48-523: Muckle Flugga ( / ˈ m ʌ k əl ˈ f l ʌ ɡ ə / ) is a small rocky island north of Unst in the Shetland Islands , Scotland. It is often described as the northernmost point of the British Isles , but the smaller islet of Out Stack is actually further north. It used to be the northernmost inhabited island, but forfeited that accolade to Unst when Muckle Flugga Lighthouse
96-496: A 26-bedroom bunkhouse, restaurant and bar, leisure facilities and a guided walks/evening talks programme. Three local businesses relocated their premises to the Saxa Vord site: Unst Cycle Hire, Valhalla Brewery and Foord's Chocolates, Shetland's only chocolatier. A few years later the radar station resumed operations as Remote Radar Head Saxa Vord . is a gin and whisky distillery on Unst. In 2017, Frank Strang established
144-682: A high-level official in Norway, remanded Orkney to the Bergenhus Fortress , while Anna sued him for abandonment and return of her dowry. Anna may have had a soft spot for Orkney, as he persuaded her to take custody of his ship, as compensation. Orkney would have been released, but King Frederick heard that the Scottish government was seeking Orkney for the murder of Darnley, and decided to take him into custody in Denmark. The Duke of Orkney
192-532: A native-born subject, and handed it to Bothwell. On 24 April, while Mary was on the road from Linlithgow Palace to Edinburgh, Bothwell suddenly appeared with 800 men. He assured her that danger awaited her in Edinburgh, and told her that he proposed to take her to his castle at Dunbar , out of harm's way. She agreed to accompany him and arrived at Dunbar at midnight. There, Mary was taken prisoner by Bothwell and allegedly raped by him to secure marriage to her and
240-628: A scandal involving his sister Jean Hepburn . After Protestant Lords gained power following Mary of Guise's death and the return to Scotland of Mary, Queen of Scots, Bothwell appears to have been not much more than a troublesome noble at court. His open quarrel with the Earl of Arran and the Hamiltons, who accused him of intriguing against the Crown, caused some degree of anguish to the Queen, and although
288-655: A sea battle for three hours before sailing to Norway. A later sheriff, Laurence Bruce , built Muness Castle in 1598. The Rev Dr James Ingram (1776–1879) was minister of Unst from 1821. In the Disruption of 1843 , he and most of the Unst population, left the established church and joined the Free Church of Scotland (a very typical pattern in the Highlands and Islands). He erected a new church at Uyeasound , funded by
336-564: A section of oceanic crust from the Iapetus ocean which was destroyed during the Caledonian orogeny . Unst was once the location of several chromite quarries, one of which was served by the now-disused Hagdale Chromate Railway from 1907 to 1937. Unst is the type locality for the mineral theophrastite , a nickel-magnesium variant of the mineral, (Ni,Mg)(OH) 2 , having been discovered at Hagdale in 1960. On 7 January 2007, Unst
384-401: A year). In the following autumn, upon hearing that he had been seriously wounded and was likely to die, she rode from Jedburgh to be with him at Hermitage Castle . However, historian Antonia Fraser asserts that Queen Mary was already on her way to visit Bothwell on matters of state before she heard about his illness, and that therefore this visit is not evidence they were already lovers at
432-548: Is important for its seabird colonies, including those at Hermaness National Nature Reserve . It is also known for its plant life, including the Norwegian sandwort and Shetland Mouse-ear , the latter unique to the island. On the island, the commonly seen Great skua is known as the "bonxie". James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( c. 1534 – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell ,
480-545: Is near the eastermost point of Unst, several kilometers removed from Saxa Vord hill. In January 2021, plans were submitted for three rocket launch pads and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced on 17 December 2023 that SaxaVord had been granted a spaceport licence "to host up to 30 launches a year", making it "the first fully licensed vertical spaceport in Western Europe." Unst
528-523: Is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands , Scotland . It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell . It has an area of 46 sq mi (120 km ). Unst is largely grassland , with coastal cliffs. Its main village is Baltasound , formerly the second-largest herring fishing port after Lerwick and now
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#1732775821144576-424: Is only used for emergency flights. Saxa Vord is the highest hill on Unst at 935 ft (285 m). It holds the unofficial British record for wind speed , which in 1992 was recorded at 197 mph (317 km/h) — just before the measuring equipment blew away. The weather station which recorded the windspeed was part of Royal Air Force radar station RAF Saxa Vord , which temporarily closed in 2006, with
624-588: Is the plural of fetill and means 'shoulder-straps', Ǫmstr is 'corn-stack' and í Ála is from ál meaning 'deep furrow'. However, these descriptions are hardly obvious ones as island names and are probably adaptations of a pre-Norse language. This may have been Pictish but there is no clear evidence for this. Taylor (1898) has suggested a derivation from the Old Norse Ornyst meaning 'eagle's nest'. The Shetland Amenity Trust's "Viking Unst" project excavated and displayed part of
672-982: The Edinburgh Wax Museum on the Royal Mile , as the only non-wax exhibit. The guide book claimed it was brought to Scotland in 1858. Her begynder det danske forløb. Jarlen blev ført til Bergen, hvor han tilfældigvis stødte på Anna Trundsen, som havde slået sig ned i byen efter at være blevet droppet af jarlen i Skotland. Nu måtte han igennem en ydmygende retssag, inden han blev ført til København, fængslet på slottet og senere flyttet til Malmøhus. I denne periode, hvor det endnu var usikkert om den nye skotske regering ville overleve, var jarlen lidt af en politisk varm kartoffel for Frederik II. Da det viste sig, at Mary Stuart ikke ville komme til magten igen, mistede jarlen sin betydning og blev overført til Dragsholm slot, muligvis fordi han var blevet sindssyg. Der døde han så i april 1578. In English – approximately Here does
720-842: The Laird of Ormiston on Halloween 1559 at an ambush near Haddington . In retaliation the Protestant leader, the Duke of Châtelherault , sent his son the Earl of Arran and the Master of Maxwell to seize Bothwell's home Crichton Castle and force the Earl, who was nearby at Borthwick , to join them. Bothwell remained true to the Regent, though it was said in January he was "weary of his part". The English diplomat Thomas Randolph also hinted at this time of
768-564: The Shetland Space Centre Ltd and proposed that Lamba Ness would make a suitable launch site for rockets taking satellites into polar orbits. In October 2020, the proposal was given more substance by the announcement that the UK Space Agency had given its approval and that Lockheed Martin was intending to use the site as a UK base for its rocket launches. Despite its name, the location of "SaxaVord Spaceport"
816-455: The Countess of Effingham. Ingram retired in 1875 aged 99 and died aged a remarkable 103. His father and grandfather also lived to over 100. Robert Louis Stevenson 's father and uncle were the main design engineers for the lighthouse on Muckle Flugga , just off Hermaness on the north-west of the island. Stevenson visited Unst, and the island is claimed to have become the basis for the map of
864-554: The Danish passage of events begin. The earl was transported to Bergen (Norway), where he by chance meat Anna Trondsen, who had settled herself in the city after having been dismissed by the earl (earlier, in Scotland). Now he had to face a humiliating trial, before he was transferred to Copenhagen, and later became moved to Malmøhus. During this period was it still uncertain whether the new Scottish government would survive or not, and he
912-616: The Earl of Arran was eventually declared mad, Bothwell was nevertheless imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle without trial in 1562. Later that year, while the Queen was in the Highlands , he escaped and went to Hermitage Castle . The Queen and Bothwell were by now very close. When Bothwell married Lady Jean Gordon , daughter of The 4th Earl of Huntly , in February 1566, the Queen attended the wedding (the marriage lasted just over
960-587: The French Court in the autumn of 1560, after he left Anna Rustung in Flanders . He was kindly received by the Queen and her husband, King Francis II of France , and, as he put it: "The Queen recompensed me more liberally and honourably than I had deserved" – receiving 600 Crowns and the post and salary of gentleman of the French King's Chamber. He visited France again in the spring of 1561, and by 5 July
1008-580: The Queen rode to the Estates of Parliament , with Lord Bothwell carrying the Sceptre , where the proceedings of Bothwell's trial were officially declared to be just according to the law of the land. On Saturday 19 April 1567, eight bishops, nine earls, and seven Lords of Parliament put their signatures to what became known as the Ainslie Tavern Bond , a manifesto declaring that Mary should marry
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#17327758211441056-479: The Queen was in continuous ill-health "for the most part either melancholy or sickly". On the appointed day Bothwell rode magnificently down the Canongate , with the Earl of Morton and William Maitland of Lethington flanking him, and his Hepburns trotting behind. The trial lasted from noon till seven in the evening. Bothwell was acquitted and it was widely rumoured that he would marry Mary. The next Wednesday,
1104-530: The building as a venue for hire. The island's population was 632 as recorded by the 2011 census , a drop of over 12% since 2001 when there were 720 usual residents. During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702. In 2016, the island was the subject of Series 11 of BBC Two 's An Island Parish . The island has an airstrip, the Unst Airport , which has been decommissioned as an airport, has no regular flights and
1152-540: The confrontation at Carberry Hill, the Duke of Orkney (as Bothwell was now) went to Huntly Castle and Spynie Palace . He took ship from Aberdeen to Shetland , where he was helped by Olave Sinclair . Bothwell was pursued by William Kirkcaldy of Grange and William Murray of Tullibardine , who sailed into Bressay Sound near Lerwick . Four of the Duke of Orkney's ships in the Sound set sail north to Unst , where Orkney
1200-483: The crown (though whether she was his accomplice or his unwilling victim remains a controversial issue). On 12 May the Queen created him Duke of Orkney and Marquess of Fife , and on 15 May they were married in the Great Hall at Holyrood , according to Protestant rites officiated by Adam Bothwell , Bishop of Orkney . Mary gave her new husband a fur lined night-gown. There were few festivities until two weeks after
1248-541: The fictional Treasure Island – a claim shared by Fidra in East Lothian . In the 1950s, a Canadian sociologist, Erving Goffman , undertook a year of ethnographic research on Unst for his doctoral thesis, which underpinned his best known publication, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1956) and the dramaturgy approach he developed. The island lays claim to many "most northerly" UK titles:
1296-420: The floor around the pillar. In 1858, the body was exhumed and declared to be that of Lord Bothwell. It was in a dried condition and was thereafter referred to as "Bothwell's mummy". His extended family tried to get his body sent back to Scotland, but their request has not been granted. The identity of the body has never been conclusively proven. A body referred to as "Bothwell's mummy" materialised in 1976 in
1344-437: The island's Norse heritage. Work was undertaken on three longhouses – of which 60 are known of on the island – at Hamar, Underhoull and Belmont. The replica Viking ship Skibladner can currently be seen ashore at Haroldswick. The remains of pre-12th-century Christian chapels survive on Unst: St Olaf's Chapel, Lund, and Our Lady's Kirk at Framgord, Sandwick on the south east coast. Norse-style cross-shaped gravestones stand in
1392-542: The location of a leisure centre and the island's airport . Other settlements include Uyeasound , home to Greenwell's Booth (a Hanseatic warehouse) and Muness Castle (built in 1598 and sacked by pirates in 1627); and Haroldswick , location of a boat museum and a heritage centre . There are three island names in Shetland of unknown and possibly pre-Celtic origin: Unst, Fetlar and Yell . The earliest recorded forms of these three names do carry Norse meanings: Fetlar
1440-516: The loss of more than 100 jobs. In April 2007, RAF Saxa Vord's domestic site, plus the road up to the Mid Site, was purchased and renamed "Saxa Vord Resort" by Highland entrepreneur Frank Strang. Strang's company Military Asset Management (MAM) "specialises in the regeneration of redundant or surplus Defence Assets". The base was converted to a tourist resort and natural and cultural heritage centre. In 2013, Saxa Vord had self-catering holiday houses,
1488-593: The mermaid offered to marry whichever one would follow her to the North Pole . They both followed her and drowned, as neither could swim. Sea Kayaking to the Edge of the World ;!! Out Stack & Muckle Flugga, Uk's Most Northerly Point 60°51′13″N 0°53′18″W / 60.85369°N 0.88837°W / 60.85369; -0.88837 Unst Unst ( / ˈ ʌ n s t / ; Norn : Ønst )
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1536-541: The skills and knowledge gained during the PURE Project and has installed hydrogen systems in diverse locations. At the southern end of Unst, above the island's ferry terminal, stands Belmont House . Dating from 1775, Belmont has been described as "possibly the most ambitious, least-altered classical mansion in the Northern Isles ". It was restored between 1996 and 2010 by a charitable trust, who now operate
1584-574: The south, almost encountering Queen Mary en route. At Kirk O'Field they lit the gunpowder destroying part of the building and killing Darnley and his aide. Bothwell was publicly accused of having murdered the Queen's consort, Lord Darnley . Darnley's father, the Earl of Lennox , and other relatives agitated for vengeance and the Privy Council began proceedings against Bothwell on 12 April 1567. Sir William Drury reported to Sir William Cecil , Secretary of State to Elizabeth I of England, that
1632-528: The support of Frederick II of Denmark to put Mary back on the throne. He was caught off the coast of Norway (then in a union with Denmark) at Høyevarde lighthouse in Karmsundet without proper papers, and was escorted to the port of Bergen . This was the native home of Anna Throndsen . Anna raised a complaint against Orkney, which was enforced by her powerful family; her cousin Erik Rosenkrantz,
1680-596: The surrounding burial grounds at both Lund and Framgord, and rare "keelstone" burial markers survive at Framgord. Late Norse longhouses have been identified around both bays; the house at Sandwick still retains its cow-shaped byre door. James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell sailed to Shetland after the Battle of Carberry Hill . He was at the house of Olave Sinclair , the receiver or sheriff of Shetland on Unst, in July 1567 when his enemies arrived in three ships, and he fought
1728-531: The time of his accident. Author Alison Weir agrees, and in fact the records show that Mary waited a full six days after learning of his injuries before going to visit Bothwell. The story of her mad flight to his side was put about later by her enemies to discredit her. On 9 February 1567 Bothwell left his lodging at Todrick's Wynd on the south side of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (east of Blackfriars Street) and with accomplices Dalgliesh, Powrie and Wilson, carried several kegs of gunpowder to Kirk o'Field lodging to
1776-672: The tiny settlement of Skaw in the north-east of the island is the northernmost settlement in the UK ; Haroldswick is the site of Britain's most northerly church; the Muckle Flugga lighthouse , just off the far north of Unst, was opened in 1858 and is the most northerly lighthouse in the UK, situated close to Out Stack , the most northerly rock in the UK. Western Norway is 200 miles (300 km) away. The islands of Unst and Fetlar are mainly formed of ultramafic and mafic igneous rocks which are interpreted to form part of an ophiolite ,
1824-568: The village of Baltasound which is equipped with home comforts such as a television set, and is maintained by local residents. Unst is also home to the Promoting Unst Renewable Energy (PURE) Wind Hydrogen project, a community-owned clean energy system based on hydrogen production . This project is part of the Unst Partnership, the community's development trust . The Pure Energy Centre was formed using
1872-614: The wedding, when there was a triumph and tilt and Bothwell " ran at the ring ". The marriage divided the country into two camps, and on 16 June, the Lords opposed to Mary and the Duke of Orkney (as Bothwell had newly become) signed a Bond denouncing them. A showdown between the two opposing sides followed at Carberry Hill on 15 June, from which Orkney (as Lord Bothwell was now known) fled, after one final embrace, never to be seen again by Mary. In December that year, Bothwell's titles and estates were forfeited by Act of Parliament. After fleeing
1920-514: Was a prominent Scottish nobleman and the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots . He was accused of the murder of Mary's second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley , a charge of which he was acquitted. His marriage to Mary was controversial and divided the country; when he fled the growing rebellion to Norway, he was arrested and lived the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark. He was the son of Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell , and Agnes Sinclair (d. 1572), daughter of Henry, Lord Sinclair, and
1968-598: Was automated in 1995 and the last residents moved out. Muckle Flugga and neighbouring Little Flugga take their names from the Old Norse Flugey , meaning "cliff island". The larger island's name has frequently appeared on lists of unusual place-names . According to local folklore , Muckle Flugga and nearby Out Stack were formed when two giants , Herman and Saxa, fell in love with the same mermaid . They fought over her by throwing large rocks at each other, one of which became Muckle Flugga. To get rid of them,
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2016-737: Was back in Paris for the third time – this time accompanied by the Bishop of Orkney and the Earl of Eglinton . By August, the widowed Queen was on her way back to Scotland in a French galley, some of the organisation having been dealt with by Bothwell in his naval capacity. Bothwell supported Mary of Guise , queen dowager and Regent of Scotland, against the Protestant Lords of the Congregation . Bothwell and 24 followers took 6000 crowns of English money destined to be used against Guise from
2064-622: Was held in what were said to be appalling conditions. Meanwhile, the Parliament of Scotland officially stripped him of all his Scottish titles, including the Dukedom of Orkney , in December 1567. He died in April 1578, and was buried in a vault at Fårevejle church near the castle. A pillar to which he was chained for the last ten years of his life can still be seen, with a circular groove in
2112-576: Was negotiating with German captains to hire more ships. Kirkcaldy's flagship, the Lion , chased one of Orkney's ships, and both ships were damaged on a submerged rock. The Duke of Orkney sent his treasure ship to Scalloway , and fought a three-hour-long sea battle off the Port of Unst , where the mast of one of Orkney's ships was shot away. Subsequently, a storm forced the Duke to sail towards Norway. Orkney may have hoped to reach Denmark and raise an army with
2160-633: Was out of money and asked Anna to sell all her possessions. She complied and visited her family in Denmark to ask for more money. Anna was unhappy and apparently given to complaining about Bothwell. His treatment of Anna played a part in his eventual downfall. In February 1566, Bothwell married Lady Jean Gordon , daughter of the 4th Earl of Huntly and sister of Sir John Gordon and the 5th Earl of Huntly . They were divorced on 7 May 1567, citing his adultery with her servant Bessie Crawford as cause. He married Mary, Queen of Scots, eight days later. Lord Bothwell appears to have met Queen Mary when he visited
2208-499: Was sent to Copenhagen , where the Danish monarch, Frederik II, deliberated on his fate. The Duke was sent across Øresund to the fortress and prison Malmøhus Castle . However, as news from both England and Scotland arrived, Frederik eventually understood that Mary never again would become Queen. Without Mary, the King considered him insignificant. He was imprisoned at Dragsholm Castle , 75 kilometres (47 mi) west of Copenhagen, and
2256-558: Was shaken by an earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale , which at the time was assessed by the British Geological Survey as "the largest earthquake of its kind in the area for 10 years". Ferries link Belmont on the island to Gutcher on Yell and Oddsta on Fetlar . The Unst Bus Shelter , also known as Bobby's Bus Shelter after a child who saved it from removal, is a bus shelter and bus stop near
2304-597: Was styled The Master of Bothwell from birth. He succeeded his father as Earl of Bothwell and Lord Hailes in 1556. As Lord High Admiral of Scotland , Lord Bothwell visited Copenhagen around 1559. He fell in love with Anna Tronds, known in English as Anna Throndsen or Anna Rustung. She was a Norwegian noblewoman whose father, Kristoffer Trondson , a famous Norwegian admiral, was serving as Danish Royal Consul. After their engagement, or more likely marriage under Norwegian law, Anna left with Bothwell. In Flanders , he said he
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