In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Scalpa like this:
Scalpa or Scalpay, an island in the Harris district of the Hebrides. It lies at the entrance of East Loch Tarbert, 7hf. mile from the northern, and 3 miles from the southern, headland. It measures 2 7/8 miles in extreme length, and 1½ mile in extreme breadth; but is much indented, and cut into small peninsulas, by the sea. ...
It is low and heath-clad, and consists of irregular protuberances of gneiss. A bed of serpentine, generally placed at a high angle, and often having a vertical position, traverses a promontory in the extreme E. Near the western extremity are two of the best natural harbours in the Hebrides. Pop. (1841) 31, (1861) 388, (1871) 421, (1881) 540.
Scalpa through time
Scalpa is now part of Eilean Siar district. Click here for graphs and data of how Eilean Siar has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Scalpa itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Scalpa, in Eilean Siar and Inverness Shire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/22269
Date accessed: 26th April 2024
Not where you were looking for?
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Scalpa".