Collection of items washed up on Tiree’s beaches for a mini exhibition titled ‘The Sea’s Harvest‘, held in An Iodhlann in 2022, including lids and labels from seafood companies in Norway and Ireland, fishbox packaging tape, plastic ice tea bottle from China, plastic fishing buoy from Spain, plastic Listerine bottle from Spain, plastic sea-sickness tablets container from Russia, wave-smoothed remnant of a Mortise-and-Tenon carpentry joint, plastic drinks cans holder.
Hard-backed edition of Fishing Boats and Fisher Folk on the East Coast of Scotland’, written and illustrated by Peter F. Anson. First edition, published in 1930.
294pp with colour plates and black and white line drawings.
A local history of fishing ports, boats and fisher folk on the East Coast of Scotland, with mention of Oban, Tiree and Barra.
See 2020.6.1 for scanned copy of page relevant to Tiree.
Collection of articles, poems, photographs and illustrations by Alistair MacNeill of Hynish (b. 1940). Alistair recollects his experiences competing in the County Sports, Skerryvore Lighthouse, the Great China Tea Race of 1866, rock fishing with a bamboo rod, ‘The Wembly Wizards’ Scottish football team of 1928, gathering tangles (seaweed) for the kelp industry, Ben Nevis, a puffer coal boat at Hynish pier. Includes two covering letters with further information.
Colour photograph of merchant vessel ‘Isle of Tiree’ at Lyness pier, Hoy, Orkney Islands, in 2007. Originally built for fishing in 1960, this 131-ton wooden boat was bought by Highland Marine Ltd for general cargo and supplying fish farms. It sank at Lyness pier after being sold in Orkney.
Transcript of a Police Report and Precognition of Witnesses regarding the sudden deaths of John Mcdonald, Lachlan Macdonald, Donald McDonald, John Orr and John McLean in April 1860.
The men left Manal on 27 April 1860 to fish ‘Relstay fishing bank’ near Stevenson’s Rock (described as four miles south west of the Skerryvore Lighthouse) on the fishing skiff ‘Father & Sons’. They were likely capsized whilst attempting to return home the following morning.
Statements are provided by:
Marion Macdonald (widow, Balemartine. Mother of John Macdonald)
Mary McInnes or McDonald (wife of Lachlan MacDonald, Mannal. Aunt of John Orr, who resided with her)
Janet Kennedy (wife of Lachlan Macdonald, Balemartine)
Ann Macquarie or Macdonald (widow, Balemartine. Mother of Lachlan Macdonald)
Flora Macdonald (widow, Balemartine. Mother of Donald Macdonald)
Donald McLean (Manal. Father of John McLean)
Charles Maclean (fisherman, Balephuil)
Archibald McLean (Balephuil. Brother of Charles Maclean)
John Black (Balephuil)
Nile (or Niel) Maclean (fisherman, Balephuil)
Finlay Fraser (Detective Constable, Tiree)
Lachlan McDonald (shoemaker, Manal)
John McLean (crofter, Balephuil)
Click to read a transcript of this item.
From the liveArgyll Archives in Lochgilphead, made available through the Written in the Landscape project.
Transcript of Police Report and Precognition of Witnesses regarding the sudden death of Archibald MacInnes and Charles MacLean in February 1860. MacInnes and MacLean drowned when a wave hit their boat while fishing for lobsters on an open skiff near Bealach na Ciste on the Isle of Soay. Duncan MacInnes (brother of Archibald MacInnes, Ruaig) survived the accident. The report contains descriptions of clothing on the bodies of the sailors. Copies of the registrations of the deaths are also included.
Statements are provided from:
Duncan McInnes (fisherman, Ruaig)
Alexander MacLean (shoemaker, Ruaig)
John McInnes (tailor, Ruaig. Father of the deceased)
Niel McLeod (fisherman, Ruaig)
John Lamont (fisherman, Ruaig)
Donald McInnes (fisherman, Ruaig)
Archibald McInnes (fisherman, Ruaig)
Finlay Fraser (Detective Constable, Tiree)
Malcolm Livingstone (Registrar, Tiree)
Flora McKinnon or McLean (wife of John McLean, Ruaig)
Hugh McKinnon (fisherman, Ruaig)
Click to read a transcript of this item.
From the liveArgyll Archives in Lochgilphead, made available through the Written in the Landscape project.
Transcript of a letter sent to Henry Nisbet, Tobermory Procurator Fiscal, from William Wilson (Registrar, Tiree) dated 11 March 1857. Wilson writes to report the deaths of three Tiree men – Lachlan MacDonald (crofter, Caolas), John MacDonald (farm servant, Caolas) and Hector MacDonald (fisherman, Caolas) – when a fishing skiff capsized two miles off the south coast of Coll on 3 March 1857.
Click to read a transcript of this item.
From the liveArgyll Archives in Lochgilphead, made available through the Written in the Landscape project.
A transcript of the Inventory of Precognition regarding the deaths of nine fishermen in the Balephuil fishing diaster. This document provides statements from witnesses to a great storm in July of 1856 which claimed the lives of nine men from Balephuil: Archibald McLean (age 50), Donald McLean (aged 29), Colin McDonald (aged 40), Alexander McDonald (aged 42), Neil Kennedy (aged 18), Hugh Kennedy (aged 14) and Hugh McKinnon (aged 14), John Campbell (aged 29) and Malcom McArthur (aged 55).
Statements are given by witnesses to the tragedy as well as by relatives of the deceased, including: Malcolm McDougall (Fisherman, Balephuil); John MacPhail (aged 23, Fisherman, Balephuil); Isabella Black or MacLean (aged 40, widow of Archibald MacLean); George MacLean Esq (Tenant, Hynish); William Wilson (aged 28, Surgeon, Scarinish).
Click to read a transcript of this item.
From the liveArgyll Archives in Lochgilphead, made available through the Written in the Landscape project.
Digitised copy of Letter from Malcolm McLaurine, chamberlain of Tiree, to the Duke of Argyll, 15 Apr 1803. McLaurine discusses: carrying out the plan of four mail lands; threat of emigration; crofts; joint occupation of the mail lands; obtaining compliance with the mail lands scheme; fishing; mills; encroachment of the Reef; barley and distilling; smuggling of gin brandy and tobacco. In a post script, McLaurine discusses tenants, mail lands, and quarrying tools.
Click to view a record for this item on Inveraray’s online catalogue.
Click to read a transcript of this item.
From the archives of the Dukes of Argyll at Inveraray Castle, made available through the Written in the Landscape project.
Digitised copy of Letter from Malcolm McLaurine, chamberlain of Tiree, to James Ferrier, 22 Mar 1803. James Ferrier was one of the Principal Clerks of Session. Also included is an incomplete copy of this letter.
In this letter McLaurine discusses cutting down the farms of Scarinish, Hianish [Heanish] and Balemartine and opposition to the plans to establish four mail lands from tenants of Barapoll [Barrapol] and Kenovar. McLaurine names Archibald McLean as being the most active protester and mentions that the inhabitants do not wish to ‘adopt any improvements inconsistent with their old customs & habits’ and that ‘their old hereditary customs and practices must be sacrificed’. McLaurine ascribes the inhabitants aversion to crofts and fishing as being due to ‘the idleness and laziness of their habits’. McLaurine also mentions the removal of ‘whisky delinquents’ to ‘upper Canada’.
Click to read a transcript of this item.
Click to view a record for this item on Inveraray’s online catalogue.
From the archives of the Dukes of Argyll at Inveraray Castle, made available through the Written in the Landscape project.
