Lundy

Categories: Devon | Visitor attractions in Devon | Islands of England | National Trust properties in England

Lundy is an island in the Bristol Channel of Great Britain, administered as part of Torridge district of the English county of Devon. It lies about a third of the way from the coast of Devon to that of South Wales. It is about 4.5 km long from north to south by 1 km wide, and is the largest island in the Bristol Channel. Lundy gives its name to one of the British Sea Areas and is England's only statutory Marine Nature Reserve.

In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, Lundy was named as the 10th greatest natural wonder in Britain.

History and ownership

Lundy has evidence of visitation or occupation from the Neolithic period onward, with mesolithic flintwork, bronze age burial mounds, inscribed Celtic gravestones, and an early medieval monastery (possibly dedicated to St Elen or St Helen).

Evidence that the Knights Templars were given the island of Lundy is sparse but clearly documented.

Exactly when the Templars were first given the island is uncertain but it would seem that as they were a major maritime force in the reign of King Henry II (1154-1189), he gave them Lundy as an English port of refuge. Whether they actually took possession of the island then is questionable, though the Order did have economic interests in north Devon and may well have been given the island as an alternative to the Taw river landings leading to Barnstaple. It has been speculated that one of the reasons for the king's generosity was that the Norsemen were troubling Scotland and may have posed a threat to more southern waters.

It is known that William de Marisco was fined circa 1195 for retaining the island of Lundy against the wishes of King Henry and against the rights of the Knights Templars.

In 1235, William de Marisco, implicated in the plot to murder Henry II, fled to the island where he lived as a virtual king. He fortified the only real landing place on its coastline and defended it against all comers other than pirates and outlaws who flocked there for his protection. He built Marisco Castle with nine-foot thick walls that safeguarded him and his 'subjects' for seventeen years. Eventually he and 16 of his close followers were captured and tried. Lundy was seized by the Royal forces and Marisco was hanged, drawn and quartered.

There followed a period of relative 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, causing shipping traffic to avoid the Bristol Channel whenever possible.

Further evidence of the Templars' weak hold on the island comes ten years after the death of Henry II in the year of the death of King Richard I, Henry's eldest son, who had succeeded him.

King John, Richard's youngest brother, began his reign in 1199, ignoring the claims of his young nephew, Prince Arthur. In an effort to ensure the Templars' rights on Lundy, John confirmed the earlier grant made by King Henry (II?) in the following form:

Carts Regis Johannis de Insula Londeue. - Johannis Dei gratia, &c. Sciatis nos Concessise et presenti Carta nostra confirmasse in liberam et perpetuam elemosinam pro salute nostra et anteces-sorum et successorum nostrorum. Deo et fratribus militiae templi Jerusalem Insulam de Lnndeia qu~ sita est in man in ore Sabrini fluminis inter Tinbeth et Bardestapulam, quare volumus et firmiter pr~ci-pimus quod pnefati fratres Templi eandem Insulam habeant et teneant totam in liberam et perpetuam elemosinam bene et in pace libere et quiete integre et plenarie et honorifice cum omnibus libertatibus et liberis consuetudinibus sicut Carta Henrici Regis patris nostri quam inde habent testatum Testi Waltero Rothomagensi. - Dat per manum H. Cant Archiepiscopi Cancellarii nostri apud Saqium Anno Regni nostri primo.

This has been (very freely) translated as:

"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."

At this time, John also recompensated the Templars for the past lack of income from Lundy by granting them the revenues of the Marisco family in Somerset. It is uncertain whether the Templars used the island at all, because in 1213 the English treasury paid the Order £10 in respect of the island. Whether this was recompense for not being able to use it or a fee agreed for the Templars to nominally hold it in the name of the Order is unclear.

What is certain is that by the time of King Henry III, the son of King John (ruled 1216–1272) they were given 100 shillings by the king in lieu of and in full recompense for the island. The Order's connection with Lundy seems to have been severed at this time.

Historically Lundy was the home of French and other pirates. It passed from aristocratic ownership to private ownership in the 19th century.

Martin Coles Harman bought the island of Lundy, the mail contract, as well as the MV Lerina, in October of 1925 after which he proclaimed himself a king. Harman also issued two coins of Half Puffin and One Puffin value in 1929. It was this coinage that landed him in trouble. The House of Lords, in 1931, found him in violation of England's 1870 Coinage Act. He was fined ten pounds. The coins were withdrawn and became collectors' items.

Residents did not pay taxes to England and had to pass through customs when they travelled to and from Lundy Island. The 1980 population was 34 people.

Following the death of Harmon's son in 1968, Lundy was sold in 1969 to the National Trust.

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".

Lundy is now run by a charity called Landmark Trust, which maintains properties on the island that are rented to tourists. The income is used to maintain the properties and the island.

Transport to Lundy

Except in winter, there is a regular ferry service, from Bideford or Ilfracombe depending on the state of the tides, using the island's own ship, the MS Oldenburg. There is also a year-round helicopter service.

Economy

Tourism and postage stamps are the main parts of Lundy's economy. The Marisco Tavern, which used to brew its own beer, is in Lundy village. 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 working lighthouses on the island (and one historic disused one), so Trinity House staff also work on the island from time to time.

Lundy stamps

Due to a decline in population and lack of interest in the mail contract, the GPO ended its presence at the end of 1927. Following this, "King" Harman handled the mail to and from the Island for free. Eventually, he decided to offset the expense by issuing postage stamps on 1 November 1929, with a value expressed in Puffins, one of the local birds. These stamps had to be put on the back of the envelope to be accepted by the British postal authorities.

Various issues of stamps of increasing values were issued over the years, including air mail.

Wildlife

Birds

Lundy's name is derived from the Norse lunde for the puffins that nest on the island. However, the number has decreased dramatically in recent years (the 2005 breeding population is estimated to be only two or three pairs) as a consequence of depredations by rats (recently eliminated) and possibly also as a result of commercial fishing for sand eels, the puffins' principal prey.

As a fairly isolated island on major migration routes, Lundy has a rich bird life and is a popular site for birding. The list of species breeding on the island is long, and the list of those that have been seen on the island much longer. Among the commonest or more visible breeding species are:

• Herring Gull
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Kittiwake
• Fulmar
• Shag
• Razorbill
• Guillemot
• Puffin
• Oystercatcher
• Skylark
• Meadow pipit
• Blackbird
• Robin
• Linnet

Mammals

Lundy is home to an unusual range of mammals, almost all introduced. They include:

• Grey Seal
• Sika Deer
• Soay Sheep
• feral goat
• Rabbit; there are an unusual number of melanistic rabbits
• Pygmy Shrew

The usual farm animals can be added to this list. There is a distinct Lundy breed of wild pony.

Plant life

There is one endemic plant species, the Lundy Cabbage. The east side of the island has become overgrown by rhododendrons; constant but unavailing attempts are made to remove them. They are used as a daytime shelter by the sika deer.

Geology

The island is composed of a unique form of granite called Lundyite.

Archaeology

There are archaeological sites on the island, including some ancient graves.

External links

• Official website
• Lundy Field Society
• Lundy Birds
• Lundy stamps
• Lundy (DMOZ.org)cy:Ynys Wair