The Other British Isles

Their names bespeak a rich past. From the Norse Hjaltland comes the modern Shetland: islands nominally Scottish, steeped in Nordic culture, closer to the Arctic Circle than to London. Important Neolithic sites are at Skara Brae and Maes Howe in the Orkneys. Holy Iona, island center of Celtic Christianity, the Isle of Man, former seat of rule over the Irish Sea, and Anglesey and Islay, homes of medieval courts at Aberffraw and Loch Finlaggan, are just a few of the more than 6,000 islands that form the archipelago known as the British Isles. The offshore isles are home to half a million people. Focusing on the eight islands or chains that have long supported substantial populations, this history tells the stories of Shetland, Orkney, the Hebrides, Anglesey, the Channel Islands, the Scilly Isles, and the Isles of Man and Wight, from their Neolithic settlement, to Roman, Norse and Norman occupation, to the struggle to maintain their uniqueness in today’s world. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

British-born David W. Moore, a college history professor, lives in Huntington Beach, California.

David W. Moore

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 287
Bibliographic Info: maps, tables, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011 [2005]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6434-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8924-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments       v
List of Maps      viii
Preface      1

1. Shetland: “Ultima Thule”      5
2. Orkney: “Land of Saga”      30
3. The Western Isles: “Hebridean Odyssey”      57
4. Isle of Man: “Little Manx Nation”      93
5. Isle of Anglesey: “Mother of Wales”      127
6. The Isles of Scilly: “Last Port of Call”      158
7. Isle of Wight: “John Bull’s Other Island”      183
8. The Channel Islands: “Morceaux de France”      211

Appendix 1. Geographical Descriptions      249
Appendix 2. Scottish Islands: Population 1755–2001      250
Appendix 3. English and Welsh Islands: Population 1750–2001      251
Appendix 4. 2001 Census Returns for the Other Isles      252
Appendix 5. Political Profiles      253
Appendix 6. 20th Century Economic Profile      256
Selected Reading List      258
Index      261

• “recommended”—Choice
• “fascinating”—ARBA
• “a wealth of detail…a sound piece of work”—Journal of British Studies