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Isle of Harris Inverness-shire Scotland

 Subject
Subject Source: Local sources

Found in 120 Collections and/or Records:

Story about the plague which struck Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris, November 1873

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW111/30
Scope and Contents

Story about the plague which struck Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris during 'Linn Mh[ic] Aula' which 'carried away' many people. It tells how 'fear drove the people in floods to the church hold[in]g each others hands coming to church + sing[ing] songs. Only 3 persons came out on 3[rd] day. Church full of skulls.' The story notes how Angus, the son of Mr Aula [MacAulay] was buried opposite the pulpit on the north side of the wall alongside it.

Dates: November 1873
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story about the sons of the Duke of Argyll and MacLeod of MacLeods eldest sons, 10 July 1870

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/50
Scope and Contents Story collected on Tarasaigh/Taransay about the sons of the Duke of Argyll's and MacLeod of MacLeod's eldest sons. The story tells how the two sons were together at the Royal High School Edinburgh [Dùn Èideann] or Edinburgh University and the Duke's son was being bullied by a sizable 'gille galda' [gille Gallda or Lowlander]. MacLeod's son stepped in to help the Duke's son but between the two of them they beat the gille Gallda so badly that he died from his injuries. The two fled to Dunvegan...
Dates: 10 July 1870
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook of Alexander Carmichael

Story about Trai Chaibaval and accompanying vocabulary notes, November 1873

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW111/32
Scope and Contents Story about Trai Chaibaval [Tràigh Chaibaval, Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris] noting its location and previous name of Trai Chliamainn [Tràigh Chliamainn] and how people tried to stop the sea with brigs, stacks and bundles of heather but a gale came and drove everything up to the Northton glumag [pool] [Taobh Tuath]. The accompanying vocabulary notes include 'Cira = Caora ("Cira fo shneac" Manx song), 'Brig = Stack build up of peats of dyke' and 'Sgrioba -Phe'ire (Pe'ar) lightning just above...
Dates: November 1873
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story and notes about the bird 'Sulaire' [gannet], June 1887

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW89/163
Scope and Contents

Story and notes about the bird 'Sulaire' [gannet] in which [Mr N] Macleod saw a sulaire [gannet] put its bill through the side of a boat which was between Tarauis and Nisibost [Tarasaigh/Taransay and Niosabost, Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris] and the crew kept the bird there until they reached land so that the boat would not sink. Each line of text has been scored through horizontally.

Dates: June 1887
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story describing two lobsters caught by Donald Shaw, 10 March 1874

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW111/64
Scope and Contents

Story describing two lobsters caught by Donald Shaw, Eilean anabruich, at Loch Seaforth [Eilean Anabaich and Loch Shìophoirt both Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris], amongst the details the first lobster is described as being three feet long and the second as weighing six and a half pounds.

Dates: 10 March 1874
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'An t-Eilean Uaine', 1873

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW105/38
Scope and Contents Story entitled 'An t-Eilean Uaine' about a man called MacEoin [MacEwen] from Bute [Bòd] who on his way to Locharoag, Harris [Loch Ròg, Na Hearadh] is thrown off course and comes across an island which is twelve miles wide by twelve miles long. It has no inhabitants, is green and full of 'fraic' [seaweed] and the river is full of salmon. A storm drives him to Ireland where he sells his salmon and then he sets off to find the island again but he cannot find it. Carmichael notes that the reef...
Dates: 1873
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook of Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'Cailleach Bheag an fhasaich', 12 February 1895

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/87
Scope and Contents Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Cailleach Bheag an fhasaich' [Little Carlin of the Wild]. There was a poor soul living in Benbecula called Iagan-lom, because he had never managed to grow a beard. He wanted to marry someone like himself who was neither too big nor too small so he decided to go away to find her so that if she rejected him no one would know. So he set out whereupon a crow told him to go to Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris as that's where...
Dates: 12 February 1895
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'Great fight', March 1874

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW111/74
Scope and Contents Story collected from John Morrison, ground officer, Lingreabhagh/Lingerbay, Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris, entitled 'Great fight', telling of the fight in Caolas na Hearadh/Sound of Harris] between Campbeltown [Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain, Cinn Tìre/Kintyre] and Leith herring boats during the herring fishing of Charles II's reign, in which many men were killed from all over Britian and buried in Neartey, Sarstay, Cheesbay, Huarsay, Ortersay, Heamatry and Ta'ay [Nàrstaigh, Sàrstaigh, Bàgh a'...
Dates: March 1874
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'John MacLeod', 31 August 1909

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW117/72
Scope and Contents

Story entitled 'John MacLeod' about a famous swordsman who 'could cut the button from the neck of his opponent's shirt'. He was smothered by a snow storm by 'his own garden wall' having been out hunting. The story states that his tomb is in the church at Rodail [St Clement's Church, Rodel, Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris] and that the stone for it was hewn locally at Geocrab. Text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.

Dates: 31 August 1909
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook of Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'Loch Utramal', March 1874

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW111/73
Scope and Contents Story entitled 'Loch Utramal' [Loch Udromuil Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris] collected from John Morrison, ground officer, describing it as a large lake near Airdsleave [Àird Shlèibhe] where his father told him that during hard frost thick ice on the loch was broken right through and a pathway made from shore to island noting that it 'must have been made by animal 40 y[ea]rs ago'. The story also tells how a woman saw a strange looking animal moving among her cattle one morning, the animal was...
Dates: March 1874
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

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