St Kilda, a lonely island in the Atlantic, belonging to Harris in Inverness-shire, and 40 miles W. of North Uist. With an extreme length and breadth of and miles, it is only 1.9 sq. m. in area; has lofty precipitous cliffs almost everywhere, except at the south-eastern landing-place; strange boats that touch at the island; but the 'eight days' sickness' seems dying out—that terrible infantile lockjaw which carried off fifty-two children during 1856-86. The island was the property of the MacLeods from time immemorial, was sold in 1779 by General Normand MacLeod XX., chief of MacLeod, and was repurchased in 1871 for £3000 by his grandson, Normand XXII., chief of MacLeod of MacLeod. Its native name is Hirta (Gael. h-Iar-tir, 'the western land'); and the name St Kilda is probably of Columban origin. Events in its 'history' have been the reduction of the population by smallpox to four adults and twenty-six children (1724); the imprisonment of Lady Grange here by her husband (1734-42); the emigration of thirty-six islanders to Australia (1856); the drowning of six (1864); and the establishment of a regular school (1884). Pop. (1851, the maximum) 110; (1891) 71.
See works by Dean Munro of the Isles (1585), Martin (1698-1703), Kenneth Macaulay (1764), L. MacLean (1838), J. Sands (1877), G. Seton (1878), R. Connell (1887), and N. Heathcote (1900).