Brosdale Island facts for kids
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| OS grid reference | NR4983462323 |
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| Coordinates | 55°47′22″N 5°59′32″W / 55.789393°N 5.9921890°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Inner Hebrides |
| Highest elevation | 36m |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | Argyll and Bute |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
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Brosdale Island is a small, uninhabited island located in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. This means no one lives there! It's part of the beautiful Inner Hebrides island group.
The island is quite close to the larger island of Jura. It sits about 1.25 miles away from Jura House. Brosdale Island is roughly a quarter of a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. Its highest point reaches 36 meters (about 118 feet) above sea level.
The Mystery Behind Brosdale Island's Name
Have you ever wondered how places get their names? Brosdale Island has a bit of a mystery around its own name! Over hundreds of years, people have called it different things.
Old Names and Theories
Back in the 1500s, a man named Donald Monro wrote an important list of Scottish islands. He didn't mention Brosdale by its current name. Some people think he might have called it "Hasil Iyle" or "Ellan-na-Crawiche." These old names suggest the island might have been covered in trees or bushes a long time ago.
Another idea is that Monro might have called it "Ellan charn." This name could mean "island of stones" or "cairn island," referring to a pile of stones. An old map even shows a name like "Chreig Yl.?" which also points to a rocky place.
What Brosdale Means Today
The name "Brosdale" itself seems to come from the Norse language. The word dalr means "valley." The first part, Bros, is a bit trickier to figure out. It might come from a word meaning "bad" or "black grass."
It's thought that the island was renamed after a place called Brosdale on the mainland of Jura, which is right across from the island. So, even though it's a small, empty island, Brosdale Island has a long and interesting history hidden in its name!
