Little Cumbrae
| Gaelic name | Cumaradh Beag |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | Little island of the Cymric people |
| Location | |
 Little Cumbrae
Little Cumbrae shown within North Ayrshire
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| OS grid reference | NS148517 |
| Coordinates | 55°43′N 4°57′W / 55.72°N 4.95°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Islands of the Clyde |
| Area | 313 hectares (1.21 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 84 |
| Highest elevation | Lighthouse Hill 123 metres (404 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | North Ayrshire |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
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| References | |
Little Cumbrae Lighthouse
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| Location | Firth of Clyde |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°43.2179′N 4°58.0236′W / 55.7202983°N 4.9670600°W |
| Year first constructed | 1793 |
| Year first lit | 1997 (current tower) |
| Automated | 1977 |
| Construction |
Traditional white tower (inoperative) |
| Focal height | 92 feet (28 m) |
| Range | nautical miles |
| Characteristic | Fl. W 6 sec |
Little Cumbrae (Scots: Wee Cumbrae, Scottish Gaelic: Cumaradh Beag) is an island in the Firth of Clyde, in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The island is known locally as Wee Cumbrae.
The Gaelic name Cumaradh means "place of the Cymric people", referring to the Brittonic-speaking inhabitants of the Kingdom of Strathclyde. Alternatively, the name Cumbrae may derive from Kil Maura meaning "cell or church of a female saint".
Little Cumbrae was recorded as Kumbrey circa 1300, Cumbraye circa 1330 and Litill Comeray in 1515 and was also formerly known as Little or Wee Cumray.
The Cumbraes are referred to as the Kumreyiar in the Norse Saga of Haakon Haakonarson.
Little Cumbrae lies barely a kilometre to the south of its larger neighbour, Great Cumbrae, a few kilometres distant from the mainland town of Largs. The islands are collectively referred to as The Cumbraes. In stark contrast to its neighbour, green and fertile Great Cumbrae, Little Cumbrae is a rough and rocky island. With its many cliffs and rocky outcrops, Little Cumbrae bears more of a resemblance to a Hebridean island than to some of its neighbours in the Clyde.
A number of uninhabited islets skirt the island's east coast, Castle Isle, the Broad Islands and Trail Isle.
Today the island's main settlement is at Little Cumbrae House on the eastern shore, facing the Scottish mainland.
Traditional white tower (inoperative)
Robert II is said to have built a castle on the island which was demolished by Cromwell's soldiers in 1653.
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Wikipedia