Scope and Contents Account of fulling cloth on Miulay [Miùghlaigh/Mingulay] describing how he heard the singing coming from a hut as he passed by and so he went in and found 'six good looking comely girls waulking cloth. One sung the verse the rest the chorus and all took their turn at this. All songs suited the body made in ful[ling] and all to my ear wild weird and beautiful. One was a fairy song and fairy like'. Carmichael notes that he measured the arms of two of the girls and that while the others seemed...

Scope and Contents

Note which reads 'A woman allotted for each y[ar]d of cloth at luathadh' collected from John MacAulay from Gearrloch [Geàrrloch/Gairloch, Ros is Cromba/Ross and Cromarty] but living in Edinburgh [Dùn Èideann.

Scope and Contents Prayer entitled 'Coisrigeadh An Aodaich' [Consecration of the Cloth] collected from Duncan Cameron, police officer, Lochaluinn, Morven [Loch Alainn/Lochaline, Earra Ghàidheal/Argyllshire] beginning Is math a gha'as mi mo rann, A teurna leis a ghleann'. The custom in which the verses are repeated three times, while the cloth is being worked by women is described. There is an additional note explaining the reference to deer, salmon and herring within the prayer, that both fish have bones 'like...

Scope and Contents Song collected from Duncan Cameron, police officer, Tobar Mhoire/Tobermory, Muile/Isle of Mull, entitled 'Coisgrigeadh an Aodaich' [Consecration of the Cloth]. The song begins 'S math gha'ainsa mo rann, A teuma le gleann' and is composed of lines. The accompanying note describes the work done while the song is sung, 'The web is made into a roll. All the women work at the roll patting it and the rann is said three times over. Then at the end the roll is tossed end over and say A a aodach seo...

Scope and Contents Story entitled 'Cu Du Mhic a Phi' [Cù Dubh Mhic a' Phì] collected from Archibald Currie, shoemaker, Àird na Monadh, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist. The story tells of the wife of the shepherd called Mac a' Phì who lives by Loch Ollabhat and is asked to provide cloth by a lady at Loch Olabhat/Loch Olavat and Bailemhanaich/Balivanich both Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula. She panics that she will not be able to meet the task and summons the fairies to help. Realising that it was probably unwise to enlist...