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If you use http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk to view original records then don't neglect the little blue box towards the top-right of the image screen. After you have clicked on it, you will find subsequent pages accessible from buttons towards the top-left of the image screen.
As an example, the following is to be found from my own family's record from the 1851 Census for Direcleit:

This District lies along the sea coast on the East of Harris. It is 10 miles long and 1 broad. It lies low and consists of deep soft moss bounded by the sea in an irregular circuitous line.
This district is bounded on the East by the Minch. On the North by the line drawn from the West Quay at Tarbert coinciding with the Luskintyre to Donald Rag's House and joining the sea at East Tarbert. The West Boundary is the Main Road from Donald Rag's House to the March between Scadabay and Drinishader which March forms the Southern Boundary of this District.
Enumerator

There is no soil but moss, potatoes and fish used to be the staple commodity but the people now are but poorly off – the major source is the fishing but oft that department of industry does not succeed in success- it is a difficult problem to solve - how to provide for the people.
Minister of Harris April 1851

Note: A few of the words are somewhat indistinct so I make no claim as to the complete accuracy of this transcription but the overall flavour is, I hope, still there.

Parish Maps of Lewis & Harris

An outline map of the four parishes of Lewis can be seen here: http://www.scotlandsfamily.com/parish-map-caithness.htm whilst that of Harris is here: http://www.scotlandsfamily.com/parish-map-inverness.htm .

Maps of Barvas , Stornoway , Lochs , Uig  and Harris from the Gazetteer for Scotland

Enjoy!

Modern Electoral Wards of Lewis & Harris

I had been attempting to find a map to help with navigating around the various divisions of the islands when a friend (Many thanks, MM) pointed-out to me this excellent OS (Ordnance Survey) facility: http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/opendata/viewer/

If you open the viewer, move and zoom into 'OUTER HEBRIDES' at the middle level of zoom, you can then open the 'Boundary Layer' dialogue box. Scrolling down to Scotland and selecting 'Unitary Authority Ward' will then enable you to see those divisions highlighted as you move the cursor around the islands. The name of each Ward, in Gaelic, appears in a box at the bottom right-hand corner of the map.

Now all I want is the same thing for the Old Parishes and the smaller districts within them!

Crewmen of the CREST in the Censuses

I have found good matches to six of the ten men. In all but one case, that of John Macrae, Crofter of Habost, the records indicate that they were seamen. The four missing men do return several matches in terms of names, ages and locations but without the corroboration of occupation it is impossible to identify them.

John Macleod b. 1855 Stornoway RNVC No 9730
1901 (47) Seaman (Merchant Service) 20 Sandwick North Street, Stornoway

Malcolm Munro b. 1844-49 Stornoway
1891 (41) Sea Man 35 South Beach, Stornoway

John Macpherson b. 1852 Stornoway
1881 (26) Seaman and Crofter New Valley, Stornoway
1901 (48) Seaman (Merchant Service) 17 Newvalley, Stornoway

Alexander John Maciver b. 1881 Stornoway
1891 (9) 37 Bayhead Street, Stornoway
1901 (19) Ness House, Stornoway

These first four men I am very confident in having identified accurately but the next two are 'best fits'. The first, aboard ship in Gairloch, actually has two possibilities for there were two men from Lochs with the same name and age who were Master of a vessel in Gairloch at the time. The second, John Macrae, is included somewhat tentatively but because he specified Habost in the Crew Agreement (rather than just Lochs), I felt drawn to including him here. It is surprising how often such feelings are later proved correct, perhaps reminding us that genealogy is a rather intimate human activity rather than a purely 'scientific' exercise?

Donald Macdonald b. 1856 Lochs RNVC No 244
1901 (45) Master Vessels, Gairloch

John Macrae b. 1839 Habost, Lochs
1901 (60) Crofter Habost, Lochs

These men either returned no matches or too many to have any chance of identification. The nature of the life of a seafarer meant that many are not recorded in every census and the lives of many of these men, who were hired and fired at the start and end of voyages, included many occupations in addition to their seafaring role. They could well be in the censuses but hidden behind the words 'Crofter', 'Fisherman', or some other occupation. More likely, they were out at sea, risking their lives in the wild waters around Scotland's coasts...

NOT FOUND
John Macdonald b. 1851 Harris
Murdo Macelod b. 1881 Lochs
Donald Macleod b. 1882 Stornoway
Donald Macmillan b. 1880 Stornoway

Crewmen of the CREST 1896-1899

Here are the men recorded as sailing with Alexander John Kerr aboard his ketch in 1896-1899, excluding his father Malcolm Kerr who was his Mate/Bosun until his death in December 1898. The gaps within each year reflect the fact that the Master of a vessel had to complete the Crew Agreements twice a year. I have highlighted those whom I believe to be the same person despite the variations displayed in the year of birth.

RNVC = Royal Naval Volunteer's Certificate

1896
John Macleod b. 1856 Stornoway RNVC No 9738

1897
John Macleod b. 1838 Stornoway RNVC No 9730 (Clearly the same man, but with confusion between his year of birth and his age, perhaps?)

Malcolm Munro b. 1849 Stornoway
Murdo Macelod b. 1881 Lochs

1898
John Macpherson b. 1850 Stornoway
Donald Macleod b. 1882 Stornoway
Malcolm Munro b. 1844 Stornoway

John Macpherson b. 1854 Stornoway
Donald Macmillan b. 1880 Stornoway
Malcolm Munro b. 1849 Stornoway
John Macleod b. 1854 Stornoway

1899
Malcolm Munro b. 1845 Stornoway
John Macleod b. 1854 Stornoway RNVC No 9730
Donald Macdonald b. 1856 Lochs RNVC No 244

Malcolm Munro b. 1844 Stornoway
John Macrae b. 1839 Habost, Lochs
Alexander John Maciver b. 1881 Stornoway
 (Alexander John Kerr's Nephew and my Grandfather's Half-Brother)
John Macdonald b. 1851 Harris

I intend to discover more about each of these 9 men. It was only when compiling this piece that the penny-dropped regarding Alexander John Maciver, whom I can be pretty sure was named after the Uncle who we find him sailing with here!

If, by any chance, someone reading this recognises a Name/DOB combination as that of a seafaring relative then I'd love to hear from you.

Sheep Fank, Seilebost, Isle of Harris

...complete with original tiled fireplace.

This house, on the shore of Loch Stockinish at Leac a Li, is one of many that were

abandoned following an outbreak of Typhoid towards the end of the 19thC.

Net Workers of Lewis & Harris

These are the only records of people from the censuses of 1841-1901 in all of Lewis & Harris who are listed as working with nets. In each case, the Head of the Household was a Fisherman:

1861
Donald Macdonald, 14, Net Mender, Son, Bayble Road, Stornoway, b. Stornoway
(John Macdonald, 36, Fisherman, b. Stornoway)

1881
Mary Macleod, 28, Net Spinner, Daughter, Fisherman's House, North Harris, b. Harris
(John Macleod, 60, Fisherman, b. Harris)

1891
Malcolm Macaulay, 50, Net Mender, Servant, 21 Portnagman(?), b. Stornoway
(Murdo Campbell, 32, Fisherman, b. Stornoway)

Donald Matheson, 15, Net Mender, Servant, 5 Portoller(?), Stornoway, b. Stornoway
(John Martin, 27, Fisherman, b. Stornoway)

It would appear therefore that net-making was either performed as an integral part of the role of being a Fisher, or that the finished articles were imported. Either way, it surprised me to find no net-makers on these isles.

Bayhead & North Bayhead, South Harris

This is an initial investigation into a pair of addresses that appear on the 1891 and 1901 censuses.

In 1891 each place was home to 5 households whilst by 1901 Bayhead had 5 and North Bayhead 9.
As far as I can ascertain, Bayhead is the place whose site record can be seen on Scotlands Places . It can be seen that there were between 7 and 9 buildings recorded and if you click on the map link you can see the location at Ceann a' Bhaigh, just North of Lingerbay, where today there is this Guest House .

I intend to examine the census records but, for the moment, am unable to locate North Bayhead. I should make it clear that the censuses locate it and Bayhead in the civil Parish of Harris so they are not to be confused with Bayhead on North Uist. If anyone can help, please give me a shout!

I have now examined the Heads of Households:

1891 (10)
NORTH BAYHEAD (5)
Ronald Ferguson, 65, Formerly Crofter, Crofter's House, b. Harris
Donald Ferguson, 36, Crofter, Crofter's House, b. Harris
Mary MacKinnon, 60, Wool Spinner, Private House, b. Harris
Margaret Martin, 65, Wool Spinner, Private House, b. Harris
Neil Morrison, 38, Fisherman, Private House, b. Harris

BAYHEAD (5)
Donald Maclean, 44, Fisherman, b. Harris
John Maclean, 42, Fisherman, b. Harris
Charles Macsween, 81, Crofter, b. Harris
Margaret Morrison, 65, General Servant, b. Harris
Alexander Morrison, 37, Ground Officer, b. Harris

1901 (14)
NORTH BAYHEAD (9)
Ronald Ferguson, 60, Retired Fisherman, Cottar's House, b. Harris
Donald Ferguson, 42, Crofter, Crofter's House, b. Harris
John Ferguson, 34, Fisherman, Fish House, b. Harris
Alex Martin, 36, Fisherman, Fisher house, b. Harris
Angus Martin, 36, Cofter, Crofter's, b. Harris
Murdo Martin, 32, Pupil Teacher, Crofter's House, b. Harris
Mary Mackinnon, 50, Skirt Dressmaker, Private House, b. Harris
Neil Morrison, 47, Crofter, Fish House, b. Harris
Murdo Morrison, 33, Fisherman, Fish House, b. Harris

BAYHEAD (5)
Christy Maclennan, 49, General Servant Domestic, b. Harris
Donald Maclean, 35, Fisherman, b. Harris
Marion Macsween, 37, General Servant Domestic, b. Harris
Margaret Morrison, 80, General Servant Domestic, b. Harris
Alexander Morrison, 46, Ground Officer, b. Harris

It should be mentioned that in 1871 and 1881 the Ground Officer at Lingerbay was John Morrison who's son Alex is shown as a 28 year-old Fisherman in 1881. It seems reasonable to assume that he succeeded his father in the role. In fact the 1871 census is the last to identify Lingerbay as an address and this leads me to conjecture that the Bayhead of 1881-1901 is in fact Lingerbay whilst the North Bayhead of 1881-1901 is the Bayhead as identified on the 1st Edition 6-inch map of 1882. I may be wrong, but the pieces, although somewhat hazy, do appear to create a picture that makes sense!

The Immigrant

Her parents wept as the boat set sail, leaving behind the small fertile land at the head of the fjord on its journey to the open sea. They knew she had to go, to make a new life for herself and her man and the swelling that was growing inside her, but that only dulled the edges of the pangs of near-grief that accompanied her departure.

On board, she too was crying as the two specks on the shore diminished in stature before fading from view forever. The men, pulling on their oars, had each made this same journey to the Southern Isles at least once before. That was how it came to be that her man had persuaded her to leave the place of her family and live in the new lands of open space and fertility for plenty. His descriptions of the shell-sand beaches, the bordering strip of bounteous earth, the rugged rocks and the health and vitality of the peoples there had been the stuff of dreams. But they were not dreams they were real and from all over their icy Northlands young couple just like them were emigrating towards these warmer isles.

The wind was in their favour so the men ceased their rowing, shipped the long oars and raised the single sail. She felt the ship come to life beneath her, a gentle kick just like those that her belly had recently been feeling. She ran a hand over the warm roundness and smiled at the thought of the little boy (it was a boy, the wise-woman of the village had assured her) who quite soon would be playing at her feet outside the new house that her man had already built for them. It was, he told her, in a beautiful spot and they had used the best timbers, brought there from the Northland, to construct the roof. She had been astonished to learn of the lack of trees on this paradise and even more astonished when he had explained how not only roofs but also boats were taken there as packs of pre-cut parts that were then reassembled. It seemed an almost impossible idea and she was sure that in time such practices would die-out.

It was not long before the wind carried them to the mouth of the fjord and, for the first time in her nineteen summers, she saw the open sea. It was as if someone had parted the trees in a forest to reveal the space beyond. No longer did the towering cliffs of the fjord blinker the vista but all the ocean lay before her in a dizzying panorama of sparkling blue-green topped by flecks of white and as far as the eye could see. The ship began to rock a little more in response to the currents and waves below but she was determined not to display any weakness to the men. In fact the rocking of the waves, the gentle breeze at her back and the warm morning sun conspired to lull her into a happy sleep.

When she awoke several hours later and looked around she was shocked to see nothing but the ocean around her. The land, as far as she could tell, had dissolved and the whole world was now her, the men and the ship. She felt a slight panic at this new sensation but when she peered more closely to the side she saw the rippling darkness on the horizon. They were certainly far from land but not so far as to have lost sight of it. This, she knew, was the safest way for ships to travel for the waters here were less troubled by the spirits of the sea and by the rocks and shoals that lay nearer to the shore.

The journey South took several days, partly due to the vast distance involved but also because en-route they were to leave two of the men at their own new homes and collect two replacements who, like them were settling in the new isles. This was a common occurrence and the 'leapfrogging' allowed them to combine trade, communication and expansion. She enjoyed seeing the new places and, in one of them, met an older girl from her village who had made the same journey a couple of years earlier. Talking to this happy young mother about living in these new lands was particularly helpful as it convinced her that choosing to join her man in the Southern Isles had been the right decision.

The final leg of the voyage was full of anticipation and, although the sea was particularly rough for a couple of hours, the sight that emerged from the parting storm clouds made any past fears recede. In front of her was a small island and as the ship entered the strip of sea between it and the main island she saw for the first time the seemingly endless beach of pure-white sand, speckled with bright green seaweed and backed by the lush band of crops and the hills beyond. The sun turned the sea into a myriad sparkling mirrors and, as they ship reached the shore, her man put his arm around her waist and said, 'Welcome to Seilibost.'...

Malcolm Kerr 1822-1898

This is my grandfather's grandfather who was born in Direcleit, Harris and died aboard his son's ship in the Horseshoe Sound, Kerrera, Near Oban.

The original is in the possession of my cousin in Stornoway. The frame contains the writing 'Norrie 28 Cross Street, Fraserburgh' and the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre includes a file on William Norrie, Photographer. The 1901 census records the 39 year-old at that address whilst his father, at No 26, is a Picture Frame Maker which occupation he also records in 1891. In 1881 the son was a Cabinet Maker and the father a Merchant Draper. This suggests that the photo was taken after 1881 making Malcolm at least 60 years-old? We know that the picture is of Malcolm because my cousin's father, another grandson of Malcolm's, told her it was him. There appears to be a figure to Malcolm's left and this leads me to conjecture that the photograph was cut to fit the frame to which it was later entrusted. I think it is a wonderful image of a 19thC Seaman whose soulful eyes are as deep and mysterious as the seas he sailed upon...

Cloud-Mountain

I fancied that there was a castle atop this unusual,

and unusually lit, cloud formation on North Uist

North Uist Style?

I'm not entirely sure about this 'traditional' style/gate that appears to be the

marriage of an old palette and some recycled, bolted timber, but it clearly works!