Fàilte! (Welcome!)

Fàilte! (Welcome!)
This blog is the result of my ongoing research into the people, places and events that have shaped the Western Isles of Scotland and, in particular, the 'Siamese-twins' of Harris and Lewis.
My interest stems from the fact that my Grandfather was a Stornowegian and, until about four years ago, that was the sum total of my knowledge, both of him and of the land of his birth.
I cannot guarantee the accuracy of everything that I have written (not least because parts are, perhaps, pioneering) but I have done my best to check for any errors.
My family mainly lived along the shore of the Sound of Harris, from An-t-Ob and Srannda to Roghadal, but one family 'moved' to Direcleit in the Baighs...

©Copyright 2011 Peter Kerr All rights reserved

Tuesday 27 July 2010

Sheriff William Ivory, Sheriff Principal of Inverness-shire, & Harris

There is a collection of the Sheriff's correspondence from September 1886 held by the NAS (GD1/36/1/42).
One item is described as:
'dispute with crofters concerning a march wall erected by Lord Dunmore at Luskintyre, Harris'.
This was a busy time for the Sheriff, who's effigy had been burnt (pdf)  in Portree, Skye by crofters during the previous year, and the bulk of the correspondence apparently is with regard to an expedition of police and marines to serve writs on crofters in Portree.

I have not yet read the correspondence, but the fact that there was a dispute at this time (three months following the passing of the 1st Crofters' Act (pdf) and seven since the death of the Countess of Dunmore) between the 7th Earl and the crofters sufficient to attract the attention of the Sheriff Principal of Inverness-shire is of interest.

Update: Am Baile has made available online several papers of the Sheriff's, including this one.

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