Wyre, Orkney

Wyre is one of the Orkney Islands, lying south-east of Rousay. It is 311 hectares (1.20 sq mi) and 32 metres (105 ft) at its highest point. It is one of the smallest inhabited islands in the archipelago.

Orkney Ferries sail from the island to Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland, Egilsay and Rousay.

History

Wyre's history is still very apparent, and it has two ancient monuments maintained by Historic Scotland, Cubbie Roo's Castle and St Mary's Chapel.

Bishop Bjarni grew up on Wyre, and was the son of Kolbein Hruga (see Cubbie Roo's Castle below), Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland says of him that he:

The poet Edwin Muir (1887–1959), known for his prominent part in the Scottish Renaissance, born in Deerness on Mainland, Orkney , spent much of his childhood on Wyre. In his autobiography he said of himself - "I'm an Orkneyman, a good Scandinavian", and commented that some of his happiest childhood years were spent here.

Cubbie Roo's Castle

Cubbie Roo's Castle, built about 1150, is one of the oldest castles in Scotland and was mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga. It takes its name from Kolbein Hruga who was said to have lived there.

Wyre

Coordinates: 53°54′00″N 2°48′32″W / 53.900°N 2.809°W / 53.900; -2.809

Wyre is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The population of the Non-metropolitan district at the 2011 census was 107,749. Its council is based in Poulton-le-Fylde.

The district is named after the River Wyre, which runs through the district. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the municipal borough of Fleetwood, along with Poulton-le-Fylde, Preesall, Garstang and Thornton-Cleveleys urban districts and various Rural Districts.

Town and Parish Councils

Urban areas

Civil parishes

Local elections

Wyre (disambiguation)

Wyre may be:

List of Marvel Comics characters: W

Walking Stiletto

The Walking Stiletto is a robot supervillain created by Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and Sal Buscema, first appeared in Captain America #114 (June 1969). Within the context of the stories, the Walking Stiletto is a creation and agent of AIM. When Sharon Carter attacks a group of AIM leaders, they let loose the Stiletto to attack her, but she is saved by Captain America and Rick Jones, who destroy the robot. Many years later, the Walking Stiletto is among the robotic collection of the Reanimator, who unleashes it on Wolverine and Nova. Wolverine eviscerates the Walking Stiletto, rendering it inoperative.

Wall

Wall is a mutant whose first appearance was in Cable vol. 2 #79. Wall was a member of Randall Shire's small traveling carnival in Australia before Shire was possessed by the alien Undying known as Semijan and subsequently enslaved Wall and his brother Key with his mutant vocal power. Wall is a low-level mutant whose body is denser than adamantium, and is resistant to injury. Wall also possesses enhanced strength.

Orkney

Orkney /ˈɔːrkni/ (Scottish Gaelic: Arcaibh), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, United Kingdom. Situated off the north coast of Great Britain, Orkney is 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the coast of Caithness and comprises approximately 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, Mainland, often referred to as "the Mainland", has an area of 523.25 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. The largest settlement and administrative centre is Kirkwall.

The name "Orkney" dates back to the 1st century BC or earlier, and the islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years. Originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts, Orkney was invaded and forcibly annexed by Norway in 875 and settled by the Norse. The Scottish Parliament then re-annexed the earldom to the Scottish Crown in 1472, following the failed payment of a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, and the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

North Ronaldsay sheep

The North Ronaldsay is a breed of sheep living on North Ronaldsay, the northernmost of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. They are one survivor of a type of sheep formerly found across the islands of Orkney and Shetland (the other is the Shetland), belonging to the Northern European short-tailed sheep group of breeds.

They are notable for living almost entirely on seaweed for several months of the year, except for a short lambing season – this is the only forage available to them, as they are confined to the shoreline by a 6 feet (1.8 m) tall dry-stone wall which encloses the whole island. The semi feral flock on North Ronaldsay is confined to the foreshore for most of the year to conserve the limited grazing inland. This breed is raised primarily for wool.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists this breed as "vulnerable," with about 600 registered breeding females in the United Kingdom in Spring 2014.

Wool

Wool from the sheep is spun in Lanarkshire on the Scottish mainland and returned to Orkney for sale. However a small woollen mill now has a processing operation on North Ronaldsay. This mill processes the majority of Island-produced fleeces and supplies fibre for felters and spinners, as well as spinning yarn for knitters, many of whom live in Orkney producing fine clothing and other woollen goods for sale throughout Orkney.

Orkney (disambiguation)

Orkney may refer to:

Scotland

Antarctica

South Africa

Canada

See also