Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly are a small archipelago located off the southwestern tip of mainland Cornwall.

This group of islands is part of the ceremonial county of Cornwall. While they share some services with the mainland, they have maintained a separate local authority since 1890. Today, this body is known as the Council of the Isles of Scilly. The islands consist of about 140 small islands and rocky islets.

Most of the population lives on the island of St Mary's. Nearly half of the residents live in the town of Hugh Town. The 2021 United Kingdom census recorded a total population of approximately 2,100 people.

The geography of the archipelago has changed significantly over thousands of years. It is likely that the islands were once a single, much larger landmass. Some researchers believe this large island was named Ennor.

Between 400 and 500 AD, rising sea levels flooded the central plains. This process split the land into the 55 islands and islets seen today. Evidence for this ancient landscape includes prehistoric farm remains found on Nornour. Although Nornour is now a small, rocky skerry, it was once large enough for farming. You can even see ancient field walls below the high tideline near islands like Samson. At very low tides, the water becomes shallow enough for people to walk between some islands.

Many different cultures have left their mark on the islands throughout history. The Romans knew the archipelago by a Latinized name. They may have viewed the islands as a place of exile. For example, a man named Tiberianus from Hispania was banished there around 385 AD. The islands were also part of the Brittonic Celtic kingdom of Dumnonia. Later, the islands may have been part of the Welsh or Cumbrian regions. In 986, the Viking king Olaf Tryggvason visited the islands.

According to the Royal Sagas of Norway, he met a Christian seer there. This encounter reportedly led him to be baptized and change his ways.

The islands have also been shaped by major political conflicts. During the English Civil War, the islands were a site of military struggle. Parliamentarian forces eventually captured the islands after attacking Tresco and Bryher. They built Cromwell's Castle on Tresco using materials from an older platform. This older platform, now called King Charles's Castle, dates back to the 1550s. The islands also became involved in a long conflict with the Netherlands. This began in 1651 when Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp demanded compensation for raids. This dispute became known as the Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War.

Maritime history has brought both tragedy and change to the archipelago. On the night of October 22, 1707, one of the worst maritime disasters in British history occurred near the islands. A fleet of 21 Royal Navy ships was traveling from Gibraltar to Portsmouth. Six of these ships were driven onto the cliffs. Four ships sank or capsized, resulting in at least 1,450 deaths. This included the commanding admiral, Sir Cloudesley Shovell. The islands may have also experienced inundation from the tsunami caused by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

The climate of the Isles of Scilly is heavily influenced by the North Atlantic Current. This ocean current has an ameliorating effect, meaning it makes the weather milder. Because of this, the islands rarely experience frost or snow. This mild weather is very important for the local economy. It allows farmers to grow cut flowers, specifically daffodils, much earlier than on the mainland. Agriculture and tourism are the two main parts of the local economy.

You might see red squirrels foraging in the woods on Tresco.

Understanding the Isles of Scilly requires looking at how land, sea, and people interact. The archipelago is divided into five civil parishes or wards.

These are St Agnes, Bryher, Tresco, St Martin's, and St Mary's. The Duchy of Cornwall owns most of the freehold land on the islands. The name "Scilly" itself has an interesting history. It was originally written as "Sully" in 1176. In the 16th century, the letter "c" was added to the name. This was done to distinguish it from the word "silly," which was changing meaning from "happy" to "foolish" at that time.