Monday, March 8th, 2010
[singlepic=1081,320,240,,left]Comann Eachdraidh Uig played host last week to a visit from two experts on the Lewis Chessman, who hit the headlines in November with their theories relocating the find-site to Mealista, rather than Ardroil.
Dr David Caldwell, Keeper of Scotland and Europe at the National Museum of Scotland, and Dr Mark ...
Posted in history, news & events, vikings | 1 Comment »
Saturday, February 20th, 2010
By long and solid tradition in Uig, the spot where the Uig Chessmen were found in 1831 is held to be the Bealach Ban, a hollow in the dunes in Ardroil. In November of last year, a paper by Dr David Caldwell et al in Mediæval Archaeology proposed that, on ...
Posted in archaeology, church, history, land issues, placenames, vikings | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
An article published in Mediaeval Archaeology this week raises some questions about the origins of the Uig Chessmen. From the BBC today:
New research has cast doubt on traditional theories about the historic Lewis Chessmen. The 93 pieces - currently split between museums in Edinburgh and London - were discovered on ...
Posted in news & events, vikings | No Comments »
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
[singlepic=844,580,233,,center]
A number of archaeological finds collected by the McVean family in Uig and handed to Museum nan Eilean for Treasure Trove are on loan to Uig Museum and currently on display.
Several of the artefacts were found at Mealista eroding from a midden on the beach. There is a bronze-age barbed and tanged ...
Posted in CEU, archaeology | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
[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 ...
Posted in history | No Comments »
Friday, May 15th, 2009
From Islands Postal History Series, No 3: Lewis, by James A Mackay. Published by the author, 1978.
Miavaig
The Gaelic name Miabhaig is derived from an earlier Norse name whose vik ending signified a bay - in this case one of the many inlets of West Loch Roag on the west coast ...
Posted in history, life in uig | No Comments »
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
Another extract from Uig, A Hebridean Parish, compiled by HA Moisley and members of the Geographical Field Group, Universities of Glasgow and Nottingham. This section was written by Pamela M Gough; see also the further detail on life in the townships.
Soils are generally deep, and there are few rocky outcrops ...
Posted in crofting, land issues, life in uig, wool & weaving | 1 Comment »
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
[singlepic=359,390]
From Uig, A Hebridean Parish, 1960. The photo of Brenish is by Sam Forrest, taken on land court business in 1965. More of his pictures in the gallery.
Brenish has a south-westerly aspect whilst Islivig faces north-west; in both the elevation of the crofts decreases seawards from about 125 ...
Posted in crofting, fishing, life in uig, wool & weaving | No Comments »
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
On 4 June 1883 the Napier Commission, chaired by Lord Napier, was in Miavaig to take evidence from crofters and others on issues surround land management and tenancy. Among those interviewed was Norman Morrison, crofter and fisherman at Brenish, aged 61, who stated he had two milk cows, three young beasts, ...
Posted in crofting, emigration, history, land issues | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
Mealista Island (on the right) from above Molinish, with Scarp in the distance.
From "Various Superstitions in the North-West Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Especially in Relation to Lunacy" by Arthur Mitchell AM MD, Deputy Commissioner for Lunacy in Scotland, Corresponding Member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. From the ...
Posted in tales | 1 Comment »
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
From Gerard Lemmens, who, with his wife, Gillian Lesley Lemmens nee Macleod (great grand daughter of Rev George Macleod of Garrabost), is writing a book about her aunt, entitled "Anna Macleod - from Daughter of the Manse to Professor of Brewing". Gerard is interested in the genealogy of the Macleods ...
Posted in genealogy | No Comments »
Sunday, July 27th, 2008
Having been on the losing side in the Jacobite rising of 1715, the Seaforths had to forfeit their lands to the Crown. These were then administered by a body of Commissioners for a number of years (though the Seaforths were eventually allowed to buy them back, because no other ...
Posted in history, land issues | No Comments »
Sunday, July 20th, 2008
To go with the picture of Sgail and his crowd of excursionists, part of an article from the Uig News:
In the 1930s there were four cars in Uig. The two ministers both had cars - one was a Vauxhall. The Doctor had a car and so did Norman Mackay, the Public ...
Posted in history | No Comments »
Monday, July 14th, 2008
[gallery]
Pictures by Roddy from the Comann Eachdraidh walk out to the shieling at Mealista, one of the last to be built in Uig and still in solid shape, with a fine view over the Atlantic.
Posted in CEU, news & events | No Comments »
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
On Saturday, 12 March, 1932, a north westerly gale was blowing and a heavy Atlantic swell was running. When Angus MacKinnon, skipper of the lobster boat, Margaret, saw the inclement weather conditions, he woke his father, Cain, and requested his assistance as an extra hand on the boat. Though retired ...
Posted in history | No Comments »
Stornoway, UNITED KINGDOM