Pabay Mòr or Pabaigh Mòr is an uninhabited island in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

History

The island's name comes from ''papey'', an

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

name meaning "Island of the ''

papar The Papar (; from Latin ''papa'', via Old Irish, meaning "father" or "pope") were, according to early Icelandic sagas, Irish monks who took eremitic residence in parts of what is now Iceland before that island's habitation by the Norsemen of S ...

'' or culdees". The island was connected to Clan MacLeod throughout much of its history. In 1800, Sergeant Evander MacIver was given the island on retirement from the Seaforth Regiment in lieu of a pension. However, 27 years later, his family became victims of the

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulte ...

, and his descendants can be found in Valtos in neighbouring Lewis. It is said that the founder of

Cunard Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Bermu ...

was related to this family. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it is suspected that a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

landed surreptitiously at the island, and unloaded boxes of provisions, which were found later. The current owner has restored a couple of

blackhouse A blackhouse ( ga, teach dubh ; gd, t(a)igh-dubh ) is a traditional type of house which used to be common in Ireland, the Hebrides, and the Scottish Highlands. Origin of the name The origin of the name blackhouse is of some debate. On the Is ...

s on the island, but it is uninhabited most of the time. Valtos crofters retain grazing rights on the island.

Teampall Pheadair

The remains of Teampall Pheadair (St Peter's Church) and burial ground are in the south east around Loch na Teampall ("temple loch"). To the south east of the

loch ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...

is Cnoc na Cille ("hill of the monk's cell"). A local tradition is that the church was used as a refuge by the MacLeods of Lewis. The church may have been damaged by artillery used during the Scottish Crown's campaign against the

MacLeods of Lewis Clan MacLeod of The Lewes, commonly known as Clan MacLeod of Lewis ( gd, Clann Mhic Leòid Leòdhais), is a Highland Scottish clan, which at its height held extensive lands in the Western Isles and west coast of Scotland. From the 14th century u ...

in 1506. The church is now a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Geography and geology

Pabaigh Mòr lies off the west coast of Lewis in West Loch Roag, north of

Vacsay Vacsay ( gd, Bhacsaigh from Old Norse "bakkiey" meaning "peat bank island") is one of the Outer Hebrides. It is off the west coast of Lewis in West Loch Roag. It is in size, and at its highest point. History Like many of the surrounding i ...

. The island is

Lewisian gneiss The Lewisian complex or Lewisian gneiss is a suite of Precambrian metamorphic rocks that outcrop in the northwestern part of Scotland, forming part of the Hebridean Terrane and the North Atlantic Craton. These rocks are of Archaean and Paleoprote ...

with a light soil. It has a number of caves, sea spouts, and natural arches. To the north, Pabay Beag is separated by a sheltered pool.

Archaeology

In 1998, human remains were first observed eroding out of the beach on the eastern side of Island. Those remains were subsequently deposited in the Uig Museum. In 2002, further remains were found in the same location and archaeologists from GUARD Archaeology (then part of the University of Glasgow) excavated the site as part of the Historic Scotland Human Remains Call-off Contract. The remains were from a male, aged 50–59, who died approximately between 1450 – 1290 BC, during Scottish

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 pri ...

. The man was muscled but had a spinal joint disease. The remains of an infant was also recovered, along with some pottery.

Media

File:Lagoon on Pabbay Mor - geograph.org.uk - 1120209.jpg, alt=Lagoon on Pabbay Mor with some small boats in it, Lagoon on Pabbay Mor File:Blackhouse Ruins on Pabbay - geograph.org.uk - 734236.jpg, alt=People standing next to Blackhouse ruins on Pabbay, Blackhouse ruins on Pabbay File:Beach on Pabbay Mor - geograph.org.uk - 734232.jpg, alt=White sand beach on Pabbay Mor, Beach on Pabbay Mor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pabaigh Mor Islands of Loch Ròg Cleared places in the Outer Hebrides Uninhabited islands of the Outer Hebrides Natural arches of Scotland