Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael, 1887
Scope and Contents
Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael probably while he lived at 31, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, as this address is written in ink on the first folio. Written on the inside front cover but heavily scored is text which reads 'Mrs Malcolm MacLeod, [- Islay], widow of Mal[colm] MacLeod [Loch-]. The majority of the notebook contains material collected from Donald Currie, crofter, Ìle/ Islay relating folklore and natural history about the birds, fish, shellfish and animals found in and around the island, including birdsong, folk tales, anatomical descriptions and hunting techniques. He also related some stories about the history of the Rinns of Islay especially in relation to the lighthouse on Orasaigh/Orsay. In this notebook, Carmichael also records a good deal of natural history, especially about birds, eels and fish, from John MacAulay formerly of Ross and Cromarty but living in Dùn Èideann/Edinburgh. The notebook contains a lot of vocabulary, poems, stories and sayings in relation to wildlife and also touches on placenames. While the material is predominantly from Ìle/Islay and Geàrrloch/Gairloch, there are also a number of items relating to An t-Eilean Sgitheanach/Isle of Skye, Hiorta/St Kilda and Uibhist/Uist.
Dates
- Creation: 1887
Language of Materials
English Gaelic
Conditions Governing Access
This material is unrestricted.
Extent
53 folios ; 17.2 x 10.5 cm
Physical Location
CW113
- Anatomy
- Archaeology
- Argyllshire Scotland
- Ballymeanach Islay Argyllshire Scotland
- Benbecula Inverness-shire Scotland
- Biological rhythms
- Birds
- Birds of prey
- Birdsongs
- Cats
- Customs
- Edinburgh -- Scotland
- Eels
- Fish
- Fishing
- Gairloch (parish) Ross and Cromarty Scotland
- Hunting
- Insects
- Ireland
- Islay Argyllshire Scotland
- Isle of Barra Inverness-shire Scotland
- Isle of Harris Inverness-shire Scotland
- Isle of Skye Inverness-shire Scotland
- Kilchiaran Islay Argyllshire Scotland
- Kintyre Argyllshire Scotland
- Language
- North Uist Inverness-shire Scotland
- Placenames
- Plants
- Poems
- Portnahaven Islay Argyllshire Scotland
- Proverbs
- Ross and Cromarty Scotland
- Sayings
- Sea birds
- Shellfish
- Songs
- St Kilda Inverness-shire Scotland
- Tales
- Vocabulary
- Voyages and Travel
- Weather
Subject
- Bride, Saint, c453-525 (Kildare) (Person)
- Columba, Saint, c 521-?597 (monastic founder | Calum Cille) (Person)
- Norman, fl1887 ('Norman the Bank' | North Uist | Inverness-shire) (Person)
- Carmichael, Alexander, 1832-1912 (Excise officer | folklorist and antiquarian | Edinburgh | Scotland) (Person)
- Currie, Donald, c1826- (crofter | Islay) (Person)
- MacAulay, John, fl1887 (Iain | fisherman | Gairloch | Ross and Cromarty | and Edinburgh) (Person)
- MacKay, Hugh, fl1393 (lieutenant to MacDonald of Islay | Rinns of Islay) (Person)
- Northern Lighthouse Board. Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses (1786-) (Organization)
- Campbell (of Islay) (Family)
- MacDonald (of Clanranald) (Family)
- MacLeod (of Dunvegan) (Family)
Creator
- From the Fonds: Carmichael, Alexander, 1832-1912 (Excise officer | folklorist and antiquarian | Edinburgh | Scotland) (Person)
- From the Fonds: Watson, William John, 1865-1948 (Professor of Celtic) (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk