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Fetlar and North Yell

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"FETLAR, an island and a civil parish in the N of Shetland. The island lies 3 miles E of Yell, 4 S of Unst, and 33 N by E of Lerwick, under which it has a post office. Its greatest length, from NW to SE, is 6½ miles; its greatest breadth is 2¾ miles; and its area is estimated at 5500 acres.

The outline is rendered so irregular by numerous headlands and sea inlets as to give a large extent of sea coast. The principal bays or sea inlets are Tresta, with a sandy beach; Aith, with a pebbly beach; Funzie, used as a ling fishing station; Gruting, with a pebbly beach; Urie, with a rude pier; Sand, of small extent and sandy; and Mowick, used for the transporting of peats from an inland hill by sea to the other bays of the island. The interior comprises several hills and vales, but nowhere exceeds 300 feet above sea-level. The rocks comprise gneiss, syenite, granite, quartzite, syenitic greenstone, mica slate, chlorite slate, clay slate, serpentine, and diallage rock. Bog iron ore, of a very rich quality, occurs in peat moss; chromate of iron is found in the serpentine rock; and some veins of copper ore have been found. About 1200 acres are under cultivation, and have, for the most part, a tolerably fertile soil of sand and loam. Not a tree or shrub is anywhere to be seen. Brough Lodge is the principal residence. Pop. (1831) 843, (1861) 548, (1871) 517, (1881) 431.

The parish, including also the northern part of Yell island, and bearing the name of Fetlar and North Yell, has a total area of 26, 659 acres. The Yell portion of it is much more rugged than Fetlar, but will be described in our article on Yell. The Earl of Zetland is chief proprietor, but 2 others hold each an annual value of between £100 and £500, 4 of from £50 to £100, and 2 of from £20 to £50. In the presbytery of Burravoe and synod of Shetland, Fetlar forms one quoad sacra parish and North Yell another, the former a living worth £222. Its church, rebuilt in 1790, contains 267 sittings. There is also a Free church of Fetlar; and 3 public schools:- Fetlar, Braeside, and Sellafirth-with respective accommodation for 70, 30, and 54 children, had (1880) an average attendance of 43, 43, and 12, and grants of £45, 2s-, £42, 5s., and £17. Valuation (1881) £1877, 11s. 3d. Pop. (1793) 1346, (1831) 1680, (1861) 1480, (1871) 1410, (1881) 1252."

F.H. Groome Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland,1882-4

"NORTH YELL, a parish in the Shetland Isles, coast of Scotland. It comprises the northern portion of the island of Yell, with the island of Fetlar, besides numerous small islets in Colgrave and Yell sounds. It is a mountainous district, chiefly sheepwalks, with remains of Picts' houses and Danish forts along the coasts. The cliffs on the W., with the islets adjoining, are frequented by swarms of sea-fowl, terns, eider-ducks, and other Arctic species, while the narrow seas or sounds, called Blumel, Colgrave, and Yell sounds, abound in herrings, sillocks, and calving whales. The parish is in the presbytery of Burra-voe. The minister's stipend is £160, with manse.

From The National Gazetteer of of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)

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Churches

Presbyterian / Unitarian
North Yell, Church of Scotland
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Description & Travel

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Gazetteers

 

Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Samuel Lewis - 1851

YELL-NORTH. See Fetlar, in the county of Shetland.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference HU611946 (Lat/Lon: 60.630058, -0.885944), Fetlar and North Yell which are provided by: