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Rùm ((:rˠuːm)), a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum, is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland. For much of the 20th century the name became Rhum, a spelling invented by the former owner, Sir George Bullough, because he did not relish the idea of having the title "Laird of Rum". It is the largest of the Small Isles, and the 15th largest Scottish island, but is inhabited by only about thirty or so people, all of whom live in the village of Kinloch on the east coast. The island has been inhabited since the 8th millennium BC and provides some of the earliest known evidence of human occupation in Scotland. The early Celtic and Norse settlers left only a few written accounts and artefacts. From the 12th to 13th centuries on, the island was held by various clans including the MacLeans of Coll. The population grew to over 400 by the late 18th century but was cleared of its indigenous population between 1826 and 1828. The island then became a sporting estate, the exotic Kinloch Castle being constructed by the Bulloughs in 1900. Rùm was purchased by the Nature Conservancy Council in 1957. Rùm is mainly igneous in origin, and its mountains have been eroded by Pleistocene glaciation. It is now an important study site for research in ecology, especially of red deer, and is the site of a successful reintroduction programme for the white-tailed sea eagle. Its economy is entirely dependent on Scottish Natural Heritage, a public body that now manages the island, and there have been calls for a greater diversity of housing provision. A Caledonian MacBrayne ferry links the island with the mainland town of Mallaig. ==Etymology and placenames== Haswell-Smith (2004) suggests that ''Rum'' is "probably" pre-Celtic, but may be Old Norse ''rõm-øy'' for "wide island" or Gaelic ''ì-dhruim'' () meaning "isle of the ridge". Ross (2007) notes that there is a written record of ''Ruim'' from 677 and suggests "spacious island" from the Gaelic ''rùm''. Mac an Tàilleir (2003) is unequivocal that Rùm is "a pre-Gaelic name and unclear". The origins are therefore speculative, but it is known for certain that George Bullough changed the spelling to ''Rhum'' to avoid the association with the alcoholic drink rum. However, the "Rhum" spelling is used on a Kilmory gravestone dated 1843.〔Love (2002) p?.〕 In 1991 the Nature Conservancy Council of Scotland (the forerunner to Scottish Natural Heritage) reverted to the use of ''Rum'' without the ''h''.〔〔Ross, David (2007) ''Dictionary of Scottish Place-names''. Edinburgh. Birlinn/Scotland on Sunday.〕〔.〕 In the 13th century there may be references to the island as ''Raun-eyja'' and ''Raun-eyjum'' and Dean Munro writing in 1549 calls it ''Ronin''.〔Rixson (2001) page 88.〕〔Munro, D. (1818) ''Description of the Western Isles of Scotland called Hybrides, by Mr. Donald Munro, High Dean of the Isles, who travelled through most of them in the year 1549.'' Miscellanea Scotica, 2.〕 Seafaring Hebrideans had numerous taboos concerning spoken references to islands. In the case of Rùm, use of the usual name was forbidden, the island being referred to as ''Rìoghachd na Forraiste Fiadhaich''—"the kingdom of the wild forest".〔Rixson (2001) page 110.〕 The island was cleared of its indigenous population prior to being mapped by the Ordnance Survey, so it is possible that many place names are speculative. Nonetheless, the significant number of Norse-derived names that exist eight centuries after Viking political control ended indicate the importance of their presence on the island. Of the nine hamlets that were mapped in 1801, seven of the names are of Norse origin.〔Rixson (2001) pages 67 and 70.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rùm」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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