Lady Isle is a small, uninhabited island, in the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It was once home to a chapel dedicated to

Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. The island features a lighthouse and a freshwater spring.

Geography

Lady Isle lies some southwest of

Troon Troon (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Truthail'') is a town and sea port in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with ferry and freight serv ...

. The island is around along its length and rises to a maximum elevation of just . ''Half tide'', ''Scart rocks'' and ''Seal rock'' are associated with Lady Isle. The island lies in the parish of

Dundonald Dundonald may refer to: Places Canada * Dundonald, Ontario, Cramahe * Dundonald, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan * Dundonald Park, in Ottawa South Africa * Dundonald, Mpumalanga United Kingdom * Dundonald, County Down, Northern Ireland ** Dundonald ...

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire (; , ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. South Ayrshire had an estimated population in 2021 of 112,45 ...

History

Evidence from old maps

Timothy Pont Reverend Timothy Pont () was a Scottish minister, cartographer and topographer. He was the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an actual surve ...

's map of 1604–1608, published in 1654 by

Joan Blaeu Joan Blaeu (; 23 September 1596 – 21 December 1673), also called Johannes Blaeu, was a Dutch cartographer and the official cartographer of the Dutch East India Company. Blaeu is most notable for his map published in 1648, which was the fir ...

, marks Lady Isle by that name and indicates that a structure is present on the island, presumably the chapel. In c. 1636 - 1662 Robert Gordon's manuscript map marks the isle as 'Lady Yle' and shows two islands.Robert Gordon's map
/ref>

John Adair John Adair (January 9, 1757 – May 19, 1840) was an American pioneer, slave trader, soldier, and politician. He was the List of Governors of Kentucky, eighth Governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both the United States House of Re ...

in his 1686 ''A mape of the west of Scotland containing Clydsdail, Nithsdail, Ranfrew, Shyre of Ayre, & Galloway.'' shows Lady Isle as ''Mary Isle'' and indicates a chapel as being located on the island. In 1745 Moll used the name Lady Isle.

Written history

When

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

came to

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

in 1299 following the burning of the Barns of Ayr, Hermingford, an old chronicler of the period, records that: It is thought that the name ''Isle of Ayr'' refers to Lady Isle. The ''Geographical Collections relating to Scotland'' state: Lady Isle is probably first mentioned in the title of William Fullarton of that Ilk, in his Charter under the Great Seal by

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily () * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1817–1890) N ...

, dated 9 December 1695, which included "the five pound land of Aldtoun containing the little isle, opposite the lands of Corsbie, called the Lady-isl". Ladyislemap

The island came into the possession of William Fullarton in 1698 and was purchased by the

Marquess of Titchfield A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

in 1805.Lady Isle's history
/ref> When the Marquess was elevated to become the

Duke of Portland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

the island was part of the Duke's Fullarton Estate. Fullarton estate 1828

One suggestion is that the name "Lady" is actually derived from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

word ''Laidh'', meaning a 'ship's course'.Mackintosh, Ian M. (1969), ''Old Troon and District.'' Pub. George Outram, Kilmarnock. Facing P. 64. Lady Isle has probably always been important to navigators as is shown by the fact that in the 17th century, the Magistrates of Glasgow built two stone pillars on the Isle, and lining them up from the east gave a good anchorage from a north west gale. William Taylor, a member of a pleasure party from Ayr in the 1890s was hit by lightning during a storm and was killed instantly. He left a wife and three children.Memories of Old Troon.
/ref> In June, 1821, someone set fire to the "turf and pasture", and this act permanently destroyed the island's grazing, with gales blowing much of the island's soil into the sea. It is only slowly recovering. In June 1829, the Isle was let to Mr. William Fullarton of Skeldon, who restocked the Isle with rabbits. Fullarton built a house or lodge of some sort. The building was broken into several times and eventually a family of fishermen from Troon were arrested, tried and given a relatively small fine.

Structures on the island

Saint Mary's chapel

Lady Isle was at one time connected with an ancient ecclesiastical establishment near Adamton, called Lady Kirk, and situated about four miles north of Ayr. As stated, a chapel was built, here dedicated to the Virgin Mary and endowed by John Blair in 1446 with the common land of Adamton. John Adair's map indicates a religious building as being located in the centre of the island and Pont also indicates a structure of some sort, well before any beacons were built. John Adair uses the name ''Mary Isle'' for the island, suggesting that this pre-

reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

(c.1560s) 'chapel', like so many others, was dedicated to

. It is more than likely that the beacons were built using stones from this chapel or 'cell' and no signs now remain of this ecclesiastical structure. When the bird observatory and warden's post was being built, the architect noted that there were signs of some sort of ancient ecclesiastical building on the island.

Beacons

The town of Glasgow (c. 1776) set up a pair of beacons on Lady Isle to indicate the position of the anchorage, which was situated to the east or inshore, for the benefit of ships serving its merchants. Paterson, James (1863). ''History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton''. Vol. 1.-Kyle. Pub. James Stillie. Edinburgh. P. 420. This information is given on Armstrong's 1775 map.Armstrong, Andrew (1775). A new map of Ayrshire. John Thomson's 1828 map marks two 'towers', one where the present 'beacon' stands and the other at the site of the present lighthouse. Herman Moll in 1745 shows no features at all on his map, but marks two islands. The lighthouse was built on the site of one of the beacons and therefore the remaining 18th-century 'beacon' when aligned with the lighthouse continued to allow mariners to follow a safe course to a sheltered anchorage. Ships of over 220 tons, too large to enter the harbours of

Saltcoats Saltcoats (; Scots: ''Saulcuts'') is a town on the west coast of North Ayrshire, Scotland. The name is derived from the town's earliest industry when salt was harvested from the sea water of the Firth of Clyde, carried out in small cottages ...

S24SW 44.00

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier * Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia * Irvine Island * Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada * Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut Scotland *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotlan ...

S33NW 40.00or

S32SW 123.00could find anchorage in 10 to 14 fathoms 8 to 26min an area east of, and covered by Lady Isle ame: NS 275 293

Lighthouse

Lady Isle is home to an interesting lighthouse. Established in 1903 the

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

is not the standard round tower type but rather consists of a platform built on buttresses with an exterior stairwell. The light is still used as a navigational aid (Fl(4)30s19m8M) and is managed by the Northern Lighthouse Board. An X/S Band

racon Radar beacon (short: racon) is – according to ''article 1.103'' of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) ITU Radio Regulations (RR) – defined as "A transmitter-receiver associated with a fixed navigational mark which, when trig ...

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

beacon, with S Band emissions restricted to landward is also on the lighthouse. A small wooden storage hut sits beside the lighthouse, rather oddly inscribed Social Security Appeals Tribunal.Trig point & other photographs
/ref> A large white horizontal cylinder used to hold the gas supply for the lighthouse light which was converted to electricity during the refurbishment and solarisation in around 2004. Wild Bird Sanctuary
/ref> Regarding the approach to the island, mariners have to beware the drying rock all around the island up to 2 cables to the northeast (see the map).Details of the lighthouse and submerged rocks
/ref>

Bird observatory and warden's post.

Lady Isle is owned by the

Marquess of Ailsa Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis. The title Earl of Cassillis (pronounced "Cass-ell ...

and was for many years leased out as a

bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. In addition, sanctuaries are an experimental staging ground for transformative human–animal relations. There are five types of ...

with a bird observatory and warden's post built and run by the Scottish Society for the Protection of Wild Birds (SSPWB).

Common tern The common tern (''Sterna hirundo'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in Temperateness, temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is stron ...

s and

Arctic tern The Arctic tern (''Sterna paradisaea'') is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittany), Asia, and North America (as far south ...

s used to nest here and

roseate tern The roseate tern (''Sterna dougallii'') is a species of tern in the family Laridae. The genus name ''Sterna'' is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and the specific ''dougallii'' refers to Scottish physician and collector Dr Peter McD ...

s had been observed on many occasions.Booth, David & Perrott, David. (1981)''The Shell Book of the Islands of Britain.'' Pub. Book Club Associates, London. P. 116. The observatory carries a sign saying that it was built ''In memory of Johnny Warren, honorary warden Lady Isle Sanctuary Troon who died 24 May 1958''. Lady Isle is said to have been Britain's first seabird reserve. The

Scottish Natural Heritage NatureScot () is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government on nature conservati ...

has designated the island as a ''Wild Bird Sanctuary'' under the Protection of Birds Act 1954 and as an ''Area of Special Protection'', together with

Horse Isle Horse Isle () is an uninhabited island located in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland near the seaside town of Ardrossan. It is a nature reserve, run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB. Etymology Numerous, local stories exist re ...

off Ardrossan. Scart rock off the island is named from the Scots for a

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...

.Warrack, Alexander (1982)."Chambers Scots Dictionary". Chambers. . Mr. Donald J. Cameron, was the architect for the SSPWB and he informed their Secretary that there were signs of some sort of ancient ecclesiastical building on the island.

The Freshwater well or spring

A freshwater well or spring lies in a rock cut basin in the middle of the island. This may be entirely natural or partly so, as place name and other evidence suggests that a chapel once existed here and a supply of freshwater would have been essential. Sheep were once grazed here and they would have required a good supply of freshwater, as would the rabbits which still survive (1993). Two elder bushes were growing over the well / spring during the 1993 Scottish Wildlife Trust visit.

Trig point

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

trig point A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The station is usually set up by a map ...

has been placed on the island, just in front of the bird observatory, indicating the 6 m height point. This Trig point is a truncated square concrete pyramid, generally known as a Hotine Pillar. On the top is a brass plate with three arms and a central depression is fixed. A benchmark is set on the side, marked with the letters "O S B M" (Ordnance Survey Bench Mark) and the reference number. Within the trig point are concealed mountings for a specialized theodolite, which can be temporarily mounted on the trig point for measurements to be taken. On 24 September 2000 a small group of Trig point enthusiasts visited the island as part of a quest to visit one trig point of every height in metres in Scotland, making 749 in total.

Gallery

Image:Ladyisleayrshire1.jpg, The island's vegetation;

Ailsa Craig Ailsa Craig (; ) is an island of in the outer Firth of Clyde, west of mainland Scotland, upon which microgranite has long been quarried to make curling stones. The now-uninhabited island comprises the remains of a magmatic pluton formed d ...

in the background. Image:Ladyisleayrshire3.jpg, Sunset over the island looking towards the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...

. The Half tide rock is visible to the right hand side. Image:Ladyisleayrshire4.jpg, The 1903 lighthouse with

in the background. Image:Ladyisleayrshire6.jpg, The bird observatory, lighthouse, Trig point and shed, with the 'beacon' in the background. Image:Ladyisleayrshire7.jpg, The island with the lighthouse and 'beacon' visible. Image:Ladyisleayrshire8.jpg, Looking over the island towards

. Image:Lady Isle Ayrshire 1993.jpg, Members of the Scottish Wildlife Trust visiting Lady Isle in 1993.

Shipwrecks

A few ships have been shipwrecked off the island; however, the crews were easily rescued. It is said that there are the remains of a great many shipwrecks around the Isle. An old story relates that one of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

ships was wrecked here, and sank in deep water. A local sorceress, named Elcine de Aggart, is said to have used a ball of yarn and spells to cause the ship to wreck itself on the island and it is further recorded that the ship was that of none other than Vice-Admiral Alcarede. The galleon is said to have been carrying a gold throne on board, a gift to King Phillip of Spain. Troon men made many attempts to bring the Spanish treasures to the surface, but without success. A professional Dutch diver was supposedly hired to do the salvage job, making his headquarters on the isle, with a store ship standing by. Upon discovering the wreck and entering he found the golden throne, on which was seated, a gigantic figure who rose and came towards him. When the diver grasped the hand of the figure, instead of a hand, he found that he was grasping a cloven hoof! He escaped the scene with his life and some of his wits intact. However, no one has attempted further salvage attempts. One of the Masters of a Kilwinning Lodge was presented with a wooden mallet which had been made with wood from one of the Armada ships which had been wrecked on the Ayrshire coast.Mackintosh, Ian M. (1969), ''Old Troon and District.'' Pub. George Outram, Kilmarnock. Facing P. 78.

Flora and fauna

Apart from the large numbers of gulls,

eider The eiders () are large seaducks in the genus ''Somateria''. The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The down feathers of eider ducks and some other ducks and geese are used to fill pillows and qu ...

s nest on the island.

Shag Shag or Shags may refer to: Animals * Shag or cormorant, a bird family ** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family ** Great cormorant another species of the family Persons * Shag (artist), stage name of the American a ...

s and

oystercatcher The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family (biology), family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and Sout ...

s are frequently seen. A population of

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

s survive with partially collapsed burrows criss-crossing the parts of the islet with have a significant depth of soil. In the Statistical Account of Scotland of 1791, under the Article on the Parish of Ayr, it confirms that the Isle is inhabited by rabbits. A large number of the common snail, ''

Cornu aspersum ''Cornu aspersum'' (syn. ''Helix aspersa'', ''Cryptomphalus aspersus''), known by the common name garden snail, is a species of land snail in the family Helicidae, which includes some of the most familiar land snails. Of all terrestrial molluscs, ...

'' species were noted on the 1993 SWT visit. One odd feature of the island was the very large numbers of animal bones, mostly of mammal origin, brought here by the gulls. Seals are frequently seen on the island and the associated rocks,one of which is called Seal Rock. A Mr. William Allasson of Troon was tenant of the isle in 1811, and he was hindered by the large number of people who landed on the isle, causing damage to his flock of sheep, and stealing the rabbits. Lobsters were plentiful amongst the surrounding rocks and in the past the Duke of Portland went to considerable trouble to try and prevent 'poaching' of the

lobster Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...

s as he saw it. Elder bushes grow near the freshwater spring and sea pinks are very common. As previously stated, a fire in the 19th-century resulted in the loss of much of the island's soil, the wind blowing it into the sea. The island has been designated site number 8725, an 'Area of Special Protection' by

. Smith records sea mouse-ear (''Cerastium diffusum''), narrow-leaved mouse-ear (''Cerastium triviale''), sea-pearlwort (''Sagina maritimum''), corn spurrey (''Spergula arvensis''), greater sea-spurrey (''Spergularia media''), dovesfoot cranesbill (''Geranium molle''), common stork's-bill (''Erodium cicutarium''), common vetch (''Vicia sativa''), bramble (''Rubus fruticosus''), common silverweed (''Argentina anserina''), marsh cinquefoil (''Potentilla palustris''), and English stonecrop (''Sedum anglicum'') for Lady Isle in the 1890s.Smith, John (1896). ''Botany of Ayrshire from Original Investigation''. Ardrossan : Arthur Guthrie & Sons. pages 16-17

The Scottish Wildlife Trust's (SWT) visit

It was proposed that the

Scottish Wildlife Trust The Scottish Wildlife Trust () is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well over 46,000 members. The Scottish Wildlife Trust acquired its fi ...

might take over the isle as a reserve, however the decline of the tern colony led to this proposal being rejected. The hypothesis that the gulls were responsible for the loss of the terns is unfounded. It is more likely, though not certain, that the reduction in breeding terns across the whole of the Clyde area is due to a combination of reduced feeding grounds and limited habitats suitable for breeding due to human development. Members visited the island on 19 May 1993 to assess its value as a reserve, taking the boat from

harbour which regularly visits the island to maintain the lighthouse.

VIC Lady isle

In the late 1950s a coastal cargo carrying Ex VIC 9 ship named 'Lady Isle' still plied its trade in Scottish waters. VIC stands for Victualling Inshore Craft and these ships were technically steam coasting lighters or "puffers". 98 VICs were built for the ministry of war transport between 1941 and 1945; part of the enormous Government wartime shipbuilding programme. Lady Isle was built by Thorne Dunston of Doncaster in 1942 and she was sold by the admiralty in 1949.Lady Isle ship
/ref>
/ref>

Troon Cruising Club

This club has an annual Lady Isle race in support of the RNLIs Troon branch.

References

External links

RCAHMS Canmore archaeology site

General Roy's Military Survey of Scotland 1747 - 52Old maps of Scotland from the National Library Old Ordnance Survey Maps

Northern Lighthouse Board
{{Authority control , additional=Q28465854 Islands of the Clyde Lighthouses in Scotland Buildings and structures in South Ayrshire Christianity in medieval Scotland History of South Ayrshire Uninhabited islands of South Ayrshire Bird observatories in Scotland