North Uist
[14] In contrast, Clancy (2018) has argued that Ívist itself is an Old Norse calque on an earlier Gaelic name, Ibuid or Ibdaig, which corresponds to Ptolemy’s Eboudai.The MacRory, a branch of Somerled's heirs, ruled Uist, as well as Barra, Eigg, Rùm, the Rough Bounds, Bute, Arran, and northern Jura.[17][18][19][20][21] In the 13th century, despite Edgar's quitclaim, Scottish forces attempted to conquer parts of Suðreyjar, culminating in the indecisive Battle of Largs.The treaty expressly preserved the status of the rulers of Suðreyjar; the MacRory lands, excepting Bute, Arran, and Jura, became the Lordship of Garmoran, a quasi-independent crown dependency, rather than an intrinsic part of Scotland.At the turn of the century, William I had created the position of Sheriff of Inverness, to be responsible for the Scottish highlands, which theoretically now extended to Garmoran.Nevertheless, following his usurpation, the Skye sheriffdom ceased to be mentioned[note 4], and the Garmoran lordship (including Uist) was confirmed to the MacRory leader.[27] As Alexander had by now inherited Godfrey's de facto position as Lord of Garmoran, and in view of Ranald's heirs being no less responsible for the violence, King James declared the Lordship forfeit.Following the forfeiture, most of Garmoran (including North Uist) remained with the Scottish crown until 1469, when James III granted Lairdship of it to John of Ross, the Lord of the Isles.Nevertheless, Hugh's second son, Donald Gallach, opposed Clan Ranald and established his own de facto control of North Uist and Sleat[note 5].Traditional accounts relate that while he had been away, Angus Collach[note 6] (Archibald's other brother) attempted to rape a woman on North Uist; outraged by this, an armed party made up of men from the Siol Gorrie (to which the woman belonged) and Clan Ranald (to which her husband belonged) captured Angus and drowned him at sea.However, that same year, Donald Gorm was hit by an arrow while besieging Eilean Donan castle; in the process of removing it, he severed an artery, and died[note 11].Following Arran's death in 1554, Mary of Guise was appointed regent for her daughter and issued Argyll and Huntly with a "commission of fire and sword" against Donald Gormson and Clan Ranald, instructing the earls to pursue their "utter extermination".In 1596, concerned by this, and similar action by other Scottish clan chiefs, King James VI of Scotland (Elizabeth's heir) demanded that highland leaders send well-armed men, as well as attending themselves, to meet him at Dumbarton on 1 August.It led to the Battle of Coire Na Creiche, where Donald Gorm Mor won a more decisive victory, at which point the privy council intervened, and imposed a lasting peace.[30] According to historian John Lorne Campbell, Sir Alexander MacDonald of Sleat and his clan took no part in the Jacobite Uprising of 1745, but they were included in the repression of Highland dress and culture that followed the Battle of Culloden.However, North Uist bard Iain Mac Fhearchair (John MacCodrum), the official poet to the chief, wrote the satirical poem "Òran an Aghaidh an Eididh Ghallda" ("A Song Against the Lowland Garb"), which "shows clearly where his own sympathies lay".[34] During the French Revolutionary Wars, the scarcity of external supplies of minerals to the United Kingdom led to a boom in the kelp industry, which became North Uist's main source of income.[35] As the economic conditions worsened, and with reports of islanders having success overseas, the numbers of families emigrating from Scotland to North America greatly increased.[41][42] In the convictions that followed[note 23], the jury added the following written comments: ...the jury unanimously recommend the pannels to the utmost leniency and mercy of the Court, in consideration of the cruel, though it may be legal, proceedings adopted in ejecting the whole people of Solas from their houses and crops without the prospect of shelter, or a footing in their fatherland, or even the means of expatriating them to a foreign one...[43]In 1855, Sir Godfrey decided to sell North Uist to Sir John Powlett Orde.In 1855 the Lord MacDonald of the day sold the island to Sir John Powlett Orde, who had gained the reputation of being the worst type of landlord, utterly opposed to any attempt to improve the lot of his tenants, though it is only fair to point out that every one of the major evictions on the island was in fact carried out by the MacDonalds; they, being of a local source, are forgiven, and the blame is reserved for the incoming Sir John.In common with the rest of the Western Isles, North Uist is formed from the oldest rocks in Britain, the Lewisian gneiss which dates from the Archaean eon.Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the village to Uig on Skye, as well as from the island of Berneray (which is connected to North Uist by road causeway), to Leverburgh in Harris.North Uist has many prehistoric structures, including the Barpa Langass chambered cairn, the Pobull Fhinn stone circle, Dun an Sticir, the Fir Bhreige standing stones, Eilean Dòmhnuill (which may be the earliest crannog site in Scotland),[53] and the Baile Sear roundhouses, which were exposed by storms in January 2005.
Scottish GaelicOS grid referenceCoordinatesCouncil areaComhairle nan Eilean SiarCountryScotlandUnited KingdomDemographicsLochmaddyRamsar WetlandcommunityOuter HebridesDonald Munro'sBenbeculaSouth UistetymologyOld NorseWestrayOrkneyGaelicFersitBelfastcalquePtolemyNeolithicstone circlePobull Fhinnburial cairnBarpa LangassBronze AgeSollasIron AgewheelhousesDun an SticirScolpaigScolpaig TowerJelly BabiesVikingKingdom of the IslesmachairMalcolm III of ScotlandKing EdgarquitclaimedSomerledNorse-GaelClann SomhairleCrovan dynastyMacRoryRough BoundsBattle of LargsTreaty of PerthGarmoranTeampull na TrionaidAugustiniannunneryCarinishRed Book of ClanranaldBethócAmy of GarmoranJohn of Islay, Lord of the IslesWilliam ISheriff of InvernessJohn BalliolSheriffdom of Skyethe MacRory leaderDavid IIthe latter's sonLordship of the IslesMacDonaldsJohn of IslayRanaldSiol MurdochSiol Gorriehis own cousinJames IInvernessshow trialde factoJames IIIJohn of RossHugh of SleatJames IVClan RanaldClanranaldClan MacAlisterAlasdair Crotach MacLeodSìol TormoidDonald DubhEilean DonanJames VMary, Queen of ScotsEarl of HuntlyEarl of ArgyllMary of GuiseBattle of the ShirtsLords of the CongregationChaseabout RaidmanrentsubinfeudateThe ReformationGaelic IrelandAodh Mór Ó NéillRed Hugh O'DonnellRising of the Northern ClansQueen Elizabeth I of EnglandScottish clan chiefsJames VI of ScotlandDumbartonRory MorBattle of CarinishBattle of Coire Na Creicheprivy councilGlasgowthe Jacobite rebellionEarl of SutherlandPapists ActForfeited Estates ActJohn Lorne CampbellMacDonald of SleatJacobite Uprising of 1745Battle of CullodenIain Mac FhearchairAnglo-ScottishHighlands and Islandsmass evictions of the Scottish Gaels