Island Of Rousay On History Visit To The Orkney Islands Of Scotland

Tour Scotland short travel video clip, with Scottish music, of the Island of Rousay on ancestry, genealogy, history visit to the Orkney Islands. Rousay Scots: Rousee; Old Norse: Hrólfsey meaning Rolf's Island, is a small, hilly island about 1.9 miles North of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney Islands. It is separated from mainland Orkney by Eynhallow Sound. Over 100 archaeological sites have been identified on the island. Only a small fraction have been excavated and characterized. The most spectacular of the sites is the complex of Midhowe Broch and Midhowe Chambered Cairn. Throughout the 19th century, Rousay's landlords demanded high rents from crofters, many of whom became homeless in a series of clearances along the western coast, ordered by landowner George William Traill in the 1820s and 1830s. Rousay's population in the middle of the 19th century was over 900, but emigration following land clearances reduced that to 627 by 1900, and half a century later it had fallen to 342. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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