Editing Little Cumbrae

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox Scottish island
|Image = Little Cumbrae Island.JPG
|ImageCaption = Little Cumbrae Island from [[Portencross]], Ayrshire
|coordinates = {{coord|55.72|-4.95|display=inline}}
|location_map=Scotland North Ayrshire
|caption=Little Cumbrae shown within North Ayrshire
|GridReference=NS148517
|celtic name=Cumaradh Beag
|scots name=
|norse name=
|meaning of name=
|area= {{convert|313|ha|sqmi|2}}
|area rank=84
|highest elevation=Lighthouse Hill {{convert|123|m|ft|0}}
|Population= 0
|population rank=
|main settlement=
|island group=[[Islands of the Clyde]]
|local authority=[[North Ayrshire]]
|references=<ref>2001 UK Census per [[List of islands of Scotland]]</ref><ref name=Smith>Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 17-18</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/ |title=Ordnance Survey |access-date=12 November 2007 |archive-date=16 October 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031016154458/http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
'''Little Cumbrae''' ({{langx|gd|Cumaradh Beag}}) is an island in the [[Firth of Clyde]], in [[North Ayrshire]], Scotland. It lies south of [[Great Cumbrae]], its larger neighbour. The underlying geology is igneous with limited outcrops of sedimentary rock. Little Cumbrae House is of 20th century construction, although the island has no permanent inhabitation at present, its population having peaked at 23 in the late 19th century.<ref name=Smith/> There is a lighthouse on the western coast.

==Etymology==
The Cumbraes take their name from the [[Old Norse]] ''Kumreyjar'', meaning "islands of the [[Cymry]]" (referring to the [[Cumbric]]-speaking inhabitants of southern Scotland). They are referred to under this name in the Norse ''[[Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar|Saga of Haakon Haakonarson]]''.<ref>{{cite thesis|title=Ethnonyms in the Place-Names of Scotland and the Border Counties of England|last=Morgan|first=Ailig|date=2013|degree=PhD|publisher=St Andrews University|page=45|hdl=10023/4164 |url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/4164}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence (Volume 2)|last=James|first=Alan|date=2019|publisher=Scottish Place-Name Society|page=85|url=https://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary_2019_Edition.pdf}}</ref>

Little Cumbrae was recorded as "Litill Comeray" in 1515<ref name="J93">Johnston, p. 93</ref> and later in that century as "Cumbray of the Dais".<ref>Munro (1961) p. 48, quoting the Sibbald Manuscript of Monro (1549)</ref>{{#tag:ref|Monro wrote that the name “Cumbray of the Dais” arose “because there is mony Dais in it”. This has been interpreted to mean that the derivation of “Dais” is from {{langx|sco|Dae}}, a female [[fallow deer]].<ref>[https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost00058788 Da, Dae] Dictionaries of the Scots Language/’’Dictionars o the Scots Leid’’ DSL. Retrieved 3 March 2024. </ref><ref> Munro (1961) p. 160</ref> However {{langx|gd|deas}} means “south”<ref>[https://www.faclair.com/ deas] “Am Faclair Beag’’. Faclair.com. Retrieved 3 March 2024.</ref>  and as Little Cumbrae is just {{convert|1|km|mi}} south of its larger neighbour and Monro’s grasp of Gaelic is known to have been weak{{sfn|Smith|1894}} it is possible that the name simply meant “South Cumbrae”.|group="Note"}} In modern Gaelic these the island is known as ''Cumaradh Beag''.<ref name=MacanT>Mac an Tàilleir p. 36</ref> In former times it was also known as Lesser or Wee Cumbrae.<ref name=Smith/>

==Geography==
[[File:Little Cumbrae Island by William Johnson 1828.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Little Cumbrae in 1828]]
Little Cumbrae lies barely a kilometre to the south of Great Cumbrae, a few kilometres distant from the mainland town of [[Largs]]. The islands are collectively referred to as [[The Cumbraes]]. In stark contrast to its neighbour, green and fertile [[Great Cumbrae]], Little Cumbrae is a rough and rocky island. With its many cliffs and rocky [[outcrop]]s, Little Cumbrae bears more of a resemblance to a [[Hebrides|Hebridean]] island than to some of its neighbours in the Clyde.

A number of uninhabited islets skirt the island's east coast, [[Castle Island, Scotland|Castle Isle]], the Broad Islands and Trail Isle.

Today the island's main settlement is at Little Cumbrae House on the eastern shore, facing the Scottish mainland.

==Geology==
Unlike its larger neighbour, Little Cumbrae is formed almost entirely from extrusive [[igneous rock]]s. These are a mix of [[Carboniferous]] age [[basalt]]s, [[mugearite]] and [[hawaiite]] lava flows cut by a similarly aged WSW-ENE aligned [[dike (geology)|dyke]] of alkali [[olivine]] [[diorite]]. A later northwest–southeast aligned swarm of dykes of [[Palaeogene]] age intrude these rocks whilst several [[fault (geology)|geological faults]] run generally NW-SE.
There are limited outcrops of sedimentary rock in the east, these being of the Eileans Sandstone assigned to the Clyde Sandstone Formation of the Carboniferous age [[Inverclyde Group]].
A [[raised beach]] is developed along the lower-lying east coast of the island on which have accumulated marine deposits and blown sand. [[Glacial striation]]s betray the broadly north–south movement of a glacier over the island during the last ice age. Small pockets of [[peat]] have accumulated during the post-glacial period.<ref>British Geological Survey 2008. ''Dunoon and Millport'', Scotland sheet 29E with part of 21E. Bedrock and superficial deposits. 1:50,000. (Keyworth, Nottingham: BGS)</ref>

==History==
<!-- {{Main|Little Cumbrae Castle}} -->
[[File:Little Cumbrae.JPG|thumb|left|Little Cumbrae seen from Haylie Brae on the mainland. Note [[Great Cumbrae]] in the foreground at the right and [[Isle of Arran|Arran]] beyond.]]
{{Infobox lighthouse
| qid = Q28790188
| name =Cumbrae Lighthouse
| image_name =Lighthouse on Little Cumbrae.jpg
| caption = Little Cumbrae Lighthouse
| location = [[Firth of Clyde]]
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin =
| coordinates = {{coord|55|43.2179|N|4|58.0236|W}}
| yearbuilt = 1793
| yearlit = 1997 (current tower)
| automated =1977
| yeardeactivated =
| foundation =
| construction = Traditional white tower (inoperative)<br/>
hexagonal/cylindrical tower
| shape =
| marking =
| height = 
| focalheight = {{convert|92|ft|m|0}}
| lens =
| currentlens =
| intensity =
| range =  [[nautical mile]]s
| characteristic = Fl. W 6 sec
}}
The Cumbraes were one of the remote locations that early Irish monks settled. There are six or more known caves on the island. A submarine passage was said to run from Monks' Cave (now known as Kings Cave) at Storrils cliff to Kingarth on the [[Isle of Bute]].<ref>Downie, R. Angus (1934). ''Bute and the Cumbraes''. Glasgow & London : Blackie & son Ltd. Page 53</ref>

[[Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland|Walter Stewart]] is said to have built a castle or hunting lodge on Little Cumbrae.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst1707.html| publisher=Gazetteer for Scotland| title=Overview of Little Cumbrae| access-date=11 November 2007| archive-date=16 March 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316211803/http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst1707.html| url-status=live}}</ref>  His son, [[Robert II of Scotland|Robert II]] spent time there hunting the deer, however the site of the "Auld Castle" is unknown. It was occupied during hunting expeditions by Robert II in 1375 and 1384,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lytteil |first1=W |title=Guide book to the Cumbraes |date=1986 |pages=132}}</ref> and was demolished by [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwell]]'s soldiers in 1653.<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Cumbraes, The|volume=7|page=628}}</ref>

[[Little Cumbrae Castle]], a small square keep, was built in the 16th century on [[Castle Island, Scotland|Castle Island]] off Little Cumbrae. It was similarly occupied.

In the early 20th century, under the ownership of Evelyn Stuart Parker, a new 'mansion house' was created from the original single storey farmhouse, the gardens were laid out to a plan by Gertrude Jekyll, the renowned garden designer, and substantial repairs were undertaken to the castle and the original lighthouse. The original work commenced in 1913, with subsequent alterations made between 1926 and 1929 when the square tower and top floor were added.

Little Cumbrae is the birthplace of [[James Archbald]], the first mayor of [[Carbondale, PA|Carbondale]], Pennsylvania.

==Cumbrae lighthouses{{anchor|Little Cumbrae Lighthouse Act 1756}}==
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Little Cumbrae Lighthouse Act 1756
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = 
| year                  = 1756
| citation              = 29 Geo. 2c. 20
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
James Ewing built the first Little Cumbrae [[lighthouse]] on the top of Lighthouse Hill in 1757. This was the second lighthouse in Scotland.<ref name="secret">{{cite web| url=http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/LittleCumbrae| title=Little Cumbrae| publisher=Secret Scotland| access-date=17 January 2011| archive-date=18 September 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918040536/http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/LittleCumbrae| url-status=live}}</ref> An open coal fire was lit at the top of a circular stone tower. Remains of this old structure can still be seen and are designated a [[scheduled monument]].<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=SM418|desc=Little Cumbrae,lighthouse tower & associated buildings |access-date=22 February 2019}}</ref>

The traditional Cumbrae Lighthouse was designed and built in 1793 by [[Thomas Smith (engineer)|Thomas Smith]] under commission from the [[Northern Lighthouse Board|Commissioners of the Northern Lights]]. The lighthouse lies on a broad [[raised beach]] on the western shore of the island looking out into the Firth, 0.5&nbsp;km from the first light. It had a foghorn, slipway, jetty, and boathouse. The original oil lamps were replaced by [[Argand lamp]]s in 1826. In 1865, the foghorn was installed; the first in Britain. The tower was restored in 1956 and a [[solar-power]]ed light was installed in 1974.<ref name="secret"/> The 1793 tower has been unused since 1997, with the light on a {{convert|36|ft|m|adj=on|abbr=off}} hexagonal/cylindrical tower adjacent to the old generator house.

==Ownership==
Little Cumbrae was privately purchased in 2003 and there were plans for its development as a memorial park, nature reserve and corporate escape.

The island was sold again in July 2009 for £2 million.<ref name="HLL">{{Cite web| publisher=HLL Humberts Leisure| title=Little Cumbrae| date=10 July 2009| url=http://www.humberts-leisure.com/86/article/81/page.html| access-date=12 July 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061029003246/http://www.humberts-leisure.com/86/article/81/page.html| archive-date=29 October 2006| url-status=dead}}</ref> The buyers of the island, a Scottish millionaire couple of [[non-resident Indian|Indian origin]], Sarwan and Sunita Poddar, opened a [[yoga]] and [[meditation]] centre there with the help of yoga guru [[Swami Ramdev|Swami Baba Ramdev]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13967.html| newspaper=Pink News| title='Gay cure' yoga guru to set up centre on Scottish island| access-date=17 September 2009| archive-date=11 September 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911092816/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13967.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6825207.ece | newspaper=Times Online | title=Yoga guru sets up base on Scottish isle | access-date=27 September 2009 | location=London | first=Rhys | last=Blakely | date=8 September 2009 | archive-date=5 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005160942/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> There have also been rumours of the new owners planning to rename it "Peace Island", but those have been denied.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.brambleandbug.com/our-work/case-studies/little-cumbrae-island/| publisher=Bramble & Bug Ltd.| title=Plans about Little Cumbrae| access-date=10 November 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091013100116/http://www.brambleandbug.com/our-work/case-studies/little-cumbrae-island/| archive-date=13 October 2009| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/weecumbrae/articles/2009/09/16/391901-wee-cumbrae-not-to-be-renamed-peace-island/ | publisher=Largs and Millport News | title=Little Cumbrae not to be renamed | date=16 September 2009 | access-date=10 November 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208040235/http://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/weecumbrae/articles/2009/09/16/391901-wee-cumbrae-not-to-be-renamed-peace-island/ | archive-date=8 December 2009 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

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

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="Note"}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{Haswell-Smith}}
* Johnston, J. B. (1903). ''Place-names of Scotland''. Edinburgh: David Douglas.
* {{cite web|url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/language/gaelic/pdfs/placenamesC-E.pdf |title=Placenames |author=Iain Mac an Tàilleir |publisher=Pàrlamaid na h-Alba  |access-date=23 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317013236/http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/language/gaelic/pdfs/placenamesC-E.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2007}}
* [[Donald Monro (Dean)|Monro, Sir Donald]] (1549) ''[[Description of the Western Isles of Scotland]]''. First published by William Auld, Edinburgh 1774.
* Munro, R. W. (1961) ''Monro's Western Isles of Scotland and Genealogies of the Clans''. Edinburgh and London. Oliver and Boyd.
*{{Cite DNB|wstitle=Monro, Donald (fl.1550)|first=George Gregory|last=Smith|volume=38}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Little Cumbrae Island}}
*[http://seakayakphoto.blogspot.com/2010/12/decay-of-little-cumbrae-lighthouse-does.html Pictures of lighthouse]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suNfLwtWcR8 YouTube video of Little or Wee Cumbrae island and the castle]

{{Islands of the Clyde}}
{{Islands of Scotland}}
{{Authority control | additional=Q28790188}}
{{Coord|55.72131|N|4.95503|W|display=title|region:GB_source:isle}}

[[Category:Uninhabited islands of North Ayrshire]]
[[Category:Islands of the Clyde]]
[[Category:Private islands of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:The Cumbraes]]