Dùn
island of St Kilda, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, UK
Dùn is an island in St Kilda, Scotland. It is nearly 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) long. Its name simply means "fort" in Scottish Gaelic (for more information, see "dun"), but the fort itself has been lost – old maps show it on Gob an Dùin (NF109972), which is at the seaward end.
Though Dùn is almost joined to Hirta at Ruiaval, the two islands are separated by Caolas an Dùin (the straits of Dùn). This prevents Soay sheep from Hirta straying onto the island, and thus it is more vegetated.
The small island is home to the largest colony of fulmars in Britain. Before 1828, St Kilda was their only British Isles breeding ground, but they have since spread and established colonies elsewhere, such as at Fowlsheugh. Dùn is a World Heritage site for cultural and natural qualities as one of five Islands that make up five remote Islands, known as St. Kilda.
Dùn, which protects Village Bay on Hirta from the prevailing south-westerly winds, was at one time joined to Hirta by a natural arch.
“Dùn” enters the record as island of St Kilda, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, UK. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what island, Kilda and Outer can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Dùn” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, island, Kilda and Outer provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 4, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1271573. The first chronological checks are 1828.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Dùn”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Dùn primary sources, Dùn archive and island research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Dùn”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Dùn” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.