Английская Википедия:Caldey Island

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Файл:Caldey Island Map.png
Map of Caldey Island
Файл:The Caldey Stone, Caldey Island - geograph.org.uk - 590547.jpg
Caldey Ogham Stone, 6th century

Шаблон:Infobox UK legislation

Caldey Island (Welsh:Ynys Bŷr) is a small island near Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales, less than Шаблон:Convert off the coast.Шаблон:Sfn With a recorded history going back over 1,500 years, it is one of the holy islands of Britain. A number of traditions inherited from Celtic times are observed by the Cistercian monks of Caldey Abbey, the owners of the island.[1]

The island's population consists of about 40 permanent residents and a varying number of Cistercian monks,[2] known as Trappists. The monks' predecessors migrated there from Belgium in the early 20th century, taking over from Anglican Benedictines who had bought the island in 1906 and built the extant monastery and abbey but later got into financial difficulties.[3] Today, the monks of Caldey Abbey rely on tourism and making perfumes and chocolate.

The usual access to the island is by boat from Tenby, Шаблон:Convert to the north. In the spring and summer, visitors are ferried to Caldey, not only to visit the sacred sanctuary but also to view the island's rich wildlife.[4] Following a rat eradication programme, red squirrels were introduced in 2016. Alongside rare breed sheep and cattle, the island has a diverse bird and plant life.

Name origins

The island was named Ynys Bŷr after Saint Pyr, the sixth century saint,Шаблон:Sfn and Pyr is named as abbot of the monastery around the year 500 in the Life of St Samson. This Welsh name has remained in use since medieval times, but the Old Welsh name of the island before St Pyr's day is unknown.[5]

Like those of many Welsh islands, Caldey's English name (sometimes spelled Caldy) derives from the Vikings. Kald ey translates as "cold island", with the name appearing as 'Caldea' in the early 12th century, and Kaldey or Caldey by 1291.Шаблон:Sfn

History

Pre-history

Файл:Caldey Island Monastery Reflected in the Pond. - geograph.org.uk - 113053.jpg
Caldey Island monastery, reflected in the pond

Three caves have been discovered on the island and excavated to unearth archaeological finds: Nanna's Cave,Шаблон:Sfn Potter's Cave (1950) and Ogof–yr-Ychen ("Ox cave", 1970).Шаблон:Sfn In Nanna's Cave, human bones and shells were first found in 1911 and excavations continued in three more stages until the 1970s.Шаблон:Sfn Potter's Cave was found in 1950 by a monk named James Van Nedervelde, and excavations, which continued until 1970, initially revealed stalagmites in which tools and animals were embedded. After removal of these finds, three human skeletons were found and carbon dated: two were dated to the Middle Stone Age and one to the Romano–British period. Also found were a few artefacts from the late Upper Paleolithic period. In Ogof–yr-Ychen, the bones of humans whose burials date between 7590 BC and 5710 BC were found.Шаблон:Sfn Stable isotope ratio tests revealed that they lived on marine food.Шаблон:Sfn A very few earlier neolithic bowls and shells have also been found in the caves. All the finds were carbon dated and have been preserved in the Abbey of Caldey Island or in Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.Шаблон:Sfn

Recorded history

Файл:CaldeyIslandPriory.JPG
Caldey Island Priory

A Celtic monastery was first established on the island in the sixth century, and the island thrived during the Middle Ages.Шаблон:Sfn[6] Following the Norman Conquest, Robert fitz Martin, Lord of Cemais, gave the island to his mother Geva.[7] In the 12th century, Caldey Priory (now a Grade I listed building[8]) was established by Tironensian monks as a daughter house of St. Dogmaels Abbey, and lasted to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536.[9]

The north side of Caldey Island is made up of grey limestone, a desirable building material.Шаблон:Sfn The 19th century seems to have been the height of limestone quarrying on the island; some of the limestone was taken to the Annery kiln in the district of Torridge in north Devon for processing.[10]

The current abbey was built in 1910 by Anglican Benedictine monks but financial problems beginning in 1925 led to the 1929 purchase of the property by Belgian Cistercians.Шаблон:Sfn It is considered to be the most complete example of the Arts and Crafts style in the country, and was the largest project of John Coates Carter. At the time of building, the abbey was called "the greatest phenomenon in the Anglican community at the present time". The roofs are of white roughcast with red tiling, and the abbey church has five side-windows and on the south a "tapering" tower with primitive crenellations.

Caldey Island and St. Margaret’s Island have together formed an ecclesiastical district for as long as the locals can remember, with 20 Cistercian monks living at the monastery Шаблон:As of.Шаблон:Sfn The Census Reports of the County of Pembroke record it as an ecclesiastical district for administrative purposes.Шаблон:Sfn

The Caldey Island Act 1990 added the island to Dyfed and South Pembrokeshire, and to Pembrokeshire parliamentary constituency.[11]

Child sexual abuse

There have been many cases involving child sexual abuse linked to the island, over more than fifty years.[12] Father Thaddeus Kotik was found to have sexually abused six girls on the island between 1972 and 1987 in a civil court case.[13] In 2011 a fugitive charged with possessing indecent images of children was arrested at the abbey after living there for seven years.[14][15] Two other men, Father John Shannon and John Cronin, convicted of sexual offences involving children have also been linked to Caldey Island.[16] In 2017 Welsh Conservatives children's spokesman, Darren Millar, called for an independent inquiry into historical child sexual abuse on the island.[17] The island now work with The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) and have appointed a safeguarding officer to ensure such events are not allowed to repeat. [18]

Geography

Caldey Island is about Шаблон:Convert long and Шаблон:Convert in width at its widest. It has an area of Шаблон:Convert and its highest elevation is Шаблон:Convert. The island lies in Carmarthen Bay on the northern side of the Bristol Channel in the county of Pembrokeshire, a little over Шаблон:Convert south of Tenby on the mainland of southwest Wales.[3]Шаблон:Sfn It is separated from the mainland by Caldey Sound. A fleet of traditional wooden boats ferry passengers from Tenby to Caldey Island in the spring and summer months when the weather allows.[6] Boats depart roughly every twenty minutes from the harbour at high tide, while at low tide they depart from Castle Beach.Шаблон:Sfn

Caldey Island consists of two islands which are separated at high tide: Caldey Island and Little Caldey Island. Little Caldey Island is also known as St Margaret's Island or St Margaret's Isle, and lies off the north-western point of Caldey Island. It acquired its name in the 17th century,Шаблон:Sfn and is known for its seals and bird sanctuary.[3]

The island is mostly used for grazing.Шаблон:Citation needed

Climate

The average high and low temperatures for Caldey Island, along with wind speeds for each month of the year, are given in the following table. The absolute maximum temperature recorded is Шаблон:Convert in August and the absolute minimum recorded is Шаблон:Convert in February.[19]

Maximum Recorded Wind Speed[19]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
65 km/h 59 km/h 59 km/h 59 km/h 56 km/h 48 km/h 43 km/h 46 km/h 44 km/h 67 km/h 61 km/h 61 km/h
40 mph 37 mph 37 mph 37 mph 35 mph 30 mph 27 mph 29 mph 27 mph 42 mph 38 mph 38 mph

Wildlife

Caldey Island is known for its flowers, many of which are rarely found in other areas of the United Kingdom. The island also has many species of birds that are prevalent in the summer months.Шаблон:Sfn The country's largest colony of cormorants is located at St Margaret's Island.Шаблон:Sfn Following a two-year rat eradication programme, red squirrels were introduced in 2016[20] and by 2018 were breeding successfully and there are now around 50 on the island.[21]

Economy and services

Файл:Caldey Island Post Office and Museum.jpg
Caldey Post Office and Museum

The island's economic activity is supported by tourism and the sale of chocolate.[2] The main income comes from tourism. The monastery opened an Internet shop in 2001 to sell products online.[22] Their lavender perfume is said to be "simply the best lavender soliflore on earth" by the perfume critic Luca Turin.[23]

Caldey Island provides a spiritual retreat that accommodates up to 750 guests a year. This facility is currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment and is due to be open again in Easter 2024.Шаблон:Sfn The island has a functioning post office including a museum of the island's history.[24] The island has its own postage stamps and its own monetary unit named after the local fish, the dab.Шаблон:Sfn There is a colonial-style tea shop on the green, and an underground reservoir near the lighthouse, supplied by a spring. This provides water to the gardens and the people.Шаблон:Sfn

For handling emergencies, the island Land Rover is shared between the fire service, the coastguard, and the police. There is a volunteer fire service operated by the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service,[25] with access to two fire engines, one being a 4x4 rural firefighting unit that was airlifted to the island by the Royal Air Force.[26][27][28] The last reported major fire on the island was in 1940 when the monastery was damaged.[2]

The island has two cranes, one on Tenby Harbour the other on the island. These cranes are used to lift heavier items or livestock onto the boat to be transported to and from the island.

The island also has some basic farming equipment including two tractors, used for the upkeep of the land and transportation of heavy goods.

Landmarks

Файл:Caldey Island Lighthouse.jpg
Caldey Lighthouse

Tourist attractions on Caldey Island include the recently restored 13th-century church of St Illtyd,[29] an ogham cross from the sixth century, a Norman chapel, and Caldey Abbey, completed in 1910.[30]

Caldey Lighthouse was built in 1829. The light was intended to help coastal traffic trading limestone and coal to mid- and North Wales but the light also helped long-distance and North American traffic identify the Bristol Channel and avoid confusion with the English Channel.Шаблон:Citation needed The lighthouse is a squat, round, brick-lined limestone tower of 17 m (56 ft), with walls 0.9 m (3 ft) thick at the base and Шаблон:Convert thick at the top. The light stands 64 m (210 ft) above high-water mark. The lighthouse was automated in 1929. The former oil store for the lighthouse is a listed structure.[31] The lighthouse keeper's cottages that flank the lighthouse are two-storey, with hipped roofs, octagonal chimneys and a one-storey linking corridor. The cottages were built around 1868–70 by T. C. Harvey.

References

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Bibliography

External links

Шаблон:Commons category

Шаблон:Pembrokeshire Шаблон:Authority control