Sunday 17 April 2011

Corners of Uig

Enumeration district 1 in Registration district 89 appears to encompass some very remote areas of Lewis, on and offshore. In 1901, we find the following houses:

1. Mealista House, a mile south of Brenish has a family of Mitchells in residence.

2. Hamnaway, about 8 miles south of Carnish, houses a family of Mathisons.

3. Beyond Hamnaway, a mile or two round the bay, we find the hamlet of Ardbeg. At no 1, we see Donald (72) and May (78) Mcleanan, with three of their children (aged in their 30s).
At 2 Ardbeg, there are a family of Mcdonalds.

4. At Crolaw [Crola] house, near the eastern extremity of Loch Resort a family of Macdonalds is in residence.

5. Kenreasort House, a few miles east of Crola shows Kenneth Mcdonald (51, gamekeeper), married to Catherine (28), and with Catherine Mciver (28) as a general servant there. John Mciver is registered as a sailor, aged 60. 

6. Thirty miles out at sea, the Flannan Isles Lighthouse is also in the census returns.


Wm Beggs 43), lightkeeper, born at Kirkpatrick, Wigtownshire
D Ross (37), ass lightkeeper, born at Scrabster, Caithness
J Mclachlan (34), ass lightkeeper, born at Kilboandon [?], Argyll
A Mciver (39), shoemaker, born at Cullanish [Callanish?], Ross-shire

It was four months before the 1901 census that three of their predecessors were inexplicably lost from the lighthouse during a violent storm.

I refer to Comann Eachdraidh Uig for further details on the locations and people mentioned.

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