Uyea () is an uninhabited island, lying south of Unst in Shetland, Scotland.

Etymology

The Norn word for an island is øy, so Uyea (pronounced "Øya") simply means "the isle." This name was given to it by the people of southern Unst as it is the largest island near their shores (excluding Yell), and they thought of Unst itself as the mainland.

History

thumb|View over Uyeasound from Uyea

The island was inhabited as early as the Bronze Age, and a chambered cairn can still be seen. In the twelfth century, Saint Olaf's chapel overlooking Brei Wick was built.

In 1745, two girls from Uyea rowed to the small island of Haaf Gruney to milk some of the cows grazing here. They were caught in a storm when trying to return, and eventually they found their tiny boat blown to Karmøy in south west Norway. The Uyea girls ended up marrying Karmøy men, and their descendants still live there.

The island was the home of Sir Basil Neven-Spence, who was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland from 1935 to 1950.

To the present day, Neven-Spence is the most recent person not from the Liberal Democrats or the Liberal Party to represent the constituency.

See also

  • Uyea, Northmavine

Footnotes

References

  • "Brochs and photos from Shetland, UK" Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License