Prehistory There is evidence of
Neolithic inhabitation including two house sites at Queyness. The Battle Pund is a rectangle across, marked out by boulders, dating from the
Bronze Age. It is similar to a structure at
Hjaltadans in
Fetlar, but its purpose is unknown. There is a massive ruined structure on the north shore of Grunay known locally as "the
broch" although it is not known if it dates from the
Iron Age, when such structures were built throughout the far north of Scotland. The name "Benelips" possibly originating from the
Old Norse bon meaning "to pray" hints at the existence of an early Christian hermitage on these remote islets. Dey (1991) speculates that the folklore of the
troll-like
trows, and perhaps that of the
selkie may be based in part on the
Norse arrival of the Norse settlers. She states that the conquest by the Vikings sent the indigenous, dark-haired
Picts into hiding and that "many stories exist in Shetland of these strange people, smaller and darker than the tall, blond Vikings who, having been driven off their land into sea caves, emerged at night to steal from the new land owners." The skerry of Trollsholm and its cleft of Trolli Geo indicate the presence of this folklore on Out Skerries.
Historic period The Out Skerries have been permanently inhabited from the Norse period onwards. There are a number of shipwrecks around the islands include the Dutch vessels
Kennemerland (1664) and
De Liefde (1711); and
North Wind (1906), which was carrying wood which was salvaged and used by the islanders for their houses. Some of the gold from these wrecks was found in 1960. Due to their remote and rugged nature, the islanders were accused of smuggling and wrecking. Tammy Tyrie's Hidey Hol was used by islanders to avoid
press gangs. , which was evacuated during World War II, with
Bound Skerry and its lighthouse in the background.
World War II Being so close to Norway, the islands were of strategic importance in World War II and were a regular landfall for Norwegian boats carrying escapees from the Nazi occupation. The local coastguard was responsible for the refugees, and at one point during the war were issued with a
tommy gun, although initially no-one knew how to use it. German planes frequently flew over at low altitudes,
strafing the Grunay lighthouse shore station in 1941 and dropping a bomb in 1942. The latter attack killed Mary Anderson, the only local casualty of the war, and Grunay was evacuated soon afterwards. A month later, a Canadian bomber crashed on Grunay, and in 1990 a plaque was raised to commemorate that event. Dey (1991) states that the bomber was a "British"
Blenheim bomber with a crew of two Canadians and one Englishman. The plaque ceremony was attended by the family of
F/Sgt Jay Oliver, one of the two Canadian casualties, and Peter Johnson, a local man who had witnessed the crash aged eight years. During the war, an official letter was sent in secret to the local sub-postmistress with instructions that it be opened in the event of a German invasion. After the war, it was returned, unopened. ==Island life==