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Map of Lundy with inset maps of Great Britain and Bristol Channel
'Lundy' is an
island in the
Bristol Channel, lying about a third of the way () from the coast of
Devon,
England to that of
Wales. It is about long from north to south by wide, with an area of , and is the largest island in the
Bristol Channel. It has a resident population of 28 people (2007), almost all of whom live and work in the village on the south of the island. Lundy gives its name to one of the
British Sea Areas.
The entire island has been designated as a
Site of Special Scientific Interest[1] and is England's only statutory Marine
Nature Reserve, because of its unique flora and fauna. It is owned and managed by the
National Trust.
In a
2005 opinion poll of ''
Radio Times'' readers, Lundy was named as the tenth greatest natural wonder in Britain. One-day visits are most usual, although tourists can spend several nights on the island in tents or holiday cottages, almost all at the south end of the island.
Etymology
The name Lundy is believed to come from the
old Norse word for "puffin island",
[2] however an alternative explanation has been suggested with Lund referring to a copse, or wooded area.
[3]
Government and politics
The island is administered as part of
Torridge district of the
English county of
Devon. It belongs to the
ward of
Clovelly Bay.
[4] It is part of the constituency electing the
Member of parliament for
Torridge and West Devon and the
South West England consituency for the European Parliament.
History
Geology
Lundy Granite
The island is primarily composed of
granite of the
palaeocene period, with
slate at the southern end, and the plateau soil is mainly
loam with some
peat.
[5] Amongst the
igneous dykes cutting the granite are a small number composed of a unique orthophyre, which has been named Lundyite although this name, which was first used in 1914, has never been precisely defined and has since fallen into disuse.
[6]
Natural history
Flora
There is one
endemic plant species, the
Lundy Cabbage ''(Coincya wrightii)'', a species of primitive
brassica.
[7]
The east side of the island has become overgrown by
rhododendrons ''(Rhododendron ponticum)'' and the island has been contracted by
English Nature to eradicate the rhododendron by 2012. They are used as a daytime shelter by the sika deer. The vegetation on the plateau is mainly dry heath, with a notable area of waved
Calluna heath towards the northern end of the island, which is also rich in
lichens, such as ''Teloschistes flavicans'' and several species of
Cladonia and
Parmelia. Other areas are either a dry heath/acidic grassland mosaic, characterised by heaths and
Western Gorse (''Ulex gallii''), or semi-improved acidic grassland in which
Yorkshire Fog (''Holcus lanatus'') is abundant. Tussocky (Thrift) (Holcus/Armeria) communities occur mainly on the western side, and some patches of
Bracken (''Pteridium aquilinum'') on the eastern side.
Fauna
Atlantic Puffin
Until 2006 the Lundy Cabbage was thought to support two endemic species of
beetle. Recently the beetles have been found not to be endemic, but an endemic
weevil the Lundy cabbage flea beetle (''Psylliodes luridipennis'') has been discovered. The island is also home to the
purseweb spider (''Atypus affinis''), the only British member of the bird-eating spider family.
[8]
Birds
The number of
puffins (''Fratercula arctica''), which give the island its name declined in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with the 2005 breeding population estimated to be only two or three pairs, as a consequence of depredations by brown and
black rats (''Rattus rattus'') (which have now been eliminated) and possibly also as a result of commercial fishing for
sand eels, the puffins' principal prey.
As an isolated island on major migration routes, Lundy has a rich bird life and is a popular site for
birding. Large numbers of
Black-legged Kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') nest on the cliffs, as do
Razorbill (''Alca torda''),
Guillemot (''Uria aalge''),
Herring Gull (''Larus argentatus''),
Lesser Black-backed Gull (''Larus fuscus''),
Fulmar (''Fulmarus glacialis''),
Shag (''Phalacrocorax aristotelis''),
Oystercatcher (''Haematopus ostralegus''),
Skylark (''Alauda arvensis''),
Meadow pipit (''Anthus pratensis''),
Blackbird (
Turdus merula),
Robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') and
Linnet (''Carduelis cannabina''). There are also smaller populations of
Peregrine Falcon (''Falco peregrinus'') and
Raven (''Corvus corax'').
Mammals
Sika Deer
Lundy is home to an unusual range of mammals, almost all introduced. There is a distinct Lundy breed of wild
pony, called the
Lundy Pony. Until recently, together with the
Shiant Isles in the Hebrides, Lundy was one of only two places in the UK where the
Black Rat (''Rattus rattus'') could be found. It has since been eradicated on the island, in order to protect the nesting seabirds. Other species which have made the island their home include the
Grey Seal (''Halichoerus grypus''),
Sika Deer (''Cervus nippon''),
Pygmy Shrew (''Sorex minutus'') and feral
goats (''Capra aegagrus hircus''). Unusually, 20% of the
rabbits (''Leporidae'') on the island are
melanistic compared with 4% which is typical in the UK. In mid-2006 the rabbit population was decimated by
myxomatosis, leaving only 60 pairs from previous levels of 15-20,000 individuals. The behaviour of the
Soay Sheep (''Ovis aries'') on the island has been shown to vary their behaviours according to nutritional requirements, the distribution of food and the risk of predation.
[9]
Marine habitat
In 1971 a proposal was made by the Lundy Field Society to establish a marine reserve. Provision for the establishment of statutory Marine Nature Reserves was included in the
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and on 21 November 1986 the
Secretary of State for the Environment announced the designation of a statutory reserve at Lundy.
[10]
The waters around Lundy possess an outstanding variety of marine habitats and wildlife together with a large number of rare and unusual species. These include some species of
seaweed,
branching sponges,
sea fans and
cup corals.
[11]
Human habitation
Lundy has evidence of visitation or occupation from the
Neolithic period onward, with
Mesolithic flintwork,
Bronze Age burial mounds, four inscribed gravestones from the early medieval period,
[12][13] and an early medieval monastery (possibly dedicated to St Elen or
St Helen).
Lundy was granted to the
Knights Templar by
Henry II in 1160. The Templars were a major international maritime force at this time, with interests in North Devon, and almost certainly an important port at
Bideford or on the
River Taw in
Barnstaple. It is likely this was because of the increasing threat posed by the
Norse sea raiders,
[14] however it is unclear whether they ever took possession of the island. Ownership was disputed by the Marisco Family who may have been already on the island during
King Stephen's reign. The Mariscos were fined, and the island was cut off from necessary supplies.
[15]
Evidence of the Templars' weak hold on the island comes when
King John, on his accession in 1199 confirmed the earlier grant in the following form:
:''"Deed concerning King John and the island of Lundy - I John by the Grace of God &c you may know we confer and present by our confirmation by these presents our confirmation in perpetuity to God and to the brothers of the military service of the temple of Jerusalem, the island of Lundy … off the mouth of the river between Tinbeth and Barnstaple in what way how and by which means we wish and confirm to the Master of the brothers of the Temple that same island that they may have and hold completely and freely in continuous freedom and peace for free usage and with all liberties, habits, customs, usage and ways as of the late King Henry. Witness Walter Rothman Given by our hand of in the presence of Archbishop of Canterbury in year one of our reign."''{{fact}
Marisco Castle
William de Marisco was implicated in the murder of Henry Clement, one of the King's messengers, in 1235
[16] and in 1238, an attempt was made on the Kings life by a man who later confessed to being an agent of the Marisco family and William de Marisco fled to the island where he lived as a virtual king. He built a stronghold in the area now known as Bulls' Paradise with thick walls that safeguarded him and his 'subjects'. This triggered the concerted effort to rid the then King,
Henry III, of the family.
[17] In 1242 the king sent his best men to scale the island's cliff, and William de Marisco and his accomplices were captured alive. Eventually he and sixteen of his close followers were captured and tried. King built the Castle (sometimes erroneously referred to as the Marisco Castle) in an attempt to establish the rule of law on the island and its surrounding waters.
[18]
There followed a period of anarchy on the island with English and foreign pirates and
privateers (including more members of the Marisco family) taking control of the island for short periods. They found it profitable to capture the many passing
Bristol merchant ships bringing back valuable goods from overseas.
[19] Because of the dangerous shingle banks in the fast flowing
River Severn and
Bristol Channel, with its 32 ft tide,the second highest in the world
[20][21] they had to navigate close to Lundy.
In the
English Civil War Thomas Bushell held Lundy for King
Charles I, rebuilding Marisco Castle and garrisoning the island at his own expense. He was a friend of
Francis Bacon, a strong supporter of the
Royalist cause and an expert on mining and coining. This was the last part of the Royalist lands to capitulate to the
Parliament forces, and only after a year-long siege.
Richard Fiennes, representing
General Fairfax received the surrender.
[22].
In 1655 a force of 40
Ottoman ships captured Lundy, which then served as the main base for Ottoman naval and privateering operations in the North Atlantic until 1660,
[23] when it was acquired by Lord Say and Sele.
[24]
The late 18th and early 19th centuries were years of lawlessness on Lundy, particularly during the ownership of
Thomas Benson, a
Member of Parliament for Barnstaple in 1747 and
Sheriff of Devon, who notoriously used the island for housing convicts whom he was supposed to be deporting. Benson leased Lundy from its owner, Lord Gower, at a rent of £60 per annum and contracted with the Government to transport a shipload of convicts to
Virginia, but diverted the ship to Lundy to use the convicts as his personal slaves. Later Benson was involved in and insurance swindle. He purchased and insured the ship "Nightingale" and loaded it with a valuable cargo of pewter and linen. Having cleared the port on the mainland, the ship put into Lundy, where the cargo was removed and stored in a cave built by the convists, before setting sail again. Some days afterwards, when a homeward-bound vessel was sighted, the Nightingale was set on fire and scuttled. The crew were taken off the stricken ship by the other ship, which landed them safely at Clovelly.
[25]
Foundations were for the first lighthouse were laid in 1787 but the lighthouse was not built until
Trinity House obtained a 999 year lease in 1819. The tower was designed by Daniel Asher Alexander and built by Joseph Nelson at a cost of £36,000 pounds.
[26] Because the site is above sea level, the highest in Britain, the fog problem was not solved and The Fog Signal Battery
[27] was built in circa 1861 but eventually the lighthouse was abandoned in 1897 when the North
[28] and South
[29] Lundy Lighthouses were built.
Millcombe House
William Hudson Heaven purchased Lundy in 1834, as a summer retreat and for the shooting at a cost of 9,400 guineas who claimed it to be a "free island" and successfully resisted the jurisdiction of the mainland magistrates. Lundy was in consequence sometimes referred to as "the kingdom of Heaven." It belongs in fact to the county of Devon, and has always been part of the hundred of
Braunton.
Many of the buildings on the island today, including St. Helena's Church and Millcombe House (originally known simply as The Villa) date from the Heaven period. The Villa, a house in the
Georgian style, was built in 1836.
[30] However, the expense of building the road from the beach (no financial assistance being provided by
Trinity House, despite their regular use of the road following its construction of the lighthouses), the Villa and the general cost of running the island had a ruinous effect on the family's finances, which had been damaged by reduced profits from their sugar plantations in
Jamaica.
William Heaven was succeeded by his son the Reverend Hudson Grosset Heaven who, thanks to a legacy from Sarah Langworthy (née Heaven), was able to fulfill his life's ambition of building a stone church on the island. St Helena's was completed in 1896, and stands today as a lasting memorial to the Heaven period. It has been designated by
English Heritage as a grade II
listed building.
[31] He is said to have been able to afford either a church or a new harbour. His choice of the church was not however in the best financial interests of the island. The unavailability of the money for re-establishing the family's financial soundness, coupled with disastrous investment and speculation in the early 20th century, caused severe financial hardship.
A 1 Puffin coin of 1929, showing the Portrait of Martin Coles Harman.
Hudson Heaven died in 1916, and was succeeded by his nephew, Walter Charles Hudson Heaven.
[32] With the outbreak of
World War I, matters deteriorated seriously and, in 1918, the family sold Lundy to
Augustus Langham Christie. The Christie family owned the island for just a few years before selling it, along with the mail contract, as well as the 'MV Lerina', in 1924 to Martin Coles Harman, after which he proclaimed himself a "
king". Harman also issued two coins of Half Puffin and One Puffin value in
1929, nominally equivalent to the British Halfpenny & Penny. It was this coinage that landed him in trouble. The
House of Lords, in
1931, found him in violation of the
United Kingdom's 1870 Coinage Act (1870). He was fined five
pounds and fifteen guineas expenses. The 'coins' were withdrawn and became collectors' items. In 1965 a 'fantasy' restrike four coin set, a few in gold, was issued to commemorate 40 years since Harman purchased the island.
[33] He died in 1954.
Residents did not pay taxes to the United Kingdom and had to pass through customs when they traveled to and from Lundy Island. Although the island was ruled as a virtual
fiefdom, its owner never claimed to be independent of the United Kingdom, so this differed from later territorial '
micronations'.
Following the death of Harman's son Albion in
1968, Lundy was put up for sale in
1969.
Jack Hayward, a British millionaire purchased the island for £150,000 and gave it to the
National Trust, who leased it to the
Landmark Trust, which manages the island, including holiday rental properties for income to maintain the island.
Lundy stamps
Owing to a decline in population and lack of interest in the mail contract, the
GPO ended its presence at the end of
1927. For the next couple of years "King" Harman handled the mail to and from the Island without charge. On
November 1,
1929 he decided to offset the expense by issuing a series of private postage stamps, with a value expressed in 'Puffins'. The printing of Puffin stamps continues to this day. They have to be put on the top left hand corner of the envelope, so that the mainland sorting offices can process them: their cost includes the standard Royal Mail charges for onward delivery. Puffins are a type of stamp known to philatelists as a 'local carriage label'. The Lundy Pony breed has figured on several issues.
Issues of increasing values were made over the years, including air mail. Many are now highly sought-after by collectors and include
a variety of people on the Lundy stamps.
Transport
The Lundy ferry “Oldenburg” sails into Ilfracombe harbour, north Devon, past inflatable ZapCat powerboats waiting to begin an offshore race
There are two ways of getting to Lundy, depending upon the season of travel. During the summer months (April to October) visitors are carried on the island's own vessel, MS Oldenburg, which sails from both
Bideford and
Ilfracombe. Sailings are usually three days a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with Wednesday as well during July and August. The voyage takes on average 2 hours, depending on ports, tides and weather.
During the winter months, (November to March) the Oldenburg comes out of service, and the island is served by a scheduled helicopter service from
Hartland Point. The helicopter operates on Mondays and Fridays, with flying between 12 noon and 2pm, making it ideal for weekend visits and short breaks. The heliport is basically a field at the top of Hartland Point, not far from the Beacon. It consists essentially of a shed, with tea urn and separate toilet. The café at Hartland Point is kept open on flying days for visitors, serving the usual hot drinks and home bakes.
Entrance to Lundy is free for all those who arrive by scheduled transport. However, as the island is owned by the National Trust, visitors arriving by other means, including their own boats and light aircraft, will be charged a small entrance fee, currently (July 2007) £5.00. A separate charge is also charged to those using light aircraft. If you are staying on Lundy, and do not arrive by scheduled transport, you will also be charged for carrying your luggage to the top of the island.
In 2007 an appeal to raise £250,000 was launched by Derek Green, Lundy's general manager to save the the mile-long Beach Road, which had been damaged by heavy rain and high seas. The road was built in the first half of the
19th century to enable people food, fuel, farming and building materials safe access to the top of the island, above the only jetty.
[34]
Economy
Marisco Tavern with the church in the background
and
postage stamps are the main sources of income for Lundy, as well as the sale of meat from the island farm. The Marisco Tavern, which used to
brew its own
beer, is situated in the village at the south east corner of the island. Lundy is also used as a site for scientific research, and the south end of the island is operated as a
farm. There are two automated
lighthouses on the island (and one historic disused one which is used as a holiday property), so
Trinity House staff also visit the island from time to time in order to carry out maintenance.
References
1. Lundy SSSI citation sheet
2. Puffin Island
3. meaning of lundey
4. The District of Torridge (Electoral Changes) Order 1999
5. Lundy island, virtual tour - geology
6. , , T.C.F, Hall, Summer Programme of the Geological Survey, 1915
7. What is a Lundy Cabbage and why is it important?
8. Lundy island, virtual tour - wildlife
9. Grazing and vigilance by Soay sheep on Lundy island: Influence of group size, terrain and the distribution of vegetation, , L, Hopewell, Behavioural Processes, 2005
10. Lundy Island Marine Nature Reserve
11. Lundy Marine Nature Reserve
12. See the discussion and bibliography in Elisabeth Okasha, ''Corpus of early Christian inscibed stones of South-west Britain'' (Leicester: University Press, 1993), pp. 154-166
13. Lundy Field Society 40th Annual Report for 1989. Pp. 34 - 47.
14. The granting of Lundy to the Knights Templar
15. Lundy Island Pirates - William de Marisco
16. The Murder of Henry Clement, , F.W., Maitland, The English Historical Review, 1895
17. Lundy history
18. Marisco Castle, Keep and Bailey
19. Pirate Island
20. Severn Estuary Barrage
21. Coast: Bristol Channel
22. Bushell and Harman of Lundy, , Wyndham Sydney, Boundy, Gazette Printing Service, 1961,
23. Turkish Navy Official Website: History of the Turkish Navy - Operations in the Atlantic Ocean
24. Lundy Community Page
25. LUNDY, the Marisco's and Benson.
26. Disused lighthouse and keeper's house.
27. Fog Signal Battery
28. Lundy North Lighthouse incl Engine House and Accom block
29. Lundy South Lighthouse incl. Engine House and Accom block
30. Millcombe House
31. Church of St Helena
32. Lundy Island
33. Unusual World Coins. 2nd. Edition, , Colin R., Bruce, KP Books, 1988,
34. £250,000 plea to save remote island's lifeline Steven Morris
Bibliography
★ John Stack. ''Report from Practically Nowhere'', 1959 ISBN 0-595-08918-6
[1]
See also
★
Coins of Lundy
Gallery
External links
★
Official website
★
Lundy Field Society
★
Lundy Birds
★
Pete Robsons Lundy Island Site
★
Lundy stamps
★
LundyCam
★
Satellite view of Lundy
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