Muckle Roe

Muckle Roe Lighthouse
Swarbacks Minn
	Muckle Roe Lighthouse
Location	Shetland, Shetland, United Kingdom
Coordinates	60°20′57″N 1°27′03″W / 60.349232°N 1.450732°W
Constructed	1897 (first)
Foundation	concrete base
Construction	metal skeletal tower (current); cast iron tower (first)
Height	7 metres (23 ft) (current); 8 metres (26 ft) (first)
Shape	quadrangular tower covered by aluminium panels with light on the top (current); octagonal tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower
Operator	Northern Lighthouse Board
Light
First lit	2001 (current)
Deactivated	2001 (first)
Focal height	30 metres (98 ft) (current)
Lens	3rd order Fresnel lens (first)
Light source	solar power (current)
Characteristic	Fl WR 3s.

Muckle Roe
Old Norse name	Rauðøy Mikla
Meaning of name	big red island
	; Muckle Ayre Beach
Location
	Muckle Roe Muckle Roe shown within the Shetland Islands
OS grid reference	HU317650
Coordinates	60°22′N 1°25.5′W / 60.367°N 1.4250°W
Physical geography
Island group	Shetland
Area	1,773 hectares (6.8 sq mi)
Area rank	37
Highest elevation	Mid Ward 172 metres (564 ft)
Administration
Council area	Shetland Islands
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Demographics
Population	130
Population rank	43
Population density	7.3people/km2
Largest settlement	Roesound
References

Muckle Roe is an island in Shetland, Scotland, in St. Magnus Bay, to the west of Mainland, Shetland. It has a population of around 130 people, who mainly croft and live in the south east of the island.^[7]^[10]

'Muckle' is Scots for 'big' or 'great'.

History

The island is referred to in the Orkneyinga saga.^[11]

In 1905 a bridge was built between Muckle Roe and the Shetland Mainland over Roe Sound at a cost of £1,020 met from public subscription and a grant from the Congested Districts Board. The construction was of iron and concrete^[7]^[12] and its completion was followed by a reversal in the population decline seen in the 19th and earlier 20th centuries. A replacement bridge was built in 1999.

Muckle Roe was part of the civil parish of Delting until the abolition of civil parishes in Scotland by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929.

Geography and geology

Muckle Roe is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) in diameter, with high cliffs in the south. Its highest point is Mid Ward 172 metres (564 ft).

The island's rock is red granite,^[10] which gives the island its name – a combination of Scots and Old Norse meaning "big red island".^[5]^[7]

There are crofts in the east and south east. The rest of the island is lochan-studded moorland.^[13]

Population

**Muckle Roe population**
1851	290
1871	216
1881	230
1961	103
1971	94
1981	101
1991	115
2001	104
2011	130
source: ^[4]^[5]

Notes

^ Waugh (2007) p. 541
^ ^a ^b Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
^ ^a ^b Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
^ ^a ^b ^c National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 406
^ Fraser, Allen (2002) The Edinburgh Geologist: Old Norse and Norn names in Shetland. Issue 39 Archived 16 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 14 April 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Keay & Keay, (1994) p. 711
^ Muckle Roe marinetraffic.com. Retrieved 31 May 2016
^ Muckle Roe (Swarbacks Minn) The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 31 May 2016
^ ^a ^b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 440
^ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
^ Nicolson (1972) p. 108
^ "Overview of Muckle Roe". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2008.

References

Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins.
Nicolson, James R. (1972) Shetland. Newton Abbott. David & Charles.
Waugh, Doreen "Placing Papa Stour in Context" in Ballin Smith, Beverley; Taylor, Simon; and Williams, Gareth (2007) West over Sea: Studies in Scandinavian Sea-Borne Expansion and Settlement Before 1300. Leiden. Brill. ISBN 97890-04-15893-1

External links

[1] Waugh (2007) p. 541

[OS-2] Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.

[RankNote-3] Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.

[NRS-4] National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.

[Smith-5] Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 406

[6] Fraser, Allen (2002) The Edinburgh Geologist: Old Norse and Norn names in Shetland. Issue 39 Archived 16 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 14 April 2007.

[Keay-7] Keay & Keay, (1994) p. 711

[8] Muckle Roe marinetraffic.com. Retrieved 31 May 2016

[9] Muckle Roe (Swarbacks Minn) The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 31 May 2016

[HS440-10] Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 440

[11] Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9

[12] Nicolson (1972) p. 108

[13] "Overview of Muckle Roe". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 6 January 2008.

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v t e Shetland
Inhabited islands	Mainland Bressay Burra East Burra West Burra Fair Isle Fetlar Foula Muckle Roe North Isles Out Skerries Papa Stour Trondra Unst Vaila Whalsay Yell
Other islands	Balta Bigga Brother Isle Colsay Hascosay Hildasay Lamba Linga, Bluemull Sound Linga, Busta Voe Linga (near Vementry) Linga, Vaila Sound Linga, Yell Sound Mousa Noss Oxna Papa Papa Little Samphrey South Havra St Ninian's Isle Uyea, Northmavine Uyea, Unst Vementry Ve Skerries West Linga
Towns and villages	Lerwick Aith Baltasound Bigton Bixter Brae Cunningsburgh Grutness Gulberwick Gutcher Haroldswick Hillswick Levenwick Mid Yell Mossbank North Roe Ollaberry Quarff Sandwick Scalloway Symbister Toab Toft Ulsta Uyeasound Vidlin Voe Walls Weisdale Whiteness
Mainland Parishes	Delting Dunrossness Lerwick Nesting Northmavine Sandsting Tingwall Walls and Sandness
Insular Parishes	Bressay Fetlar Unst Yell
Maritime features	Balta Sound Bluemull Sound Burra Voe Busta Voe Calder's Geo Ronas Voe St Magnus Bay Sullom Voe West Voe of Sumburgh Yell Sound
Extreme points (N S E W)	Out Stack The Skerry, off Fair Isle Bound Skerry Waster Hoevda, Foula
Topics	Animal breeds Etymology History Prehistory

v t e Lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board
Scotland (except principal island groups)	Ailsa Craig Ardnamurchan Bass Rock Bell Rock Buchan Ness Cape Wrath Chanonry Corran Point Corsewall Covesea Skerries Crammag Head Davaar Duncansby Head Dunnet Head Fidra Fife Ness Girdle Ness Holy Island (Outer) Inchkeith Isle of May Kinnaird Head Mull of Galloway Mull of Kintyre North Rona Noss Head Pladda Rattray Head Rubh Re St Abbs Head Sanda Scurdie Ness Stoer Head Strathy Point Stroma Sule Skerry Tarbat Ness Turnberry Minor lights
The Hebrides	Barra Head Butt of Lewis Dubh Artach Eilean Glas Flannan Islands Haskeir Hyskeir Lismore Monach Neist Point Ornsay Rinns of Islay Rubha nan Gall Rona Lighthouse Ruvaal Scarinish Skerryvore Tiumpan Head Ushenish Minor lights
Orkney	Auskerry Brough of Birsay Cantick Head Copinsay Hoy Sound (High) Hoy Sound (Low) North Ronaldsay Noup Head Pentland Skerries Start Point Tor Ness Minor lights
Shetland	Bressay Eshaness Fair Isle North Fair Isle South Firths Voe Foula Hoo Stack Little Holm Muckle Flugga Out Skerries Point of Fethaland Sumburgh Head Ve Skerries Minor lights
Isle of Man	Chicken Rock Douglas Head Langness (minor light) Maughold Head Point of Ayre Thousla Rock (minor light)