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Coordinates: 60°00′N 1°10′W / 60.000°N 1.167°W / 60.000; -1.167
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{{Short description|Small island in Shetland, Scotland}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Musa (name)]]}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Scottish island
{{Infobox Scottish island
|Image=Snow showers over Mousa IMG 7951 (33077649235).jpg
|Image=Snow showers over Mousa IMG 7951 (33077649235).jpg
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|island group= [[Mainland, Shetland|Shetland]]
|island group= [[Mainland, Shetland|Shetland]]
|local authority=[[Shetland|Shetland Islands]]
|local authority=[[Shetland|Shetland Islands]]
|references=<ref>{{Ordnance Survey}}</ref><ref name=saga>Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) ''Orkneyinga Saga''. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9</ref>
|references=<ref>{{Ordnance Survey}}</ref><ref name=saga>Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) ''Orkneyinga Saga''. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). {{ISBN|0-901824-25-9}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''Mousa''' ({{lang-non|Mosey}} "moss island") is a small island in [[Shetland]], Scotland, uninhabited since the nineteenth century. The island is known for the [[Broch of Mousa]], an [[Iron Age]] [[Broch|round tower]], and is designated as a [[Special Protection Area]] for [[storm-petrel]] breeding colonies.
'''Mousa''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|uː|s|ə}} ({{langx|non|Mosey}} "moss island") is a small island in [[Shetland]], Scotland, uninhabited since the nineteenth century. The island is known for the [[Broch of Mousa]], an [[Iron Age]] [[Broch|round tower]], and is designated as a [[Special Protection Area]] for [[storm-petrel]] breeding colonies.


==Geography==
==Geography==
⚫
Mousa lies directly on the [[60th parallel north|60th parallel]], 60 degrees north of the equator, 30 degrees south of the [[North Pole]]. Itlies a mile off the east coast of Mainland Shetland in the parish of [[Dunrossness]] about {{convert|15|mi|km}} south of Lerwick. Almost divided in two by inlets, East and West Hams, the island is {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} long and almost {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} in maximum width. Geologically beds of hard sandstone alternate with muddy limestones that weather to produce fertile soil. A [[quarry]] provided [[flagstone]]s for [[Lerwick]].<ref name=Smith/>
⚫
[[File:Off the east side of Shetland's south mainland showing the famous Mousa Broch.jpg|thumb|400px|left|Mousa as seen from the mainland; the broch is visible on the right.]]
⚫
Mousa lies a mile off the east coast of Mainland Shetland in the parish of [[Dunrossness]] about {{convert|15|mi|km}} south of Lerwick. Almost divided in two by inlets, East and West Hams, the island is {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} long and almost {{convert|1|mi|km|sing=on}} in maximum width. Geologically beds of hard sandstone alternate with muddy limestones that weather to produce fertile soil. A [[quarry]] provided [[flagstone]]s for [[Lerwick]].<ref name=Smith/>


⚫
[[File:Off the east side of Shetland's south mainland showing the famous Mousa Broch.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Mousa as seen from the mainland; the broch is visible on the right.]]
⚫
Mousa’s fertile soil supports a rich diversity of plants, including sheep’s-bit and creeping willow in the herb-rich grassland, despite the wind, salt spray and grazing by sheep.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mousaboattrips.co.uk/Mousa_Leaflet_1.pdf |format=pdf |title=Mousa Reserve guide |publisher=RSPB |accessdate=2007-12-10 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808175235/http://www.mousaboattrips.co.uk/Mousa_Leaflet_1.pdf |archivedate=2007-08-08 |df= }}</ref>


The [[Norsemen|Norse]] tended to consider an island to be something that they could circumnavigate, and this included being able to drag a boat over land. Thus Mousa was considered two islands, namely North Isle and South Isle.
The [[Norsemen|Norse]] tended to consider an island to be something that they could circumnavigate, and this included being able to drag a boat over land. Thus Mousa was considered two islands, namely North Isle and South Isle.

{{clear left}}
{{clear|left}}

==Flora and fauna==
⚫
Mousa's fertile soil supports a rich diversity of plants, including [[sheep's-bit]] and [[creeping willow]] in the herb-rich grassland, despite the wind, salt spray and grazing by sheep.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mousaboattrips.co.uk/Mousa_Leaflet_1.pdf |title=Mousa Reserve guide |publisher=RSPB |access-date=2007-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808175235/http://www.mousaboattrips.co.uk/Mousa_Leaflet_1.pdf |archive-date=2007-08-08 }}</ref>

⚫
Mousa is known for [[gray seal|grey]] and [[common seal]]s, [[black guillemot]]s, [[Arctic tern]]s and [[storm-petrel]]s.<ref name=rspb>{{cite web| url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/mousa/index.asp| title=Mousa| publisher=RSPB| access-date=2007-12-10}}</ref> It holds c. 6,800 breeding pairs of [[European storm-petrel]]s in total. This represents about 8% of the British population and 2.6% of the world population.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Ratcliffe | first1 = N. | last2 = Vaughan | first2 = D. | last3 = White | first3 = M. | year = 1998 | title = The status of Storm Petrels on Mousa, Shetland | journal = Scottish Birds | volume = 19 | pages = 154–159 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Harrop | first1 = Hugh | last2 = Tipling | first2 = David | year = 2002 | title = The Storm Petrels of Mousa | journal = [[Birding World]] | volume = 15 | issue = 8| pages = 332–333 }}</ref> The island is designated as both a [[Special Protection Area]] (SAC) and a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI)<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/SPA/UK9002361.pdf| title=SAC Standard Data Form| publisher=JNCC| access-date=2007-12-10| archive-date=28 July 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080728175347/http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/SPA/UK9002361.pdf| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/1204|title=Mousa SSSI|access-date=12 October 2020|publisher=NatureScott}}</ref> by [[NatureScot]], and is run as a reserve by the [[RSPB]].<ref name=rspb/> The island has also been identified as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]].<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url= https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/2548 |title=Mousa|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2024|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 2024-09-01}}</ref>

⚫
[[File:Peeriebard.jpg|left|thumb|The east coast of Mousa towards the [[Peerie Bard]]]]
The seas surrounding the island host a population of [[sandeel]] that provides a food source for many species of fish, seabirds, seals, whales and dolphins: the area is considered to have the most reliable population of sandeels of all the seas surrounding Shetland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.snh.gov.uk/sitelink-api/v1/sites/10410/documents/48|title=Mousa to Boddam Marine Protected Area Summary|access-date=12 October 2020|publisher=Scottish Government}}</ref> These seas are therefore also protected, forming both a [[Special Area of Conservation]] (SAC) and a [[Marine Protected Areas in Scotland|Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area]] (NCMPA).<ref name=sac>{{cite web|url=https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/8333|title=Mousa SAC|access-date=12 October 2020|publisher=NatureScott}}</ref><ref name=mpa>{{cite web|url=https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/10410|title=Mousa to Boddam MPA(NC)|access-date=12 October 2020|publisher=NatureScott}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[File:A misty day at Mousa Broch.jpg|left|thumb|A misty day at [[Mousa Broch]]]]
[[File:A misty day at Mousa Broch.jpg|left|thumb|A misty day at [[Mousa Broch]]]]
[[File:Heladia Carta Marina.JPG|left|thumb|Mousa on the [[Carta Marina]] in 1539]]
[[File:Heladia Carta Marina.JPG|left|thumb|Shetland and Mousa on the [[Carta Marina]] in 1539]]
{{Main|Broch of Mousa}}
{{Main|Broch of Mousa}}
Mousa Broch is the best preserved Iron Age fortification in the British Isles.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst1405.html | title=Overview of Mousa| publisher=[[Gazetteer for Scotland]]| accessdate=2007-12-10}}</ref> The 2000-year-old round tower stands above a rocky shoreline, one of a pair of [[broch]]s guarding Mousa Sound. They may be part of a chain of brochs in this part of Shetland, visible from each other as beacons. The other of the "pair", at [[Burland]] on the [[Mainland, Shetland|Mainland]] is far less well preserved. Many brochs were the focus of a settlement, but there has never been a full archaeological investigation to confirm this at Mousa. It was cleared out in 1860 and 1919. Mousa has survived intact to such a height and is thought to never have been much higher than it is today. It escaped stone gathering for nearby stone walls and croft houses (now ruined).<ref name=broch>{{cite web| url=http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/mousa/mousabroch/index.html| title=Mousa Broch| publisher=Undiscovered Scotland| accessdate=2007-12-09}}</ref>
Mousa Broch is the best preserved Iron Age fortification in the British Isles.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst1405.html | title=Overview of Mousa| publisher=[[Gazetteer for Scotland]]| access-date=2007-12-10}}</ref> The 2000-year-old round tower stands above a rocky shoreline, one of a pair of [[broch]]s guarding Mousa Sound. They may be part of a chain of brochs in this part of Shetland, visible from each other as beacons. The other of the "pair", at Burland on the [[Mainland, Shetland|Mainland]] is far less well preserved.<ref>{{Canmore | desc=Broch of Burland | num=998 | access-date=21 September 2017}}</ref> Many brochs were the focus of a settlement, but there has never been a full archaeological investigation to confirm this at Mousa. It was cleared out in 1860 and 1919. Mousa has survived intact to such a height and is thought to never have been much higher than it is today. It escaped stone gathering for nearby stone walls and croft houses (now ruined).<ref name=broch>{{cite web| url=http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/mousa/mousabroch/index.html| title=Mousa Broch| publisher=Undiscovered Scotland| access-date=2007-12-09}}</ref>


Mousa is mentioned in the [[Orkneyinga Saga]] as being used as a place of defence during invasions, as well as a lovers' hideout.
Mousa is mentioned in the [[Orkneyinga Saga]] as being used as a place of defence during invasions, as well as a lovers' hideout.


The entrance passage into Mousa is long, reflecting the enormous thickness of its walls.<ref>D. Thomas, 2011 An Investigation of Aural Space inside Mousa Broch by Observation and Analysis of Sound and Light, Internet Archaeology 30, http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue30/thomas_index.html</ref> At its base the broch is 15m in diameter, but the interior is only 6m in diameter. Within the huge thickness of the base of the walls are a range of chambers probably used for storage, while at higher levels passages run between the inner and outer skins of the wall. On the inside a steep flight of steps leads to the top of the wall. Halfway up is a landing which probably gave access to an upper level of the interior of the broch, built on a ledge running around the circumference of the interior.<ref name=broch/>
The entrance passage into Mousa Broch is long, reflecting the enormous thickness of its walls.<ref>{{cite journal|first=D. |last=Thomas|year= 2011 |title=An Investigation of Aural Space inside Mousa Broch by Observation and Analysis of Sound and Light|website= www.intarch.ac.uk |issue=30|url= http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue30/thomas_index.html}}</ref> At its base the broch is 15m in diameter, but the interior is only 6m in diameter. Within the huge thickness of the base of the walls are a range of chambers probably used for storage, while at higher levels passages run between the inner and outer skins of the wall. On the inside a steep flight of steps leads to the top of the wall. Halfway up is a landing which probably gave access to an upper level of the interior of the broch, built on a ledge running around the circumference of the interior.<ref name=broch/>


In July 1558, two Scottish ships from Aberdeen, the ''Meikle Swallow'' and ''Little Swallow'', attacked an English fleet off Shetland. The Scottish sailors took cattle and other goods belonging to [[Olave Sinclair]] on Mousa. Sinclair claimed compensation in the Edinburgh courts.<ref>John H. Ballantyne & Brian Smith, ''Shetland Documents, 1195-1579'' (Lerwick, 1999), p. 92 no. 129.</ref>
==Conservation==
⚫
[[File:Peeriebard.jpg|left|thumb|The east coast of Mousa towards the [[Peerie Bard]]]]
Mousa is known for [[gray seal|grey]] and [[common seal]]s, [[guillemot]]s, [[Arctic tern]]s and [[storm-petrel]]s.<ref name=rspb>{{cite web| url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/mousa/index.asp| title=Mousa| publisher=RSPB| accessdate=2007-12-10}}</ref>

⚫
Mousa holds c. 6,800 breeding pairs of [[European storm-petrel]]s in total. This represents about 8% of the British population and 2.6% of the world population.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Ratcliffe | first1 = N. | last2 = Vaughan | first2 = D. | last3 = White | first3 = M. | year = 1998 | title = The status of Storm Petrels on Mousa, Shetland | url = | journal = Scottish Birds | volume = 19 | issue = | pages = 154–159 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Harrop | first1 = Hugh | last2 = Tipling | first2 = David | year = 2002 | title = The Storm Petrels of Mousa | url = | journal = [[Birding World]] | volume = 15 | issue = 8| pages = 332–333 }}</ref> The island has been designated a [[Special Protection Area]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/SPA/UK9002361.pdf| title=SAC Standard Data Form| publisher=JNCC| format=pdf| accessdate=2007-12-10}}</ref> and is run as a reserve by the [[RSPB]].<ref name=rspb/>

Storm petrels may also be found at the reserve of [[Haaf Gruney]].


==Transport==
==Transport==
The island is readily accessed using the passenger-only ferry which operates from the [[Shetland Mainland]] at [[Leebitton]], [[Sandwick, Shetland|Sandwick]] in summer time.
The island is readily accessed using the passenger-only ferry which operates from the [[Shetland Mainland]] at [[Leebitton]], [[Sandwick, Dunrossness|Sandwick]] in summer time.
{{clear left}}
{{clear left}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Scottish islands}}
* [[List of islands of Scotland]]


==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
Line 58: Line 68:
{{East Shetland}}
{{East Shetland}}
{{Shetland}}
{{Shetland}}
{{RSPB sites in Scotland}}
{{Marine Protected Areas in Scotland}}


{{coord|60|00|N|1|10|W|display=title|region:GB_type:isle}}
{{coord|60|00|N|1|10|W|display=title|region:GB_type:isle}}


[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Shetland]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Shetland]]
[[Category:Special Protection Areas in Scotland]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Shetland]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of Shetland]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of Shetland]]
[[Category:Special Protection Areas in Scotland]]
[[Category:Special Areas of Conservation in Scotland]]
[[Category:Special Areas of Conservation in Scotland]]
[[Category:Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in Scotland]]
[[Category:Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in Scotland]]
[[Category:Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas of Scotland]]

Latest revision as of 14:31, 10 November 2024

Not to be confused with Musa (name).

Mousa
Old Norse nameMósey
(Norwegian: Mosøy)
Meaning of nameOld Norse: moor or mossy island[1]
A snow shower over Mousa
A snow shower over Mousa
Location
Mousa is located in Shetland
Mousa
Mousa
Mousa shown within the Shetland Islands
OS grid referenceHU460240
Coordinates60°00′N 1°10′W / 60.00°N 1.17°W / 60.00; -1.17
Physical geography
Island groupShetland
Area180 hectares (0.69 sq mi)[1]
Area rank115= [2]
Highest elevation55 metres (180 ft)[1]
Administration
Council areaShetland Islands
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population0
Lymphad
References[3][4]

Mousa /ˈmuːsə/ (Old Norse: Mosey "moss island") is a small island in Shetland, Scotland, uninhabited since the nineteenth century. The island is known for the Broch of Mousa, an Iron Age round tower, and is designated as a Special Protection Area for storm-petrel breeding colonies.

Geography

[edit]

Mousa lies directly on the 60th parallel, 60 degrees north of the equator, 30 degrees south of the North Pole. Itlies a mile off the east coast of Mainland Shetland in the parish of Dunrossness about 15 miles (24 km) south of Lerwick. Almost divided in two by inlets, East and West Hams, the island is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and almost 1-mile (1.6 km) in maximum width. Geologically beds of hard sandstone alternate with muddy limestones that weather to produce fertile soil. A quarry provided flagstones for Lerwick.[1]

Mousa as seen from the mainland; the broch is visible on the right.

The Norse tended to consider an island to be something that they could circumnavigate, and this included being able to drag a boat over land. Thus Mousa was considered two islands, namely North Isle and South Isle.

Flora and fauna

[edit]

Mousa's fertile soil supports a rich diversity of plants, including sheep's-bit and creeping willow in the herb-rich grassland, despite the wind, salt spray and grazing by sheep.[5]

Mousa is known for grey and common seals, black guillemots, Arctic terns and storm-petrels.[6] It holds c. 6,800 breeding pairs of European storm-petrels in total. This represents about 8% of the British population and 2.6% of the world population.[7][8] The island is designated as both a Special Protection Area (SAC) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)[9][10] by NatureScot, and is run as a reserve by the RSPB.[6] The island has also been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.[11]

The east coast of Mousa towards the Peerie Bard

The seas surrounding the island host a population of sandeel that provides a food source for many species of fish, seabirds, seals, whales and dolphins: the area is considered to have the most reliable population of sandeels of all the seas surrounding Shetland.[12] These seas are therefore also protected, forming both a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA).[13][14]

History

[edit]
A misty day at Mousa Broch
Shetland and Mousa on the Carta Marina in 1539
Main article: Broch of Mousa

Mousa Broch is the best preserved Iron Age fortification in the British Isles.[15] The 2000-year-old round tower stands above a rocky shoreline, one of a pair of brochs guarding Mousa Sound. They may be part of a chain of brochs in this part of Shetland, visible from each other as beacons. The other of the "pair", at Burland on the Mainland is far less well preserved.[16] Many brochs were the focus of a settlement, but there has never been a full archaeological investigation to confirm this at Mousa. It was cleared out in 1860 and 1919. Mousa has survived intact to such a height and is thought to never have been much higher than it is today. It escaped stone gathering for nearby stone walls and croft houses (now ruined).[17]

Mousa is mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga as being used as a place of defence during invasions, as well as a lovers' hideout.

The entrance passage into Mousa Broch is long, reflecting the enormous thickness of its walls.[18] At its base the broch is 15m in diameter, but the interior is only 6m in diameter. Within the huge thickness of the base of the walls are a range of chambers probably used for storage, while at higher levels passages run between the inner and outer skins of the wall. On the inside a steep flight of steps leads to the top of the wall. Halfway up is a landing which probably gave access to an upper level of the interior of the broch, built on a ledge running around the circumference of the interior.[17]

In July 1558, two Scottish ships from Aberdeen, the Meikle Swallow and Little Swallow, attacked an English fleet off Shetland. The Scottish sailors took cattle and other goods belonging to Olave Sinclair on Mousa. Sinclair claimed compensation in the Edinburgh courts.[19]

Transport

[edit]

The island is readily accessed using the passenger-only ferry which operates from the Shetland Mainland at Leebitton, Sandwick in summer time.

See also

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. pp. 411–14. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  2. ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  3. ^ Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
  4. ^ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
  5. ^ "Mousa Reserve guide" (PDF). RSPB. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Mousa". RSPB. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  7. ^ Ratcliffe, N.; Vaughan, D.; White, M. (1998). "The status of Storm Petrels on Mousa, Shetland". Scottish Birds. 19: 154–159.
  8. ^ Harrop, Hugh; Tipling, David (2002). "The Storm Petrels of Mousa". Birding World. 15 (8): 332–333.
  9. ^ "SAC Standard Data Form" (PDF). JNCC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  10. ^ "Mousa SSSI". NatureScott. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Mousa". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Mousa to Boddam Marine Protected Area Summary". Scottish Government. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Mousa SAC". NatureScott. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Mousa to Boddam MPA(NC)". NatureScott. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Overview of Mousa". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  16. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Broch of Burland (998)". Canmore. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  17. ^ a b "Mousa Broch". Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  18. ^ Thomas, D. (2011). "An Investigation of Aural Space inside Mousa Broch by Observation and Analysis of Sound and Light". www.intarch.ac.uk (30).
  19. ^ John H. Ballantyne & Brian Smith, Shetland Documents, 1195-1579 (Lerwick, 1999), p. 92 no. 129.

60°00′N 1°10′W / 60.000°N 1.167°W / 60.000; -1.167

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