Transcription of a chapter ‘Pierless Tiree’ from ‘Literary Tours in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland’ by D. T. Holmes.
The Reading Room in Scarinish was built in the 1880s as a waiting room for ferry passengers. In the days before Gott Bay pier was built, the steamer anchored off Scarinish harbour and a tender was rowed out to meet her.
Around 1900 the Paisley thread magnate, James Coats, donated collections of books to many communities in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The Reading Room was chosen to house this lending library.
D.T. Holmes was employed to travel around Scotland giving lectures and encouraging use of the libraries. In this account he paints a vivid picture of what it was like to travel to Tiree on a stormy day before Gott Bay pier was completed in 1913.
Collection of papers relating to the Tiree Heavy Horse Breeding Society.
Three letters, four receipts and the minutes of one meeting relating to the Tiree Heavy Horse Breeding Society. John MacLean of the Brae, Cornaigbeg was the Secretary of the Society
Brochure dated 1952 for Windlaw Gartly, the last Clydesdale stallion brought to Tiree by the Tiree Heavy Horse Breeding Society, Secretary John MacLean of the Brae, Cornaigbeg.
Scanned image of the Met. Office tracing of the 1968 storm
Although relatively mild in the winter and cool in the summer, Tiree experiences extremes in other weather conditions. Since records began, the sunniest day occurred on 9th July 1936 with the island basking in 16.8 hours of sunshine.
The wettest day was 15th September 1944 with 74.6 mm of rainfall and the driest month was August 1947 with only 4.1 mm of rain. The previous record for the windiest day – 118 mph on 15th January 1968 – was exceeded on 11th January 2005 when the anemometer at the Met. Station broke at a wind speed of 124 mph.
There was considerable damage to a number of coastal roads, some being submerged in several feet of water at the height of the storm, and the passenger walkway at Gott Bay pier was ripped from its mountings.
Copied Register of Admissions for Ruaig School, 1919-1969.
Register of Admissions for Ruaig School, 1919-1969, giving pupils date of birth, name of parent or guardian, address, name of last school, date of leaving, and cause of leaving or where gone.
This, and all other school admission registers that we held, has now been returned to Argyll & Bute Council archives
Transcription of an extract from the Tyree Kirk Session Book of 1827.
In this extract from the Tiree Kirk Session Book, a widow in Kilmoluaig complained that a neighbour was alleging to have had sexual relations with her. After interrogating both parties, the Session decided not to take the oath of either of them, one of whom was lying and would be condemned to damnation.
Instead the Session fined the neighbour the standard amount of £1 13s 4d for lapsing twice in fornication. However, it would seem that they believed the widow’s account of events as they did not fine her but referred her to the civil courts for damages.
Not all cases of fornication brought before the Session were disputed. Some freely confessed their guilt and ‘promised to yield obedience to the Laws of the Church’.
