Morag Cameron of Moss
Photograph of Morag Cameron in the doorway of her thatched house in Moss.
Courtesy of Mr Angus Munn
Morag Cameron is pictured here standing in the doorway of her thatched house in Moss. The thatch is secured with coir rope and weighted down with stones. The rounded roof is characteristic of Tiree houses.
Inside would be a kitchen at one end and a best room at the other. The head of the house would occupy a small bedroom, a’ clòsaid, off the hall with the rest of the family sleeping in the loft. It was not uncommon for such houses to hold twelve people.
Traditionally the walls at the front of the house, the chimneys and around the windows were painted with white lime made by burning limpet shells. The walls inside were also given a coating of lime twice a year, in the summer and at New Year.
Black and white photograph of Morag Cameron, Moss, ca 1920s.
Morag Cameron outside her thatched house in Moss in the late 1920s. Note the thatch secured with coir rope weighted with stones. The ruin is opposite the `Greenbank` (with the post box). Morag was known as Mòr a` Phaal Aal because her father`s nickname was Phaal Aal / Pale Ale.
Laundry day
Photograph of Flora Ann MacLean of Greenhill drying linen on the machair.
Courtesy of Ms Mary Brown
Flora Ann MacLean of Greenhill pictured drying sheets and blankets on the machair. Each summer a good day was chosen for the household to wash the bedclothes.
Black and white photograph of Flora Ann MacLean, Greenhill.
Flora Ann MacLean of Greenhill, grandmother of Mary, Donald Archie and Archie Brown, bleaching linen on the machair. (Died in 1934)
Black and white photograph of a Baptist meeting at Middleton House in 1956.
Baptist meeting at Middleton House in 1956. L-R: Elizabeth and John MacDonald, Barrapol (children at front); (front row) Flora MacDonald, Kilkenneth; Hugh MacEachern, Cornaigbeg; Christina Sinclair, Barrapol; Effie Walker nee MacDonald; Robert Tester (boy); Catriona MacArthur, Middleton Post Office (extreme right); (back row) Lachie MacKinnon, Park House; Charles MacDonald, Middleton (at back); Donald MacIntyre, Gott; Mary MacKinnon, Park House; John MacFadyen, Lochside, Barrapol; Duncan MacPhail, Loch Phuil, Balephuil; John Brown, Balephuil sliabh (behind Robert Tester).
Black and white photograph of the butcher`s cart at Cu Dheis in 1903.
The butcher`s cart at Cu Dheis in 1903 with a coal puffer on Balinoe beach in the background.
Black and white photograph of Donald MacLean and Donald MacArthur at a coal puffer.
Unloading coal from the puffer at Traigh Iochain, Caoles, with Donald MacLean standing on the cart and Donald MacArthur at the head of the horse, probably 1930s.
Grace Baxter’s wedding party
Photograph of Grace Baxter’s wedding party leaving Cornaig Church in the 1940s.
Courtesy of Mrs Mairi Campbell
The wedding party of Grace Baxter on their way back to Corrairigh, after the marriage ceremony which was held at Cornaig Church. The party are being led by local piper Malcolm MacLean (Calum Salum). This picture was taken around 1943.
Black and white photograph of Grace Baxter`s wedding at Cornaig.
Grace Baxter`s wedding party on the way back from Cornaig church to Corrairigh, Cornaigbeg, with Malcolm MacLean (Calum Salum) piping, taken around 1943. (Original in Filing Cabinet 8 Drawer 1)
Knickers made from a flour sack
Photograph of a pair of knickers made from a flour sack.
These women’s knickers were made in Tiree from a flour sack in the first quarter of the 20th century. The isolation of the crofting community on Tiree made it necessary to make do with the materials to hand.
The knickers were sewn by machine with flat seams and decorated with hand-made tatting round the legs. The waist may have been elasticated or tightened with a drawstring.
Flour was purchased in 140 lb (65 kg) sacks made from closely woven cotton. The seams would have been unpicked and the material plastered with black soap (‘siaban dubh’) to remove the printing before putting it outside to bleach in the sun. The flour producer’s name, Harter, is still visible.
Tiree in 100 Objects – 35 – Underclothes
The History of Tiree in 100 Objects
Lachlan MacPhail carting seaweed
Photograph of Lachlan MacPhail carting seaweed
Courtesy of Mr Ailig MacArthur
Lachlan MacPhail, originally from Luing, is pictured with a cartload of seaweed outside the shepherd’s cottage where he lived in Crossapol. A fork has been stuck in the back of the cart to stop the seaweed slipping off.
Gathered from March to May, the seaweed is spread on grass or on ground to be planted with corn or potatoes. Red seaweed known as ‘bàrr-dearg’ was considered the best for this purpose but only came ashore on certain tides usually in the month of May.
The soils of Tiree are predominantly light and sandy and need feeding with organic matter every year to keep their fertility. Although not considered as good a fertiliser as manure, seaweed improves the condition of the soil and aids water retention.
Black and white photograph of Lachlann MacPhail, Crossapol.
Lachlan MacPhail from Luing with a cartload of seaweed outside the shepherd’s cottage where he lived in Crossapol, Tiree, probably taken in the early 20th century.
Flight Lieutenant Max Bacon and his aircrew from RAF 518 Squadron
Photograph of Flight Lieutenant Max Bacon and his aircrew from RAF 518 Squadron.
Courtesy of Mr Mike Hughes
Flight Lieutenant Arthur ‘Max’ Bacon (4th left) and his aircrew from RAF 518 Squadron are pictured beside their Halifax which was lost on operations over the Atlantic in January 1945.
RAF 518 Squadron arrived on Tiree in September 1943 to fly weather reconnaissance missions in long-range Halifax aircraft. Twice a day flights ‘Bismuth’ and ‘Mercer’ left Tiree for a ten-hour-long trip out into the Atlantic at either 20,000 or 50 feet.
Pressure to fly was relentless and in 1944 518 Squadron flew every day but two. Often icing and waves 100 feet high made this dangerous. 518 Squadron lost twelve aircraft during their spell on Tiree. That night in January, Max and his crew disappeared without trace.
Black and white photograph of Flight Lieutenant Max Bacon and his aircrew during World War II.
Flight Lieutenant Max Bacon (4th left) and his aircrew from RAF 518 Squadron beside their Halifax which was lost on operations over the Atlantic on 21/1/1945. Far right: F/Sgt Tony Porazka (Met. Air Obs., Polish). (Photograph from Mike Hughes in Filing Cabinet 2 drawer 1)
Black and white postcard of St Patrick`s chapel.
St Patrick`s chapel, Kennavara, showing gable end.
