In 1923, Lord Leverhulme began to dispose of his Lewis estates, first offering to give the island to its inhabitants.  Stornoway Town Council and Stornoway Trust accepted Lews Castle and the crofts around the town, but Lewis District Council feared that on the sporting and crofting estates the expenditure exceeded the income, and declined the offer.  Angus ‘Ease’ Macleod remarked that “some people might be inclined to say that the Lewis District Council failed to appreciate the historical significance, both to themselves, and to posterity, of [ » read more ]

To mark the expectation that our new Enaclete bypass will opening soon (surely), here’s a further extract from the unpublished memoirs of Rev Col AJ Mackenzie, who was born at Kinresort in 1887, son of the gamekeeper Roderick Mackenzie.  The family moved in to the gamekeeper’s house at Uig Lodge in 1891, and a few years later the young Alex John made his first journey to Stornoway, accompanying his parents; his mother was needing the town doctor. In those days there was only one way [ » read more ]

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 of Lewis. A foot post from Stornoway to Miavaig was instituted in 1857 and was eventually upgraded to a horse post and then a mail car service, providing a thrice-weekly collection and delivery [ » read more ]

New to our bookshop are some numbered and signed copies of a recent limited publication by David SD Jones entitled Salmon and Sea Trout Angling on Lewis and Harris, Past and Present.  The book looks at the fish, principle rivers, fishing hotels, associations, notable anglers and recorded catches throughout the two islands. The Fhorsa.  Considered to be one of the best salmon and sea trout systems on Lewis at the present time, the Fhorsa flows out of Loch Suainebhal into Loch Stacsavat, then takes a [ » read more ]

New to us, a fine collection of pictures from the family of Roderick Mackenzie Sr, gamekeeper at Uig Lodge.  These were sent by Heather Maher, granddaughter of Roderick’s son Donald, who married Jessie Macrae of Glenelg and emigrated to South Africa.   Above is Roderick Jr with Donald’s children on holiday in Uig (1933?); the whole set is here. Thanks to Heather and her family.

An further extract from the unpublished memoirs of Rev Col AJ Mackenzie, born Kinlochresort in 1887.  Here he tells of how the family came to be at Kinlochresort, and also how they left it for the gamekeeper’s house at Uig Lodge.  His account of the pleasures of Traigh Uig is here. My father was a gamekeeper who worked on the Gruinard Estate (Wester Ross). It happened he had made the acquaintance of two brothers named Paget who were impressed with his qualities both as a [ » read more ]

An extract from the unpublished memoirs of Rev Col AJ Mackenzie, son of the gamekeeper Roderick Mackenzie.  AJ was born in 1887 in Kinlochresort and moved with his family to the keeper’s house at Uig Lodge, where he began at Crowlista School. In May 1892 after the spring holidays, I began my formal education. I had never been at school before except for one day at Kinlochresort when my mother sent me with the other boys thinking I would be happier at school, than alone [ » read more ]

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 a manuscript by (as far as I can make out) Rev Col AJ Mackenzie, son of Roderick Mackenzie, gamekeeper at Luachair and Uig Lodge.  According to tradition, men were compelled to join the army when Seaforth was raising the 78th Seaforth Highlanders in 1793.  When he arrived in Lewis, the men of Uig took to the hills and established themselves at Cnoc a’Champ, near the site of Uig Lodge, and a boat rowed by women was sent to meet Seaforth at Callanish.  Seaforth was [ » 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 ]

From Emily Macdonald’s Twenty Years of Hebridean Memories (1939). In 1923 Emily, niece of Lord Leverhulme, was married to Donald Macdonald, Dolly Doctor, who had Uig connections and later wrote Tales and Traditions of the Lews. They were given Uig Lodge as a wedding present. Stornoway was reached some six hours after leaving Kyle, and we went that summer evening to my mother-in-law’s house in New Street, where we had arranged to stay for part of our holiday. It was while we were at New Street [ » read more ]

From Emily Macdonald’s Twenty Years of Highland Memories (1939).  Before Emily was married to Dolly Doctor, she stayed at Uig Lodge as a guest of her uncle, Lord Leverhulme, along with other guests. One Sunday Mrs Strang and I decided we would like to go to the local church and hear a real Gaelic service.  Owing to domestic arrangements at the Lodge, we realised that we were half an hour late, but intended to slip in quietly at the back, as one could do in [ » read more ]

by Emily Macdonald, niece of Lord Leverhulme and wife of Dolly Doctor.   Written in 1939 and privately published in 1965. An account of holidays in Lewis, marriage to Dolly Doctor, owning Uig Lodge and building Gisla Lodge, and general reminiscences 1918-1938.

by David SD Jones, February 2008. An illustrated history of the sporting estates, including Morsgail, Scaliscro, Grimersta, Uig & Hamnaway, Garynahine, Eishken, Barvas, Galson and others.  Information from estate records and game books, detail of tenants and development programmes, and many photographs previously unknown to the Comann Eachdraidh, coming as they do from private collections in England.  Available from the museum (£10) or direct from David Jones.  

Tradition in Uig tells of a “footprint stone”, a regularly-shaped block about 18″ square with a footprint depression, of the type associated with a saint and used for the crowning of local kings. The provenance and significance of the stone have been lost to local knowledge (unless someone can enlighten us) but it was highly prized and fought over by the men of Uig and Harris. On one occasion a band of Uigeachs travelled over the hills to take it from Harris (perhaps Rodel) – [ » read more ]