Isle of Lewis
- This article is about Lewis in Scotland. For other uses of the name, see Lewis (disambiguation).
Lewis (Leòdhas in Scottish Gaelic), is the northern part of the main island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, the southern part of which is called Harris, however Lewis and Harris are treated by Scots as separate islands in their own right, so Lewis is officially known as the Isle of Lewis (Eilean Leòdhais).
Lewis' main settlement, the only burgh on the Outer Hebrides, is Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh), from which ferries sail to Ullapool on the Scottish mainland. In the 2001 census Lewis had a usually resident population of 16,872. In Scotland's former counties, Lewis was part of Ross-shire (Ross and Cromarty). Historically the Island has been a stronghold for the preservation of the Scottish Gaelic language. In recent years however, there has been an upsurge in English speakers migrating into the island, but also being brought up in Lewis. Approximately 99% of the islands population do indeed speak English, with approximately 60% having some understanding of Gaelic. The island's accent and patter is a direct result of hybridisation incorporating the 2 languages. The Lewis accent is indeed not typical of a Scottish accent. Indeed, when native Gaelic speakers speak English, they are often mistaken for being Irish, Welsh and even American by anyone not familiar with the Highland/Gael twang.
The island's settlements are on or near the coasts or sea lochs, being particularly concentrated on the north east coast. The interior of the island is a large area of moorland from which peat was traditionally cut as fuel, although this practice has become rarer. The southern part of the island, adjoining Harris, is more mountainous with inland lochs. The island of Bernera (Great Bernera) in the district of Uig is linked to the mainland of Lewis by a bridge opened in 1953.
The main industries are fishing, tourism, crafts (including the manufacture of Harris tweed), and crofting. Religion is important on Lewis, with much of the population belonging to the Free Church and Church of Scotland (both Presbyterian in tradition). The Sabbath is generally observed with most shops and licensed premises closed on that day, although there is a scheduled air service to mainland Scotland.
Attractions on the island include the Callanish standing stones, the Clach an Truiseil monolith, the thirteenth century Teampull Mholuaidh church, the Butt of Lewis cliffs and lighthouse and the broch at Dun Carloway. The Lewis chessmen were found on the island in 1831.
Most of the place names on Lewis and Harris come from Old Norse. The name Lewis is the English spelling of the Gaelic Leòdhas which comes from the Old Norse Ljóðhús, as Lewis is named in medieval Norwegian maps of the island. Ljóðhús translates from Old Norse to English as Home of the Poet (Ljóð = Poet, hús = house). The 12th century ruler of the Island, Leod, taking his name from the Norse word for Poet.
In 1919 the Isles of Lewis suffered a terrible blow with the sinking of the Iolaire, when at the close of the First World War the Admiralty yacht HMY Iolaire, sank within sight of Stornoway's harbour, killing over 200 naval reservists from the island who were returning home after the war.
Parishes and Districts of Lewis
There are four parishes: Barvas (Barabhas), Lochs (Na Lochan), Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh), and Uig (Uig)) on which the original civil registration districts were based. The district of Carloway (Càrlabhagh) (after the village of that name) which hitherto had fallen partly within the parishes of Lochs and Uig, became a separate civil registration district in 1859. The districts of Lewis are Ness (Nis), Carloway (Càrlabhagh), Back (Am Bac), Lochs (Na Lochan), Park (Am Pairc), Point (An Rubha), Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh) itself, and Uig (Uig). These designations are traditional and in use by the entire population. The West Side is a generic designation for the area covering the villages from Arnol to Shawbost. For civil registration purposes Lochs (Na Lochan) is nowadays split into North Lochs (Na Lochan a Tuath) and South Lochs (Na Lochan a Deas).
including North Tolsta, Coll
including Habost, Port of Ness
including Balallan, Crossbost, Leurbost
- Park also known as South Lochs
including Gravir
including Aignish, Lower Bayble, Portnaguran, Upper Bayble, Portvoller, Aird
- South Lochs also known as Park
- Stornoway
- Uig
including Cliff, Kneep, Timsgarry
including Arnol, Ballantrushal, Barvas, Bragar, Breasclete, Brue, Callanish, Carloway, Garenin, Shawbost
It is claimed that you can see all the areas of Lewis from the top of Stornoway War Memorial!
Sites of Historical Interest
The Isle of Lewis is a place where you can breathe history. From the ancient site of Callanish with its standing stones to the Dun Carloway Broch, from the Iron Age houses near Bostadh (Great Bernera) to the Black House village at Garenin near Carloway, from St. Columba's church in Aignish to the Teampull Mholuaidh in Ness, history is to be found all over the island. This section of the article needs expanding
External links
- Visitor's guide for the Island of Lewis
- Website of the Western Isles Council with links to other resources
- Flags of the World - Lewis
- Panoramas of the Island (QuickTime required)