Island and (until 1975) civil parish in Orkney Islands, Scotland
Shapinsay
Scots name
Shapinsee[1]
Old Norse name
Hjálpandisey
Meaning of name
Possibly Old Norse for 'helpful island' or 'judge's island'
Cannon decorate the quayside of Balfour Harbour on Shapinsay, the round tower in the background is The Douche
Location
Shapinsay
Shapinsay shown within Orkney
OS grid reference
HY505179
Coordinates
59°03′N2°53′W / 59.05°N 2.88°W / 59.05; -2.88
Physical geography
Island group
Orkney
Area
2,948 hectares (11.4 sq mi)
Area rank
29 [2]
Highest elevation
Ward Hill 64 metres (210 ft)
Administration
Sovereign state
United Kingdom
Country
Scotland
Council area
Orkney Islands
Demographics
Population
307[3]
Population rank
27 [2]
Population density
10.4 people/km2[3][4]
Largest settlement
Balfour
References
[4][5][6][7][8]
Shapinsay (/ˈʃæpɪnziː/, Scots: Shapinsee) is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. With an area of 29.5 square kilometres (11.4 sq mi), it is the eighth largest island in the Orkney archipelago. It is low-lying and, with a bedrock formed from Old Red Sandstone overlain by boulder clay, fertile, causing most of the area to be used for farming. Shapinsay has two nature reserves and is notable for its bird life. Balfour Castle, built in the Scottish Baronial style, is one of the island's most prominent features, a reminder of the Balfour family's domination of Shapinsay during the 18th and 19th centuries; the Balfours transformed life on the island by introducing new agricultural techniques. Other landmarks include a standing stone, an Iron Age broch, a souterrain and a salt-water shower.
There is one village on the island, Balfour, from which roll-on/roll-off car ferries sail to Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. At the 2011 census, Shapinsay had a population of 307. The economy of the island is primarily based on agriculture with the exception of a few small businesses that are largely tourism-related. A community-owned wind turbine was constructed in 2011. The island has a primary school but, in part due to improving transport links with mainland Orkney, no longer has a secondary school. Shapinsay's long history has given rise to various folk tales.
^"Map of Scotland in Scots – Guide and gazetteer" (PDF). Centre for the Scots Leid. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
^ abArea and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
^ abNational Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ abHaswell-Smith (2004), pp. 364–367
^"Orkney Placenames" Orkneyjar. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
^Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
^Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin and Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
^Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes. (Map) Nevis Print. Inverness.
Shapinsay (/ˈʃæpɪnziː/, Scots: Shapinsee) is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. With an area of 29.5 square kilometres...
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Balfour Castle is a historic building on the southwest of Shapinsay, Orkney Islands. Though built around an older structure that dates at least from the...
Sanday, 23 June 1863 under Capt James Scarth 3rd (Shapinsay) OAV – formed at Balfour on Shapinsay Island 10 July 1863 under Capt David Balfour, with...
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Washington Irving's parents were William Irving Sr., originally of Quholm, Shapinsay, Orkney, Scotland, and Sarah (née Saunders), originally of Falmouth, Cornwall...
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