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Scotland boasts a huge and diverse range of wildlife. This informative and beautifully illustrated book is the most complete companion to Scottish animals and birds available. Themed around various habitats (mountain; bog and moor; woods; lochs and rivers; croft and farm; sea and seashore; urban), and including material on mythical beasts, it features a wealth of information on hundreds of species. As well as descriptions and biological information, the text is interspersed with much detail – historical, folklore, anecdotal and even culinary – which offers fascinating insights into the role of animals in our cultural life and the way man has interacted with them over a period of thousands of years.

In the very north of Britain, far from the bustling cities and picturesque countryside to the south, lies Western Europe’s most magnificent wilderness: the Scottish Highlands.
This is a land shaped by the flow of ancient ice, where snow-capped mountains tower over ink-black lochs, Golden Eagles soar over heather-clad moors, and Red Deer stags engage in mortal combat for the right to win a mate. Along the coast, sea cliffs and offshore islands teem with millions of seabirds, while the seas themselves are home to Basking Sharks, Orcas and Bottlenose Dolphins.
The Highlands may, at first sight, seem bleak and desolate, but they are also filled with hidden wonders, from the ancient Caledonian pine forests to the vast Flow Country, and from the sheer granite cliffs of Handa to the mysterious depths of Loch Ness.
In this lavish book, Stephen Moss’s thoughtful, authoritative text, accompanied throughout by spectacular photography from Laurie Campbell, follows a year in the lives of a stellar cast of wild animals as they live, feed, breed and die in this beautiful, yet unforgiving landscape – a land where only the toughest survive.

Enter the magical world of Scottish folklore with this knitting design book from the mother-daughter duo of Alice and Jade Starmore, creators of the bestselling Tudor Roses. This unique book, named for the Scots term for magic, is rooted in ancient Gaelic folklore. Retellings of traditional tales are accompanied by full-color photographs — including nine panoramic gatefolds — taken in remote and romantic Hebridean locations, of gorgeous knitted costumes inspired by the stories. The fanciful and intricate outfits serve as illustrations for the storytelling; simpler versions of the original designs offer complete patterns. Years in the making, this combination of fable, highly conceptual design, and practical instruction will enchant not only knitters but also those in the fashion and costume world and readers fascinated by Scottish and Gaelic legends.

In Scotland’s Outer Hebrides on the rugged Isle of Lewis, five powerful award-winning monuments commemorate the island’s Land Heroes. Their courageous struggle for Land Law Reform resulted in the thriving Gaelic speaking community that Lewis encompasses today.

Through the photography of Robin Gillanders, the design, setting and materials of these ‘sentinels in stone’ are brought together for all to enjoy, while essays by distinguished Scottish art historians, and Gaelic speaking island historian Dr Joni Buchannan, tell a vivid story of the events commemorated by each monument, examining their iconography, and exploring each work within the context of a wider cultural rebellion against the hegemony of imposed values.

The Hebrides of Scotland – around 500 diverse islands – form the north-western Atlantic fringe of Europe. This book surveys the cultural landscape of this dramatically beautiful, complex and conflicted area, with emphasis on what may be interpreted through aerial photography. Its main themes are the mutual influences of people and environment, and the recent history and current issues in the area. Mobile maritime cultures flourished throughout the Hebrides from prehistoric times, including Mesolithic builders of wheelhouses, coracle-borne monastic travellers, Norse in longships and Lords of the Isles in birlinns. A prominent feature of the recent history of the Hebrides has been depopulation. The history and heartbreak of this phenomenon, experienced in differing degrees in rural areas throughout Europe from the mid-18th century, is clearly shown in aerial photographs and discussed in the accompanying text. Today’s Hebridean landscapes have been heavily modified by various forms of human land use; current land-management options and controversies are also discussed in the context of photographs that draw attention to the various issues involved.

In this book, you will travel in both space and time, starting in the years around the First World War and moving all the way up to the present day. As you go, you will see just what our pioneering aviators saw as they stared out from their cockpits. And, more than that, you will explore what they were trying to find. Because, from above, Scotland can be many different things, depending on what you choose to look at – and who is doing the looking.’ Accompanying the BBC documentary series Scotland from the Sky, this lavishly illustrated book draws on the vast collection of aerial photography held in the archives of Historic Environment Scotland. Historian and series presenter James Crawford opens an extraordinary window into our past to tell the remarkable story of a nation from above – taking readers back in time to show how our great cities have dramatically altered with the ebb and flow of history, while whole communities have vanished in the name of progress. The book shows how aerial imagery can reveal treasures from the ancient past, uncovering secrets buried right beneath our feet. And it demonstrates how the view from above has been at the heart of the postwar transformation of both our countryside and our urban landscapes. This is a fascinating – and little known – story of war, innovation, adventure, cities, landscapes and people. This is the story of Scotland, from the sky.

In 1527 Hector Boece, the first Principal of King’s College Aberdeen, wrote in his extensive ‘History of the Scottish People’ of an island of rocky crags and prehistoric sheep, which could only be reached through extreme danger to life. It was, he explained, ‘the last and outmaist Ile’ of Scotland. It was St Kilda. St Kilda breaks the waters of the Atlantic Ocean some 100 miles west of the mainland, and 40 miles west of the Outer Hebridean island of North Uist. On clear days it appears as a dark silhouette on a distant horizon. Approach it, and it resolves into seven shapes – the four islands of Hirta, Boreray, Soay and Dun, and three towering sea stacks. It is an enigmatic and awe-inspiring landscape, a starkly beautiful vision of ‘life on the edge’ which has fascinated everyone from travellers, antiquarians and conservationists to writers,film crews and tourists. And, perhaps as a result, it is one of the most mythologised and misunderstood places on earth. Archaeologists Angela Gannon and George Geddes have spent over nine months living and working on St Kilda, and have been part of a team which has been researching its complex and remarkable history for more than a decade.In this new book they turn the popular perception of the archipelago on its head. St Kilda, they argue, has never existed in total isolation, but has always been linked to a network of communities scattered across the north western seaboard and the Highlands of Scotland. ‘The Last and Outmost Isle’ pulls St Kilda back from the ‘end of the world’ to tell a compelling story of triumph over geographical adversity. What makes these islands so special is not their distance from ‘civilisation’, but rather their enduring capacity to remain a living, connected part of Scotland over the course of some three thousand years.

In 1697 Martin Martin, a Gaelic-speaking scholar from Skye, travelled to St Kilda to study the island’s flora and fauna and to learn about the now extinct great auk. Much of the information that he gathered during this expedition was relayed to him by the islanders. Naturalists from Martin down to Robert Atkinson in 1938, not only witnessed the people’s way of life but also the wildlife around them, both priceless assets that have recently won for St Kilda dual World Heritage Site status. Using a huge range of published sources as well as diaries and other personal information, John Love goes even further to explore of the St Kilda archipelago.

A Natural History of St Kilda produces a synthesis of what these naturalists and scientists experienced and gives evidence that shows just how important the native flora and fauna were to the survival of the islanders. The result is a fascinating and insightful account of the islands which will appeal not only to naturalists, but also to those who are fascinated by the place, by its human history and by islands in general.

In the 18th century shotgun weddings were not unusual, but in most cases it wasn’t the bride that was holding the gun. So began the stormy marriage between Lord and Lady Grange, a marriage which was to end with Lady Grange s death on the Isle of Skye after 13 years in exile. The daughter of a convicted murderer, Lady Grange s behaviour, such as her fondness for drink, was so outrageous that her sudden disappearance from public life was not considered surprising. But few knew the true story of her disappearance. This book reveals, for the first time, how the unfortunate lady was violently kidnapped and transported to the remote islands off the west coast of Scotland, spending seven years on the island of St. Kilda s. Condemned to a very different lifestyle than she had enjoyed in Edinburgh, and baffled by the strange tongue of the Gaelic West, she still obstinately survived, finally dying in Skye in 1745 (although a funeral had already been held for her years before). More than a history of scandal and infamy, ‘The Prisoner of St Kilda’ gives a balanced account of both Lord and Lady Grange, their flaws and strengths, and of the role played by the powerful men who saw the unpredictable Lady Grange as a threat.

George Clayton Anderson (1808-77) was only twenty-three when he set out from Newcastle in 1831 with his brother, Dick, and the professional artist William Train to explore the Western isles and remote St Kilda. The following year he journeyed to the Shetlands and in 1833 returned again to Skye and the Western Isles while on his way to the Faroes. Atkinson was a keen naturalist, founder member of the Natural History Society of Northumberland and Durham and Newcastle, and a friend of the engraver Thomas Beckwith. His travels brought him into contact with such giants of the day as William MacGillivray, Dr William Hooker and John Scoular. His keen interest in birds led him to become the first curator of the ornithological section of the Hancock Museum, an interest reflected in his descriptions of the bird-life of these islands. The large leather-bound journals chronicling their adventures, and largely unknown outside his family, were richly embellished with original watercolours and drawings of his tours, made by some of the finest local artists of the day.
While vividly resurrecting a living, breathing portrait of those whose lives added such a a colour to the landscape, his diary also reveals a community in the painful throes of transition and at a watershed between the ancient and the modern.

By the time of his death in January 1996, Norman MacCaig was known widely as the grand old man of Scottish poetry, honoured by an OBE and the Queen’s Medal for Poetry. This book is the third edition of “MacCaig’s Collected Poems” and is edited by his son Ewen. With 778 poems, 100 of them previously unpublished, this is a remarkable collection.

“At 1.55am on 1st January 1919, a naval yacht carrying sailors home on leave ran aground on rocks near the village of Holm, a mere 20 yards from the shore of the Isle of Lewis and less than a mile from the safe harbour of Stornoway. HMY Iolaire was crowded with 280 men, mostly naval reservists returning to the safety and comfort of their homes after the horrors of the Great War.”

Malcolm Macdonald and Donald John MacLeod’s painstaking research has taken decades and draws on an exceptional range of sources. The Darkest Dawn, is a significant and enduring testament to all those aboard the Iolaire on the night of New Year 1919

This book is an exploration of both Scotland’s western
seaboard and the Hebridean Islands, following
on from Iain McGowans’s highly successful Portrait
of the Hebrides published by Halsgrove in 2008 and
reprinted in 2011.

Scotland is justly famed for its magnificent scenery – mountains, lochs, islands, wild rocky places and sandy beaches. All this is evidence of an exciting geological history which began 3,500 billion years ago and is still continuing. The sheer diversity of Scotland’s rocks and landforms are the physical reminders of a fascinating journey through time. They reveal that the land that makes up Scotland today has travelled the world and has not always even belonged to one single continental landmass. At different times, too, continents formed and split apart, ancient volcanoes erupted vast quantities of lava and Ice Age glaciers shaped the landscape. Containing a huge amount of detailed information presented in clear, comprehensible language and enhanced throughtout with specially commissioned illustrations, diagrams and photographs, this is an essential book for anyone interested in the world around them.

For more than two thousand years the people of St Kilda remained remote from the world. Their society was viable, utopian even; but in the nineteenth century the islands were discovered by missionaries, do-gooders and tourists, who brought with them money, disease and despotism. In 1930, the few remaining islanders were evacuated, no longer able to support themselves.

An exploration of the life and death of the remote Hebridean society, Island on the Edge of the World is a moving account of human endeavour.

Using a battered medium format camera once belonging to Fay Godwin, Alex Boyd captures the archipelago of St Kilda in a new light, from a 21st century perspective. From the crumbling Cold War military base to the wild beauty of the natural landscape, this collection of photographs is both an ode to the history of the islands and an insight into the modern day lives of those who live and work on St Kilda today.

A4 frame for Shareholders Certificate.

Bill Lawson’s 100th publication covering the island of Scarp and the North Harris villages of Taobh Loch Reusort, Huisinis, Beudarsaig, Gobhaig, Leosabhagh, Abhainnsuidhe, Cliasamol, and Branndarsaig. 

George Murray was the school teacher on St Kilda from 1886-87.  Throughout his time there he kept a diary and this has been quoted in many publications.  However, until now, we have not had any insight into the man himself.

This book compiles songs/poems written by John Morrison of Scalpay, Isle of Harris.

This book, dealing with the historical background to various items of interest connected with St. Kilda and its Church, is the third in a series looking at various historical sites in the Western Isles.

This book, dealing with the historical background to various items of interest connected with the Churches at Howmore, South Uist.
44 pages.

The group of ruins around the graveyard of Howmore are a testimony to the power and wealth of the Church in that area in their day. Little remains of the original two churches, but that little is still enough to impress visitors with the sheer scale and ornate nature of the buildings. Nothing is known of the early history of the site. Was it one of the early, pre-Norse, centres of the Celtic Church, or did it rise with the victory of the Gaelic culture over the Norse in the thirteenth century? John MacDonald, VIII of Clanranald, was buried there in 1584, and it is clear that the churches had been long established by that date.

This register comprises an index to the marriages recorded in the Old Parish Registers for the Parish of North Uist, where the OPR does not commence until 1821. This index contains over 300 marriages from the North Uist OPR and a further 500 marriages in that parish obtained from other sources.

This is the story of the communities and people of Harris in history and legend. One of the largest and most famous of all the islands of Scotland, astonishingly little has been written about the varied and eventful life of Harris, perhaps because the island has been so self contained. Including much material on the now deserted islands around Harris, including new information on St Kilda, Bill Lawson’s book is the first modern account of Harris and those who have shaped its history over thousands of years.

Friends since childhood, and lovers and business partners as adults, Niamh and Ruairidh are owners of a small Hebridean company, Ranish Tweed, that weaves its own very special version of Harris Tweed. Although it’s a small company, their fabrics have become internationally sought-after as a niche brand in the world of fashion and haute couture.

But the threads of their relationship are beginning to fray. As they prepare for an important showing at the Premiere Vision fabric fair, held in Paris every year, Niamh accuses Ruairidh of having an affair with Irina, a Russian fashion designer they work with–a fight that ends with Ruairidh storming off and getting into Irina’s car. Moments later, Niamh watches in horror as the car containing her life partner explodes in a ball of flame.

With Niamh a prime suspect in the murder, the Parisian police hound her even after she returns to Harris to bury the pitiful remains of her lover and business partner. Amid the grief and struggles that follow, she begins to suspect that things are not what they seem; and when there is an attempt on her life, she becomes convinced that what looked like a terrorist attack on her lover might be something more personal by far . .

The hilarious story of wartime bootlegging in the Scottish islands. Wartime food rationing is bad enough, but when the whisky supplies run out on the Hebridean islands of Great and Little Todday, nothing seems to go right. Then the fifty-thousand-bottle cargo of the shipwrecked S. S. Cabinet Minister brings salvation – in its most giddily intoxicating form.

Tells the story of the raiders; their struggle to escape from the poverty which, they claimed, the policies of the absentee landowner forced them to endure, the raiding and settlement of the island and the fraught process of dividing it up into crofts. This book also outlines subsequent developments in Vatersay, including the causeway.

This is an extraordinary collection of tales from one of the very greatest Gaelic Storytellers, Angus MacLellan, and translated by one of Scotland’s finest Celtic scholars, John Lorne Campbell. The stories in the book include every type of tale found on the island of South Uist, from Fingalian heroes and ghost stories to international folktales and humorous and historical local anecdotes.

This omnibus edition of Christina Hall’s memoirs brings together her two books, To the Edge of the Sea and Twice around the Bay.

To the Edge of the Sea is an enchanting and moving memoir; Christina Hall writes with sharp observation about her childhood on the Hebridean island of South Uist in the 1940s and 50s. Humour and anguish reflect the spirit of a girl living through a time of dramatic change in her life, her family and the land that she loves. Beginning with her earliest memories, the book recounts her life up to the end of secondary school and is set in Uist, Benbecula, Barra and Fort William.

As a sequel to To the Edge of the Sea, Twice Around the Bay follows Christina Hall’s story during her time at teacher training college in Glasgow and her return to the Hebrides, where she became the primary school teacher at South Glendale on her native island of South Uist. It is a story full of vibrancy, life and colourful Hebridean characters which recaptures with crystal clarity the joys and hardships of island life in the late 1950s and 1960s. It was during this period that the army arrived on Benbecula, and it was through them that Christina met a young English soldier. The book ends with their wedding, with faith in the future and the realisation that wherever that future might lead, the island of Christina’s birth would always be part of her.

For centuries the Highlands and Islands of Scotland were regarded as culturally as well as physically distinct. Highlanders had a bad reputation, or suffered from a bad press, depending on perspective. This imaginative and stimulating book explores the various attitudes to the area through the writing of those who travelled there over the centuries. In it Denis Rixson examines a huge a variety of sources, from early lists of the islands to Dean Munro, Timothy Pont and Martin Martin; from maps and charts to official records of the Church and State and the dozens of individual accounts by those who visited the area and encountered its people. These records enable us to build up a remarkably detailed composite picture of a remote area which was long hidden from the rest of Britain, sheltered by distance, obscured by differences of language and culture and often politically and militarily opposed. The Hebridean Traveller concentrates on the period from earliest times to around 1800, when the modern tourist industry was beginning to develop.

A new dance is devised on the Isle of Skye in the eighteenth century. An exhilarating dance. A dance, one visitor reports, that ‘the emigration from Skye has occasioned’. The visitor asks for the dance’s name. ‘They call it America,’ he is told.

Now James Hunter, one of Scotland’s leading historians, provides the first comprehensive account of what happened to the thousands of people who, over the last 300 years, left Skye and other parts of the Scottish Highlands to make new lives in the United States and Canada.

The product both of painstaking research and extensive travels in North America, this is the definitive story of the Highland impact on the New World, the story of how soldiers, explorers, guerrilla fighters, fur traders, lumberjacks and pioneer settlers from the north of Scotland found, on the other side of the Atlantic, freedoms and opportunities denied to them at home.

This is the first fully documented study for many years of one of Scotland’s most emotive subjects. It traces the origins of the Clearances from the eighteenth century to their culmination in the crofting legislation of the 1880s, showing how the process of clearance was part of a wider European movement of rural depopulation. Eric Richards describes the appalling conditions and treatment suffered by the Highland people, yet at the same time illustrates how difficult the choices were that faced even the most benevolent landlords in the face of rapid economic change.

The Clearances were the most rugged and painful of many attempted ‘solutions’ to the problem of those who maintain a population on marginal and infertile land. In drawing attention away from the mythology or the hard facts of what actually happened, this book offers a balanced analysis of events which created a terrible scar on the Highland and Gaelic imagination, the historical legacy of which still lies unresolved in the twenty-first century.

The loss of the Iolaire remains the worst peacetime British disaster at sea since the sinking of the Titanic. Yet, beyond the Western Isles, few have ever heard of what is not only one of the cruelest events in our history but an extraordinary maritime mystery – a tale not only of bureaucrats in a hurry, unfathomable Naval incompetence and abiding, official contempt for the lives of Highlanders, but of individual heroism, astonishing escapes, heart-rending anecdote and the resilience and faith of a remarkable people.

Unlike many field guides, Collins Scottish Birds does not cover birds which only visit occasionally, or which occur in such small numbers and are so difficult to identify that only experienced birdwatchers can spot them. Instead, it concentrates on more common species that the amateur birdwatcher is most likely to see, plus a few scarcer ones of particular interest. Species are grouped according to the habitat in which they are most likely to be seen, with a detailed introduction to all the different habitats. There are also details of key identification features and behavioural characteristics which will help you identify each bird with accuracy and ease. Each entry includes a full-colour illustration, common name and Latin and Gaelic name, the season in which the bird is likely to be spotted, and details on habitat, feeding habits, and voice. The book also includes up-to-date details about places of interest and the best sites to go for birdwatching, with maps and contact information to help you get there. Packed full of information, Collins Scottish Birds is the ideal guide for both visitors and residents of Scotland who wish to learn about the fascinating wealth of birds that can be found there.

This is the remarkable – and bestselling – story of one of the Second World War’s most unusual animal heroes – a 14-stone St Bernard dog who became global mascot for the Royal Norwegian Forces and a symbol of freedom and inspiration for Allied troops throughout Europe.

It is easy to feel helpless in the face of the torrent of information about environmental catastrophes the world over. In Soil and Soul, Scottish writer and campaigning academic Alastair McIntosh shows how it is still possible for individuals and communities to take on the might of corporate power and emerge victorious.

Alastair’s beliefs are rooted in his upbringing on the Isle of Lewis. The first part of his book explores how the old way of life in the Hebrides was threatened with extinction by global capitalism. He does not advocate returning to a preindustrial golden age, but balances the gains of modernity against what has been lost. In particular, he demonstrates how the rise of the modern era undermined communities governed by a sense of reverence and mutual responsibility. But right relationship can be restored, he suggests, by learning from the bardic tradition to create a new harmony of soil, soul and society. The second part of the book demonstrates how such principles of community empowerment can be successfully applied. As a founder of the Isle of Eigg Trust, Alastair helped the beleaguered residents of Eigg to become the first Scottish community ever to clear their laird from his own estate. In a campaign that earned worldwide renoun, the islanders raised sufficient funds to oust their landlord , very much against his will, and successfully galvanized political demands for land reform in Scotland. Similarly, plans to turn a majestic Hebridean mountain into a roadstone “superquarry” were overturned after Alastair persuaded Native American War Chief Sulian Stone Eagle Herney to visit the Isle of Harris and testify at the government inquiry.

This extraordinary book weaves together theology, mythology, economics, ecology, history, poetics and politics as the author journeys towards a radical new yet ancient philosophy of community, Spirit and place. His daring and imaginative responses to the destruction of the natural world make this an uplifting, inspirational and often richly humorous read.

In 1779, driven out of his home, Calum McDonald set sail from the Scottish highlands with his extensive family. After a long, terrible journey, Calum settles his family in “the land of the trees” until they become a separate Nova Scotian clan, with its own identity and history. From the greatest living Canadian novelist, this novel is a true classic.

Hailed a masterpiece when it was first published, the story of Gavin Maxwell’s life with otters on the remote west coast of Scotland remains one of the most lyrical, moving descriptions of a man’s relationship with the natural world. Introduced by John Lister-Kaye.

Calum MacLeod had lived on the northern point of Raasay since his birth in 1911. He tended the Rona lighthouse at the very tip of his little archipelago, until semi-automation in 1967 reduced his responsibilities. ‘So what he decided to do,’ says his last neighbour, Donald MacLeod, ‘was to build a road out of Arnish in his months off. With a road he hoped new generations of people would return to Arnish and all the north end of Raasay . . .’ And so, at the age of 56, Calum MacLeod, the last man left in northern Raasay, set about single-handedly constructing the ‘impossible’ road. It would become a romantic, quixotic venture, a kind of sculpture; an obsessive work of art so perfect in every gradient, culvert and supporting wall that its creation occupied almost twenty years of his life. In Calum’s Road, Roger Hutchinson recounts the extraordinary story of this remarkable man’s devotion to his visionary project.

This colourful guide presents the story of life in the Uists from the appearance of the first stone age hunter-gatherers up to 10,000 years ago, to the crofters of the last century. It offers a vivid account of the development of the islands, suggesting some of the most rewarding places to visit and providing clear descriptions of each site.

A history and evaluation of Evangelical Revivals in Scotland 1880-1940.

Can be redeemed against purchases from the web site including books or genealogical services including the forthcoming online genealogical search tools. The perfect gift for the keen genealogist. You will be sent an email containing a code that can be redeemed by you, or by your chosen recipient, at the checkout stage of the HebridesPeople.com web site.

10 credits for using Hebrides People Online Search Tools.

A new collection of poems including Poems from the Hebrides by James Knox Whittet.

A quietly amazing collection of poetry – Pauline Stainer.

As Chamberlain, or manager, to Sir James Matheson, the then owner of the Island of Lewis, John Munro MacKenzie was the man in virtual control of the everyday lives of its people.

His Diary for the year 1851, when he was half-way through a six-year engagement as Chamberlain, gives a vivid and at times disturbing picture of the issues of the day: the poverty that engulfed much of the populace, the emigration that was seen as one solution, the rigid stratification of the social structure of the mid-nineteenth century. The Diary is published exactly as it was written, and will be a revelation of the recent history of the island and an evocative resonance to the events that helped to shape its present.

This new, thoroughly updated second edition of Bradt’s Outer Hebrides: The Western Isles of Scotland, from Lewis to Barra by experienced writer and journalist Mark Rowe is the only full-size guide to focus solely on the islands of Lewis, Harris, St Kilda, Berneray, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Eriskay, Barra and Vatersay. Masses of background information is included, from geography and geology to art and architecture, with significant coverage of wildlife, too, as well as all the practical details you could need: when to visit, suggested itineraries, public holidays and festivals, local culture, plus accommodation and where to eat and drink. Walkers, birdwatchers, wildlife photographers, beach lovers and genealogists are all catered for, and this is an ideal guide for those who travel simply with curious minds to discover far-flung places of great cultural, historical and wildlife interest.

This colourful guide presents the story of human habitation of Barra from the appearance of the first stone age setters over 6,000 years ago to the crofter’s of the last century. 

This is the astonishing story of John Angus Mackay, an islander from a humble background who achieved what others regarded as impossible. Through his tireless efforts, the Scottish Gaelic language and culture has turned a corner, and the number of young Gaelic speakers is increasing. Perhaps his most evident achievement came after a long, dogged and forensically focused campaign for the Gaelic television service against huge establishment resistance. At times, the channel now attracts viewership figures well in excess of the total number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland.

But that is only part of John Angus’ story: his courage to overcome disability, his contributions as a gifted teacher and his pivotal role in advancing community co-operatives in his native Lewis are all part of what he has achieved.

A Kist of Thistles is a new anthology of radical Scottish poetry. It is edited and introduced by Jim Aitken, an Edinburgh-based writer and lecturer, and illustrated with images by Fiona Stewart.

Most of the 62 poets in A Kist of Thistles would agree with Mary McCabe that Scotland should be engaged in ‘planning a better nation’. But the poetry is not just about Scottish self-determination. This wonderfully diverse and skilful group of poets is also engaged with international, environmental and broader social issues that affect everyone.

Erskine Beveridge first visited the island of North Uist in October 1897 in order to compare its ancient forts with those of Coll and Tiree. Subsequent trips enabled him to amass a detailed knowledge of the island, and he published this classic account in a limited print run in 1911

This inspirational guidebook describes 50 varied walking and backpacking routes on the Scottish Hebrides islands, set out in a larger format, and illustrated with a range of stunning photographs. The 50 walks are spread across both well-known and remote islands; from Skye, Mull, Rum, the Uists and Barra, Ulva, Iona, Eigg and Muck and more besides. Most of the walks provide a full day for experienced walkers, with a few multi-day backpacking adventures as well as some shorter routes.

The walks also include Hebrides classics, like the Trotternish Ridge, Ben More, Skye and Rum Cuillins, the Paps of Jura and full circuits of smaller islands. Each walk combines clear route description with mapping and spectacular photography, while also advising on the route’s facilities, public transport access, length and terrain. The result is a collection of the very best walks with which to uncover the wild and rugged beauty of the Hebrides.

In 1973 David Christie moved house from Essex to Scotland, but it wasn’t till 1974 that he discovered the joys of sailing on Calmac’s ships. An initial sail on King George V at Oban in her last season was a great introduction but mostly, over the next three years, I focussed on Queen Mary on the Clyde, now safely back in Glasgow at the Science Centre. Most of the Clyde piers are covered, with emphasis on Rothesay. Ferries also feature with old and new on the Rothesay and Dunoon runs and the smaller boats at Largs. The west coast features with Oban as the main terminal, then Mallaig, before a session on the pre-bridge Skye ferries. A single visit to Ullapool finishes this journey back to the seventies.

From Gigha in the south to Lewis in the north and St Kilda in the west, Alistair Deayton covers the piers of the Hebrides and other outlying islands in the companion volume to his West Highland Piers. Since the 1810s, steamers have provided a valuable service to the communities of the Western Isles. Sometimes operated by independent operators, and by the ships of McCallum, Orme, as well as David MacBrayne’s vessels, each island was served by a regular service of steamers and motorships, as well as by the ubiquitous puffers, carrying cargo. Alistair Deayton has managed to accumulate a fascination collection of images of many of the piers, some in islands inaccessible and remote, showing how travel to and from the Hebrides was undertaken, even up to recent times. For some islands, small ferries served the steamers, which anchored off the calling places, until very recent years. Most of the piers of the Hebrides are shown here, with informative captions.

This fascinating book is the first to describe comprehensively the history of the whaling station located on the west coast of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
It starts with the ‘royal fish’ and subsistence whaling and moves on to the introduction by Norwegians at the beginning of the twentieth century of modern whaling techniques with ships equipped with harpoon guns, and the effect on the local population and economy. It follows with the consequences of the First World War and unfavourable trading conditions, and the whaling station’s sale in 1922 to the industrial magnate Lord Leverhulme and his grandiose ideas for experimentation. Finally, after closure in 1928, it describes the station’s partial but short-lived resurrection under joint Norwegian and British management in 1950, to its final demise caused by the decline in North Atlantic whale populations and alternative sources of relatively cheaply procured Antarctic whale oil and vegetable oils.

In this meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated book, author Ian Hart tells a story which is also tinged with tragedy and severe consequences for the natural world. It not only describes the history of whaling from Harris but perhaps serves as a warning that we should treat our fellow mammals on this planet with more compassion, care and understanding.

Continuing the successful McDragon series set on the beautiful Isle of Harris

While on a school trip to Wales Peter, who has been deemed dragon kin by the dragons in Scotland, comes across a red Welsh dragon who desperately needs his help. She is being hunted by a witch s evil flying gargoyles who are searching for the very special dragon which has been given into her care. Peter is asked to hide the little dragon away when he returns home.

Peter and his sidekick, the ex-bully boy, Biffy have to somehow keep one step in front of the witch, particularly as her flying gargoyles can kill humans with just a touch of their poisonous talons.

Their journey takes them once again to the magical Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides where they join forces with McDragon and the other Scottish Dragons. In trying to protect tiny McFinnia they have to ensure they do not come across their old foe, the evil wizard McMuran.

Peter must also consider whether anything can be done about the new bully boy gang when he returns to school. How can a small disabled boy cope in the face of this threat?

Spanning time, distance and twists of fate, this unique story is rooted in WW2 and pays warm tribute to three central characters – the author’s father from Harris, his stepfather from Skye and his father-in-law from Tuscany.

Through their personal accounts we learn of deprivation and suffering watching in amazement as their three very different stories begin to intertwine and finally emerge as one remarkable storyline of happiness and gratitude when Duncan marries Alessandra, hist lovely Italian wife.

This is an absorbing human life story told from the heart.

A story of love, four times over, that will have a lasting appeal.

For hundreds of years it was the custom in Lewis for man and beast to be housed together under one roof.  When no.42 Arnol was vacated in the 1960s. the property was entrusted into State care.

The Arnol Blackhouse is now the last tangible link with that tradition, and evokes a from of living and working on Lewis that now lies beyond the memory of individuals.

It’s the day before the summer holiday, which means Peter will soon be free from the bullying for 6 whole weeks.  He and his family venture to the Isle of Harris to a remote cottage by a small beach to spend their holiday.  There, Peter finds himself strangely drawn to some rocks on the shore that loo just like a dragon…

He climbs them so that he can pretend he is flying and is shocked when the rocks melt away and a magnificent black dragon emerges and speaks to him!  McDragon has been waiting for the arrival of ‘Petersmith’ because the dragon seer has foretold that ‘Petersmith’ will find what has been stolen from the dragons.

Chrissie Gilles come from the last ever community to live on the beautiful, remote Scottish island of St Kilda.  Evacuated in 1930, she will never forget her life there, nor the man she loved and lost who visited one fateful summer a few years before.

Fred Lawson has been captured, beaten and imprisoned in Nazi controlled France.  Making a desperate escape across occupied territory, one though sustains him: find Chrissie, the woman he should never have left behind on that desolate, glorious isle.

The Lost Lights of St Kilda is a sweeping love story that crosses oceans and decades, and a testament to the extraordinary power of hope in the darkest of times.

For almost 100 years the cargo ships of R Cunningham (Scalpay) Ltd were well known on the West Coast of Scotland and other coastal waters.  They carried coal to lighthouses, bottled gas to the islands, steel to the Clyde, in fact, any cargoes to almost anywhere.  Using contemporary news articles and reminiscences of those who worked on the ships, it tells of the growth and subsequent decline of the company.  It includes details of all the ships, from the earliest sailing vessels to    Dutch-built diesel engine coasters.  This is the story of a unique shipping company, built up by Roderick Cunningham on the Isle of Scalpay.

The Outer Hebrides lie 40 miles to the west of mainland Scotland, forming a barrier to the North Atlantic. Culturally distinct from early prehistory, the islands contain a wealth of historical and archaeological monuments, including the standing stones at Callanish, the magnificent St Clement’s church at Rodel as well as numerous brochs, castles, Pitish houses, croft houses and industrial and military buildings.

In addition to descriptions of key historic sites from prehistory onwards and gazetteers covering every place of historical interest, this book also traces the development of the modern environment and landscape of the islands, enabling the visitor to appreciate the sites within their historical and cultural context.

Early on a wartime winter’s morning in 1941, an 8,000-ton cargo ship loaded with whisky ran aground in the beautiful and treacherous seas of the Outer Hebrides.  The events which followed became the stuff of folklore and resulted in the famous fiction of Whiskey Galore.  But what really happened?

Illustrated croft history covering the villages of Na Gearrannan, Mullach Charlabhaigh, Pairc Charlabhaigh, and Dail Mor

The late Murdo Alex Macritchie, who was known as ‘The Hebridean Chef’, created HAAR ‘Pop up’ restaurants to showcase his innovative style of cooking using traditional ingredients.

Motivated by the quality of the produce available and inspired by the rugged Hebridean landscape and the distinctive Gaelic culture of the islands, he created a modern Hebridean cuisine.

HAAR The New Hebridean Kitchen contains some of his recipes, photographs of many of his dishes and of the stunning island landscapes that were so important to him.

From Croft Loaf to Cranachan Chocolate Bombs, Oaty Apricot Cookies to Heilan’ Coo Cupcakes, and Granny Annag’s Christmas Cake to Aunt Bellag’s Duff, there’s something here to put a smile on everyone’s face. And with his faithful West Highland Terrier Seòras by his side every step of the way, the Hebridean Baker will even help you teach your dog Gaelic, while you enjoy some truly delicious Scottish bakes.

Focusing on small bakes that use a simple set of ingredients, these recipes will unleash your inner Scottish baker – it’s all about rustic, home baking and old family favourites because, as the Hebridean Baker says, ‘Homemade is Always Best’.

When Scotland’s 1846 potato crop was wiped out by blight, the country was plunged into crisis. In the Hebrides and the West Highlands a huge relief effort came too late to prevent starvation and death. Further east, meanwhile, towns and villages from Aberdeen to Wick and Thurso, rose up in protest at the cost of the oatmeal that replaced potatoes as people’s basic foodstuff. Oatmeal’s soaring price was blamed on the export of grain by farmers and landlords cashing in on even higher prices elsewhere. As a bitter winter gripped and families feared a repeat of the calamitous famine then ravaging Ireland, grain carts were seized, ships boarded, harbours blockaded, a jail forced open, the military confronted. The army fired on one set of rioters. Savage sentences were imposed on others. But thousands-strong crowds also gained key concessions. Above all they won cheaper food. Those dramatic events have long been ignored or forgotten. Now, in James Hunter, they have their historian. The story he tells is, by turns, moving, anger-making and inspiring. In an era of food banks and growing poverty, it is also very timely.

In Set in Stone, Alan McKirdy traces Scotland’s amazing geological journey, explaining for the non –specialist reader why the landscape looks the way it does todays. He also explores Scots and those working in Scotland have played a seminal role in the development of the science of geology, understanding Earth processes at a local and global scale.

ISBN 978-1-78027-151-4

Sound of Harris/Caolas Na Heradh

North Uist, Taransay & St Kilda

OS Landranger 18          1:50 000 scale     2cm to 1km – 1/4 inches to 1 mile

In this book Alan McKirdy explores these islands, together with the volcanic rocks that make up the outposts of Rockhall, St Kilda and the Shiants, tracting their extraordinary journey through time and across the globe.

Full family tree and notes for agreed fee of £120 after being in touch with Consultant Genealogist Bill Lawson on info@hebridespeople.com or phone at 01859 520 258.

The eventful history of the Island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides stretches back to the time of the Norse invaders. Over the centuries, Lewis has seen a succession of powerful landlords come and go, and this ground-breaking book recounts the long-fought struggle over the land. It also describes many aspects of the islanders’ way of live over the years – agriculture and fishing, education in Gaelic and English, the Church and the people, law and order and smuggling, emigration and the armed services are just some of the topics included in this wide-ranging survey. Combining original research with a deep personal knowledge of the subject, Donald Macdonald’s Lewis: A History of the Island is a remarkable example of local history. 

Archaeologists Angela Gannon and George Geddes have spent over nine months living and working on St Kilda, and have been part of a team which has been researching its complex and remarkable history for more than a decade. In this new book they turn the popular perception of the archipelago on its head. St Kilda, they argue, has never existed in total isolation, but has always been connected to a network of communities scattered across the north western seaboard and the Highlands of Scotland.

A novel of the Iolaire disaster by Donald S Murray

In the small hours of January 1st, 1919, the cruellest twist of fate changed at a stroke the lives of an entire community.

Tormod Morrison was there that terrible night. He was on board HMY Iolaire when it smashed into rocks and sank, killing some 200 servicemen on the very last leg of their long journey home from war. For Tormod a man unlike others, with artistry in his fingertips the disaster would mark him indelibly.

Two decades later, Alasdair and Rachel are sent to the windswept Isle of Lewis to live with Tormod in his traditional blackhouse home, a world away from the Glasgow of their earliest years. Their grandfather is kind, compassionate, but still deeply affected by the remarkable true story of the Iolaire shipwreck by the selfless heroism and desperate tragedy he witnessed.

A deeply moving novel about passion constrained, coping with loss and a changing world, As the Women Lay Dreaming explores how a single event can so dramatically impact communities, individuals and, indeed, our very souls.

A a comprehensive collection of stories, from the The Outer Hebrides. Some are wellknown tales, and some have been collected by the author, but all are retold in the natural voice of a local man. You will find selkies and waterhorses, and encounter the bluemen of the stream, who test the eloquence of mariners who venture into the tidal streams around the Shiant Islands. There are tales from islands now uninhabited, like the archipelago of St Kilda, and their yarns from bustling harbors. So grab a copy and dive in.

Over six years, Madeleine Bunting travelled north-west, returning again and again to the Hebrides, exploring their landscapes, histories and magnetic pull. With great sensitivity and perceptiveness, she delves into the meanings of home and belonging, which in these islands have been fraught with tragedy as well as tenacious resistance. The Hebrides hold a remarkable place in the imaginations of Scotland and England. Bunting considers the extent of the islands’ influence beyond their shores, finding that their history of dispossession and migration has been central to the British imperial past.

By Francis Thompson. The essential guide for the discerning tourist and island devotee, the “Pevensey Island Guide: Lewis & Harris” describes everything the visitor needs to know about the islands’ heritage, landscape, climate, flora and fauna. It contains fascinating information on all the key places of interest, from areas of outstanding beauty such as the mountains, freshwater lochs and moorland to historical landmarks such as the Callanish stone circle. It is illustrated with over 100 superb colour photographs showing every aspect of the island and its people.

Scadabhagh
Drinisiadar
Miabhag
Ceanndibig
Direcleit
Cadha
Stiocleit

Can be redeemed against purchases from the web site including books or genealogical services including the forthcoming online genealogical search tools. The perfect gift for the keen genealogist. You will be sent an email containing a code that can be redeemed by you, or by your chosen recipient, at the checkout stage of the HebridesPeople.com web site.

20 credits for using Hebrides People Online Search Tools.

Two books available together for the special price of £20. Normally sold separately for £12.99 each. Lewis in History and Legend The West Coast deals with the west coast of the island, from the boundary with Harris in Uig Parish, up to the Butt of Lewis, the most northerly point, and out to the furthest-flung outliers of the island, the Isle of Rona and the rock of Sulisgeir.

Lewis in History and Legend the East Coast deals with the townships on the east coast of the island, and Stornoway, the commercial and administrative capital of the island.

This volume contains the emigrant families who left the Western Isles of Scotland to go to Australia between 1830 and 1900. 

The Isle of Lewis, the largest and the most northerly of the islands of the Outer Hebrides, has had an eventful story from prehistoric times through to the present. Evidence of human occupation stretches back to 3000 BC, explicit in the iconic silhouettes of the Standing Stones at Callanish. After the Vikings left in the ninth century, the clans of West Scotland quickly moved in, and Lewis was the site of many feuds between the Morrisons, the MacAulays and the MacLeods. The island operated largely independently until it was purchased by the MacKenzies in 1600 and was finally drawn into Scotland

This register comprises an index to the marriages recorded in the Old Parish Registers for the Parish of Barvas on the Isle of Lewis. The OPR for Barvas Parish commences in 1810 and is the most comprehensive of all the OPRs in rural Lewis. This index contains over 1000 marriages from the Barvas OPR and a further 150 marriages in that parish obtained from other sources.

Can be redeemed against purchases from the web site including books or genealogical services including the forthcoming online genealogical search tools. The perfect gift for the keen genealogist. You will be sent an email containing a code that can be redeemed by you, or by your chosen recipient, at the checkout stage of the HebridesPeople.com web site.

Illustrated Croft History for Grabhair and Calbost.

50 credits for using Hebrides People Online Search Tools.

This book, the second of a series on different parishes in the Western Isles, is suitable for those with a specific interest in genealogy, and also those with a more general interest in the history of these interesting and beautiful islands off the Atlantic coast of Scotland.

BILL LAWSON’S 60TH BOOK
The Isle of Lewis, the largest and most populous of the islands of the Outer Hebrides, has had an eventful history which stretches back thousands of years. In this eagerly awaited second volume of Lewis in History and Legend, Bill Lawson deals with the townships of the east coast of the island, from Tolsta in the north to the boundary with Harris in the south, and with Stornoway, the commercial and administrative capital of the island.

In his own inimitable style, he traces the story of the island from earliest times to the present day, describing the landscape and the physical remains of the past. More importantly, however, he excels in charting the history of the people themselves, weaving his way through the centuries with stories drawn from documented sources, oral tradition, Gaelic song and from his own experiences of many years travelling around the island and researching the history of its families.

The result is a unique insight in to the way of life and history of an island.

Bill Lawson founded the genealogy centre Co Leis Thus? and is genealogical consultant to Northton Heritage Trust, which now runs this research service. He has written sixty books on the genealogies and history of the western Isles. He regularly researches and lectures in North America and Australia. He lives in Northton, Harris.

Can be redeemed against purchases from the web site including books or genealogical services including the forthcoming online genealogical search tools. The perfect gift for the keen genealogist. You will be sent an email containing a code that can be redeemed by you, or by your chosen recipient, at the checkout stage of the HebridesPeople.com web site.

100 credits for using Hebrides People Online Search Tools.

Illustrated croft history of the village of Swordale.

Tales from the village of Sheshader, Isle of Lewis.

This book, the third of a series on different parishes in Lewis, is suitable for those with a specific interest in genealogy, and also those with a more general interest in the history of these interesting and beautiful islands off the Atlantic coast of Scotland. Read the rest of this entry »

This book documents the history and families of the village of North Dell. Includes photographs.

Tales from the village of Sheshader, Isle of Lewis.

History of the church and the parish with individual records of residents that emigrated and those who didn’t. The island was cleared in 1846, with many going to Cape Breton and Australia

This book documents the history and the families of Bhataisgeir (Vatisker), with rentals from the Seaforth Estate Papers and Ordnance Survey.

This register comprises an index to the marriages recorded in the Old Parish Registers for the Parish of Lochs on the Isle of Lewis. The OPR for Lochs Parish, which at that time included the areas of Carloway and Shawbost, does not commence until 1831. The index contains over 600 marriages from the Lochs OPR and a further 400 marriages in that parish obtained from other sources.

This book documents the history and the families of Cirvhig (Kirivick), Cnoc Charlabhaigh (Knock Carloway), Borghastan (Borowston), and Laimsiader (Laimshader) with rentals from the Seaforth Estate Papers and Ordnance Survey and Lewis Estate Maps.

Register of Emigrants from Barvas Parish (including Ness) on the Isle of Lewis, giving details of over 300 emigrant families. Listed by destination. 101 pages.

This book documents the history and the families of Calanais and Gearraidh na h-aibhne with rentals from the Seaforth Estate Papers and Ordnance Survey and Lewis Estate Maps. Includes old photos.

The first edition of ‘Harris Families and How to Trace Them’ was published in 1990, and major advances in research and in availability of source materials since then have made a new edition necessary, both for those with a specific interest in genealogy, and also those with a more general interest in the history of these interesting and beautiful islands off the Atlantic coast of Scotland.

Second book in the series covering the villages of Ness in North Lewis.

This register comprises an index to the marriages recorded in the Old Parish Registers of Marriages in the Parish of Harris, where the OPR does not commence until 1828 on the main islands, and 1823 on the Island of St. Kilda. It contains approximately 140 entries from the OPR, and over 600 unrecorded marriages.

This colourful guide presents the story of life in Lewis and Harris from the appearance of the first stone age hunter-gatherers up to 10,000 years ago, to the crofters of the last century. It offers a vivid account of the development of the islands, suggesting some of the most rewarding places to visit and providing clear descriptions of each site.

Dr Christopher Burgess has been County Archaeologist at Northumberland County Council since 2002, but for many years has led campaigns of archaeological survey and investigation in the Outer Hebrides and especially in Lewis, leading to significant advances in our understanding of the human landscape of the islands.

This book, dealing with the historical background to various items of interest connected with the Churches at Northton and Scarista, is the fourth in a series looking at various historical sites in the Western Isles.

Includes information on emigrants to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba including the Killarney, Saltcoats, Wapella and Clandonald settlements from Lewis, Harris the Uists, Benbecula and Barra. Read the rest of this entry »

This book documents the history and the families of Taobh Loch Reusort, Mealasta, Breanais, Islibhig, Mangurstadh with rentals from the Seaforth Estate Papers and Ordnance Survey and Lewis Estate Maps.

This book will be invaluable to people collecting information on their families in Middlesex, Oxford, Brandt counties of Ontario. The main centre of emigration for emigrants from North and South Uist and Barra.

The landscape of the Outer Hebrides, with its stark cliffs, ghostly mists and lonely beaches, has become a definitive character of Peter May’s Lewis trilogy. In Hebrides, readers will accompany him on an odyssey in prose and images, through a history of the Vikings’ ‘Long Island’ and his own deep personal connection with the islands that influenced his bestselling work.

Travelling as if alongside his protagonist Fin Macleod, he describes the island life – as bewitching as it is treacherous – his encounter with the bird-hunters of Sula Sgeir, the savage seas of Ness and the churches of Eriskay. With extracts from the trilogy and specially commissioned photographs, this book places his writing and characters within the land that gave them form.

Listed by destination. This volume gives details of over 300 emigrant families whose destination has been discovered, in addition to over 100 other families who are known to have left Harris, but whose destination is as yet unknown. 87 pages.

The latest in the Lewis Croft History series. Illustrated and giving a history of the area and a detailed history of the families.

Paul Murton has spent half a lifetime exploring some of the most beautiful islands in the world – the Hebrides. He has travelled the length and breadth of Scotland’s rugged west coast and sailed to over eighty islands.

From the lush shores of Gigha to the towering cliffs of St Kilda, he explores the islands’ breathtaking scenery and and introduces their colourful history, culture, myths and legends. He also meets some of the people who live there and make the Hebrides tick, from crofters, fisherman, tweed waulkers and clan chiefs to peat cutters, gin distillers, black pudding makers and even a parrot rescuer.

This volume gives the Register of Emigrants from the Isles of South Uist and Benbecula from 1840 to 1900. Details of over 350 emigrant families whose destination has been discovered is given, in addition to another 350 families who are known to have left, but whose destination is as yet unknown. Listed by destination. 137 pages.

This was Bill Lawson’s first book, published in Canada by the Compton County Museum. It is the first major genealogical listing of 350 families who emigrated from the Hebrides to Quebec.

In 1918, as the First World War was drawing to a close, the eminent liberal industrial Lord Leverhulme bought – lock, stock and barrel – the Hebridean island of Lewis. His intention was to revolutionise the lives and environments of its 30,000 people, and those of neighbouring Harris, which he shortly added to his estate. For the next five years a state of conflict reigned in the Hebrides. Island seamen and servicemen returned from the war to discover a new landlord whose declared aim was to uproot their identity as independent crofter/fishermen and turn them into tenured wage-owners. They fought back, and this is the story of that fight. The confrontation resulted in riot and land seizure and imprisonment for the islanders and the ultimate defeat for one of the most powerful men of his day. The Soap Man paints a beguiling portrait of the driven figure of Lord Leverhulme, but also looks for the first time at the infantry of his opposition: the men and women of Lewis and Harris who for long hard years fought the law, their landowner, local business opinion and the entire media, to preserve the settled crofting population of their islands.

Detailed account of the crofts and the people of these villages from pre-crofting

to the present. Maps and Old Rentals.

This volume covers the Croft History of the villages of Acha Mor (Achmore) and Loch a’ Ghainmhich (Lochganvich). 123 pages.

Anyone who has family originating in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and immigrating to Bruce Grey, Huron and Kincardine Townships will find this book invaluable in collecting genealogical information on their ancestors. 95 pages.

A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland Circa 1695 and a Late Voyage to St Kilda: Description of the Occidental i.e. Western Islands of Scotland

One of the greatest travellers in Scotland, Martin Martin was also a native Gaelic speaker. This text offers his narrative of his journey around the Western Isles, and a mine of information on custom, tradition and life. Martin Martin’s wrote before the Jacobite rebellions changed the way of life of the Highlander irrevocably. The volume includes the earliest account of St Kilda, first published in 1697 and Sir Donald Monro, High Dean of the Isles, account written in 1549 which presents a record of a pastoral visit to islands still coping with the aftermath of the fall of the Lords of the Isles.

Illustrated detailed history of this Lewis village and the people.

In this book, the fifth of a series on different parishes in the Western Isles, Bill Lawson is making much of this information available for the first time to the general public, both those with a specific interest in genealogy, and also those with a more general interest in the history of these interesting and beautiful islands off the Atlantic coast of Scotland.

This is the second part of the Croft History on Tolsta, Isle of Lewis. This volume covers Tolastadh (Tolsta) Part 2 and Am Baile Ur (Newholdings). 132 pages.

This book is the third of a series on different parishes in the Western Isles, and is suitable both for those with a specific interest in genealogy, and those with a more general interest in the history of these interesting and beautiful islands off the Atlantic coast of Scotland.

William MacGillivray was just 21, on the verge of a career as an outstanding naturalist and bird artist, when he left Aberdeen to spend a year at his childhood home at Northton in Harris. In that year he kept a detailed journal that provides a rare insight into the rural life of 19th century Scotland, especially of the Outer Isles. Running through the journal is his love of natural history. He wrote about the birds and plants he saw and made detailed descriptions of them.

This is the first of two parts on the Croft History of Tolsta, Isle of Lewis. This volume covers Gleann Tholastaidh (Glen Tolsta) and Tolastadh (Tolsta) Part 1. 160 pages.

This register comprises an index to the marriages recorded in the Old Parish Registers of Marriages in the Parish of South Uist, including Benbecula, where the earliest Registers of Marriages do not commence until 1829. It contains approximately 750 entries from the Marriage Registers, and over 500 unrecorded marriages.

This volume contains the Croft History for the villages of Leumrabhagh (Lemreway), Orasaigh (Orinsay), Stiomrabhagh (Stimerway), Isgein (Eishken), Am Pairc (Park) and Ath Linne (Aline). 178 pages.

This book, dealing with the historical background to various items of interest connected with the offshore island of Taransay. 44 pages.

This volume gives details of 250 emigrant families who left North Uist for Carolina, Cape Breton, Ontario, Quebec and Australia. There are also 60 other families who are know to have left, but whose destination is as yet unknown.

This book celebrates the land buyout by Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn. The volume covers the Croft History of the villages of Borgh Mheadhanach (Mid Borve), Am Baile Ard (High Borve), Mealabost Bhuirgh (Melbost Borve), Gabhsann bho Dheas (South Galson) and Gabhsann bho Thuath (North Galson). 152 pages.

St Kilda is the most romanticised group of islands in Europe. Soaring out of the North Atlantic Ocean like Atlantis come back to life, the islands have captured the imagination of the outside world for hundreds of years. Their inhabitants were long considered to be the Noble Savages of the British Isles, living in a state of natural grace.

This book explores the life of the St Kildans from the Stone Age to 1930, when the remaining 36 islanders were evacuated to the Scottish mainland. Bestselling author Roger Hutchinson digs deep into the archives to paint a vivid picture of the life and death, work and play of a small, proud and self-sufficient people in the first modern book to chart the history of the most remote islands in Britain.

This is the Croft History for Liurbost (Leurbost), Isle of Lewis, covering the villages of Liurbost (Leurbost), Am Baile Ur (Newholdings) and Crothaigearraidh (Croigarry). 174 pages.

The Church of the MacLeods of Harris and Skye. History, gravestone inscriptions, listing of 22 tenant farmers in 1680 as well as short histories of individuals back to 1547. 44 pages.

This is Part 2 of the Croft History for Coll, Isle of Lewis. This volume covers Coll 53-88 and Upper Coll. 107 pages.

Sea Room describes – and relives – a love affair with three tiny islands in the Hebrides which the author has owned for the last twenty years. The Shiants (the name means the holy or enchanted islands) are a wild and dramatic place, with 500 foot high cliffs of black columnar basalt, surrounded by tide rips, filled in the summer with hundreds of thousands of seabirds and with a long and haunting history of hermits, shipwreckers, famine and eviction. Adam Nicolson’s father, Nigel, bought them as an Oxford undergraduate in 1937 for £1,400 and gave them to his son on his 21st birthday. They became the most important thing in his life, not only an escape but as the source of a deep engagement with the natural world in some of its most beautiful, alarming and all-encompassing forms.

History of the villages of Coll and Upper Coll – scene of land-raiding after the First World War. 247 pages.
(Volumes also available separately)

Volume 10 covers Coll 1-52 and Volume 11 covers Coll 53-88 and Upper Coll.

Sometimes dreams do come true and for Kenneth MacKay 20th February 1990 was the day that his dream became a reality with the official opening of the road to the village of Rhenigidale. In this very personal account Kenneth MacKay, one of the last village postmen to make the arduous journey, describes both growing up in the village and, as an adult, the successful campaign he led to have the road built. Family photographs, croft histories, maps and excerpts from the relevant papers all contribute to this fascinating story.

This is the first part of two volumes on the Croft History of Coll, Isle of Lewis. This volume covers Coll 1-52. 140 pages.

On 29 August 1930 the remaining 36 inhabitants of this bleak but spectacular island off Scotland’s western coast took ship for the mainland. A community that had survived alone for centuries finally succumbed to the ravages that resulted from mainland contact. What their lives had been like century after century, why they left, and what happened to them afterwards is the subject of this fascinating book. It is the story of a way of life unlike any other, told here in words and pictures, and of how the impact of twentieth-century civilisation led to its death.

This 297 page paperback by Tom Steel is one of the most popular books about St Kilda and is a highly recommended read. It contains numerous old photos.

The Croft History for Barabhas Uarach (Upper Barvas) and Bru (Brue), Isle of Lewis. 131 pages.

An account of a life at sea and as a family doctor in the Isle of Harris. Proceeds from the book go to Crossroads Care Attendant Scheme in Harris.

The Croft History for Mealabost (Melbost) and Braigh na h-Uidhe (Branahuie), Isle of Lewis. 153 pages.

The Croft History for Griomsiadar (Grimshader), Isle of Lewis. 69 pages.

The Croft History for Ranais (Ranish), Isle of Lewis. 125 pages.

The story of Marion Campbell, a Harris weaver. Sixty years after she first started weaving Marion was still making tweeds in the manner of her youth. During the summer months especially, there was a constant stream of visitors to her loom shed in Plocropool. They came from all over the world.

The Croft History for Tolastadh a’ Chaolais (Tolstachulish) and Dun Charlabhaigh (Doune Carloway) in Carloway, Isle of Lewis. 138 pages wirebound.

The Croft History for Crosbost (Crossbost) on the Isle of Lewis. 90 pages.

BAR British Series 408   2006

The Croft History for Cuisidar (Cuishader), Sgiogarstaidh (Skigersta), Eorodal (Eoradale) and Am Port (Port of Ness) in Ness, Isle of Lewis. 136 pages.

Bill Lawson’s latest book in the Historic Sites series deals with the Isle of

Scalpay and it charts the history of the island from early times to the present.

Illustrated with photographs taken by Bill Lawson over many years.

Includes Pabail – a word picture, croft histories of Pabail Uarach (Upper Bayble), Pabail larach (Lower Bayble), Cnoc na h-lolaire (Eagleton) and a guide to photographs. 171 pages.

Based on a childhood in Harris – wonderful story-telling from the well-known broadcaster, Finlay J MacDonald.

Includes Sheshader – a word picture, crofting pattern, croft histories and a guide to photographs. 87 pages.

This book compiles a selection of Gaelic songs from Harris.

Tales and Traditions of the Lews is a marvellous pot pourri of local history, myth and legend from prehistoric times to the present day.

Tony Scherr was estate factor at Borve Lodge from 1966 to 2000. A fascinating account of the Lodge, once owned by Lord Leverhulme.

Illustrated Croft History for An t-Ob (Leverburgh). 

Illustrated Croft History covering the village of Tarbert. 

This volume details the croft histories of the island of Scalpaigh as well as the adjacent island of Sceotasaigh. Also includes history of Scalpaigh and pictures taken during the 1960’s. 163 Pages.

This volume covers the villages of Scarasta and Northon and the Island of Pabbay in the Sound of Harris. Detailed genealogies of all the families as well as the older history of the areas.

The Church of the MacLeods of Lewis. History of the church, stories of individual residents of the parish going back to 1498 and gravestone inscriptions. 44 pages.

This book covers the Island of Taransay and the villages of Luskentyre, Seilibost, Horgabost and the Borves. Illustrated with photographs of people and places and maps. Read the rest of this entry »

This volume contains the Croft History for the villages of Greosabhagh (Grosebay), Cliuthair (Cluer), Caolas Stocinis (Kyles Stockinish), Leac a Li (Leaclee) and Aird Mhighe (Ardvey) on the Isle of Harris. Illustrated, 167 pages.

This volume contains the Croft History for the villages of Cuidhtinis (Cuidinish), Aird Mhighe (Ardvey), Fionnsbhagh (Finsbay), Borsam and Lingreabhagh (Lingerbay) on the Isle of Harris. 141 pages.

Croft History of the villages of Urgha, Carraigrich (Carragrich) and Caolas Scalpaigh (Kyles Scalpay). 155 pages, genealogies and local history.

For this first volume of the Croft Histories of Harris, we have started on the Bays of Harris, beginning in the village of Liceasto (Likisto) and moving south through Geocrab, Aird Sleimhe (Ardslave) and Manais (Manish) to Fleoideabhagh (Flodabay), so covering the whole of the old Manais School area. All of these villages date from the 1790s, the period when Captain Alexander MacLeod of Bearnaraigh encouraged people to settle in the Bays as a part of his scheme for the development of fisheries on the island. The author has tried to cover the history of each croft from that time to the present day, though it has not always been possible to identify the earliest tenants with complete accuracy. Spiral Bound, 144 pages.

The Croft History for the villages of Cnoc a’ Lin, Caolas Phaibeil, Cladach a’ Chaolais, Cireabost, Cladach Circeaboist, and Heisgeir.

The Croft History for the villages of Baile Raghaill (Balranald), Paiblisgearraidh (Paiblesgarry), Cnoc an Torran (Knockintorran) and Baile Mor (Balemore) on the Isle of North Uist. 175 pages.

This volume contains the Croft History for Orasaigh (Orinsay), Ath Mhor (Ahmore), Trumaisgearraidh (Trumisgarry), Bhalacuidh (Vallaquie), Reumaisgearraidh (Reumisgarry), Clachan Shannda (Clachan Sands), Goulabaidh (Goulaby), Baile Mhic Coinein (Newton (part)), Baile Mhic Phail (Newton (part)), Port nan Long (Newton Ferry), Caolas Bhearnaraigh (Kyles Berneray) and Boirearaigh (Boreray) on the Isle of North Uist. 157 pages.

This volume contains the Croft History for Griomasaigh (Grimsay) and Ronaigh (Ronay) in North Uist. 145 pages.

Contains the Croft History for Malacleit (Malaclete), Ceathramh Meadhanach (Middlequarter), Dunsgealair (Dunskellor), Solas (Sollas) and Greinetobht (Grenitote) on the Isle of North Uist. 230 pages.

Vallay to Hougharry croft histories and lots of photos. Includes the villages of Bhalaigh (Vallay), Griminis (Griminish), Scolpaig, Baile Loin (Balelone), Baile Mhartainn (Balmartin), Baile Locha (Baleloch), Hosta, Taigh Ghearraidh (Tigharry), Hoghaigearraidh (Hougharry) and Gobhlair (Goular). 144 pages.

Cille Pheadair (Kilpheder) is one of the oldest townships in South Uist. This volume contains the Croft History for this township. 116 pages.

Boisdale area, north & south and South Lochboisdale. Includes Baghasdal (Boisdale), Leth Mheadanach (South Boisdale), Taobh a Deas Loch Baghasdail (South Lochboisdale), Gleann Dail a Tuath (North Glendale) and Bagh Thartabhagh (Bahartivagh). 168 pages, with maps and local history.

General history, croft histories, photos and maps of Iochdar (Eochar) on the Isle of South Uist. 136 pages.

The Guga Hunters tells the story of the men who voyage to Sulasgeir each year and the district they hail from, bringing out the full colour of their lives, the humour and drama of their exploits. They speak of the laughter that seasons their time together on Sulasgeir, of the risks and dangers they have faced. It also provides a fascinating insight into the social history of Ness, the culture and way-of-life that lies behind the world of the Guga Hunters, the timeless nature of the hunt, and reveals the hunt’s connections to the traditions of other North Atlantic countries. Told in his district’s poetry and prose, English and – occasionally – Gaelic, Donald S. Murray shows how the spirit of a community is preserved in this most unique of exploits.

The Croft History for the villages of Cille Bhrighde (West Kilbride), Taobh a’ Chaolais (East Kilbride), Gleann Dail a Deas (South Glendale), Smercleit (Smerclete), Gearraidh na Monadh (Garrynamonie) and Trosairidh (Trossary) on the Isle of South Uist. 111 pages.

The Croft History for Borgh (Borve) on the Isle of Berneray.

Pre 1822 families, 1822 census and croft histories. 35 pages

The Croft History for Ruisigearraidh (Rusigarry) on the Isle of Berneray.