The late 1840s were years of desperation in Lewis (as elsewhere), with much of the population near to starvation and dependent on ‘destitution meal’ from the Proprietor. The solution that presented itself was assisted and effectively compulsory emigration; here are the numbers fixed on for emigration from Uig in 1851.
Read more →Colin Ian Maclean (Cailean Ruaraidh Phadraig) was born in 1927 in Crowlista and brought up at 8 Timsgarry. He was minister of the Church of Scotland charge of Trinidad, Port of Spain: Greyfriars and St Ann’s at the time of the laying of this foundation stone for this new building at Arouca.
Read more →In the summer of 2010, only 124 years after his great grandfather Angus Macleod left Crowlista for America, never to be heard from again, Jeff Chown returned to find his relations in Uig.
Read more →This song of lament for the people and places of Uig was written by Donald Morrison, born 1858 to 3 Valtos, who left Uig in 1886 and settled in Winnipeg. Donald had been involved in the land struggle in the early 1880s and tradition maintains that he had to leave as things were getting too [...]
Read more →The Uig Landscape Project (Durham University) is looking at sites around Crowlista, including the old settlement of Bereiro at the head of Traigh na Sruban. The last inhabitant of Bereiro was Donald Matheson, born about 1794, who was a Hudson’s Bay man, returned to Uig, and emigrated again in 1834.
Read more →The following was written by Maggie Smith for Hebridean Connections. The genealogies of all the known inhabitants of the island of Vuia – uninhabited since 1841 – can be found here. Life on the island of Vuia Mhòr was hard, with little fertile land and no safe anchorage. The peats were cut and harvested in [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Read more →Fearchar (Farquhar) Macdonald, son of Angus, was about born about 1809 at Capadal, roughly on the site of 3 Ardroil. In 1832 he joined the Hudson’s Bay Company, as a “slooper” – a crewman on HBC decked vessels. According to the Company’s personal records, he boarded the Prince Rupert IV on 23 June 1832 for [...]
Read more →O an strì ann an tìr a phailteis, O am fallas, o am fuachd, Cha robh cùisean mar bha dùil seo idir Le olc is aingidheachd is cruas. – Tìr a Phailteis, Calum Martin The Megantic Outlaw, Donald Morrison, is a folk hero in Quebec and Uig alike and his story is well-known on both [...]
Read more →[singlepic=597,326] William Matheson (Uilleam Dearg) was born to 2 Geshader in 1877, the youngest son of William Ruadh. As a young man he went off, presumably to join the Seaforths, though his family heard nothing of him until he turned up in a picture of a company in Egypt or the Sudan, about 1898. He [...]
Read more →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, between fifteen and twenty sheep, [...]
Read more →A letter from Hector Maclean of Crowlista, serving in the Transvaal, South Africa, to his sister Annie in Glasgow in 1902. Hector died in South Africa early in 1903 of fever – more of which shortly. SAC Station Draaifontein 278 20.9.02 My dear sister, Received your welcome Letter, glad to see you were well and [...]
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 [...]
Read more →In 1851 several shiploads of emigrants left Lewis for Canada. The arrival and departure of the Barlow was delayed for a month, causing desperation amongst the prospective emigrants, but she eventually sailed at the end of June from Loch Roag. The following is from the Diary of John Munro Mackenzie, Chamberlain of the Lews. Wednesday [...]
Read more →The Barlow sailed from Lewis in 1851 with 287 emigrants on board, one of several emigrant ships that year. Like the Marquis of Stafford it carried people who had been removed from their land and offered paid passage to Canada by the proprietor, but unlike the Marquis, which sailed in May, the Barlow was delayed and in [...]
Read more →Stornoway Gazette, 30 March 1951 Sir: As the Parish of Uig is never mentioned in your paper, I feel worried that the place may have been washed away by Atlantic storms. Or is it that as the most progressive parish in Lewis, they now publish their own newspaper? If so, please let me have their [...]
Read more →Donald Maciver was born in Crowlista in 1857, son of John Maciver, the Gaelic schoolmaster and missionary, and they lived in Ness and then South Lochs. Donald also became a teacher, at Lemreway (see the school log), Breasclete and latterly Bayble. The family had come from Carnish, just across the sands, which had been cleared [...]
Read more →In 1851, at least six emigrant ships took Lewismen to Canada: the Marquis of Stafford (500 passengers), the Barlow (287), the Wolfeville (69), the Prince George (203), the Islay (68) and the Urgent (370). In 1852, the Blanche (453) and the Melissa (330) followed. The first port of call after crossing the sea was usually [...]
Read more →A large number of Lewismen settled in Duluth, Minnesota in the 1870s and 1880s, many becoming prominent citizens in the town. The first was William L Maclennan (1834-1888), son of Donald Maclennan. This family seems to have originated in Kintail or Lochalsh; in 1841 Donald was a shepherd in Bunavoneadar, Harris, and soon thereafter became [...]
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