Mythologised and misunderstood: Photos of former residents of remotest part of the British Isles revealed

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Before they were voluntarily evacuated, generations of people lived on islands 100 miles from Scotland

St Kilda, the “islands at the edge of the world” whose last residents were evacuated at their own request in 1930, holds surprisingly strong connections with the west coast Scottish communities it lies 100 miles away from, according to new evidence from the most detailed archaeological survey of the islands ever carried out.

One of only 27 places in the world to have won dual World Heritage Status by UNESCO, honouring its natural and cultural significance, the island’s history has been documented in an evocative set of photos during a nine-month quest by a pair of archaeologists.

Candid imagery of St Kildans going about their lives, the arrival and growth of tourism during the late 19th century and expeditions by naturalists, conservationists and archaeologists are among a set of rare and previously unknown images collected by George Geddes and Angela Gannon.

“St Kilda is one of the most mythologised and misunderstood places on earth,” points out Geddes, of Historic Environment Scotland.

“Most of us view the islands with the romantic notion of the people as a lost tribe, removed from civilisation.

“What we have discovered is that this was never really the case. Throughout its human history, St Kilda has always been connected to a network of communities scattered across the north western seaboard and Highlands of Scotland.

“For a long time, for instance, St Kilda was effectively part of a farm, along with another island, Pabbay, owned by the Macleod chiefs – just like any other Highland community.

“What makes these islands so remarkable is not their distance from ‘civilisation’, but rather their enduring capacity to remain a living part of Scotland over the course of some 3,000 years.”

Growing crops and raising cattle and sheep, the former inhabitants of St Kilda made use of almost every corner of the archipelago, famously harvesting seabirds from the cliffs and towering sea stacks.

Geddes and Gannon made a rare visit to Boreray, one of the archipelago’s outlying islands, to collect evidence that the medieval community lived and worked on a steep land mass less than two square kilometres in size, and may have constructed six small stone chapels throughout the chain of islands. St Kilda, they suggest, could have been a place of Christian pilgrimage as late as the 17th and 18th centuries.

“It’s exciting that we’re still discovering different aspects belonging to this unique place and its associated way of life through research and survey work,” reflects Geddes.

“St Kilda still offers an opportunity for adventure that is unparalleled in the United Kingdom.”

• St Kilda: The Last and Outmost Isle is out now.

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Three places to discover Scotland's history in

The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow
This permanent exhibition, William Hunter: Man, Medic and Collector, tells the story of Dr William Hunter, the Scottish obstetrician, teacher, collector and founder of the Hunterian Museum.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
The current exhibition, Reformation to Revolution, shows how wealthy people used portraits to assert ideas of social status centuries ago, as well as to record an individual likeness. Until December 31 2016.

Caithness Horizons
The Dounreay Story tells the tale of the United Kingdom’s fast reactor research and development programme at Dounreay, where the site is currently home to Scotland’s largest nuclear clean-up and demolition project.

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art540964-st-kilda-historic-environment-scotland-archaeology