The Rev Angus Maciver was the son of Angus Maciver “An Ceistear” (the Catechist), born at Reef in 1799. The family lived at Tobson on Great Bernera from 1835 to 1853. This extract from The Life of a Lewis Catechist, published in the Stornoway Gazette in 1971-2, is Rev Maciver’s memory of meeting-house nights.
Read more →[singlepic=1048,389] Miavaig; taken 29 December 2009, 9am. The bay at Miavaig is frozen, as are all the smaller sealochs, including Little Loch Roag, which doesn’t happen often. There is a story of crossing Little Loch Roag on foot, however. James Macnaughton, born 1804 and the son of a shepherd at Cleit a Thog (near Scaliscro), [...]
Read more →From Mary Beith’s Deanamh a’ Leighis column in the West Highland Free Press, 3 October 2008. The ballan, a cow’s horn used for cupping against the skin to draw out impurities and cure sciatica and rheumatism, was well known in Lewis and continued into living memory. One such ballan used in Lochaber was described by [...]
Read more →Thursday 23 July 10am-4pm to Bernera Bheag !this week Thursday 13 August 10am-4pm Members of the Comann Eachdraidh are invited to join us for one or both of our days out with Seatrek, visiting less-trampled corners of Loch Roag. Destinations are still under discussion and may be subject to change if the weather is unco-operative, [...]
Read more →“The wanderlust of the Uigeach”, from the Stornoway Gazette, 30 December 1949. Swedish timber houses allocated to West Uig are not to be built there. Owing to the depopulation of the district there is very little chance of finding tenants. When this news was given to the Lewis District Council by the chairman, Councillor John [...]
Read more →[singlepic=587,327] From West Over Sea by DDC Pochin Mould, 1953. To go to Uig is to go to a different country from the rest of the Lews, to go from the moors into the mountains, to the great massif which, with the Forest of Harris, builds the highest ground in the Outer Hebrides. It is [...]
Read more →The BBC Alba series A Reir na h-Aimsir, which looks at how weather affects us, was this week in Lewis, looking at how traditional blackhouse architecture has been adapted for a new house in Brenish, amongst other things. There’s a trio of well-known Uig bodachs on local weather lore at about the 22-minute mark. To [...]
Read more →This report from Hansard, the official report of debates in the House of Commons, dates from December 1893 and refers to illegal steam trawling in Loch Roag and, at least nominal, interest in defending the rights of local fishermen, preferably without requiring them to take three days out to testify in Stornoway. This is the [...]
Read more →From Sanais, 1988, with some additions.
The first school in the Western Isles was founded shortly after 1610, when the Seaforth Mackenzies gained possession of the island, and in 1680, a report by ‘Indweller’ says that the Seaforth school had done much good, not only for Lewis but also for the adjacent isles. Other schools followed.
Read more →[singlepic=327,375] This may be one of the Bernera shielings, just off the main road near Scaliscro road end; the girls, so far unidentified, would therefore be from Bernera. The fellow with the cream is John Macleod 5 Enaclete, and the other is Angus Mackay, Aonghas ‘an Uisdean, 1 Carishader, who used to drive his father’s [...]
Read more →From the Highland News, 30 August 1913; we’ve already had the fundraising concert and the domestic prizes: The West Uig and Bernera Crofters’ Show was held at Lochcroistean School on Wednesday the 20th August, under most favourable auspices, the day being sunny and warm and in every way pleasant for the great concourse of people [...]
Read more →The Highland News, 5 July 1913: On Wednesday, 2nd inst., the Rev Allan Mackenzie, parish minister of Uig, received a deputation from his congregation who presented him with a handsome new trap and carriage rug. Mr John Matheson Aird said that when the congregation understood how much the minister required a new trap, they entered [...]
Read more →Highland News, 22 March 1913: A most enjoyable concert in aid of the Uig and Bernera Cattle Show Fund was held in Valtos Public School on Friday 14th inst., Mr Duncan Maclean Gisla presiding. Despite the wintry weather there was a crowded house, parties having come from the Island of Bernera and as far west [...]
Read more →An account of the life of Murdo Macdonald, Crola, held by Bernera Historical Society (author unknown). Although Murdo Macdonald was an Uigeach, born and bred, and of Uig parents, he was well known in Scarp and North Harris where many of his relations lived. His paternal grandmother was one of a well-known family of Macleans [...]
Read more →Extracts from the Evidence presented to the Dewar Commission in 1912, regarding medical service in the Highlands and Islands. Among the people interviewed was Dr Victor Alexander Ross, doctor at Garynahine who served Uig from 1900. The commission was chaired by Sir John Dewar MP (he of Dewar’s whisky) and included Charles Orrock, Chamberlain of the [...]
Read more →At the end of April 1851, following his tour of the island to assess the number of tenants who were to be helped to emigrate to Canada, the Chamberlain John Munro Mackenzie travelled to Glasgow, in the company of Sir James Matheson and his wife who were proceeding to London, to make the arrangements. Mackenzie had considerable difficulty finding [...]
Read more →Verses about the boys from the Bays, by Donald Macleod (Dòmhnall Eachainn) of 10 Geshader, who was born in 1874 and spent his working life in Glasgow. This hasn’t seen the light of day for some time; thanks to the family for providing it. Bho Ghiosladh gu Gràsabhaig ‘S h-uile h-ait ‘s na cuiltean sin ‘S na seòldairean [...]
Read more →Willie Matheson (Mac Gille Chaluim) wrote in his Families of Lewis series that Nicolson was “perhaps the oldest surname in Lewis” and that the Macleods came into possession of the island by marriage into the family. The name disappears and does not surface again until the 18th century, when Angus Nicolson is on record as a joint-tacksman [...]
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