The renowned naturalist William MacGillivray was born in Aberdeen in 1796 and studied and worked most of his life there or in Edinburgh, but he had a Harris connection through his father and spent much of his childhood at Northton in South Harris (where the MacGillivray Centre now bears his name). As a young man, he returned to spend 1817-1818 there, and his diaries of that period have been published as A Hebridean Naturalist’s Journal (Acair 1996). In October of 1817 he and a party [ » read more ]

From West Over Sea (1953) by DDC Pochin Mould. Near the sheep fank on the flank of Benisval there is, so they tell me, a stone commemorating the visit of Lord Campbell, Lord Chief Justice in the 1850s. When I splashed through the Kinloch Resort river, I crossed from Harris into Lewis, and it was Lord Campbell’s boundary that I went over. There was a long dispute concerning the boundary line between Harris and Lewis in this part of the country. Along Loch Seaforth there [ » read more ]

The Reverend Aulay Macaulay was born in Brenish in 1669, son of Dugald, grandson of Angus Beag Macaulay, he of the big stone and the critical wife, and brother of Donald Òg.  Aulay started his career in Tiree and Coll and was minister at Scarista, Harris from 1712 until his death in 1758.   He was married to Margaret Morrison, daughter of Rev Kenneth Morrison of Stornoway, and they had fourteen children; one of them, Rev Kenneth Macaulay, Ardnamurchan, wrote an account of St Kilda, [ » read more ]

The Uilleam Dubh on the pier at Hushinish; photo by John J Maclennan. This little story revealed itself in stages: thanks to John J Maclennan especially, and to Finlay Maciver, Shonnie Buchanan and Calum Maclennan Govig for piecing it together.  The Uilleam Dubh has been a Scarp boat for many years, and the suggestion was that she was built in Brenish, and/or by a Malcolm Maclean of the famous Maclean boatbuilders of Uig, and called after her builder or owner.  These Macleans were in Mangersta, [ » read more ]

From the Inverness Courier of 25 March 1846: A correspondent has favoured us with some further particulars relative to the late patriarchal Celt, John Martin, who died at Urgay [Urgha], Island of Harris, at the ripe ate of 112. The old man was able to walk about till within twenty-four hours of his death.  When a boy, he was engaged as herd to Malcolm Macaulay, then tenant of Dirikil, with whom he remained for upwards of twenty years, and during the that time his wages [ » read more ]

Annie Maclean, Nurse Ruadh, was born to 12 Crowlista in 1872 and served as district nurse in Uig before taking up the post in Tarbert, where she worked until her death in 1940, and was much loved.  The following is from the Stornoway Gazette: It was with deep regret that we learned of the death at Tarbert, Harris, of Annie Maclean, known in Uig and Harris as the Nurse Ruadh.  Born at Crowlista 68 years ago, the youngest daughter of the late Mr and Mrs [ » 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 writes: According to Morrison, Donald Òg Macaulay of “Brenish fought on the King’s side at Culloden”.  The historical basis of this statement is probably that in the Independent Company raised [ » read more ]

The unclear demarcation of the boundary between the estates of Lewis and Harris was the cause for two sets of hearings in 1805 and 1850. The 1805 enquiry was pursued by Alexander Hume, Esquire of Harris, against the Right Honourable Francis, Lord Seaforth.  This was a judicial enquiry with local crofters giving accounts of where they understood the line of the boundary to be, based on information passed down from father to son over many generations. Malcolm Roy Matheson from Pennydonald was one of the [ » read more ]

William Matheson, Mac Gille Chaluim, wrote extensively of his own family in Uig: Malcolm Matheson [a younger son of Donald Ruadh (or Ban) Matheson, of Kneep and Valtos] known as Calum Ruadh or Calum Mòr, was tenant in Carnish when John Nicolson was tacksman.  In his time the population of the townlands of Uig was increasing rapidly, with the result that what were previously summer pasturages came to be occupied permanently by some of the tenantry.   Thus it was that Calum Ruadh, although a tenant [ » read more ]

There have been very few Martins in Uig over the last two hundred years, but Martins in other parts of Lewis and Harris can trace their line back to the district. Lewis Maciver, Tacksman of Gress, was in Uig on business when he came across a poor widow and her three children.  Her husband and her eldest son had been press-ganged into the army; her son was killed in India and her husband was drowned when the ship taking him home foundered in the Bay [ » read more ]

From the Gazette, 22 July 1949: Football:– On Wednesday, 6th July, uig completed their home league programme when Harris visited Ardroil. The home team quickly went ahead from a well-placed shot from Mackay which gave the Harris goalkeeper no chance.  The Uig forwards were well supplied with the ball, and it was no surprise when Morrison, from close range, sent the team further ahead.  All Harris attacks were taken care of by an able Uig defence and if the forwards had been more willing to [ » read more ]

Rev DA Macrae was born in Miavaig and lived latterly in Harris. He was interviewed by Maggie Smith in November 2004, and died in July 2005. Our home Miavaig House was built in 1855 for my grandfather James Macrae, who was the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages and was also an Inspector of the Poor. He was responsible for the Parish of Uig which in those days reached as far as Carloway. At this time there was great poverty and the Destitution Board sent a [ » read more ]

Excursions to Harris and Ness, late 1980s (?).  Click to enlarge.

Photo by Chris Murray. This letter was written by a clerk for Alexander Macrae who signed it in his own hand.  He was tenant of Scaliscro from about 1830 until his death from fever in January 1839.  He was known in Uig as ‘an Ciopair Ban’, the fair shepherd, and was the first of a number of shepherd/farmers from Wester Ross who were brought into Uig by the Seaforth Estates to raise flocks of Cheviot sheep.  Alexander came to Scaliscro with his young family (including Ann, mother of [ » read more ]