On this International Women’s Day, we remember Chris Lawson, Bill’s late wife and business partner, behind the success of the incredible Hebrides People genealogical resource.

Originally from Point, on the Isle of Lewis, Chris trained as a nurse and midwife before returning to the island to care for her mother. Chris was always interested in history and community and was involved in the establishment of Comann Eachdraidh an Rubha, where she and Bill met. Chris’ mother was well known as a local source of information about families, so it was only natural that Chris herself should become involved.

“When I was growing up in Sheshader, the pastime in the evenings was discussing relationships, and listening to stories of the old village, and of the wars, so in a sense I was involved in history ever since I can remember[1]”.

Following her marriage to Bill, Chris crossed the border to Harris, moving into and renovating the former Northton Schoolhouse. Coincidentally, Chris’ Aunt was a teacher at Northton School in the 1920’s!

For several years they ran the ‘Co Leis Thu? ‘ genealogy research centre from the Schoolhouse. This soon grew to include an exhibition, publishing company and an annual lecture tour of Canada, alongside the family research service, and they soon realised there was no way they could continue to manage and grow the business with only themselves, and so, the Seallam! Visitor centre was conceived.

Bill was kind enough to speak with us about Chris and their business. He says…

“I don’t think I could have, I’m sure I wouldn’t have, set up the Seallam! Centre without Chris.”

“For each of us if you like, it opened a bit of a world that we hadn’t had. I’d been very much in the research side and hadn’t really bothered too much about sharing the research, I enjoyed chatting to people about it, but beyond that… but I think Chris’ whole point was that she never had the chance to do the research. But now she had it, she took it and went worldwide.”

And worldwide they went! Opening in July 2000, (2025 marks the 25^th anniversary, details of an event to commemorate this achievement coming soon) the centre became a must visit destination on the itineraries of visitors from all over the world, looking to trace their ancestors.

“I used to ask what was it that brought them here, from San Francisco say, that huge city, to this little place. But I remember one man saying to me: ‘I don’t know why I came, I just had this need to come, and as I sailed into Tarbert I felt more at peace with myself than I’ve ever felt before[2].”

“It’s a terribly emotional thing we do here and sometimes emotions do run high[3].”

Speaking about Chris’ role in the business, Bill comments…

“I don’t think if Chris hadn’t been there that we would have been doing the croft histories. I’d have been doing the research, but I wasn’t nearly so interested in spreading the information locally and publicly. She was very keen on that. What is the point of writing a book if nobody reads it?

It worked nicely because I had always looked at history with a bit of an outsider’s view, where Chris had an insider’s view. It was a good combination.”

The foreword of the Sheshader Croft History, published in 1989, not long after Bill and Chris’ marriage, reads  ‘the undertaking of a series of histories of all the crofts in the Long Island may seem a task for which a lifetime is insufficient, but for a scholar of Bill’s industry, aided now by a partner imbrued in Gaelic culture, it may not be an unobtainable goal[4]’.

What followed speaks for itself, with thousands of families traced and well over 100 books published. As a community, both locally and internationally, we are indebted to Bill and Chris for their lifelong commitment to preserving the story of the people of the Hebrides.

Chris is featured in Women of the Hebrides, by Joni Buchanan, one of many titles available to purchase from the Hebrides People Visitor Centre and online.

[1] Croft History – Sheshader, Isle of Lewis by Bill Lawson, 1989

[2] As written in Joni Buchanan’s Women of the Hebrides, published by Acair, 2024

Chris Lawson interviewed at the Seallam! Centre in Northton, Isle of Harris by Annie Delin and broadcast on Isles FM as part of the series Land and Sea in October, 2010.

[3] As written in Joni Buchanan’s Women of the Hebrides, published by Acair, 2024

Chris Lawson interviewed at the Seallam! Centre in Northton, Isle of Harris by Annie Delin and broadcast on Isles FM as part of the series Land and Sea in October, 2010.

[4] Croft History – Sheshader, Isle of Lewis by Bill Lawson, 1989