The Esra Bell
A new addition to the museum this month is the bell from the shipwrecked Esra, kindly loaned by John Murdo Mackay, 1 Carishader. The bell was used at Buth Iain Uisdean, his grandfather’s shop.
Blog pages (page 3)
The New Church at Ceann Langabhat, 1913
In 1909 the United Free Church congregation was worshipping in the old leaking Free Church. Work began on a new building in 1913 and they endured a summer of outdoor worship before the new church was opened.
An Ceistear: Darkness in Uig
“When I was born, and for the period of 23 years after, the whole inhabitants of the parish were sunk in dark ignorance of God. There was not so much as a form of Godliness in the whole place. Wickedness of all descriptions committed in broad daylight ”
Aerial Surveys of Viking Shipyards on Skye
From the BBC, 5 May 2011: Aerial surveys are being carried out over Skye to help archaeologists investigate a 12th…
Older Gaels sought for Abertay’s ‘mental agility’ study
Gaelic speakers over the age of 60 have been sought for research into whether speaking more than one language helps older people stay “mentally agile”.
Iskair Macaulay ane Irish man
The Macaulays of Lewis are generally held to be of Norse descent, from an eponymous Olafr. Here’s Rev W Matheson…
From Suainebhal
Our walking group went to the top of Suainebhal on Saturday; these were the views.
Hunter
The latest video from Uig Media, shot in Uig by Keith Stringer, with Iain ‘Baba’ Maciver. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwhxVDKERy4
Landing at the Flannans
Martin Martin, in his Description of the Western Isles of Scotland (1695) gives an account of the use made of the Flannan Isles at the time and the superstitions that attended a visit: “The inhabitants of the adjacent lands of the Lewis, having a right to these islands, visit them once every summer, and there make a great purchase of fowls, eggs, down, feathers, and quills…”
Stornoway Coastguard campaign goes to Westminister
Three members of the Safety First Campaign to save the Stornoway Coastguard station traveled to Westminster on Wednesday for a…
Before the Dingwall Sheriff
George Gillies, residing at Grista , and John Maclean, residing at Fimisgarry , in the parish of Uig and Island of Lewis, accused of having broken into the parish church of Uig, and stolen therefrom a waterproof coat, some carpenters’ tools, and a pane of glass, pleaded not guilty.
Dig to begin at royal Viking estate
From Views and News from Norway, 10 March 2011: The largest archaeological project in Norway in nearly 10 years will…
The Stirk, the Road and the Chicken Pox
Some notes from the Crowlista school log book in 1919-20. The school was located from both of the populations it served, Crowlista and Aird Uig, and there were recurring problems in getting the children to show up.
The Morrison DNA Project: Who do you think you really are?
The Clan Morrison Society of North America is sponsoring a project to allow people of Morrison ancestry to use this new tool, and the findings may be of significance to other old Lewis families.
Peats of Fire Lighting the Way
The Rev Angus Maciver was the son of Angus Maciver “An Ceistear” (the Catechist), born at Reef in 1799. The family lived at Tobson on Great Bernera from 1835 to 1853. This extract from The Life of a Lewis Catechist, published in the Stornoway Gazette in 1971-2, is Rev Maciver’s memory of meeting-house nights.
Visitors at Uig Lodge, 1897-98
A fine collection of photographs from an 1897-98 album belonging to the family of William E Lawson, a London barrister who took Uig Lodge for those two seasons. The photos show Lawson with his dogs and other family entertainments, girls at the shieling, and the gamekeeper Roderick Mackenzie and his son Donald.
A New School for Mangersta
There had evidently been a small school at Mangersta in the 1820s and in the neighbouring village of Carnish in the 1840s, but when both those townships were turned into farms there was no population requiring a school, until 1911.
Replica Viking ship to be built in Norway
Volunteers are aiming to complete and sail a full-scale replica of Norway’s famed Oseberg ship, one of the best-preserved and most…
Bòrd na Gàidhlig appoints three new members
From the Edinburgh Report, 22 February 2011: Fiona Hyslop, Minister for Culture and External Affairs, today announced the appointment of…
Wartime Shops, Vans and Buses
Donald John Macleod was brought up in Enaclete during the war. He recalls the shops, grocery vans and buses that were the source of ample provisions, news and craic at the time.