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Little Bernera

For other places with the same name, see Berneray (disambiguation).

Little Bernera
Scottish Gaelic nameBeàrnaraigh Beag
Old Norse namebjarnar-øy
Meaning of nameBjørn's island, from Norse
Location
Little Bernera is located in Outer Hebrides
Little Bernera
Little Bernera
Little Bernera shown within the Outer Hebrides
OS grid referenceNB142410
Coordinates58°16′N 6°52′W / 58.27°N 6.87°W / 58.27; -6.87
Physical geography
Island groupLewis
Area138 ha
Area rank129= [1]
Highest elevationTordal 41 m
Administration
Council areaOuter Hebrides
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population0
Lymphad
References[2][3][4][5]
Traigh an Teampaill with ruined church

Little Bernera (Scottish Gaelic: Beàrnaraigh Beag) is a small island situated off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.[6]

Little Bernera lies between the sea lochs of West and East Loch Roag, immediately to the north of Great Bernera. The island rises to a height of 42 metres (138 feet) and has an area of 138 ha. The west of the island is extremely rugged and differs significantly from the machair land of the eastern side which benefits from the blown shell sand of the beaches of Tràigh Mhòr and Tràigh na Teampuill.

History

The island has evidence of continuous settlement for centuries notably in the remains of former dwellings and chapels. The last tenants were forcibly evicted in 1825 when the island was turned into a satellite of Linshader farm. Following the clearance of the island the only habitable building as noted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey was the slated fish curing-house.

The island also contained a school set up by the SSPCK.

A few centuries ago, the island was the place where people of Carloway were buried, before a cemetery was built in that village. Today, gravestones can still be seen on the island, but are beginning to disappear into the ground.

The island was owned by Count Robin Mirrlees. When he died in 2012 he left the Island to the National Trust for Scotland.[7]

Landmarks

Tràigh an Teampaill

At Tràigh an Teampaill, there is the ruined chapel of St Michael and an adjacent cemetery. The island is also the site of the former chapel of St Dondans of which no trace remains but is generally believed to be sited in the very north-west near Mol Mòr. There is a folk story that a Norse king, Swain, took Gealchos, the daughter of a young priest, from Tràigh an Teampaill to Norway, but her heart broke mourning for Little Bernera, so he brought her back.[8]

Teampull Bhearnaraidh Bheag

Teampull Bhearnaraidh Bheag' is a graveyard on a small sandy hill. Tradition says that there has been a Catholic chapel in this place but there is no trace of it now.[9]

Notes and references

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  4. ^ Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
  5. ^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Little Bernera, Lewis | Hebridean Connections". www.hebrideanconnections.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  7. ^ Dailyrecord.co.uk (2 September 2012). "Prince Harry loses out on inheriting remote island from German Count". Daily Record. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  8. ^ Barrowman, Rachel C.; Francoz, Charlotte; Hooper, Janet; Rennie, Christine; Tompsett, Gary (17 February 2020). "Chapel-sites on the Isle of Lewis: Results of the Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites Survey" (PDF). Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports. 88: 1–134. doi:10.9750/issn.2056-7421.2020.88. ISSN 2056-7421.
  9. ^ "Lewis, Little Bernera, Teampull Bhearnaraidh Bheag | Canmore". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

58°15′55″N 6°52′24″W / 58.26528°N 6.87333°W / 58.26528; -6.87333


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