Laser print of a black and white photograph of Elizabeth and Mary Hume on Kennavara in the 1920s.
On the top of Kennavara. Elizabeth Hume (sitting on rock at the back)) and her sister Mary (extreme right), daughters of John Hume, manager of Heylipol Farm. (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
Laser print of a black and white photograph of a Tiree thatched house in the 1920s.
`Typical Tiree cottage.` (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
Laser print of a black and white photograph of Balevullin in 1922.
Balevullin in the early 1920s. (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
At the Co-op Egg Depot, Tiree
Photograph of two women taking their eggs to a co-operative depot at Cornaigmore in the 1920s.
Courtesy of Mrs Rachel Wylie
In his ‘Crofts and Farms in the Hebrides’ published in 1883, the 8th Duke of Argyll wrote that ‘the island is admirably suited to poultry, and there is annually a very large export of eggs, amounting …to not less than 50,000 dozen.’
The Agricultural Statistics for Tiree show that in 1885 there were two thousand hens and one thousand ducks on the island. Between the wars, crofters on Tiree kept around eight thousand hens and ducks. The numbers fell to six thousand in 1955 and a decade later there were fewer than three thousand.
This photograph, titled ‘At the Co-op Egg Depot, Tiree’, was taken in Cornaigmore the 1920s. The depot was at the croft in the background, which belonged to Archie MacLean (Èairdsidh Tuairneir). A number of co-operatives were formed on the island for the purpose of collecting eggs for onward shipment to Glasgow.
Laser print of a black and white photograph of two women with baskets of eggs in the 1920s.
`At the Co-op Egg Depot, Tiree.` (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
Funeral procession at Soroby graveyard in the 1920s
Photograph of a funeral procession on its way to Soroby graveyard in the 1920s
Courtesy of Ms Rachel Wylie
Before World War II, coffins were made locally from lengths of sarking. MacArthurs’ shop in Scarinish supplied bundles containing black cloth, white cloth, a stack of embossed lead strips, eight handles and cords, and a black plaque, which were taken to the coffin-makers to complete the job.
On the day of the funeral, the mourners would gather outside the house where the coffin would be placed on two dining room chairs. After a short service the procession, traditionally composed only of men, would set off for the graveyard.
The coffin was carried on a bier by relays of men. They were accompanied by a basket containing cheese, oatcakes and whiskey to refresh the mourners on their journey which could be several miles long.
Laser print of a black and white photograph of a funeral procession on its way to Soroby in the 1920s.
Funeral procession on its way to Sorobaidh graveyard. (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
Laser print of a black and white photograph of Sorobaidh beach in the 1920s.
Sorobaidh beach. (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
Laser print of a black and white photograph of an unknown family taken by the shore at Scarinish in 1922.
Unknown family at the shore at Scarinish in 1922. (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
Laser print of a black and white photograph of an unknown group taken at the Tiree Show in Scarinish in 1922.
Unknown group taken at the Tiree Show in Scarinish in 1922. (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
Mrs Ludlow demonstrates how to make butter in 1922
Photograph of Mrs Ludlow demonstrating how to make butter at the Tiree Agricultural Show in Scarinish in 1922.
Courtesy of Mrs Rachel Wylie
Butter was made on Tiree by first skimming the cream off fresh milk that had stood for twenty-four hours. The cream was usually collected over several days, by which time it had fermented. This produced a fuller flavour. The cream was then churned until it separated into butter and buttermilk.
Plunge churns were popular on Tiree in the 19th century. These are tall barrels with a plunger, at the end of which is a wooden disk with holes drilled in it. Towards the end of the century they were superseded by patent barrel churns, which were turned round with a handle.
Butter was usually preserved with salt and was known in Gaelic as ‘ìm saillte’. It was stored in an earthenware jar called a ‘pige’. Homemade butter, patted into shape, was exhibited at Tiree Agricultural Shows until the 1950s.
Laser print of a black and white photograph of Mrs Ludlow at the Tiree Show in Scarinish in 1922.
Mrs Ludlow demonstrating how to make butter at the Tiree Show in Scarinish in 1922. (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
Laser print of a black and white photograph of the Tiree Show in Scarinish in 1922.
The Tiree Show in Scarinish in 1922. (From Myra Lamont’s photograph album of the 1920s.)
