A Descriptione of the Lews

A most ambitious Scottish geographical project was launched in 1683 by the ambitious Sir John Sibbald. The renowned mapmaker John Adair was to create a county atlas and Sibbald sent out what was probably the first questionnaire to all corners of the land. We are very fortunate to have the reply that was sent to Sibbald's questions. This was compiled around 1683 by the tacksman who had the farm in South Bragar. But this was no ordinary tacksman; he was John Morrison whose sayings still survive in Bragar 300 years later; a bard and musician who was described by Martin Martin, who met him, as 'a person of unquestionable sincerity and reputation.' His son Ruaraidh was the last of the great harpist/bards in Gaeldom, known as An Clarsair Dall/the Blind Harper, and lived in the court of the Macleods in Dunvegan is Skye. Funny place for a Lewis Morison to end up, but such is the nature of art.

John Morrison's 'Descriptione' is the first account we have of life in Lewis and as such it is invaluable. The content of the piece is coloured by the topics outlined by Sibbald but his own personality shines through nevertheless. He refers to himself as 'Indweller'.

This is what he wrote of Lewis of his time:
"The remotest of the western isles of Scotland is commonlie called the Lews, by strangers the Nito; Yet it is divyded and cutt be severall sounds and rivers of the sea into five severall Cuntries, belonging to five severall heritors as Barray to the Laird of Barray, Suth Uist to the Captaine of Glanranale, and North Uist to Sir Donald, the Herrish to MacLeud of Dunveggane; And that which is properlie called the Lews tot he Earle of Seaforth; Of which we are now to speake.

This cuntrie of the Lewis by the situatione lyeth longwayes from north east to south west sixtie m yle in length including the Herrish and the bread of 8 myles and some places twelve.

There are on the east syde of the cuntrie 4 lochs wherin shipps of anie burden may ryde viz: The Loch of Stornuvay being and first and nixt to the North, a verie good & ordinarie harbour within; but in the entrie hath tua rocks invisible with high water, one on each side of the entrie; that on the north syde and the outmost of the tuo is called the beasts of Holm, and that on the south syde and innermost is called the Roof of Arinish; Within these tuo there is no danger of rocks. The nixt harbour towards the south is Loch Herish, where lyeth the birkin Island a verie good and usuall harbour; nixt to it is Loch Shell, which is more open space, yet there is speciall good ryding in it, and nixt to it and southmost is Loch Seafort. The distance betwixt these places in from the Bawline-head (which is the northmost Promontarie of the Lews) to Loch Stornuvay 18 myles of land, which are thus divyded from Loch Stornuvay to Loch Herish five myles of land; thence to Loch Shell five miles; from which to Loch Seafort 8 myles: There are severall other creeks and bays weell knowne to seamen quhilk I omit.

Upon the west syde of the Countrie there is no harbouring for shipps except the Loch of Carluvay, streeking in almost in the middest of the Countrie. The entrie of it is oposit tot he north haveing manie brokne Islands on the west syde; th loch it self streaching within the land in severall creeks and bayes. As for the Islands and rocks without the land, former Chronologers have most exactlie descrived as Buchanan and others; onlie there is seven Islands 15 myles westward from the Lews, called the Isles of Sant Flannan, lying closs toghether; wherein there is a cheaple, where Sant Flandan himself lived ane heremit; To those in the summer tyme some Countrie men goes, and bringeth home great store of seafouls and feathers; The way they kill the fowls is, one goath and taketh the road or 10 or 12 foot long; and setts his back to a rock or craig, and the the fouls fleieth by, he smiteth them continuallie, and he hes ane other attending to catch all that falls to the ground; for the fouls flee there so thick that those who are beneath them can not see the firmament: Those Isles are not inhabited, but containeth a quantitie of wilde sheep verie fatt & well fleeced. When the people go there, they use everie tuo men to be comerads; They hold it a breach of the scantitie of the place (for they count it holier than anie other) if any man take a drink of water unknowne to his comerad, or eat ane egg or legge of ane fowle thea take a snuf of tobaco: It is for certaintie, that upon a tyme a countrie fellow being sent there and left in it, be reasone he could not be keept for thrift and robbery; and so one a tyme the fire went out with him, without which he could not leive, and so despaired of lyfe, and since he sawe that there was no remead, he betooke him to pray both to god and the sanct of the Island, as they termed it; and by night being fallne in a deep sleep, he sees a man come to him weell clade saying, aryse, betake thee unto the alter and there thou shall finde a peat in fyre, for the Lord hath heared thy prayer; so he arose & accordinglie found the fyre, which he preserved untill he was taken home; and henceforth he proved as honest a man as was in the Countrie.

There are also 17 leagus from the Lewis, and to the north of it two Islands called Suilskerr which is the westmost and Ronay fyve miles to the east of it: Ronay (onlie) inhabited & ordinarlie be five small tennants, their ordinar is, to have all things comone; they have a considerable grouth of victuall (onlie bear).The best of ther sustinance is fowll which they take in girns, & sometyms in a stormie night they creep on them, where they sleep thikest, and throwing some handfulls of sand over there heads as it it wer haile they take them be the necks: Of the grease of these fowlls (especiallie the soline goose) they make ane excellent oyle called the Gianirtich, which is exceedingly good for healing of anie sore ore vound, ore cancer either one man or beast; this I myselfe found true by experience by applying it to the legg of a young gentleman which hade been inflamed and cankered for the space of tuo years; and his father being a trader south & north sought all Phisicians and Doctors with whom he hade occasione to meet, but all was in vaine; yet in three weeks tyme being in my hous was perfectlie whole by applying the foresaid oyle. The way they make it is they put the grease and fatt into the great gutt of the foull & so it is hung within a hous untill it run in oyle. In this Ronay there are tuo little cheapels, which sanct Ronan lived all his tyme as ane heremite.

There are lickvise three Islands called the Island chants, or sanct, lying to the southwark about third parte way towards the Isle of Skye abounding also in see foull sheep and other catle. Other islands lying close to the cost fo Lews are in the mouth of loch shell Island Ewart, and in the mouth of loch stronuvay are holme and Island Cowell. One the west syde of the Countrie are those, first island Mealistay, Mangray, Pabay, Vaxay, Wuiay minor & Wuiay major; betwist these Isles of Waxay & Wuiay shipps might venture to Loch Rogue; but without a good Pylate I would not desyre them. There are lickways Berneray major, Berneray minor, Kiartay, Cavay, Grenam, Kialinsay, Berisay, Fladday & ane high rockie Island lying fardest out to the westward of Loch Carluvay called the roch Island.

This countrie of the Lews is a fertile soyle for bear 7 oats, other grain they use not, such as whet, peas etc. I take the reason of it to be the mutity of catle which are seldom housed but are constantlie in the open feilds and such seeds wold not endure to be ordinarlie traded upon as bear and oats will doe: It is also plentifull in all sorts of catle such as kyne sheep goat hors; It is also plentifull off all sort of vylde fowll, such as wilde goose, duke, draike, whape, pliver, murefull and the lyke. It is also served with a most plentifull forrest of Dear naturallie environed with the sea, and as it wer inclosed betwixt Loch seafort and Herish, having tuo myls of ground onlie betwixt both the loch ends full of goodlie hills & waste bounds, so that ther is litle difer betuixt it and a Pene Insula.

But of all the properties of the countrie, the great trade of fishing is not the least, wherin it exceeds anie Countrie in Scotland for herine, cod, ling, salmone,and all other sorts of smaller fishes.

There are manie fresh-water loghs: dispersed through the Countrie about 500, streaming into the sea one both sydes of the land all weell plenished with black trout and eele and also salmone. All the arable land of the Countrie lyes be the sea syde round about. In severall places there are great stons standing up straight in ranks, some tuo or three feet thick and 10, 12 & 15 foot high; It is left by traditione that these wer a sort of man converte into stons by ane Inchanter. Others affirme that they wer sett up in places for devotione; but the places where they stand are so far from anie such sort of stons to be seen or found either above or under ground that it can not but be admired how they could be carried there. There is a strange fountain in a place called Garrabost, the water of which being put with either fish or flesh in a pot or kettell it will not boyle though it wer never so long keept at the greatest fyre, & yett wil still playe. This is likvise a well in ane other place called Chader, the water wherof if it be brought and drunk be a seek man he shall immediatlie dye or recover.

There are no woods in this Countrie, onlie some small shrubs in some few places. Yet the inhabitandts dig up great trunks & roots of trees 10 or 12 foot under moss.

The sea casteth one shore somtyms a sort of nut growing among the tangles round & flat, sad broun or black coullored, of the breedth of a dollar some more & some less. The kirnell of it being taken out of the shell, it is ane excellent and experienced remedie for the bloodie flux, they ordinarlie make use of the shell for keeping ther snuf. Ane other sort of nut is found in the same maner of a less syse of a brown cullor, flat and round with a black circle abut it, quhilk in old tyms women wore about ther neacks both for ornamant, and holding that it hade the virteu to make fortunat in catle and upon this account they wer at the pains to bind them in silver brass or tinne according to ther abilitie: There are other lesser yet, of a whitish coulor and round, which they call sanct Maries nut, quhilk they did wear in the same maner, holding it to have the virteu to preserve women in child bearing.

There is no castle in this countrie, saeving the old castle of Stornuvay but leatlie brokne down be the Inglish garisone in Cromuells tyme.

The first and most ancient inhabitants of this countrie wer three men of three severall raeces, viz; Mores the sone of Kennanus, whoc the Irish historice call Makurich, whom they make to be naturall sone to one of the kings of Noruvay some of whos posteritie remains in the land to this day. All the Morisons in Scotland may challenge there descent from this man. The second was iskair mac-awlay ane Irish mand whose posteritie remain likvise to this day in the Lews. The third was macknaicle whose onlie daughter Torquill (the first of that name and sone to Claudius the sone of Olipheous who likvise is said to be the king of Noruvay his sone) did violentlie espouse and cout of immediatlie the whole race of Macknaicle, and posessed himselfe with the whole Lews, and contued in his posteritie (Macleud Lews) dureing 13 or 14 generations; and so extinct before ore at least least about the year 1600: The maner of his decay I omit becaus I intend no historie but a descriptione. Onlie Seaforth by whos industrious caire and benevolencie, the people (formerlie inclyned to rudeness & barbarity) are reduced to civilie, much understanding and knowledge by the flourishing schooll planted and maintained by the saids Earles all the tyme in the toun of Stornuvay; And not onlie the people of the Lews but also those of the nixt adjacent Isles, and gentle mens sons and daughters are bread in that schooll to the great good and comfort of that people; so that there are few families but at least the maister can read and wryte. I doo remember in my own tyme that there was not three in all the countrie that knew A, B by A Bible. Nota, that there are neither wolfe, fox nor venemous creature in the Cuntrie except a few snakes.

Of anie famous batle in the cuntrie I can not say much but manie and assiduous skirmished hes been of old betwixt the inhabitants. The fights & skirmishes betwixt the countrie men and the Lairds of Fyff are to be found in Spotswood his ecclesiastical historie to which I referr the reader: onlie the leat Earle of Seaforth coming with a fleaing armie fought with the Inglish garisone under Cromuall, killed many of ther men but being destitute of artilrie could not storm the garisone, notwithstanding that he assaulted the trenches; neither would they be drawne out to the fields to encounter.

Nota There is a little Island hard by the coast where it is said that Pigmeis lived some tyme by reason they find by searching some small bons in the earth; but I can not give much faith to it, since greater mans bons would consume in a shorter tyme but I hold them to be the bons of small foulls which abound in taht place. Finis.

Finis coronat opus."

References
Iain F. MacIver. 1989. A 17th Century 'Prose Map'. In Finlay Macleod (ed) Togail Tir/ Marking Time. Acair & An Lanntair. (The above version follows MacIver's transcription)..
William Matheson. 1970. An Clarsair Dall/The Blind Harper. Scottish Gaelic Texts Society.