Evie, Orkney

Evie (pronounced /iːvi/) is a parish and village on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.^[1] The parish is located in the north-west of the Mainland, between Birsay and Rendall, forming the coastline opposite the isle of Rousay.

Evie
Mistra Shop in Evie Village, the Mistra Club (a former pub) is upstairs
Evie Location within Orkney
OS grid reference	HY352258
Civil parish	Evie and Rendall
Council area	Orkney
Lieutenancy area	Orkney
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ORKNEY
Postcode district	KW17
Dialling code	01856
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Orkney and Shetland
Scottish Parliament	Orkney
List of places UK Scotland 59.115°N 3.131°W / 59.115; -3.131

History

Within the parish are a number of prehistoric features, including Gurness, an Iron Age broch that overlooks Eynhallow Sound.^[2]

Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, granted a lease or feu of the lands of Evie to Patrick Bellenden in April 1565. In June 1589, Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney, granted Evie to Lewis Bellenden.^[3]

Economy

Evie is home to two large dairy farms called Dale and Georth as well as Burgar farm. There are also a few beef farms. This is due to the very good quality of soil contained in this area of Orkney. All three dairy farms contribute milk to the award-winning Orkney cheese as well as Orkney ice cream and other dairy products.^{[citation needed]}

Burgar Hill Wind Farm

The five wind turbines on Burgar Hill in Evie are visible from a large part of the West Mainland. Established in 1983, Burgar Hill Wind Farm was one of the first wind farms in the UK.^[4]

Burgar Hill Wind Farm, 1989

People

Evie is the birthplace of the Orcadian writer Ernest Marwick.

Very Rev Dr A. J. Campbell DD, minister of Evie and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1945/46

Folklore

In folklore, Evie was the home of the farmer, Guidman o' Thorodale who drove away the Finfolk, shape-shifting mer-people, from the island of Eynhallow.^[5][6]

References

1. Orkney Mainland (Map). 1:50,000. Landranger. United Kingdom Ordnance Survey. 2002.
2. C. Michael Hogan (2 December 2007). Andy Burnham (ed.). "Gurness - Broch in Scotland in Orkney". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
3. Peter Anderson, Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney Lord of Shetland (Edinburgh: John Donald, 1982), pp. 116-7.
4. "Burgar Hill Wind Farm". Gazetteer for Scotland. 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
5. "The Freeing of Eynhallow". Orkneyjar. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
6. Turnbull, Catherine (29 July 2010). "Exploring the Mysteries of Eynhallow". Orkney News. Kirkwall.

External links

• Visit Scotland - Evie, Orkney