Benbecula Inverness-shire Scotland
Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Found in 211 Collections and/or Records:
Story about Sìne nighean MhicLeòid, 20 January 1871
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/142
Scope and Contents
Story collected from Eachann Macleoid [Hector MacLeod], aged 85, at Caisteal Bhuiri, Lianacleit [Caisteal Bhuirgh/Borve Castle, Lionacleit/Linaclate, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula]. His patronymic is given as 'Each[ann] mac Dhonul ic 'Urchai ic Neil ic Coinnich ic Iain ic Ruari ic Thormaid ic Uilleam ic Thorcail ic Leoid Leothais'. Hector states that he is the same age as Clanranald and that his great grandfather Niall mac Leoid [Neil MacLeod] came with Sine ni[gh]ean mhic Leoid Leodhais...
Dates:
20 January 1871
Story about Sithein a Bhealaich, 10 April 1872
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW119/52
Scope and Contents
Story collected from an unnamed female informant at Haclait/Hacklet, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about Sithein a Bhealaich [] a fairy hill which the informant claims she herself once saw alight one night.
Dates:
10 April 1872
Story about the Battle of Sheriffmuir, c1866
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW104/10
Scope and Contents
Story about the Battle of Sheriffmuir probably collected from Alexander MacKenzie, Uisgeabhagh/Uiskevagh, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula, telling how at the battle, horses came amongst the Gaels and scattered them. Fear Leitir-iù [a MacKenzie] and Iain MacConnich [John MacKenzie], the informant's maternal grandfather, were up against five troops and so Fear Leitir-iù told John to go back to back with him and in that way they managed to kill the five soldiers with their swords.
Dates:
c1866
Story about the burial of Donald mac 'ic Ailein of Clanranald, c1872
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW90/81
Scope and Contents
Story about the burial of Donald mac 'ic Ailein [Donald MacDonald 13th of Clanranald] stating that only three of the Clanranald were buried at Howmore [Tobha Mòr, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist]. The story tells of his marriage, of his building a house for his wife in Canna [Canaigh], her elopment with a paramour and his return to Howmore for burial through North Uist [Uibhist a Tuath] following his death on Canna. Later members of the clan were buried in Nunton [Baile nan Cailleach, Beinn na...
Dates:
c1872
Story about the theft of a corpse, 20 January 1871
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/147
Scope and Contents
Story collected from Hector MacLeod, aged 85, at Caisteal Bhuirgh/Borve Castle, Lionacleit/Linaclate, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula, telling how a woman from the MacCormaig family in Killpheadair [Cille Pheadair/Kilpheder, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist] went to work at Balranald [Baile Raghnaill, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist] and got married there. Not long after she married she fell ill and died. When her wake folk were resting her friends 'who came in g[rea]t force' took away her corpse but they...
Dates:
20 January 1871
Story about the use of a ruin as a place of worship, 20 January 1871
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/148
Scope and Contents
Story collected from Hector MacLeod, aged 85, at Caisteal Bhuirgh/Borve Castle, Lionacleit/Linaclate, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula telling how when he was about twelve years old [c1798] he remembers the old people going to the tota [tobhta or ruin] at Bail-uachdrach [possibly Kenuachrach] to say their paidir as a pearsa eaglais [priest] was not able to come every Sunday. This suggests that the ruin was originally a church.
Dates:
20 January 1871
Story and customs about Leac na gruagaich, December 1894
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/57
Scope and Contents
Story and customs written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about Leac na gruagaich [Leac na Gruagaich, Beinn na Faoghla, Benbecula], a stone which was on the croft of Angus MacAulay, Liniclate [Lionacleit] at 'Rudha Chuidh Oib or Cuidh an Obain', an old cattle fold. The tradition was to pour a little milk into the hollow of the stone to prevent the gruagaich letting the cattle out of the fold and into the corn. MacRury tells how Raoghnull MacRuaraidh 'a Cuial decendant...
Dates:
December 1894
Story and song about a water-horse, 28 October 1870
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/125
Scope and Contents
Story and song collected from Mrs MacDonald, Gramasdall [Gramasdal/Gramsdale, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula] about a water horse. The story tells how a prince was under a spell and by night was a water-horse and by day a fairy. A farmer's daughter bore him a child, which had been conceived while she was asleep when she was tending cattle. She and her kin were very concerned about this and so she went to an old man for advice. He told her to hide the child by the cattle-fold. As she did this she...
Dates:
28 October 1870
Story entitled 'A Chliarsheanachain' [itinerant band/sorners], 5 March 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/92
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'A Chliarsheanachain' [itinerant band/sorners]. The Cliar Sheanchain or sorners, were a band of sixteen burly men, who would eat and drink and entertain or satirise and they were notoriously difficult to control. The story tells how the the last known band of sorners stayed in Baile-nan-Cailleach [Baile nan Cailleach/Nunton] with Mac 'ic Ailein [Clanranald] as their host for a night. They stayed much longer then...
Dates:
5 March 1895
Story entitled 'A Sealladh mu dheireadh a Roca-Barraidh', 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/82
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury entitled 'A Sealladh mu dheireadh a Roca-Barraidh' [The last sighting of Rocabarraigh] telling how the island of Rocabarraigh was seen many years after it sank after it had been prophesied by an old man. The old man's family thought he had died but managed to rouse him and he told them what he had seen. In his vision he had wrestled with a man from Rocabarraigh, who threatened to sink Barraigh/Barra, whereupon every sort of fish would wash up on the...
Dates:
1895