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "Mealasta Beaches". Welcome to Scotland. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "Canadian & Newfoundland Merchantmen Lost Due to Enemy Actions in WWII". Battle of the Atlantic. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ Watson, Patrick (11 December 2007). Watson's Really Big WWII Almanac. ISBN 9781469101903. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "Geraldine Mary". uboat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mealista.