Rockall
uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean
Rockall () is a 17.15-metre-high (56 ft 3 in), uninhabitable granite islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is 301 kilometres (187 statute miles; 163 nautical miles) west of Soay, St Kilda, Scotland; 423 kilometres (263 statute miles; 228 nautical miles) north-west of Tory Island, Ireland; and 700 kilometres (430 statute miles; 380 nautical miles) south of Iceland. The nearest permanently inhabited place is in North Uist, 367 kilometres (228 mi; 198 nmi) east in Scotland's Outer Hebrides.
The granite rock from which Rockall is comprised formed during the Paleogene period, by magmatism as part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province. Rockall, Hasselwood Rock, 200 metres north, and the skerries of Helen's Reef two kilometers to the northeast are the only emergent parts of the Rockall Plateau. Twenty-nine-metre waves just east of Rockall were reported in 2006 as the largest ever recorded by scientific instruments in the open ocean.
Rockall has appeared on maps since at least 1550 and in literature since at least 1698. Marine surveyors, scientists, adventurers, amateur radio operators, and environmental activists have variously landed on or briefly occupied the islet. The earliest documented landing on Rockall was in 1811 by a small Royal Navy party led by Basil Hall. Rockall's first named geographic location and only occupiable area is Hall's Ledge, named after Basil Hall.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Rockall” is uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Rockall, uninhabited and remote, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
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 Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q206137. VIAF identifies the subject as 244321924. The Library of Congress control number is no2016010170. Authority coordinates are 57.596, -13.687. 2 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2006, 1550, 1698 and 1811.
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 “Rockall”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Rockall primary sources, Rockall archive and Rockall 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 “Rockall”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Rockall” 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.