A list of tenants of the villages that then comprised Ardroil, with their rents and accumulated arrears. From the Seaforth Muniments (the Estate records). First Capadal and Pennydonald: Tenant Rent Arrears Donald Matheson £ 5.3.6 £ 16.13.0 Norman Morrison £ 5.3.6 £ 19.17.11 Duncan Macritchie £ 5.3.6 £ 13.8.2 Norman Macleod £ 6.10.0 £ 15.12.10 [...]
Read more →Ardroil (Eadar Dha Fhadhail – ‘between two fords’) lies on the southwestern side of Uig Sands. The area now occupied more or less by the village once contained five townships: Capadal, Peighinn Dhomhnaill (Pennydonald), Baile Nicol, Baile Ghriasaich and Baile Ghobhainn. These were cleared by Stewart Mackenzie, the proprietor of the island, in the late [...]
Read more →Fearchar (Farquhar) Macdonald, son of Angus, was about born about 1809 at Capadal, roughly on the site of 3 Ardroil. In 1832 he joined the Hudson’s Bay Company, as a “slooper” – a crewman on HBC decked vessels. According to the Company’s personal records, he boarded the Prince Rupert IV on 23 June 1832 for [...]
Read more →[singlepic=586,327] From an article by Dave Roberts with Norman Macaulay, John Macdonald and Donald Maciver. In the Seaforth Muniments, there are letters in which various people had recognized the need for a safe anchorage for the larger boats in Camus Uig. Representations were made to the Fisheries Board, and a plan and specification were prepared in [...]
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 →Donald Òg was the younger of two sons called Donald, born to Dugald Macaulay, tacksman of Brenish, in the late 17th century; he was the great-grandson of Domhnall Càm. Rev William Matheson’s columns on the Macaulays, published in the Gazette in the 1950s, include several stories about Donald Òg drawn from the Morrison manuscripts. He [...]
Read more →(picture of Valtos and Kneep by Chris Murray) An Dotair Ruadh, Donald Macaulay, seventh in line from Dòmhnall Càm, was the son of Dòmhnall mac Sheorais, the tacksman of Linshader who himself became something of a legend because of his size and strength. His son has come down in tradition as equally renowned, but for [...]
Read more →Kirk Session records, 15 November 1825: The Session at Uig having met and constituted, Peggy Morison and Angus Morison, both Capidle, having been charged with a Criminal Connection were examined by the Members of said Kirk Session, they confessed their guilt and agreed as to the time and place in the Statement of the Fact. [...]
Read more →