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Customs

 Subject
Subject Source: Sss
Scope Note: Created For = CW

Found in 215 Collections and/or Records:

Story about 'MacCallain' and 'Frith making', 1895

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/65
Scope and Contents Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about Duncan McInnes [MacInnes], Balavanaich [Baile a Mhanaich/Balivanich, Beinn an Faoghla/Benbecula] also known as MacCallain [Mac Ailein] who was well-known for making 'frith' [making incantations for a missing person]. Once a boat was caught in a winter storm returning from Uig, Lewis [Eilean Leòdhais/Isle of Lewis] and with no wreckage or people it and its crew were thought lost. Mac Ailein was approached for frith and...
Dates: 1895

Story about murders, a superstition and accompanying place-names, September 1870

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW106/53
Scope and Contents Story about murders describing how in one day seventeen people were killed in Achadun Castle, Lios Mòr/Lismore, Earra Ghàidheal/Argyllshire and that a chàbag 'was a round stone ab[ou]t the buaile which taken away 7 which caused mischance to those who took it. The following place-names are mentioned although it is not clear what the connection between them, the story and the superstition is: Cladh-a ghleannain, Pillebhride, Clachain nam-baintearnan, An Caibeal and Lag a chaibeail [Cladh a'...
Dates: September 1870

Story about Rev John MacAulay and the treatment of 'malefactors', September 1870

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW106/37
Scope and Contents Story about Rev John MacAulay, minister, Lios Mòr/Lismore, Earra Ghàidheal/Argyllshire, that he was disliked by his parishioners 'duine borb borb' to the extent that on his final Sunday during the service he said that he would not leave if anyone showed him support but no one spoke. He put up the brangas [pillory] by the church where malefactors [criminals] would be chained for a night and a day as punishment. It also notes that Druim na Bithe was where the malefactors would be collected for...
Dates: September 1870

Story about Ruary an Ruma and tea-drinking, 1867

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW114/65
Scope and Contents

Story about Ruary an Ruma [Roderick MacNeil, Miùghlaigh/Mingulay] telling how he had only once before had a cup of tea. Carmichael notes this as 'Strange' and on asking him how he liked the tea he had been served by the school-servant he replied 'Manamsa Dhia gu bheil gle mhath. Ach bu cho mhath liom an siucar eir uisge teth ris a so! Nach bu mhath luidh mhic Righ B[h]reitean seach an seo?'.

Dates: 1867

Story about sea-cattle and accompanying custom, 20 January 1871

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/155
Scope and Contents

Story telling how a woman in Crocantorran [Cnoc an Torrain/Knockintorran, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist] who had a little child saw cattle eating seaweed on a snowy day. She thought they were eating it because of the snow and so she followed them and got a fright when she saw them go into the sea to the extent that she was ill for a month. It was said that if a handful of earth is thrown on sea cattle they 'cant forsake the land'.

Dates: 20 January 1871

Story about seal hunting on Heisker including a weather incantation, 1869

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW107/36
Scope and Contents

Story in which Mac Uistean was too old to go seal hunting on Haisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker] and in the stormy weather walked around the house repeating 'Slainri gun fheum an taobh taigh Mhic Uist[ean] an nochd Slanri & noc'. Also, a band of tinkers accustomed to seal-hunting had not had success for several seasons but after a ball on St Michael's Night they left and got 80 seals that night.

Dates: 1869

Story about the cuach [drinking cup] at Taigh Gige, June 1887

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW89/204
Scope and Contents

Story about the cuach [drinking cup] at Taigh Gige [Tigh Dige or Flowerdale House, Geàrrloch/Gairloch, Ros is Cromba/Ross and Cromarty] that it was only ever drunk from by the seanachas and that it was a very large cup. An accompanying vocabulary note reads 'Conch = Conachag Conachocan.'

Dates: June 1887

Story about the custom of throwing a ball of thread into a kiln to find out the name of one's husband, c1870

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW7/34
Scope and Contents Story about the custom of throwing a ball of thread into a kiln at night to find out the name of one's husband. On one occasion, young men got into the kiln without the young women knowing. As each girl threw her ball of thread into kiln asking 'Co sid shuas air ceann mo ropain?' [Who is at the end of my thread?] a young man would put on a false voice and give her the answer she wanted to hear. When the third girl asked, the young man joked that he was the devil 'come to take you away for...
Dates: c1870

Story about the discovery of Christ's body being the reason for 'dol deiseil a chlaidh', 24 Septmeber 1872

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW90/114
Scope and Contents

Story about the discovery of Christ's body being the reason for 'dol deiseil a chlaidh', collected from Peter [-], who learned it from Mr Aonas Donullach sagairt [Angus MacDonald, priest] who 'went to Rome as professor and died there. He had been educated in Lismore' [Lios Mòr].

Dates: 24 Septmeber 1872

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