- South Ronaldsay
GridReference=ND449899
celtic name=Unknown
norse name=Rognvaldsey
meaning of name= Old Norse for Rognvald/Ronald's island'
area=4,980ha
area rank=22
highest elevation= Ward Hill 118 m
Population=854
population rank=16
main settlement=St Margaret's Hope
island group=Orkney
local authority=Orkney Islands
references= [2001 UK Census perList of islands of Scotland ] cite book| title=The Scottish Islands| author=Haswell-Smith, Hamish|year=2004| isbn=1-84195-454-3| location=Edinburgh| publisher=Canongate] [ [http://www.orkneyjar.com/placenames/pl-isle.htm Orkney Placenames] ] [ [http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/ Ordnance Survey] ] [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] Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) "Orkneyjar ok Katanes" (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)]South Ronaldsay is one of the
Orkney Islands off the north coast ofScotland . It is linked to theOrkney Mainland by theChurchill Barriers , running viaBurray ,Glimps Holm andLamb Holm .Geography and geology
With an area of 4,980
hectare s (19 square miles), it is the fourth largest of the Orkney islands after The Mainland,Hoy and Sanday. Ferries sail from Burwick on the island toJohn o' Groats on the Scottish mainland and fromSt Margaret's Hope toGills Bay .South Ronaldsay's main
village isSt Margaret's Hope , named either afterMargaret, Maid of Norway who died there or possibly St. Margaret. The village has a smallmuseum and is known for its annualBoys' Ploughing Match .The cardinal points of the island are Ayre of Cara, by Churchill Barrier no. 4 (north),
Grim Ness (east), Brough Ness, (south) and Hoxa Head, (west).History
Many well-preserved houses and other structures in the local vernacular style make it one of the most picturesque settlements in the
Northern Isles .Fact|date=February 2008 Theisland is also known for theNeolithic Isbister Chambered Cairn, popularly known as the "Tomb of the Eagles ". [Hedges, J. 1990. Tomb of the Eagles: Death and Life in a Stone Age Tribe. New Amsterdam Books. ISBN 0-941533-05-0]In 1991, the island was rocked by false allegations of widespread child abuse and satanic rituals in a scandal that saw nine children being removed from their families by police and social workers. The case was thrown out of court when it was found the social workers were using unorthodox interrogation techniques to force confessions from the children, who all denied the abuse.cite web| title=Orkney 'abuse' children go home| publisher= BBC On this Day (April 4, 1991)| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/4/newsid_2521000/2521067.stm| accessdate=2007-07-13]
References
External links
* [http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/eastmainland/eastmainland/index.html Undiscovered Scotland Page]
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