Rental Paid in 1725

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 buyer could be found.)

It appears that, for some years after the etates had been forfeited, the tenants continued to pay rent to the exiled chief of the Seaforth Clan; but in 1725, whilst the estates were under the administration of the Commissioners, arrangements were made for future rents to be paid to the Government.

A formal enquiry was held to establish what rents had been paid up to that time, and the report of the inquiry, issued in April 1726, lists two hundred and ninety six tenants and tacksmen in the Isle of Lewis. Twenty three of these (Nos. 12 to 34 on the list) were in Uig. A copy, publicised in 1916, of that part of the list which refers to Uig is reproduced here.

The rental paid for Valtos, for instance, was 3 muttons, 2 st of butter, 3 firlots of meal (1 firlot was about 36 litres) and £91.3/4 in “Scots mony”. The rental for each half of Mealista (shared between Donald and John Macaulay) was 3½ mutton, 2 st 10 lbs of butter, 2 firlots 1 peck of meal (4 pecks to the firlot), and £104. 5/8 in cash.

In the table, the other meal measures are bolls (4 firlots to the boll) and lippies (4 lippies to the peck).