|
-- History --
Norse settlers named it Fridarey - the island of peace - but this
stepping stone in the sea was also vital in times of strife, when
the Earls of Orkney and Viking warlords before them used it as
a look-out post and for sending fire signals to and from Shetland.
The sagas tell how Kari the Viking wintered here on his voyage
to the Hebrides. Later it was visited by the brave men who brought
Christianity to the north. For thousands of years Fair Isle has
been a useful landmark for shipping but in storms and fog its
coastline is highly dangerous.
Over
the centuries the island changed hands many times, paying rent
in butter, cloth and fish oil - usually to absentee landlords
who rarely visited. Communications with the outside world were
difficult and sporadic. Only in the late 20th century did the
island acquire a safe summer harbour, at North Haven, and even
today the mailboat has to be hauled out of the water from the
reach of winter storms.
Fair
Isle has been more intensively studied by archaeologists than
almost any area of its size in Scotland. They’ve found evidence
that the isle may have been settled by Neolithic people up to
5,000 years ago. There are traces of oval-shaped stone houses,
perhaps 3,000 years old, and lines of turf and stone walls, or
dykes, which snake across the landscape. The "Feely Dyke",
a massive turf rampart which divides the common grazings from
the crofts, may also be prehistoric.
The
island’s historic role as a signal station continues today
with its high-technology relay stations carrying vital TV, radio,
telephone and military communication links between Shetland, Orkney
and the Scottish mainland.
Today
the island has a steady population of around 70, most of whom
are involved in either Farming or Fishing. |
