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In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Vatersay like this:
Vatersay or Watersay, an island of Barra parish, Outer Hebrides, Inverness-shire, immediately S of Barra island, and 11 miles N by W of Barra Head. It is separated from Barra island by Vatersay Sound, studded with islets, and so narrow in one part as to afford passage to only small boats; and from Fladda and Sanderay islands, on the S, it is separated by the Sound of Sanderay, ¾ mile broad. ...
It measures, at extreme points, 3 miles from E to W and 2½ from N to S, but is so deeply indented by the sea as to possess an area of not more than 3.9 square miles, being almost bisected near the middle by two bays on opposite sides, one of them forming an excellent natural harbour. It chiefly consists of two hills and a low sandy intervening isthmus; commands from its hills a comprehensive and picturesque view of the entire southern group of the Outer Hebrides; rests on a basis of gneiss rock; and undergoes constant change of surface, from shiftings, accumulations, and dispersions of drift sand. Pop. (1841) 84, (1861) 32, (1871) 23, (1881) 19.
Vatersay is now part of NA H EILEANAN AN IAR Council. Click here for graphs and data of how NA H EILEANAN AN IAR has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Vatersay itself, go to Statistics.
How to reference this page:
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Vatersay, in Na H Eileanan An Iar and Inverness Shire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/21918
Date accessed: 09th April 2026
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Vatersay".
