Skerries islands

SKERRIES, islands, in the parish of Nesting-Lunasting-and-Whalsay, in the county of Shetland; containing 12'2 inhabitants. These are three small isles, sometimes called the Out Skerries, in contradistinction to the Pentland Skerries, and they are named respectively Bruray, Grunay, and Housay. They lie about fifteen miles north-east from Whalsay, and twenty miles distant from the Mainland: on the western side are several detached rocks, and ten miles north-west of the group is the islet of Muckle Skerry. Each of the three islands is about a mile in extent, and in all are beds of primitive limestone associated with gneiss. The population consists of fishermen and their families. A lighthouse on the low rocks here would materially contribute to the security of the eastern coast of Shetland, and in war time would be particularly advantageous, as vessels are then almost constantly cruising between the Naze of Norway and the Isles of Shetland.