The Eastern Isles ( kw, Enesow Goonhyli, ''islands of the salt water downs'') are a group of twelve small uninhabited islands within the
Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...
, part of the Scilly
Heritage Coast and a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) first designated in 1971 for its flora and fauna. They have a long period of occupation from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
with
cairns and
entrance grave
Entrance grave is a type of Neolithic and early Bronze Age chamber tomb found primarily in Great Britain. The burial monument typically consisted of a circular mound bordered by a stone curb, erected over a rectangular burial chamber and access ...
s through to
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
field systems and a Roman shrine on Nornour.
Before the 19th century, the islands were known by their Cornish name, which had also become the name of the largest island in the group after the submergence of the connecting lands.
Weatherhill, Craig
Craig Weatherhill (1950 or 1951 – 18 or 19 July 2020) was a Cornish antiquarian, novelist and writer on the history, archaeology, place names and mythology of Cornwall.
Weatherhill attended school in Falmouth, where his parents ran a sports ...
, ''Place Names in Cornwall and Scilly'', Wessex Books, 2005
Geography
The islands are located to the south–east of
St Martin's, and are within the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part of the Scilly Heritage Coast.
The Isles are not so exposed to gales as the
Western Rocks; consequently the soils do not receive so much
salt spray
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...
, and remnant habitats such as coastal
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...
and maritime
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
have survived the inundation of the sea. If the practice of summer grazing had continued, there would be even more grassland instead of the dense
bramble
A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...
which has smothered some of the small growing plants.
The islands by area are:
*
Great Ganilly
Great Ganilly (, kw, Goonhyli Veur "great saltwater downs") is one of the Eastern Isles of the Isles of Scilly. It has a maximum total area of 0.13 square kilometres and a highest point of 34 metres above sea level, located in the middle of th ...
*Great, Middle and Little Arthur
*Menawethan
*Little Ganilly
*Great Innisvouls
*Great Ganinick
*Nornour
*Little Ganinick
*Little Innisvouls
*Ragged Island
*Guther's
*Hanjague
Geology
The underlying rock is coarse grained
Hercynian
The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.
Nomenclature
The name ''Variscan'', come ...
granite topped by wind–blown sand. Some of the islands are linked with boulder ridges and sandy bars and at low tide can be viewed as one island. During the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
occupation of England and Wales the area was a low–lying plain between
St Mary's and St Martins and the present Eastern Isles small hills.
The Isles of Scilly are a
Geological Conservation Review
The Geological Conservation Review (GCR) is produced by the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee and is designed to identify those sites of national and international importance needed to show all the key scientific elements of the geological ...
(GCR) site for the largest assemblage of
tied island
Tied islands, or land-tied islands as they are often known, are landforms consisting of an island that is connected to mainland or another island only by a tombolo: a spit of beach materials connected to land at both ends. St Ninian's Isle i ...
s outside of
Orkney and
Shetland. Four islands represent the different stages in the linking of islands by a sandy bar or
tombola and they are
Teän
Teän ( , sometimes written ''Tean'' without the diaeresis; kw, Enys Tian) is an uninhabited island to the north of the Isles of Scilly archipelago between Tresco, to the west, and St Martin's, to the east. Approximately in area, the isl ...
(not part of the Eastern Isles) which is to the north–west, between St Martin's and Tresco; and Great Arthur, Great Ganinick and Little Ganinick which are to the south–east of St Martin's.
Wildlife and ecology
Most of the islands have dense cover of bramble ''
Rubus fruticosus
''Rubus fruticosus'' L. is the ambiguous name of a European blackberry species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the rose family. The name has been interpreted in several ways:
*The species represented by the type specimen of ''Rubus fruticosus'' L., ...
'' and bracken ''
Pteridium aquilinum
''Pteridium aquilinum'' (bracken, brake or common bracken), also known as eagle fern, is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. Originally native to Eurasia and North America, the extreme lightness o ...
'' and grassland along the coastal fringes. Goldenrod (''
Solidago virgaurea
''Solidago virgaurea'', the European goldenrod or woundwort, is an herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across most of Europe as well as North Africa and northern, central, and southwestern Asia (China, Russia, ...
'') is locally abundant amongst the heath communities growing on the
podzolic
In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of huma ...
soils on the higher parts of the islands. The heaths are classified as a poor fit somewhere between
H10 and H11 and the heather (''
Calluna vulgaris''), bell heather (''
Erica cinerea
''Erica cinerea'', the bell heather, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to western and central Europe.
The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 5 for most nectar produc ...
'') and bracken merge into pure bracken on the lower slopes. A feasibility study is needed to decide if the vegetation would benefit from grazing through a
Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement.
With no resident botanist, together with the difficulty of recording on remote islands, there are not many plant records and the number of species for each of the Eastern Isles was finally published in 1971 from surveys carried out by J D Grose, Mr & Mrs J E Dallas and J E Lousley in 1938 and 1939. Lousley listed 111 species of
higher plants
Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They ...
in his 1971 ''Flora'', and by 1999 further surveys recorded a similar number (114). Some of the islands have species that are only found on that island and not on the other Eastern Isles such as an
oak tree
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
found by Mr and Mrs Dallas on Great Gannick. Possible
ancient woodland
In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...
indicators such as butcher's-broom (''
Ruscus aculeatus
''Ruscus aculeatus'', known as butcher's-broom, is a low evergreen dioecious Eurasian shrub, with flat shoots known as cladodes that give the appearance of stiff, spine-tipped leaves. Small greenish flowers appear in spring, and are borne singly ...
''), wood spurge (''
Euphorbia amygdaloides'') and wood small-reed (''
Calamagrostis epigejos
''Calamagrostis epigejos'', common names wood small-reed or bushgrass, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae which is native to Eurasia and Africa. It is found from average moisture locales to salt marsh and wet habitats. '') have also been recorded on Great Gannick.
The nationally rare orange bird's-foot (''
Ornithopus pinnatus
''Ornithopus pinnatus'', the orange birdsfoot, is a plant in the Fabaceae family. It was first described as ''Scorpiurus pinnata'' in 1768 by Philip Miller in ''The Gardeners Dictionary''. In 1907, George Claridge Druce assigned it to the genu ...
'') is found on the northern side of Great Ganilly.
[
The Eastern Isles are one of three main ]grey seal
The grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus'') is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or " ...
(''Halichoerus grypus'') pupping areas, Western Rocks and Norrard Rocks being the others. Four other mammals have been recorded: rabbit, brown rat
The brown rat (''Rattus norvegicus''), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat and Parisian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown o ...
described as a plague on some of the Eastern Isles, house mouse and the so-called Scilly shrew.
The isles are also home to breeding colonies of eight species of seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...
; including three species of gull
Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century ...
, as well as the common shag (''Phalacrocorax aristotelis''), great cormorant
The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a w ...
(''Phalacrocorax carbo''), northern fulmar
The northern fulmar (''Fulmarus glacialis''), fulmar, or Arctic fulmar is a highly abundant seabird found primarily in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. There has been one confirmed sighting in the Southern Hem ...
(''Fulmarus glacialis''), razorbill
The razorbill, razor-billed auk, or lesser auk (''Alca torda'') is a colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus '' Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinis im ...
(''Alca torda'') and puffin (''Fratercula arctica'').[ Several of the isles are closed to visitors during the birds' breeding season (15 April to 20 August).
]
The islands
Great Ganilly
Great Ganilly ( kw, Goonhyli Meur, ''great salt water down'') (), is the largest of the Eastern Isles and consists of two hills joined together by a low sandy neck. The northern of the two hills has the highest point at and has a ruined Bronze Age entrance grave on the summit. Stones from the chamber have been used to make a pyramidal navigational marker. Other evidence of past occupation include a hut circle
In archaeology, a hut circle is a circular or oval depression in the ground which may or may not have a low stone wall around it that used to be the foundation of a round house. The superstructure of such a house would have been made of timber an ...
on the neck as well as the remains of field systems. A freshwater spring would have made living on the island during the kelp burning season possible. The hills have maritime heath on each summit and dense bracken communities on the lower slopes. A total of seventy-four plant species were recorded in the surveys of 1938 and 1939; the largest number of species on any of the Eastern Isles and includes Portland and sea spurge, sea–kale and balm–leaved figwort in the small sand dune system. Common thyme and orange bird's–foot grow on the heath, which is dominated by bell heather (''Erica cinerea
''Erica cinerea'', the bell heather, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to western and central Europe.
The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 5 for most nectar produc ...
''). Betony ('' Stachys officinalis'') which is a common plant in Cornwall but known from only two places in Scilly was discovered simultaneously here, and on Tresco in 1998, but was not seen in 2000. Mammals recorded are rabbit, brown rat, house mouse and Scilly shrew.
Great, Middle and Little Arthur
The Arthurs ( kw, Ar Dhor, ''facing land'') (), part of the Geological Conservation Review site (GCR), are three rocky islands joined by two beaches forming a crescent around Arthur Porth; compare with Great Ganinick and Little Ganinick (see below) where the process is ongoing. Great Arthur, as the name suggests, is the largest with a fringe of maritime grassland, dune vegetation and strandline vegetation. There are three entrance graves on the summit ridge connected by a prehistoric boulder wall. They are surrounded by maritime heath with English stonecrop on the bare areas. The area of blown sand is dominated by marram grass (''Ammophila arenaria
''Ammophila arenaria'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is known by the common names marram grass and European beachgrass. It is one of two species of the genus '' Ammophila''. It is native to the coastlines of Europe and North Afr ...
'') which helps to stabilise the dunes and shelter a relatively rich flora of non-maritime plants such as a stunted grey sallow (''Salix cinerea
''Salix cinerea'' (common sallow, grey sallow, grey willow, grey-leaved sallow, large grey willow, pussy willow, rusty sallow) is a species of willow native to Europe and western Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain ...
''). This (probably the same) plant is recorded in both Louseley (1971) and Parslow (1997).
Middle Arthur has an unusual boat-shaped entrance grave on the summit with walls of standing slabs. A ceramic burial urn together with pieces of bone and flint were found during excavations in 1953. The island as a few patches of heather and some strandline vegetation on the sheltered parts of its shore, while Little Arthur has bracken on the deeper soils and heath on the summit with English stonecrop in the bare areas. Also on Little Arthur is a small area of strandline vegetation and sand dunes with slender St John's-wort ('' Hypericum pulchrum''); a plant common in Cornwall but uncommon in the Isles of Scilly.
Menawethan
Menawethan ( kw, Men an Wedhen, ''the tree stone'') (), is a steep-sided island to the south–east of the group with vegetation that is typical of islands with breeding seabirds. It was one of the first islands where Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
carried out rat eradication. Some areas are covered in hottentot fig (probably carried to the island by gulls); thrift and sea campion also dominate in some areas. Other species recorded include Yorkshire fog, orache, common scurvy-grass and tree-mallow which forms temporary stands in some years. Brookweed (''Samolus valerandi
''Samolus valerandi'' is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae. Common names include seaside brookweed, brookweed, thin-leaf brookweed, water cabbage, and water rose.
Description
It is a small perennial, growing to arou ...
''), a plant restricted to cliff flushes in Cornwall and an unusual plant in Scilly, grows among rocks above the shore. The rocky shore is used by grey seal for haul outs. There is a Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
cairn on the summit. The island is recorded as ''Mynangwython'' c1588.
Little Ganilly
Little Ganilly ( kw, Goonhyli Bian, ''little salt water down'') () is just to the north of Little Arthur and has a small area of heath on the summit. Bracken dominates the slopes and there are maritime grassland and cliff communities along the coast which has several small caves on the east side. Surveys in 1938 and 1939 recorded 37 species of plants. The only mammals recorded are brown rats and grey seals which use the island as a haul out.
Great Innisvouls and Little Innisvouls
Great Innisvouls ( kw, Enys Vols Meur, ''great wether island'') (), has a small area of maritime grassland and bracken, and Little Innisvouls ( kw, Enys Vols Bian, ''little wether island'') () has strandline plant species. Both have breeding seabirds and the Scilly shrew has been recorded on Great Innisvouls. Gurney reported twelve pairs of shag with egg and one pair with young on Great Iinnisvouls on 12 May 1887.
To the north–east of Little Innisvouls is a small rock called Mouls ( kw, Mols, ''wether (a castrated male sheep)'') (), where a nationally scarce pseudoscorpion
Pseudoscorpions, also known as false scorpions or book scorpions, are small, scorpion-like arachnids belonging to the order Pseudoscorpiones, also known as Pseudoscorpionida or Chelonethida.
Pseudoscorpions are generally beneficial to humans sin ...
, '' Neobisium maritimum'' was found in 1927.
Great Ganinick and Little Ganinick
The islands of Great Ganinick and Little Ganinick ( kw, Kenninek, ''place of wild garlic'') (), are part of the GCR and are in an early stage of the linkage of two islands by a tombola. The sand bar is building from Little Ganinick, northwards, towards the larger island although the sand supply does not appear to be sufficient to link the two islands. On the north side of Great Ganinick a "cuspate" shaped beach is forming. Great Ganinick has the only known oak tree in the Eastern Islands. Described by Mr and Mrs Dallas in 1938 as ″.... about 2 ft 6in (0.76 m) tall in tangle of bracken, bramble and honeysuckle. It was still there (or possibly one like it) in 1997. Great Ganinick is rich in plant species with 74 species recorded by Lousley including butcher's–broom, wood spurge, wood small–reed and white ramping–fumitory. Little Ganinick has grassland with strandline vegetation and seabird colonies.
Nornour
Nornour ( kw, Ar Nor, ''facing the mainland'') (), consists of one hill covered in bracken to the north of Great Ganilly
Great Ganilly (, kw, Goonhyli Veur "great saltwater downs") is one of the Eastern Isles of the Isles of Scilly. It has a maximum total area of 0.13 square kilometres and a highest point of 34 metres above sea level, located in the middle of th ...
, joined to it at low tide by a boulder causeway. There was a long period of habitation during the Bronze and Iron Ages when Nornour would have been part of a larger island; after a storm in 1962, the erosion of sand dunes uncovered hut circles. Eleven circular stone buildings were found, and the site was excavated in 1962–66 and 1969–73. Many features were found including doorways, dividing walls, steps, hearths, querns
Quern-stones are stone tools for hand- grinding a wide variety of materials. They are used in pairs. The lower stationary stone of early examples is called a saddle quern, while the upper mobile stone is called a muller, rubber or handstone. The ...
and stone-lined pits. Two of the buildings have since disappeared under beach boulders. Among the numerous Roman finds found in the two western huts were more than three hundred brooches, dating from the later first to the later third century AD. They were found in the upper layers of two of the prehistoric buildings, along with coins (late first to late fourth century), glass, miniature pots and pieces of small clay Gallic figurines. The earliest coins are from Vespasian
Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...
(AD 69–79) and the later date indicate that the site was still being used into the late fourth century. Analysis of the brooches indicate they came from numerous places in Britain and the Continent; given that there are no comparable sites on Scilly, this suggests that the finds were not for trade but perhaps for paying respect to a local cult. The finds indicate a shrine
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...
, and Sulis
In the localised Celtic polytheism practised in Great Britain, Sulis was a deity worshiped at the thermal spring of Bath (now in Somerset). She was worshiped by the Romano-British as Sulis Minerva, whose votive objects and inscribed lead tabl ...
has been suggested. With dates ranging over four centuries, it is unlikely that the objects came from a shipwreck. Despite attempts to protect the archaeological site sea erosion still occurs.
The boilers of the paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses we ...
'' Earl of Arran'' can be seen at low tide on the western shore. She hit Irishman's Ledge () on 16 July 1872, when the Captain attempted to take a short cut through English Island Neck.
There is a small area of heath on the hill with heather and bell heather and in the disturbed area around the hut circles. The nationally scarce plants Portland spurge ('' Euphorbia portlandica'') and balm–leaved figwort (''Scrophularia scorodonia
''Scrophularia scorodonia'' is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae).
It is native to western and southwestern Europe, Northwest Morocco and the Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace" ...
'') have been recorded on Nornour, as has butcher's–broom, sea spurge (''Euphorbia paralias
''Euphorbia paralias'', the sea spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.
The species is widely naturalised in Australia. It invades coastal areas, displacing local ...
'') and sea spleenwort ('' Asplenium marinum'') The endangered shore dock ('' Rumex rupestris'') colony has not been seen since 1970.
Ragged Island
Ragged Island () has two unexpected plants; Chilean hard-fern ('' Blechnum cordatum'') and borage (''Borago officinalis
Borage ( or ; ''Borago officinalis''), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and has naturalized in many other locales.
It grows satisfactorily in gar ...
''). It is not known how they got there, neither species was recorded by Lousley in his 1971 Flora, although spores from ferns can be blown some distance; Chilean hard-fern was recorded in Higher Town, St Martin's in 1936. Other species recorded include thrift, scurvy grass, hastate orache and sea beet.
Guther's
Guther's (or Gunther's) ( kw, Goothow, ''channels'') (), is a small island which lies on the western side of the Eastern Isles and south of St Martin's. It has limited vegetation consisting of grass, docks and sea beet. Greater black-backed (''Larus marinus
The great black-backed gull (''Larus marinus'') is the largest member of the gull family. Described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as "the king of the Atlantic waterfront", it is a very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger. It breeds on t ...
'') and herring gulls ('' L. argentatus'') nest, as do common shags. It is possible to walk out to this island from St Martin's at exceptional low tides, but great care must be taken not to be cut off.
Hanjague
Hanjague ( kw, An Wynjek, ''the windy one'') () is a sea stack
A stack or sea stack is a geology, geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by Coastal_erosion#Wave_action, wave erosion. Stacks are formed over time by wind and wate ...
approximately one km north-east of Great Gannilly, and is the easternmost island in the archipelago. The island has no vegetation and is used as a roost by birds.
English Island
The rock is between English Island point, St Martin's to the north, and Nornour to the south-east ().
See also
* List of islands
This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water
A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another plan ...
* List of shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly
The list of shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly is a list of ships which sank on or near the Isles of Scilly.
The list includes ships that sustained a damaged hull, which were later refloated and repaired.
Before 1601
1305
* an unnamed sailin ...
References
External links
SSSI map
Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project: Frequently asked questions
Geological Conservation Review site
Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust
{{SSSIs Cornwall biological
Uninhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the Isles of Scilly
Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1971