Rùm
Encyclopedia
Rùm a Scottish Gaelic
name often anglicised
to Rum) is one of the Small Isles
of the Inner Hebrides
, in the district of Lochaber
, Scotland. For much of the 20th century the name became Rhum, a spelling invented by the former owner, Sir George Bullough, because he did not relish the idea of having the title "Laird
of Rum
".
It is the largest of the Small Isles, and the fifteenth largest Scottish island, but is inhabited by only about thirty or so people, all of whom live in the village of Kinloch
on the east coast. The island has been inhabited since the 8th millennium BC and provides some of the earliest known evidence of human occupation in Scotland. The early Celtic and Norse
settlers left only a few written accounts and artefacts. From the 12th to 13th centuries on, the island was held by various clan
s including the MacLeans
of Coll
. The population grew to over 400 by the late 18th century but was cleared
of its indigenous population between 1826 and 1828. The island then became a sporting estate, the exotic Kinloch Castle
being constructed by the Bulloughs in 1900. Rùm was purchased by the Nature Conservancy Council
in 1957.
Rum is volcanic in origin, and its mountains have been eroded by Pleistocene
glaciation. It is now an important study site for research in ecology
, especially of Red Deer
, and is the site of a successful reintroduction programme for the White-tailed Sea Eagle
. Its economy is entirely dependent on Scottish Natural Heritage
, a public body that now manages the island, and there have been calls for a greater diversity of housing provision. A Caledonian MacBrayne
ferry links the island with the mainland town of Mallaig
.
rõm-øy for "wide island" or Gaelic
ì-dhruim (iˈɣɾɯim) meaning "isle of the ridge". Ross (2007) notes that there is a written record of Ruim from 677 and suggests "spacious island" from the Gaelic rùm. Mac an Tàilleir (2003) is unequivocal that Rum is "a pre-Gaelic name and unclear". The origins are therefore speculative, but it is known for certain that George Bullough changed the spelling to Rhum to avoid the association with the alcoholic drink rum. However, the "Rhum" spelling is used on a Kilmory gravestone dated 1843. In 1991 the Nature Conservancy Council of Scotland
(the forerunner to Scottish Natural Heritage) reverted to the use of Rum without the h.
In the 13th century there may be references to the island as Raun-eyja and Raun-eyjum and Dean Munro
writing in 1549 calls it Ronin. Sea-faring Hebrideans had numerous taboos concerning spoken references to islands. In the case of Rum, use of the usual name was forbidden, the island being referred to as Rìoghachd na Forraiste Fiadhaich — "the kingdom of the wild forest".
The island was cleared of its indigenous population prior to being mapped by the Ordnance Survey
, so it is possible that many place names are speculative. Nonetheless, the significant number of Norse
-derived names that exist eight centuries after Viking
political control ended indicate the importance of their presence on the island. Of the nine hamlets that were mapped in 1801, seven of the names are of Norse origin.
Rùm is the largest of the Small Isles, with an area of 10463 hectares (40.4 sq mi). It had a population of only 22 in the 2001 census, making it one of the most sparsely populated of all Scottish islands. There is no indigenous population; the residents are employees of Scottish Natural Heritage
and their families, together with a number of researchers and a school teacher. All the residents live in the village of Kinloch, in the east of the island, which has no church or pub, but does have a village hall and a small primary school. It also has a shop and post office, which is manned by volunteers and keeps irregular hours.
Kinloch is at the head of Loch Scresort, the main anchorage. Kilmory Bay lies to the north. It has a fine beach and the remains of a village, and has for some years served as the base for research into Red Deer (see below). The area is occasionally closed to visitors during the period of the deer rut
in the autumn. The western point is the A'Bhrideanach peninsula, and to the southwest lie Wreck Bay, the cliffs of Sgorr Reidh and Harris Bay. The last is the site of the Bullough's mausoleum
. The family decided the first version was inadequate and dynamited it. The second is in the incongruous style of a Greek temple. Papadil (Old Norse: "valley of the hermit") near the southern extremity has the ruins of a lodge built and then abandoned by the Bulloughs.
An 1801 map produced by George Langlands identified nine villages: Kilmory to the north at the head of Glen Kilmory, Samhnan Insir just to the north between Kilmory and Rubha Samhnan Insir, Camas Pliasgiag in the northeast, "Kinlochscresort", (the modern Kinloch), Cove (Laimhrige at Bagh na h-Uamha in the east), Dibidil in the southeast, Papadil in the south, Harris in the southwest, and Guirdil at the head of Glen Shellesder in the northwest.
The island's relief is spectacular, a 19th-century commentator remarking that "the interior is one heap of rude mountains, scarcely possessing an acre of level land". This combination of geology and topography make for less than ideal agricultural conditions, and it is doubtful that more than one tenth of the island has ever been cultivated. In the 18th century average land rental values on Rùm were a third those of neighbouring Eigg
, and only a fifth of Canna's
.
Mean rainfall is high at 1800 millimetres (70.9 in) at the coast and 3000 millimetres (118.1 in) in the hills. Spring months are usually the driest and winter the wettest, but any month may receive the highest level of precipitation during the year.
and Scotland, Rum features a strongly maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters.
There is a MetOffice weather station at Kinloch providing long term climate observations.
The main range of hills on Rum are the Cuillin, usually referred to as the "Rùm Cuillin", in order to distinguish them from the Cuillin
of Skye. They are rocky peaks of basalt
and gabbro
, similar in many ways to their better-known namesakes. Geologically, Rùm is the core of a deeply eroded volcano
that was active in the Paleogene
era some 65-23 million years ago, and which developed on a pre-existing structure of Torridonian
sandstone
and shale
s resting on Lewisian gneiss
. Two of the Cuillin are classified as Corbetts: Askival
and Ainshval, (Old Norse
for "mountain of the ash trees" and "hill of the strongholds" respectively) and Rùm is the smallest Scottish island to have a summit above 762 metres (2,500 ft). Other hills include Hallival, Trollaval ('mountain of the trolls'), Barkeval, and Sgurr nan Gillean (Gaelic: "peak of the young men") in the Cuillin and Ard Nev, Orval, Sròn an t-Saighdeir and Bloodstone Hill in the west. It is likely that only the higher peaks remained above the Pleistocene ice sheets as nunataks.
Hallival and Askival are formed from an extraordinary series of layered igneous rocks created as olivine
and feldspar
crystals accumulated at the base of a magma
chamber. The chamber eventually collapsed, forming a caldera
. There are swarms of near-vertical dyke
s of basalt on the northwest coast between Kilmory and Guirdil, created by basaltic magma forcing its way into fissures in the pre-existing rock. The western hills, although less elevated than the Cuillin, exhibit a superb collection of periglacial
landforms including boulder sheets and lobes, turf-banked terraces, ploughing boulders and patterned ground. On Orval and Ard Nev the weathered basalt
and granophyre
has been sorted by frost heaving into circles 50 centimetres in diameter and weathering on Barkeval has produced unusual rock sculptures. On Sròn an t-Saighdeir there are large sorted granite
boulder circles 2–3 metres across on the flat summit and sorted stripes on the slopes. Lava flowing away from the volcanic centre formed Bloodstone Hill, gas bubbles leaving holes in the structure that were then filled with green agate
flecked with red. There are some outcrops of the pre-volcanic Lewisian gneiss near Dibidil in the southeast corner of the island, and more extensive deposits of sandstone in the north and east.
shells found there have been dated to the Mesolithic
period at 7700-7500 BC. At this time the landscape was dominated by alder
, hazel
and willow
scrub. A beach site above Loch Scresort has been dated to between 6500 and 5500 BC. The presence of this hunter-gatherer
community may have been to take advantage of the local supplies of bloodstone
, a workable material for the making of tools and weapons. There is a shell-midden at Papadil in the south and evidence of tidal fish traps at both Kinloch and Kilmory.
Examination of peat
cores and pollen
records indicates that soil erosion (suggesting clearance of woodland for agricultural purposes) was taking place in 3470 BC and that evidence of arable cultivation by Neolithic
communities exists from 2460 BC. As the climate became damper, peat
expanded at the expense of woodland, and post-glacial sea level changes left raised beaches around the coastline 18–45 metres above the present coastline, especially between Harris and A'Bhrideanach. There are prehistoric fort sites at Kilmory, Papadil and Shellesder of uncertain date.
:
Simple stone pillars has been found at Kilmory and Bagh na h-Uamha ('bay of the cave') that may date from this period.
in 1266. The Macsorley clan held tutelage in the later period of Norse rule from at least 1240, and possibly a century earlier. The only direct evidence of a Norse presence on Rum to date is a piece of carved narwhal ivory unearthed at Bagh na h-Uamh in 1940.
By 1346 the island was chartered to John of Islay
, the Scots Lord of the Isles
. It is possible that during the early medieval period the island was used as a hunting reserve by the nobility (hence the 'taboo name' referred to above). John of Fordun
indicates that Rum was "with excellent sport, but few inhabitants" and "a wooded and hilly island" in 1380. Two hundred years later Skene noted that
At the same time the much smaller nearby island of Muck
was able to "raise" 16 able men and in 1625 there were only three villages on Rum, suggesting the population was being deliberately constrained. Substantial stone walls built to funnel deer into pens that may date from this period still exist in the western glens. During the thirteenth century Rum became part of the estates of the powerful Macruari clan for a brief period and then passed into the hands of Clanranald.
for nine months. In 1549 Munro noted that although the island "pertained" to Coll it "obeys instantlie" to the Macleans of Duart
, a situation that continued for some time. In 1588 the Small Isles suffered an armed invasion by Lachlan Maclean of Duart
and his band of cutthroats, including up to one hundred Spaniards shipwrecked in the aftermath of the English defeat of the Armada
. He burnt and put the isles to the sword, sparing neither women nor children. At a later date a report received by King James VI indicated that Clanranald had re-occupied the island, but despite these temporary setbacks the island remained in Maclean of Coll's hands for three centuries or more.
and made into wigs for export to America. The economy was in no small part dependent on the bounty of the sea. Edward Clarke visiting in 1797 dined on:
This largesse notwithstanding, conditions were primitive. There was no permanent minister and when one visited he was obliged to conduct sermons in the open air, there being no church. Nor was there a mill, and leather was tanned with willow bark and dressed with sea shells due to the lack of lime. Muck
was valued for land rental purposes the same as the whole of Rum at this time, again indicating the poverty of agriculture on the larger island. The growing population of Rum's demands on the land led to the extermination of the native Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) during the latter half of the 18th century.
James Boswell
and Samuel Johnson
met with MacLean of Coll at Talisker
on Skye
during their 1773 excursion to the Hebrides
. Boswell reported that:
In the event, poor weather prevented the travellers visiting the Small Isles en route to Mull.
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By 1801 there were nine hamlets on the island, and its economy received a temporary boost from the kelp
industry. The wooded island of five hundred years before was now essentially treeless outside of Kinloch village.
In 1825 the entire island was leased to Dr Lachlan Maclean, a relative of Hugh Maclean of Coll, and its inhabitants (then numbering some 450 people) were given a year's notice to quit their homes, which essentially meant an enforced leaving of the island. (Most of the population of Rum were tenant farmers, paying rent to the island's owner; in law they neither owned the land they worked or the houses in which they lived.) On 11 July 1826, about 300 of the inhabitants boarded two overcrowded ships — the Highland Lad and the Dove of Harmony — bound for Cape Breton
in Nova Scotia
, Canada. Their passage was paid by Dr Lachlan and by Maclean of Coll. The remaining population followed them in 1827 on the St. Lawrence, along with some 150 inhabitants from the island of Muck
, another of Maclean of Coll's properties. These evictions were part of a wider event that came to be known as the Highland Clearances
, during which people whose culture had existed there for millennia were forced to emigrate.
In 1827, when giving evidence to a government select committee on emigration, an agent of Maclean of Coll was asked "And were the people willing to go?" "Some of them", came the reply, "Others were not very willing, they did not like to leave the land of their ancestors". Years later an eyewitness, a local shepherd, was more forthcoming in his description of the events: "The people of the island were carried off in one mass, for ever, from the sea-girt spot where they were born and bred... The wild outcries of the men and heart-breaking wails of the women and children filled all the air between the mountainous shore of the bay".
Dr Lachlan turned Rum into a sheep farm, with its population replaced by some 8000 blackface sheep, but the price of mutton and wool was in decline. In 1839 Lachlan was forced to relinquish his tenancy of Rum, bankrupt, penniless and, in the words of a Cape Breton letter from 1897, "much worse off than the comfortable people he turned out of Rum 13 years previously". The same letter described Lachlan as "the Curse and Scourge of the Highland Crofters".
In 1844 the visiting geologist, Hugh Miller
, wrote:
MacLean of Coll sold the island to the Marquess of Salisbury
in 1845, who converted it into a sporting estate. The island was then owned by the Campbell family from 1870 to 1888, when John Bullough, a cotton machinery manufacturer and self-made millionaire from Accrington
in Lancashire
, acquired the island, and continued to use it for recreational purposes. The estate's prospectus for the 1888 sale described Rum as "the most picturesque of the islands which lie off the west coast of Scotland" and "as a sporting estate it has at present few equals". It gave its population as between 60 and 70, all either shepherds or estate workers and their families. There were no crofts on the island. When Bullough died in 1891 he was buried on Rum, in a rock-cut mausoleum under an octagonal stone tower. This was later demolished and his sarcophagus moved into an elaborate mausoleum modelled as a Greek temple. He was succeeded in the ownership of Rum by his son, George Bullough.
in 1900 using sandstone quarried at Annan
in Dumfries and Galloway
(some sources say the stone was from Arran
).
At this time there were about 100 people employed on the estate. Fourteen under-gardeners, who were paid extra to wear kilt
s, worked on the extensive grounds that included a nine-hole golf course, tennis and squash
courts, heated turtle and alligator ponds and an aviary
including birds of paradise and humming birds. Soil for the grounds was imported from Ayrshire
and figs, peaches, grapes and nectarines were grown in greenhouses. The interior boasted an orchestrion
that could simulate the sounds of brass, drum and woodwind, an air-conditioned billiards
room, and a jacuzzi
. This opulence could not be sustained indefinitely. The Bullough finances gradually declined in the 1920s, and their interest in, and visits to Rum decreased. Sir George died in France in July 1939 — he was interred in the family mausoleum on Rum. His widow continued to visit Rum as late as 1954. She died in London in 1967, aged 98, and was buried next to her husband in the Rum mausoleum. In 1957 Lady Bullough had sold the whole island, save for the Mausoleum, but including the castle and its contents, to the Nature Conservancy Council (now Scottish Natural Heritage
) for the "knock-down price of £23,000" on the understanding that it would be used as a National Nature Reserve
.
Main source: Rixson (2001)
from 1976 to 2002, a Site of Special Scientific Interest
in 1987, and has seventeen sites scheduled as nationally important ancient monuments.
The Red Deer population has been the subject of research for many years, recently under the leadership of Tim Clutton-Brock
of the University of Cambridge
. These efforts are based at the remote bay of Kilmory in the north of the island. It has been important in the development of sociobiology
and behavioural ecology, particularly in relation to the understanding of aggression
through game theory
.
, feral goats (Capra hircus) and Highland cattle
. The pony herd, which now numbers about a dozen animals, was first recorded on the island in 1772, and in 1775 they were described as being "very small, but a breed of eminent beauty". They are small in stature, averaging only 13 hands
in height and all have a dark stripe down their backs and zebra stripes on their forelegs. These features have led to speculation that they may be related to primitive northern European breeds, although it is more likely that they originate from the western Mediterranean
. It is sometimes claimed that they are descended from animals that travelled with the Spanish Armada
, although it is probable that they arrived by more conventional means. The goat stocks were improved for stalking
in the early 20th century and acquired a reputation for the size of their horns and the thickness of their fleeces. The flock of about 200 spends most of its time on the western sea cliffs. The native cattle were re-introduced in 1970, having been absent since the 19th century clearances. The herd of 30 grazes in the Harris area from September to June, and further north in Glen Shellesder in the summer months.
s is one of the largest breeding colonies in the world. These migrating birds that spend their winters in the South Atlantic off Brazil
, and return to Rùm every summer to breed in underground burrows high in the Cuillin Hills. White-tailed Sea Eagles
were exterminated on the island by 1912 and later became extinct in Scotland. A programme of reintroduction began in 1975, and within ten years 82 young sea eagles from Norway had been released. There is now a successful breeding population in the wild.
There are Brown Trout
, European Eel
and Three-spined Stickleback
in the streams, and Salmon
occasionally run in the Kinloch River. The only amphibian
found on Rum is the Palmate Newt
and the only reptile
native to Rum is the Common Lizard
. Invertebrate
s are diverse and have been studied there since 1884, numerous species of damsel fly, dragonfly
, beetle
, butterflies
, moth
s etc. having been recorded. Several rare upland species are found on the ultrabasic slopes of Barkeval, Hallival and Askival including the ground beetles Leistus montanus and Amara quenseli. The midge
(Culicoides impunctatus), a biting gnat, occurs in "unbelievable numbers".
In October 2006 the popular Autumnwatch series on BBC
television showed coverage of the deer rut
at Kilmory Bay.
A tree nursery was established at Kinloch in 1960 in order to support a substantial programme of re-introducing twenty native species including Silver Birch
, Hawthorn
, Rowan
and Holly. The forested area, which consists of over a million re-introduced native trees and shrubs, is essentially confined to the vicinity of Kinloch and the slopes near this site surrounding Loch Scresort and on nearby Meall á Ghoirtein. The island's flora came to widespread attention with the 1999 publication of the book A Rum Affair by Karl Sabbagh, a British writer and television producer. The book told of a long-running scientific controversy over the alleged discovery of certain plants on Rùm by botanist John William Heslop Harrison — discoveries that are now considered to be fraudulent. Heslop Harrison is widely believed to have placed many of these plants on the island himself to provide evidence for his theory about the geological development of the Hebridean islands
. Nonetheless, the native flora offers much of interest. There are rare Arctic Sandwort
and Alpine Pennycress
, endemic varieties of the Heath Spotted-orchid
and Eyebright
, as well as more common species such as Sundew
, Butterwort
, Blue Heath Milkwort and Roseroot
. A total of 590 higher plant and fern taxa have been recorded.
The entire island is owned and managed as a single estate by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). As noted above, the island has a transient population comprising employees of SNH and their families, researchers, and a teacher. Until recently SNH have been opposed to the development of the island as a genuine community, but there has been a change in approach since the beginning of 2007. Di Alexander, development manager for the Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust has said: "It has been clear for many years that the small community on Rum needs to increase and diversify its housing supply away from exclusively SNH-tied housing. Even a couple of new rented houses could make such a difference to the community's wellbeing."
Surprisingly perhaps, on an 10,500 hectare (26,000 acre) estate with a population less than thirty, an issue has been lack of land for building. However, an SNH spokesman has stated "Once we are clear what the trust's priorities are, we will release the land". The Prince's Regeneration Trust, which is drawing up a conservation plan for Kinloch Castle
, may also make proposals for renewable energy generation on the island.
In 2008 a "Rum Task Group", chaired by Lesley Riddoch
, was created to generate proposals for advancing community development opportunities. It reported to Mike Russell MSP
the Minister for Environment
in the Scottish Government, and in June a plan was announced to establish a locally-run trust with the aim of reintroducing crofting
settlements to the area around Kinloch village. In December it was announced that £250,000 of land and buildings are likely to be placed into community ownership, subject to a ballot of the electorate in January 2009.
A Caledonian MacBrayne
ferry, , links Rùm and the neighbouring Small Isles of Canna, Eigg and Muck, to the mainland port of Mallaig
some 27 kilometres (16.8 mi) and 1½ hours sailing time away. The Lochnevis has a landing craft
-style stern ramp allowing vehicles to be driven onto and off the vessel at a new slipway
constructed in 2001. However, visitors are not normally permitted to bring vehicles to the Small Isles. During the summer months the islands are also served by Arisaig Marine's ferry MV Sheerwater from Arisaig, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of Mallaig.
The best anchorage is Loch Scresort, with other bays offering only temporary respites from poor weather. Robert Buchanan
writing in the 19th century described it as:
In the summer of 2002 a reality TV
programme titled Escape from Experiment Island was filmed on the island. This short-lived show (6 episodes) was produced by the BBC
in conjunction with the Discovery Channel
. The show was to piggyback on the success of Junkyard Wars by having the teams build vehicles to escape from the island.
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
name often anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
to Rum) is one of the Small Isles
Small Isles
The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...
of the Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
, in the district of Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
, Scotland. For much of the 20th century the name became Rhum, a spelling invented by the former owner, Sir George Bullough, because he did not relish the idea of having the title "Laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
of Rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
".
It is the largest of the Small Isles, and the fifteenth largest Scottish island, but is inhabited by only about thirty or so people, all of whom live in the village of Kinloch
Kinloch Castle
Kinloch Castle is a late Victorian mansion located on the Isle of Rùm, one of the Small Isles off the west coast of Scotland. It was built as a private residence for Sir George Bullough, a textile tycoon from Lancashire whose father bought Rùm as his summer residence and shooting estate....
on the east coast. The island has been inhabited since the 8th millennium BC and provides some of the earliest known evidence of human occupation in Scotland. The early Celtic and Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
settlers left only a few written accounts and artefacts. From the 12th to 13th centuries on, the island was held by various clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
s including the MacLeans
Clan MacLean
Clan Maclean is a Highland Scottish clan. They are one of the oldest clans in the Highlands and owned large tracts of land in Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides. Many early MacLeans became famous for their honour, strength and courage in battle. They were involved in many clan skirmishes with...
of Coll
Coll
Coll is a small island, west of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and for Breachacha Castle.-Geography and geology:...
. The population grew to over 400 by the late 18th century but was cleared
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
of its indigenous population between 1826 and 1828. The island then became a sporting estate, the exotic Kinloch Castle
Kinloch Castle
Kinloch Castle is a late Victorian mansion located on the Isle of Rùm, one of the Small Isles off the west coast of Scotland. It was built as a private residence for Sir George Bullough, a textile tycoon from Lancashire whose father bought Rùm as his summer residence and shooting estate....
being constructed by the Bulloughs in 1900. Rùm was purchased by the Nature Conservancy Council
Nature Conservancy Council
The Nature Conservancy Council was a United Kingdom government agency responsible for designating and managing National Nature Reserves and other nature conservation areas in Great Britain between 1973 and 1991 ....
in 1957.
Rum is volcanic in origin, and its mountains have been eroded by Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
glaciation. It is now an important study site for research in ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, especially of Red Deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
, and is the site of a successful reintroduction programme for the White-tailed Sea Eagle
White-tailed Eagle
The White-tailed Eagle , also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne , or White-tailed Sea-eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers...
. Its economy is entirely dependent on Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
, a public body that now manages the island, and there have been calls for a greater diversity of housing provision. A Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
ferry links the island with the mainland town of Mallaig
Mallaig
Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...
.
Etymology and placenames
Haswell-Smith (2004) suggests that Rum is "probably" pre-Celtic, but may be Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
rõm-øy for "wide island" or Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
ì-dhruim (iˈɣɾɯim) meaning "isle of the ridge". Ross (2007) notes that there is a written record of Ruim from 677 and suggests "spacious island" from the Gaelic rùm. Mac an Tàilleir (2003) is unequivocal that Rum is "a pre-Gaelic name and unclear". The origins are therefore speculative, but it is known for certain that George Bullough changed the spelling to Rhum to avoid the association with the alcoholic drink rum. However, the "Rhum" spelling is used on a Kilmory gravestone dated 1843. In 1991 the Nature Conservancy Council of Scotland
Nature Conservancy Council
The Nature Conservancy Council was a United Kingdom government agency responsible for designating and managing National Nature Reserves and other nature conservation areas in Great Britain between 1973 and 1991 ....
(the forerunner to Scottish Natural Heritage) reverted to the use of Rum without the h.
In the 13th century there may be references to the island as Raun-eyja and Raun-eyjum and Dean Munro
Donald Monro (Dean)
Donald Monro was a Scottish clergyman, who wrote an early and historically valuable description of the Hebrides and other Scottish islands and enjoyed the honorific title of “Dean of the Isles”.-Origins:...
writing in 1549 calls it Ronin. Sea-faring Hebrideans had numerous taboos concerning spoken references to islands. In the case of Rum, use of the usual name was forbidden, the island being referred to as Rìoghachd na Forraiste Fiadhaich — "the kingdom of the wild forest".
The island was cleared of its indigenous population prior to being mapped by the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
, so it is possible that many place names are speculative. Nonetheless, the significant number of Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
-derived names that exist eight centuries after Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
political control ended indicate the importance of their presence on the island. Of the nine hamlets that were mapped in 1801, seven of the names are of Norse origin.
Geography
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
and their families, together with a number of researchers and a school teacher. All the residents live in the village of Kinloch, in the east of the island, which has no church or pub, but does have a village hall and a small primary school. It also has a shop and post office, which is manned by volunteers and keeps irregular hours.
Kinloch is at the head of Loch Scresort, the main anchorage. Kilmory Bay lies to the north. It has a fine beach and the remains of a village, and has for some years served as the base for research into Red Deer (see below). The area is occasionally closed to visitors during the period of the deer rut
Rut (mammalian reproduction)
The rut is the mating season of ruminant animals such as deer, sheep, elk, moose, caribou, ibex, goats, pronghorn and Asian and African antelope....
in the autumn. The western point is the A'Bhrideanach peninsula, and to the southwest lie Wreck Bay, the cliffs of Sgorr Reidh and Harris Bay. The last is the site of the Bullough's mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
. The family decided the first version was inadequate and dynamited it. The second is in the incongruous style of a Greek temple. Papadil (Old Norse: "valley of the hermit") near the southern extremity has the ruins of a lodge built and then abandoned by the Bulloughs.
An 1801 map produced by George Langlands identified nine villages: Kilmory to the north at the head of Glen Kilmory, Samhnan Insir just to the north between Kilmory and Rubha Samhnan Insir, Camas Pliasgiag in the northeast, "Kinlochscresort", (the modern Kinloch), Cove (Laimhrige at Bagh na h-Uamha in the east), Dibidil in the southeast, Papadil in the south, Harris in the southwest, and Guirdil at the head of Glen Shellesder in the northwest.
The island's relief is spectacular, a 19th-century commentator remarking that "the interior is one heap of rude mountains, scarcely possessing an acre of level land". This combination of geology and topography make for less than ideal agricultural conditions, and it is doubtful that more than one tenth of the island has ever been cultivated. In the 18th century average land rental values on Rùm were a third those of neighbouring Eigg
Eigg
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an area of , it is the second largest of the Small Isles after Rùm.-Geography:The main...
, and only a fifth of Canna's
Canna, Scotland
Canna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is long and wide...
.
Mean rainfall is high at 1800 millimetres (70.9 in) at the coast and 3000 millimetres (118.1 in) in the hills. Spring months are usually the driest and winter the wettest, but any month may receive the highest level of precipitation during the year.
Climate
As with the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and Scotland, Rum features a strongly maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters.
There is a MetOffice weather station at Kinloch providing long term climate observations.
Geology
Cuillin
This article is about the Cuillin of Skye. See Rùm for the Cuillin of Rùm.The Cuillin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The true Cuillin are also known as the Black Cuillin to distinguish them from the Red Hills across Glen Sligachan...
of Skye. They are rocky peaks of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
and gabbro
Gabbro
Gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....
, similar in many ways to their better-known namesakes. Geologically, Rùm is the core of a deeply eroded volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
that was active in the Paleogene
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
era some 65-23 million years ago, and which developed on a pre-existing structure of Torridonian
Torridonian
In geology, Torridonian describes a series of Neoproterozoic arenaceous sedimentary rocks, extensively developed in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, and particularly in the district of upper Loch Torridon, a circumstance which suggested the name Torridon Sandstone, first applied to these rocks...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
s resting on Lewisian gneiss
Lewisian complex
The Lewisian complex or Lewisian Gneiss is a suite of Precambrian metamorphic rocks that outcrop in the northwestern part of Scotland, forming part of the Hebridean Terrane. These rocks are of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic age, ranging from 3.0–1.7 Ga. They form the basement on which the...
. Two of the Cuillin are classified as Corbetts: Askival
Askival
Askival is the highest mountain on the island of Rùm, located south of the town of Kinloch, Scotland. It is often climbed as part of a full traverse of the Rùm Cuillin, a rocky range of hills in the south east corner of Rùm, of which Askival is the highest....
and Ainshval, (Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
for "mountain of the ash trees" and "hill of the strongholds" respectively) and Rùm is the smallest Scottish island to have a summit above 762 metres (2,500 ft). Other hills include Hallival, Trollaval ('mountain of the trolls'), Barkeval, and Sgurr nan Gillean (Gaelic: "peak of the young men") in the Cuillin and Ard Nev, Orval, Sròn an t-Saighdeir and Bloodstone Hill in the west. It is likely that only the higher peaks remained above the Pleistocene ice sheets as nunataks.
Hallival and Askival are formed from an extraordinary series of layered igneous rocks created as olivine
Olivine
The mineral olivine is a magnesium iron silicate with the formula 2SiO4. It is a common mineral in the Earth's subsurface but weathers quickly on the surface....
and feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
crystals accumulated at the base of a magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
chamber. The chamber eventually collapsed, forming a caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
. There are swarms of near-vertical dyke
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
s of basalt on the northwest coast between Kilmory and Guirdil, created by basaltic magma forcing its way into fissures in the pre-existing rock. The western hills, although less elevated than the Cuillin, exhibit a superb collection of periglacial
Periglacial
Periglacial is an adjective originally referring to places in the edges of glacial areas, but it has later been widely used in geomorphology to describe any place where geomorphic processes related to freezing of water occur...
landforms including boulder sheets and lobes, turf-banked terraces, ploughing boulders and patterned ground. On Orval and Ard Nev the weathered basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
and granophyre
Granophyre
Granophyre is a subvolcanic rock that contains quartz and alkali feldspar in characteristic angular intergrowths such as those in the accompanying image....
has been sorted by frost heaving into circles 50 centimetres in diameter and weathering on Barkeval has produced unusual rock sculptures. On Sròn an t-Saighdeir there are large sorted granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
boulder circles 2–3 metres across on the flat summit and sorted stripes on the slopes. Lava flowing away from the volcanic centre formed Bloodstone Hill, gas bubbles leaving holes in the structure that were then filled with green agate
Agate
Agate is a microcrystalline variety of silica, chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.-Etymology...
flecked with red. There are some outcrops of the pre-volcanic Lewisian gneiss near Dibidil in the southeast corner of the island, and more extensive deposits of sandstone in the north and east.
Prehistory
Farm Fields, a site near Kinloch, provides some of the earliest known evidence of human occupation in Scotland. Carbonized hazelnutHazelnut
A hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and is also known as a cob nut or filbert nut according to species. A cob is roughly spherical to oval, about 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm in diameter, with an outer fibrous husk surrounding a smooth shell. A filbert is more elongated, being about twice...
shells found there have been dated to the Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
period at 7700-7500 BC. At this time the landscape was dominated by alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
, hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
and willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
scrub. A beach site above Loch Scresort has been dated to between 6500 and 5500 BC. The presence of this hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
community may have been to take advantage of the local supplies of bloodstone
Heliotrope (mineral)
The mineral heliotrope, also known as bloodstone, is a form of chalcedony . The "classic" bloodstone is green chalcedony with red inclusions of iron oxide or red jasper...
, a workable material for the making of tools and weapons. There is a shell-midden at Papadil in the south and evidence of tidal fish traps at both Kinloch and Kilmory.
Examination of peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
cores and pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
records indicates that soil erosion (suggesting clearance of woodland for agricultural purposes) was taking place in 3470 BC and that evidence of arable cultivation by Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
communities exists from 2460 BC. As the climate became damper, peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
expanded at the expense of woodland, and post-glacial sea level changes left raised beaches around the coastline 18–45 metres above the present coastline, especially between Harris and A'Bhrideanach. There are prehistoric fort sites at Kilmory, Papadil and Shellesder of uncertain date.
Early Christian period
St Beccan of Rum may have lived on the island for four decades from 632 AD, his death being recorded in the Annals of Ulster in 677. He is known to have been conservative on doctrinal matters and surviving examples of his poetry suggest a passionate personality. He wrote of ColumbaColumba
Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...
:
- In scores of curraghs with an army of wretches he crossed the long-haired sea.
- He crossed the wave-strewn wild region,
- Foam flecked, seal-filled, savage, bounding, seething, white-tipped, pleasing, doleful.
Simple stone pillars has been found at Kilmory and Bagh na h-Uamha ('bay of the cave') that may date from this period.
Norse rule
The Norse held sway in the Small Isles from 833 until the Treaty of PerthTreaty of Perth
The Treaty of Perth, 1266, ended military conflict between Norway, under King Magnus VI of Norway, and Scotland, under King Alexander III, over the sovereignty of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man....
in 1266. The Macsorley clan held tutelage in the later period of Norse rule from at least 1240, and possibly a century earlier. The only direct evidence of a Norse presence on Rum to date is a piece of carved narwhal ivory unearthed at Bagh na h-Uamh in 1940.
Medieval Scots rule
John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
John of Islay was the Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. In 1336, he styled himself Dominus Insularum, "Lord of the Isles"; because this is the first ever recorded instance of the title in use, modern historians count John as the first of the later medieval Lords of the Isles, although...
, the Scots Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles
The designation Lord of the Isles is today a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It emerged from a series of hybrid Viking/Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of...
. It is possible that during the early medieval period the island was used as a hunting reserve by the nobility (hence the 'taboo name' referred to above). John of Fordun
John of Fordun
John of Fordun was a Scottish chronicler. It is generally stated that he was born at Fordoun, Mearns. It is certain that he was a secular priest, and that he composed his history in the latter part of the 14th century; and it is probable that he was a chaplain in the St Machar's Cathedral of...
indicates that Rum was "with excellent sport, but few inhabitants" and "a wooded and hilly island" in 1380. Two hundred years later Skene noted that
Romb is ane Ile of small profit, except that it conteins mony deir, and for sustentation thairof the same is permittit unlabourit, except twa townis. It is... all hillis and waist glennis, and commodious only for hunting of deir... and will raise 6 or 7 men.
At the same time the much smaller nearby island of Muck
Muck, Scotland
Muck is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It measures roughly 2.5 miles east to west and has a population of around 30, mostly living near the harbour at Port Mòr. The other settlement on the island is the farm at Gallanach...
was able to "raise" 16 able men and in 1625 there were only three villages on Rum, suggesting the population was being deliberately constrained. Substantial stone walls built to funnel deer into pens that may date from this period still exist in the western glens. During the thirteenth century Rum became part of the estates of the powerful Macruari clan for a brief period and then passed into the hands of Clanranald.
16th century
By the mid-16th century, and probably a century earlier, the island was in the possession of the MacLeans of Coll. This transfer may have occurred by extortion, Allan MacRuarie of Clanranald having been held prisoner on CollColl
Coll is a small island, west of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and for Breachacha Castle.-Geography and geology:...
for nine months. In 1549 Munro noted that although the island "pertained" to Coll it "obeys instantlie" to the Macleans of Duart
Duart Castle
Duart Castle or Caisteal Dhubhairt in Scottish Gaelic is a castle on the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute...
, a situation that continued for some time. In 1588 the Small Isles suffered an armed invasion by Lachlan Maclean of Duart
Maclean of Duart
The Macleans of Duart or Maclean of Dowart are the main sept of the Scottish clan Clan Maclean, whose chief has his seat at Duart Castle, Isle of Mull.-History:Lachlan Lubanach Maclean was the first Maclean to occupy Duart Castle....
and his band of cutthroats, including up to one hundred Spaniards shipwrecked in the aftermath of the English defeat of the Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
. He burnt and put the isles to the sword, sparing neither women nor children. At a later date a report received by King James VI indicated that Clanranald had re-occupied the island, but despite these temporary setbacks the island remained in Maclean of Coll's hands for three centuries or more.
17th and 18th centuries
By the late 17th century Rum's status as a hunting reserve went into decline and population numbers started to rise. Black cattle were raised for export to the mainland, fish caught and barley and potatoes grown. More unusually, goats were kept by the inhabitants, the hair being sent to GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and made into wigs for export to America. The economy was in no small part dependent on the bounty of the sea. Edward Clarke visiting in 1797 dined on:
....milk, oatcakes and Lisbon wine. I was surprised to find wine of that species, and of a superior quality in such a hut, but they told us it was part of the freight of some unfortunate vessel wrecked near the island.
This largesse notwithstanding, conditions were primitive. There was no permanent minister and when one visited he was obliged to conduct sermons in the open air, there being no church. Nor was there a mill, and leather was tanned with willow bark and dressed with sea shells due to the lack of lime. Muck
Muck, Scotland
Muck is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It measures roughly 2.5 miles east to west and has a population of around 30, mostly living near the harbour at Port Mòr. The other settlement on the island is the farm at Gallanach...
was valued for land rental purposes the same as the whole of Rum at this time, again indicating the poverty of agriculture on the larger island. The growing population of Rum's demands on the land led to the extermination of the native Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) during the latter half of the 18th century.
James Boswell
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
and Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
met with MacLean of Coll at Talisker
Talisker, Skye
Talisker is a settlement on the Minginish peninsula in the Isle of Skye.-History:Talisker was for centuries a possession of the Clan Macleod. For nearly two hundred years it was associated with a cadet branch of the chiefly line, founded by Sir Roderick Macleod, 1st of Talisker...
on Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
during their 1773 excursion to the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
. Boswell reported that:
After dinner he and I walked to the top of Prieshwell, a very high rocky hill, from whence there is a view of Barra, the Long Island, Bernera, the Loch of Dunvegan, part of Rum, part of Rasay, and a vast deal of the Isle of Skye. Col, though he had come into Skye with an intention to be at Dunvegan, and pass a considerable time in the island, most politely resolved first to conduct us to MullIsle of MullThe Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
, and then to return to Skye. This was a very fortunate circumstance; for he planned an expedition for us of more variety than merely going to Mull. He proposed we should see the islands of Egg, Muck, Col, and Tyr-yi. In all these islands he could shew us every thing worth seeing.
In the event, poor weather prevented the travellers visiting the Small Isles en route to Mull.
19th century
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
industry. The wooded island of five hundred years before was now essentially treeless outside of Kinloch village.
In 1825 the entire island was leased to Dr Lachlan Maclean, a relative of Hugh Maclean of Coll, and its inhabitants (then numbering some 450 people) were given a year's notice to quit their homes, which essentially meant an enforced leaving of the island. (Most of the population of Rum were tenant farmers, paying rent to the island's owner; in law they neither owned the land they worked or the houses in which they lived.) On 11 July 1826, about 300 of the inhabitants boarded two overcrowded ships — the Highland Lad and the Dove of Harmony — bound for Cape Breton
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada. Their passage was paid by Dr Lachlan and by Maclean of Coll. The remaining population followed them in 1827 on the St. Lawrence, along with some 150 inhabitants from the island of Muck
Muck, Scotland
Muck is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It measures roughly 2.5 miles east to west and has a population of around 30, mostly living near the harbour at Port Mòr. The other settlement on the island is the farm at Gallanach...
, another of Maclean of Coll's properties. These evictions were part of a wider event that came to be known as the Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
, during which people whose culture had existed there for millennia were forced to emigrate.
In 1827, when giving evidence to a government select committee on emigration, an agent of Maclean of Coll was asked "And were the people willing to go?" "Some of them", came the reply, "Others were not very willing, they did not like to leave the land of their ancestors". Years later an eyewitness, a local shepherd, was more forthcoming in his description of the events: "The people of the island were carried off in one mass, for ever, from the sea-girt spot where they were born and bred... The wild outcries of the men and heart-breaking wails of the women and children filled all the air between the mountainous shore of the bay".
Dr Lachlan turned Rum into a sheep farm, with its population replaced by some 8000 blackface sheep, but the price of mutton and wool was in decline. In 1839 Lachlan was forced to relinquish his tenancy of Rum, bankrupt, penniless and, in the words of a Cape Breton letter from 1897, "much worse off than the comfortable people he turned out of Rum 13 years previously". The same letter described Lachlan as "the Curse and Scourge of the Highland Crofters".
In 1844 the visiting geologist, Hugh Miller
Hugh Miller
Hugh Miller was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian.- Life and work :Born in Cromarty, he was educated in a parish school where he reportedly showed a love of reading. At 17 he was apprenticed to a stonemason, and his work in quarries, together with...
, wrote:
The single sheep-farmer who had occupied the holdings of so many had been unfortunate in his speculations, and had left the island: the proprietor, his landlord seemed to have been as little fortunate as his tenant, for the island itself was in the market; and a report went current at the time that it was on the eve of being purchased by some wealthy Englishman, who purposed converting it into a deer forest. How strange a cycle!
MacLean of Coll sold the island to the Marquess of Salisbury
Marquess of Salisbury
Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for the 7th Earl of Salisbury. Most of the holders of the title have been prominent in British political life over the last two centuries, particularly the 3rd Marquess, who served three times as Prime Minister...
in 1845, who converted it into a sporting estate. The island was then owned by the Campbell family from 1870 to 1888, when John Bullough, a cotton machinery manufacturer and self-made millionaire from Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, acquired the island, and continued to use it for recreational purposes. The estate's prospectus for the 1888 sale described Rum as "the most picturesque of the islands which lie off the west coast of Scotland" and "as a sporting estate it has at present few equals". It gave its population as between 60 and 70, all either shepherds or estate workers and their families. There were no crofts on the island. When Bullough died in 1891 he was buried on Rum, in a rock-cut mausoleum under an octagonal stone tower. This was later demolished and his sarcophagus moved into an elaborate mausoleum modelled as a Greek temple. He was succeeded in the ownership of Rum by his son, George Bullough.
20th century
George Bullough (later Sir George), built Kinloch CastleKinloch Castle
Kinloch Castle is a late Victorian mansion located on the Isle of Rùm, one of the Small Isles off the west coast of Scotland. It was built as a private residence for Sir George Bullough, a textile tycoon from Lancashire whose father bought Rùm as his summer residence and shooting estate....
in 1900 using sandstone quarried at Annan
Annan, Dumfries and Galloway
The royal burgh of Annan is a well-built town, red sandstone being the material mainly used. Each year in July, Annan celebrates the Royal Charter and the boundaries of the Royal Burgh are confirmed when a mounted cavalcade undertakes the Riding of the Marches. Entertainment includes a...
in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
(some sources say the stone was from Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
).
At this time there were about 100 people employed on the estate. Fourteen under-gardeners, who were paid extra to wear kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
s, worked on the extensive grounds that included a nine-hole golf course, tennis and squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
courts, heated turtle and alligator ponds and an aviary
Aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...
including birds of paradise and humming birds. Soil for the grounds was imported from Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
and figs, peaches, grapes and nectarines were grown in greenhouses. The interior boasted an orchestrion
Orchestrion
An orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band. Orchestrions may be operated by means of a large pinned cylinder or by a music roll and less commonly book music. The sound is usually produced by pipes, though they will be voiced...
that could simulate the sounds of brass, drum and woodwind, an air-conditioned billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
room, and a jacuzzi
Jacuzzi
Jacuzzi is a company that produces whirlpool bathtubs and spas. Its first product was a bath with massaging jets. The term "jacuzzi" is now often used generically to refer to any bathtub with massaging jets.-History:...
. This opulence could not be sustained indefinitely. The Bullough finances gradually declined in the 1920s, and their interest in, and visits to Rum decreased. Sir George died in France in July 1939 — he was interred in the family mausoleum on Rum. His widow continued to visit Rum as late as 1954. She died in London in 1967, aged 98, and was buried next to her husband in the Rum mausoleum. In 1957 Lady Bullough had sold the whole island, save for the Mausoleum, but including the castle and its contents, to the Nature Conservancy Council (now Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
) for the "knock-down price of £23,000" on the understanding that it would be used as a National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
.
Overview of population trends
| Year | 1595 | 1625 | 1728 | 1755 | 1764 | 1768 | 1772 | 1786 | 1794 | 1807 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1891 | 1991 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 30-5 | 17+ | c.179 | 206 | 304 | 302 | 325 | 300 | 443 | 443 | 394 | 134 | 124 | 53 | 26 | 22 |
Main source: Rixson (2001)
Ecology
Rùm is an important study site for research in ecology and numerous academic papers have been produced based on work undertaken on the island. In addition to its status as Nature Reserve, Rùm was designated a Biosphere ReserveBiosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
from 1976 to 2002, a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
in 1987, and has seventeen sites scheduled as nationally important ancient monuments.
Red Deer
Tim Clutton-Brock
Timothy Hugh Clutton-Brock, MA PhD ScD FRS is a British zoologist known for his comparative studies of the behavioural ecology of mammals, particularly red deer and meerkats.-Career:...
of the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. These efforts are based at the remote bay of Kilmory in the north of the island. It has been important in the development of sociobiology
Sociobiology
Sociobiology is a field of scientific study which is based on the assumption that social behavior has resulted from evolution and attempts to explain and examine social behavior within that context. Often considered a branch of biology and sociology, it also draws from ethology, anthropology,...
and behavioural ecology, particularly in relation to the understanding of aggression
Aggression
In psychology, as well as other social and behavioral sciences, aggression refers to behavior between members of the same species that is intended to cause humiliation, pain, or harm. Ferguson and Beaver defined aggressive behavior as "Behavior which is intended to increase the social dominance of...
through game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
.
Ponies, goats and cattle
The island has small herds of poniesPony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
, feral goats (Capra hircus) and Highland cattle
Highland cattle
Highland cattle or kyloe are a Scottish breed of beef cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun....
. The pony herd, which now numbers about a dozen animals, was first recorded on the island in 1772, and in 1775 they were described as being "very small, but a breed of eminent beauty". They are small in stature, averaging only 13 hands
Hand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
in height and all have a dark stripe down their backs and zebra stripes on their forelegs. These features have led to speculation that they may be related to primitive northern European breeds, although it is more likely that they originate from the western Mediterranean
Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...
. It is sometimes claimed that they are descended from animals that travelled with the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
, although it is probable that they arrived by more conventional means. The goat stocks were improved for stalking
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
in the early 20th century and acquired a reputation for the size of their horns and the thickness of their fleeces. The flock of about 200 spends most of its time on the western sea cliffs. The native cattle were re-introduced in 1970, having been absent since the 19th century clearances. The herd of 30 grazes in the Harris area from September to June, and further north in Glen Shellesder in the summer months.
Other fauna
Rùm is also noted for its bird life. The population of 70,000 Manx ShearwaterManx Shearwater
The Manx Shearwater is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. The scientific name of this species records a name shift: Manx Shearwaters were called Manks Puffins in the 17th century. Puffin is an Anglo-Norman word for the cured carcasses of nestling shearwaters...
s is one of the largest breeding colonies in the world. These migrating birds that spend their winters in the South Atlantic off Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and return to Rùm every summer to breed in underground burrows high in the Cuillin Hills. White-tailed Sea Eagles
White-tailed Eagle
The White-tailed Eagle , also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne , or White-tailed Sea-eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers...
were exterminated on the island by 1912 and later became extinct in Scotland. A programme of reintroduction began in 1975, and within ten years 82 young sea eagles from Norway had been released. There is now a successful breeding population in the wild.
There are Brown Trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, European Eel
European eel
The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is a species of eel, a snake-like, catadromous fish. They can reach in exceptional cases a length of 1½ m, but are normally much smaller, about 60–80 cm, and rarely more than 1 m....
and Three-spined Stickleback
Three-spined stickleback
The three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is a fish native to much of northern Europe, northern Asia and North America. It has been introduced into parts of southern and central Europe.-Distribution and morphological variation:...
in the streams, and Salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
occasionally run in the Kinloch River. The only amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
found on Rum is the Palmate Newt
Palmate Newt
The Palmate Newt is a species of newt found in most of Western Europe, including Great Britain. It is protected by law in all countries where it occurs, and is thought to be extremely rare to endangered in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and vulnerable in Spain and Poland but common...
and the only reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
native to Rum is the Common Lizard
Viviparous lizard
The viviparous lizard or common lizard is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other reptile species, and most populations are viviparous , rather than laying eggs as most other lizards do.-Identification:The length of the body is less than...
. Invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s are diverse and have been studied there since 1884, numerous species of damsel fly, dragonfly
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
, beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
, butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s etc. having been recorded. Several rare upland species are found on the ultrabasic slopes of Barkeval, Hallival and Askival including the ground beetles Leistus montanus and Amara quenseli. The midge
Highland midge
The Highland midge is a species of small flying insect, found in upland and lowland areas especially in the north west of Scotland from late spring to late summer...
(Culicoides impunctatus), a biting gnat, occurs in "unbelievable numbers".
In October 2006 the popular Autumnwatch series on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television showed coverage of the deer rut
Rut (mammalian reproduction)
The rut is the mating season of ruminant animals such as deer, sheep, elk, moose, caribou, ibex, goats, pronghorn and Asian and African antelope....
at Kilmory Bay.
Flora
Silver Birch
Betula pendula is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus...
, Hawthorn
Common Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna, known as common hawthorn or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of hawthorn native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia. It has been introduced in many other parts of the world where it is an invasive weed...
, Rowan
Sorbus aucuparia
Sorbus aucuparia , is a species of the genus Sorbus, native to most of Europe except for the far south, and northern Asia...
and Holly. The forested area, which consists of over a million re-introduced native trees and shrubs, is essentially confined to the vicinity of Kinloch and the slopes near this site surrounding Loch Scresort and on nearby Meall á Ghoirtein. The island's flora came to widespread attention with the 1999 publication of the book A Rum Affair by Karl Sabbagh, a British writer and television producer. The book told of a long-running scientific controversy over the alleged discovery of certain plants on Rùm by botanist John William Heslop Harrison — discoveries that are now considered to be fraudulent. Heslop Harrison is widely believed to have placed many of these plants on the island himself to provide evidence for his theory about the geological development of the Hebridean islands
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
. Nonetheless, the native flora offers much of interest. There are rare Arctic Sandwort
Minuartia
Minuartia is a genus of small flowering plants, one of those commonly known as "sandwort" or "stitchwort". The genus is classed within the family Caryophyllaceae, the pink family, characterised by its opposite and decussate leaves....
and Alpine Pennycress
Alpine Pennycress
Thlaspi caerulescens, Alpine Pennycress and also known as Alpine Pennygrass, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is found in the Western United States, Scandinavia, and Europe.-Description:...
, endemic varieties of the Heath Spotted-orchid
Dactylorhiza maculata
The Heath Spotted Orchid or Moorland Spotted Orchid , is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae.-Etymology:...
and Eyebright
Euphrasia
Euphrasia is a genus of about 450 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae , with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are semi-parasitic on grasses and other plants...
, as well as more common species such as Sundew
Sundew
Drosera, commonly known as the sundews, comprise one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surface. The insects are used to supplement...
, Butterwort
Pinguicula
The butterworts are a group of carnivorous plants comprising the genus Pinguicula. Members of this genus use sticky, glandular leaves to lure, trap, and digest insects in order to supplement the poor mineral nutrition they obtain from the environments. Of the roughly 80 currently known species, 12...
, Blue Heath Milkwort and Roseroot
Rhodiola rosea
Rhodiola rosea is a plant in the Crassulaceae family that grows in cold regions of the world. These include much of the Arctic, the mountains of Central Asia, the Rocky Mountains, and mountainous parts of Europe, such as the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathian Mountains, Scandinavia, Iceland, Great...
. A total of 590 higher plant and fern taxa have been recorded.
Economy, transport and culture
Surprisingly perhaps, on an 10,500 hectare (26,000 acre) estate with a population less than thirty, an issue has been lack of land for building. However, an SNH spokesman has stated "Once we are clear what the trust's priorities are, we will release the land". The Prince's Regeneration Trust, which is drawing up a conservation plan for Kinloch Castle
Kinloch Castle
Kinloch Castle is a late Victorian mansion located on the Isle of Rùm, one of the Small Isles off the west coast of Scotland. It was built as a private residence for Sir George Bullough, a textile tycoon from Lancashire whose father bought Rùm as his summer residence and shooting estate....
, may also make proposals for renewable energy generation on the island.
In 2008 a "Rum Task Group", chaired by Lesley Riddoch
Lesley Riddoch
Lesley Riddoch is a British radio broadcaster and journalist who lives in Perth.-Early career:Lesley Riddoch was born in England in 1963, spent her childhood in Belfast then moved to Glasgow in 1973 where she attended a local fee-paying private school...
, was created to generate proposals for advancing community development opportunities. It reported to Mike Russell MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
the Minister for Environment
Minister for Environment
The Minister for Environment and Climate Change is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet unless his / her Cabinet Secretary is absent...
in the Scottish Government, and in June a plan was announced to establish a locally-run trust with the aim of reintroducing crofting
Croft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
settlements to the area around Kinloch village. In December it was announced that £250,000 of land and buildings are likely to be placed into community ownership, subject to a ballot of the electorate in January 2009.
A Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
ferry, , links Rùm and the neighbouring Small Isles of Canna, Eigg and Muck, to the mainland port of Mallaig
Mallaig
Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...
some 27 kilometres (16.8 mi) and 1½ hours sailing time away. The Lochnevis has a landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
-style stern ramp allowing vehicles to be driven onto and off the vessel at a new slipway
Slipway
A slipway, boat slip or just a slip, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers and flying boats on their undercarriage. The...
constructed in 2001. However, visitors are not normally permitted to bring vehicles to the Small Isles. During the summer months the islands are also served by Arisaig Marine's ferry MV Sheerwater from Arisaig, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of Mallaig.
Robert Williams Buchanan
Robert Williams Buchanan was a Scottish poet, novelist and dramatist.- Early life and education :He was the son of Robert Buchanan , Owenite lecturer and journalist, and was born at Caverswall, Staffordshire, England...
writing in the 19th century described it as:
As sweet a little nook as ever Ulysses mooned away a day in, during his memorable voyage homeward. Though merely a small bay, about a mile in breadth, and curving inland for a mile and a half, it is quite sheltered from all winds save the east, being flanked to the south and west by Haskeval and Hondeval, and guarded on the northern side by a low range of heathery slopes. In this sunny time, the sheep are bleating from the shores, the yacht lies double, yacht and shadow, and the bay is painted richly with the clear reflection of the mountains.
In the summer of 2002 a reality TV
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
programme titled Escape from Experiment Island was filmed on the island. This short-lived show (6 episodes) was produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in conjunction with the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. The show was to piggyback on the success of Junkyard Wars by having the teams build vehicles to escape from the island.
See also
- Small IslesSmall IslesThe Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...
- Beccán mac LuigdechBeccán mac LuigdechBeccán mac Luigdech was a 7th-century Irish poet and monk of Iona. He is known for having composed two vernacular poems, Fo réir Choluimb and Tiugraind Beccáin , which were written c. 640 in praise of St Columba, the founder of Iona...
- Religion of the Yellow StickReligion of the Yellow StickThe religion of the yellow stick was a facetious name given to the forced "belief" of certain churchgoers in the Hebrides of Scotland. Such actions, however, were not unique to the Hebrides, but occurred in other parts of Scotland in sterner times....
- Geology of ScotlandGeology of ScotlandThe geology of Scotland is unusually varied for a country of its size, with a large number of differing geological features. There are three main geographical sub-divisions: the Highlands and Islands is a diverse area which lies to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault; the Central...
- Timeline of prehistoric ScotlandTimeline of prehistoric ScotlandThis timeline of prehistoric Scotland is a chronologically ordered list of important archaeological sites in Scotland and of major events affecting Scotland's human inhabitants and culture during the prehistoric period. The period of prehistory prior to occupation by the genus Homo is part of the...
Further reading
- Cameron, Archie (1998) Bare Feet and Tackety Boots: A Boyhood on the Island of Rum. Luath Press. ISBN 0-946487-17-0.
- John A. Love (2001) Rum: A Landscape Without Figures. Edinburgh. Birlinn.
- Pearman, D.A.; Preston, C.D.; Rothero, G.P.; and Walker, K. J. (2008) The Flora of Rum. Truro. D.A. Pearman. ISBN978-0-9538111-3-7