The first inhabitants of St. Kilda might date back from the Bronze Age from 3000 to 800 BC. Until the 14th century the Outer Hebrides belonged to Norway. Since the end of the 14th century, St. Kilda has been the possession of the MacLeod family of Harris.
The first detailed description of the people on the island is by Martin Martin who visited St. Kilda in 1697. He writes that the inhabitants on St. Kilda descend from people from Skye, Uist, Lewis and Harris. Their appearance is like the people from the isles and the mainland. They are very strong and have good eyesight and memory. It strikes him to find that the men barely have beard growth. The men also had strong ankles, which was probably the result of climbing the rocks barefoot from a very young age.
Martin mentions their lack of resistance for diseases. After the visit of the steward, who visited the isles every year to collect the taxes, many inhabitants run a bad cough.
This lack of resistance to illnesses will lead to a disaster some thirthy years later, when in 1729 the population of St.Kilda reduces from about 200 souls down to thirty as a result of a smallpox epidemic. Three adults survived along with eight boys on Boreray, where they were fowling when the epidemic broke out, and nobody was able to recollect them from the place for about nine monts. Only one adult and eighteen children survived the epidemic on Hirtha itself.
St.Kilda is repopulated during the 1730s with other people from Uist, Skye and Harris. The families were MacDonald, Fergusson, MacCrimon, MacKinnon, MacLeod, MacQueen, Gillies and Morrison. These families and their kin lived on St. Kilda until 1930, when the isles were abandoned.
Martin mentions their lack of resistance for diseases. After the visit of the steward, who visited the isles every year to collect the taxes, many inhabitants run a bad cough.
This lack of resistance to illnesses will lead to a disaster some thirthy years later, when in 1729 the population of St.Kilda reduces from about 200 souls down to thirty as a result of a smallpox epidemic. Three adults survived along with eight boys on Boreray, where they were fowling when the epidemic broke out, and nobody was able to recollect them from the place for about nine monts. Only one adult and eighteen children survived the epidemic on Hirtha itself.
St.Kilda is repopulated during the 1730s with other people from Uist, Skye and Harris. The families were MacDonald, Fergusson, MacCrimon, MacKinnon, MacLeod, MacQueen, Gillies and Morrison. These families and their kin lived on St. Kilda until 1930, when the isles were abandoned.
In 1852 a group of 36 St. Kildans tried to emigrate to Australia, of whom only 16 survived the journey. Probably because of this small number of survivors, there was only one attempt from St. Kilda to emigrate.
There was no genetic difference between the people of St. Kilda and the people from the other Outer Hebrides. Only in habits and knowledge of the world they had their differences.
There was no genetic difference between the people of St. Kilda and the people from the other Outer Hebrides. Only in habits and knowledge of the world they had their differences.
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