Post Reply: Scilly Isles

According to William Camden's 'Britannia' (1586) the islands were called 'Silurum Insula' by Solinus (3rd Century AD), and 'Sylina Insula' by Sulpitius Severus (d.425 AD). The Dutch apparently called them the Sorlings and the English called them the Silly (or Sylly) Isles. [I assume the extra 'c' in Scilly was put in so as to be less derogatory to the islanders' behaviour?!] Camden seems to make some connection between the name and the tribe of Silures in South Wales.

Sulis Minerva was a local goddess at Bath, in Somerset. Some suggest the word Scilly derives from 'sulleh' meaning divided, or rock.

But the folk of the islands themselves believed the name Scilly was derived from the Cornish word for conger-eel: 'selli'. Interestingly 'silure' (as in Silurum Insula) is a name for the catfish.

Edited by Sidney - 06-Jul-2013 at 07:41