For brief outlines, and main sites go to the Historical
places to visit list by clicking here
The story of the Isle of Lewis is steeped in both
history and mystery. Man has inhabited Leodhas, meaning
marshy, for probably 5000 years. The Standing Stones and Stone Circles
bear witness to this early occupation, as do the Iron Age forts and
archaeological sites scattered around the Island. Brochs, hill forts
and the evidence of the Iron Age that we see today, were constructed from about
250 B.C. to 500 A.D., and mainly on the coastal fringes. We now observe
Lewis with large areas of peat land and bog. However, this was not always
the case. Up until about 1500 B.C. the island was fertile, warmer, and much
less wet. Farming was predictable, secure and the seafood plentiful.
Prior to this time was when most of the monoliths and stone circles were
constructed. When the climate changed the people of Lewis adapted,
but had to move to the coastal machair areas to survive. The acidic bog
areas developed and the peat is the result. A major date in the Lewis
historical calendar was 1150 B.C. when mount
Hekla in Iceland erupted, producing the equivalent of a 'nuclear winter' for
Scotland.
The effect on Lewis,
Harris and the rest of Scotland was devastating. For an interesting
article on the subject, click on
Hekla
Before and after
the re-population of the Hebrides, the Celtic peoples were the predominant
social group, with roots back into central Europe. The fortifications that
were built on Lewis must have been to defend themselves from other Celtic
groups, as this was well before the days of the Viking raiders. Duns and Brochs are basically fortifications, the only difference is that Brochs tend to
be bigger. Domestic dwellings had a similar, but simpler construction.
An excellent example can be seen at the West end of Bernera where a
reconstruction has been made next to the existing iron age village.
Throughout the years from the late 500's
Christianity made its presence felt throughout the Western Isles, mainly through
the work of the Monks of St Columba. St Columba brought
Christianity from Ireland and established a Christian settlement and Abbey on
the Isle of Iona. One fine set of ruins can be visited on the area of land
a few miles beyond the airport at 'Point' . The ruined church is called
St.Columba's.
Towards the end of the 800's the relative
stability of the Island was rudely awakened by summer visitors from Scandinavia.
The Vikings were on opportunist raids to begin with, but by the middle of the
900's settled in many of the coastal areas and made farms and permanent
residences. A few Viking era buildings
remain, the best examples for the visitor to see are the Mill and
Forge near Shawbost, now renovated and Liamshader near Carloway. The Vikings
also left a very important set of artistic relics in the Lewis Chessmen.
See opposite for more detail. The real impact of the Vikings though was on
the environment. The Vikings were heavy users
of timber and relied on it for their houses, boats and fuel. The
native woodlands were soon consumed and this vital resource was finally
seriously reduced by a Viking leader called Magnus III who instigated a 'scorched
earth' policy. The Vikings influenced the building techniques
for years to come and even during the last few hundred years, the traditional
'Black house' has elements of Viking construction.
The Viking era came to an abrupt end after the
Battle of Largs in 1263 when King Haakon of Norway was defeated by King
Alexander the third of Scotland. Within three years, all of Norway's lands
in the West were returned to Alexander. Probably this political change
meant very little to the well settled Viking farmers who must have been well
integrated into the island. However, several clan families were able to
establish themselves under the new Scottish regime. The Clans were of
mixed Viking and Celtic origin, some of them with traceable names from Norse
leaders like 'Leod'. His sons were therefore Son of 'Leod', or MacLeod.
Other dominant clans were Morrison and MacAulay, mainly due to their loyalty to
the Lords of The Isles, MacDonalds. The place names of Lewis maintain a
mixture of Viking and Celtic origin as do many Gaelic words, however, the
enchanting soft lilt to the inflexion within the dialect of the modern Leoisher
is probably the most noticeable trace of this ancient fusion.
A record of history since about 1600 is best served by clicking on the links
to the left for each article
