In Monkey Island 3, Guybrush Threepwood comes across a very melodramatic guide called 'The Flying Welshman', who is his only way to get to Skull Island. When they get there, Guybrush points out that Skull Island looks like a duck, and should logically be called Duck Island.After that, it gets silly. But in a good way.
The neat thing about this scenario is that Duck Island (a real island, that is, not a duck pond) really does exist - and there are several of them. There's a Duck Island not far from where I live, in fact - not far off Port Phillip Bay, in southeast Australia.
There are also two Duck Islands in Canada (in Newfoundland and Ontario), one in Connecticut, one in Maryland, two in Montana, one in New Jersey, one in Wisconsin and one in Green Lake, Seattle, Washington State. Finally, there is a Duck Island in Northern Island, and a Duck Island in the village of Arkley, England.But possibly the strangest and most bizarre Duck Island is in London - in the middle of a lake in the famous St James Park, actually. The island has been a haunt of ducks and other waterfowl since the rule of Henry VIII, in the early 1510s (so just over 500 years!). Henry and his chums used to love go hunting over there.
During the rule of Charles II, about 150 years later, relationships between England and France were strained. So when a disgraced French nobleman by the name of Charles de St. Denis (Seigneur de Saint Evremond) showed up in the King's court, seeking sanctuary and help, it presented the Merrie Monarch with a bit of a problem. He couldn't risk offending the French Crown, but he didn't want to offend the influential St. Denis either. His solution was ingenious: he made St. Denis a Governor of Duck Island, with a yearly stipend.
This pleased the touchy St. Denis, who had no idea where Duck Island was, and it definitely pleased the French ambassador, who definitely did know where Duck Island was. About 70 years later, Queen Caroline of England made her favourite poet a Governor of Duck Island. His name? Stephen Duck!
Who said Kings and Queens didn't have a sense of humour? Here is some more info, plus a beautiful picture, about the strange and funny Duck Island. And here are some more pictures:
Duck Island Cottage in the summer
Another summer picture
Duck Island Cottage in the winter
Another winter picture
Pelicans in the lake
The lake, plus birds
Enjoy!
