Inchcolm

Inchcolm

Gaelic name	Innis Choluim
Meaning of name	Island of St Columba
Location
Inchcolm Inchcolm shown within Fife
OS grid reference	NT189827
Coordinates	56°02′N 3°18′W / 56.03°N 3.30°W / 56.03; -3.30
Physical geography
Island group	Islands of the Forth
Area	9 hectares (22 acres)
Highest elevation	34 metres (112 feet)
Administration
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Scotland
Council area	Fife
Demographics
Population	0
References

Inchcolm (from the Scottish Gaelic "Innis Choluim", meaning Columba's Island) is an island in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It was repeatedly attacked by English raiders during the Wars of Scottish Independence, and was fortified during both World Wars to defend nearby Edinburgh. Inchcolm now attracts visitors to its former Augustine Abbey.

Inchcolm lies in the Firth of Forth off the south coast of Fife opposite Braefoot Bay, east of the Forth Bridge, south of Aberdour, Fife, and north of the City of Edinburgh. It is separated from the Fife mainland by a stretch of water known as Mortimer's Deep. The island forms part of the parish of Aberdour, and lies a quarter of a mile from the shore. In the days when people were compelled to cross the Firth of Forth by boat as opposed to bridge, the island was a great deal less isolated, and on the ferry routes between Leith/Lothian and Fife.

The island can be broadly divided into three sections: the east, where its military defensive operations were centred during the Second World War, the lower central part, with the small natural harbour and shop, and a larger western end.

In 2001 there was a resident population of 2 but at the time of the 2011 census there were no "usual residents" recorded.

Inchcolm was anciently known as Emona, Aemonia or Innis Choluim. It may have been used by the Roman fleet in some capacity, as they had a strong presence at Cramond for a few years, and had to travel to the Antonine Wall.

It was supposedly visited by St Columba (an Irish missionary monk) in 567, and was named after him in the 12th century. It may have served the monks of the Columban family as an "Iona of the east" from early times. A primitive stone-roofed building survived on the island, preserved and given a vaulted roof by the monks of the later abbey, probably served as a hermit's oratory and cell in the 12th century, if not earlier. Fragments of carved stonework from the Dark Ages testify to an early Christian presence on the island. A hogback stone, preserved in the abbey's visitor centre, can be dated to the late 10th century, making it probably Scotland's earliest type of monument originating among Danish settlers in northern England. A 16th-century source states that a stone cross was situated nearby, although no features could be found which related to the monument.