From the People’s Journal, 27 September 1958. It’s a while now since Dr Donald Macdonald [Dolly Doctor] of Gisla in Lewis practised at his profession. But the jovial, big-hearted doctor is still a cure and a tonic for many folk not only in his native island, but in many other circles. Take the old folk in Stornoway. He has taken them under his wing, brightens up their eventide with his cracks and joviality, and they, in turn, just dote on him. The doctor has such [ » read more ]

Gisla, on the shores of Loch Roag, was a small township of 5 tenants until about 1850.  It was then given to Angus Maclean, a stonemason from Melbost who had lived at Scaliscro, in payment for his work on the construction of Morsgail Lodge.  Angus was the father of Big Bear Maclean, who also lived at Gisla for a time. It reverted to crofts, and was the home of Dolly Doctor, Dr Donald Macdonald, who with his wife Emily built a new house there in [ » read more ]

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), was courting Margaret Macdonald, the daughter of Tarmod Laghach at Gisla across the loch. Evidently, during a severe frost, James was able to walk across, pushing a stick in front of [ » read more ]

Further to the previous item about WJ Maclean of Gisla, who was a Chief Trader with the Hudson’s Bay Company:  an account of the one Christmas he and his family spent at Fort Pitt before it was burned to the ground in April 1885.  This is from an article by W Bleasdell Cameron in The Beaver, December 1945. Christmas was coming to old Fort Pitt on the North Saskatchewan, still in that year of 1884 an outpost of the white man’s civilisation, and preparations were [ » read more ]

We’ve mentioned before the story of William “Big Bear” Maclean, who was born in Scaliscro in 1837 and, after his family moved to Gisla, went on to an eventful career with the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada.  His HBC record has recently come to light (thanks to Donald Macaulay, Stornoway) and it gives much more detail of his positions and stations. 1859        Sailed for York Factory on the Prince of Wales 1859-61  Apprentice Clerk, York Factory, York District 1861-63  Apprentice Clerk, Lower [ » read more ]

Place names in Enaclete and the surrounding area, mapped by Finlay and Kenny Maciver.  They did Geshader too and you may like to compare the Ordnance Survey map. 1. Airigh Dhubh 23. Caol Loch 2. Loch Croistean 24. Druim Mor 3. Loch a’ Phealair Beag 25. Loch nan Learg a Tuath 4. Old Sheilings 26. Cnoc a’ Charnain 5. Tom nan Laogh 27. Druim na Cloiche Moire 6. Loch na Craobhaig 28. Giarol 7. Loch na Craobhaige Moire 29. Druim a’ Charnain 8. Loch Mor [ » read more ]

Duncan Macdonald’s croft at Gisla. Thanks to Hugh Henderson.

Duncan Macdonald, Gisla, was the postman on the Kinlochresort route and his daily walk took him four miles over the moors to the remote village.  One day in 1959, he noticed that a loch was missing:  the water was simply gone.  Much debate ensued over the reason for this but the obvious explanation was alien activity.  The above appeared in the Scottish Daily Express on 3 Dec 1959.  Fifty years on, the outline of the loch, still dry(ish), is clearly visible on remote ground just [ » read more ]

This account of the gathering of the sheep into the Gisla fank for the clipping was written by David Henderson and first published in the Scots Magazine in August 1995.  These large-scale community gatherings are now, sadly, a thing of the past.  There are more pictures in the gallery, and of the fank at Loch Suainebhat here. In the diffuse crofting culture of the Western Isles, the summer gathering of the sheep from the moors is one of the main highlights of community life.  The [ » read more ]

A great collection of photographs from Hugh and Sheila Henderson.

Donald Macdonald, Dolly Doctor, was born in 1891 in Stornoway, eldest son of John Macdonald Carishader and Annie Gillies, Shawbost and Stornoway.  He studied at the Nicolson and at Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and practiced as a specialist in the west end of London.  He married Emily Paul, niece of Lord Leverhulme (then proprietor of the Island) and eventually retired to Gisla.  In his latter years Dolly Doctor was a great collector of the history and traditions of Lewis, and some of his notes were published [ » read more ]

From left, Emily Macdonald Gisla, Effie Maclennan 36 Cliff, and two visitors, visiting a shieling. From Emily’s Twenty Years of Hebridean Memories (1939) – observing from Gisla Lodge the girls going to the shielings at Airigh an Fhorsa and Bo Nighean Mhuirich.  The ones Emily mentioned visiting near Loch Coirgeabhat may be at Airigh an Uisge.  Crogabhat, one of our fishing lochs, is a mile from the bungalow, and there we constructed a concrete boathouse which is useful as a lunch hut too when it [ » read more ]

The wedding of Annie Macdonald 11 Geshader and Donald Macdonald, Kirkibost and Gisla, at Ceann Langabhat. Kate and John (Lion) Macdonald, 11 Geshader Effie And John Macdonald, Gisla Donald and Annie Nora and Catherine, the bride’s sisters Cairistiona, their niece  

A chapter (abridged) by Annis Heawood from Uig:  A Hebridean Parish (1960).  Photo by Chris Murray. The district here described includes Gisla, near the head of Little Loch Roag, Enaclete, Ungeshader and Geshader, on the western shores of Loch Roag proper. All these are strung out on or close to the main road. Miavaig, like Gisla, is a small farm but also functions as something of a metropolis for south Uig; it has the post master, whose other functions include registrar and receiver of wrecks, and [ » read more ]

From Emily Macdonald’s Twenty Years of Hebridean Memories (1939).  Emily and her husband Dolly Doctor owned Uig Lodge but it was permanently let to tenants. On our next two holidays in Lewis, we managed to get rooms in Uig for a few days’ visit to the part of the Island we loved so much.  But there were few rooms obtainable for love or money, and more and more people wanting those few, so we began to think we must set about obtaining a little house for ourselves [ » read more ]