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St Ninian's Isle is a small tied island connected by the largest tombolo in the UK to the south-western coast of the
Mainland, Shetland The Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections. Geography It has an area of , making it the third-largest Scottish island a ...
, in
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 is part of the
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of Dunrossness on the South Mainland. The tombolo, known locally as an '' ayre'' from the
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
for "gravel bank", is 500 metres long. During the summer the tombolo is above sea level and accessible to walkers. During winter, stronger wave action removes sand from the beach so that it is usually covered at high tide, and occasionally throughout the tidal cycle, until the sand is returned the following spring. Depending on the definition used, St. Ninian's is thus either an
island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
, or a
peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
; it has an area of about 72 hectares. The nearest settlement is Bigton, also in the parish of Dunrossness. The important
early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Middle Ages of Europ ...
St Ninian's Isle Treasure of metalwork, mostly in silver, was discovered under the church floor in 1958. Many seabirds, including puffins, visit the island, with several species nesting there.


History

As its name suggests, the island has ecclesiastical connections, which may like others in the Northern Isles,
Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...
and
Faroes The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
have connections to the Culdees or '' papar''. However, the island's history is far older than Christianity, and Neolithic graves have been found within the walls of the chapel (formerly beneath the floor). The ruins of a 12th-century chapel are visible near the end of the tombolo. The dedication is to Shetland's patron saint, Saint Ninian of
Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...
, who is also widely venerated on the nearby Orkney Islands, and may be commemorated in the name of North Ronaldsay. In 1958, an excavation found a hoard of 8th century silver in the chapel grounds under a stone slab in a wooden box, which caused a renewed archaeological interest in the island.Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate. It was suspected to have been buried to hide it from, or stolen in, a
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
raid. The remains of a pre-Norse chapel were also found, which may indicate some kind of Culdee presence. The last family to live on the island, that of Henry Leask, left the island in 1796. Henry Leask was married twice and had 13 children.


St Ninian's Isle Treasure

The St Ninian's Isle Treasure was discovered under a cross-marked slab in the floor of the early St. Ninian's church, on 4 July 1958 by a local schoolboy, Douglas Coutts. Coutts was helping visiting archaeologists led by Professor A. C. O'Dell of Aberdeen University at a dig on the isle. The silver bowls, jewellery and other pieces, not all of which were probably new when deposited, are believed to date from c.750–825 AD. File:Early medieval hoard of Pictish silver objects dated c AD 800 from St Ninian's Isle, Shetland.jpg, Early medieval hoard of Pictish silver objects dated c AD 800 File:StNinianDSCF6204.jpg, pennanular brooch File:St Ninian's Isle TreasureDSCF6214.jpg, Bowl File:St Ninian's Isle TreasureDSCF6212.jpg, Chape File:St Ninian's Isle TreasureDSCF6208.jpg, Mounts File:St Ninian's Isle TreasureDSCF6202det.jpg, Terminals of a brooch File:The Pictish penannular silver brooches in the hoard from St Ninian's Isle, Shetland.jpg, Penannular silver brooches File:The Pictish penannular silver bowls in the hoard from St Ninian's Isle, Shetland.jpg, Penannular silver bowls


See also

* List of islands of Scotland


Notes


References

* O'Dell, A. ''St. Ninian's Isle Treasure. a Silver Hoard Discovered on St. Ninian's Isle, Zetland on 4th July, 1958''. Aberdeen University Studies. No. 141 * Nicolson, James R. (1972) ''Shetland''. Newton Abbott. David & Charles. * Youngs, Susan (ed), ''"The Work of Angels", Masterpieces of Celtic Metalwork, 6th–9th centuries AD'', pp. 108–112, 1989, British Museum Press, London, * Webster, Leslie, ''Anglo-Saxon Art'', 2012, British Museum Press,


External links


Photographs of the St Ninian's Isle Treasure
at the National Museums Scotland website
Shetland Museum - Pictures of the treasure



St Ninian's Isle Treasure
on Shetlopedia {{Coord, 59.97230, -1.34797, type:landmark_region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(HU365210), display=title Archaeological sites in Shetland Tourist attractions in Shetland Uninhabited islands of Shetland Former populated places in Scotland Tied islands Tombolos