Lewismen's Grave?

[DePooperit]

I mind readin a story aboot Lewismen at wis wint ta come ta Shaetlan ta stael kye, an ee year da Shaetlan fock fell apon dem an killed dem, an buried dem in a roog o aert somewye.

 

Duis onybody kaen dis story, an whaar dis Lewismen's grave is supposed ta be?

[Njugle]

That's already been spoken about here somewhere, the grave is on the braes abün the Scousborough Sands, i'll see if i can find the old thread in a bit.

[Njugle]

Yep, its here Depooperit

 

http://www.shetlink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=37023

[DePooperit]

Splendid - tanks. I'm sure da version at I heard sed explicitely at dey cam ta Shaetlan ta stael animals - I doot edder yun enes aboot rape an pillage is been added tae a bit, or da ene I heard is been tweetit doon ta fit whit's kent aboot whit hielandmen did i da past. Onywye, hit wis whaar da grave is tocht ta be at I wis needin ta kaen, so tanks again.

[Njugle]

Skimming back ower yun i dunna see mention of the exchange of 'pages' and the murder of the lewismen's chief by the page sent from shetland that provoked the final raids, i'll maybe mention this again, once i consult a source on the subject.

 

I'll maybe hae tae use the original thread too, seein as i'm no supposed tae propagate dis wan!

[DePooperit]

 

I'll maybe hae tae use the original thread too, seein as i'm no supposed tae propagate dis wan!

 

Oh? Whit wye no? (I dunna understaand dis rules aboot treeds.)

[Ghostrider]

Scousborough Sands

 

An whaur wid you fin dem? I doot du's flit wis.

[Njugle]

^It's a fair cop, cuff me and take me in. I was in a hurry and it slipped oot me fingertips. At least i didna caa hit Spiggie beach, as fok are kent tae do.

[Ghostrider]

^^ Good point. That, of course is a hanging offence, or then lifetime banishment to the Hich Hom or Klokkistak.

 

It's nae winder som puir sowels caa hit 'Spiggie Beach' tho, whin you hae fok fae da toon, dat sud ken better (nae nems, sae as ta protect da guilty), assure you aw wye fae da tap idda Rorik Brey, ta da tap a Hallilee to Robbin's Brey is 'Spiggie'.

[earlofzetland]

It seems there's a bit more to it than sheep stealing.

 

In a M.S. description of Dunrossness preserved in the Advocates Library, and written by Mr. James Kay, minister of that Parish, 1682-1716, it is stated that in the reign of Queen Mary, that part of the country was several times invaded by Hutcheon Macleod of the Lewis, to avenge the death of his brother William, who, it is asserted, had been treacherously slain at the instigation of Oliver (Sinclair). On one of these occasions no less than sixty persons were slain near Quendale, and Oliver himself only escaped by leaping over Sumburghhead, and landing on a piece of grass in a cleft in the rock, he received no further injury than the loss of an eye.

 

See also

http://books.google.com/books?id=OxMFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA243&dq=lewismen&as_brr=1#PPA243,M1

[DePooperit]

Hmm. I'm braaly confused noo. Is yun story aboot a lock o Shaetlan fock bein killed - hit seems ta be - da sam story or anidder ene? An - juist sae at I dunna laand mesel i da proverbial if I repeat it - is hit Scousbourgh at dis roog o - maybe - Lewismens baens is ithin?

[earlofzetland]

The first account by Rev Kay is taken from the Zetland Family Histories book. It is an account of Shetlanders being killed by the Lewismen. Oliver (Olav) Sinclair was the then foud of Shetland who had Hutcheon MacLeod's brother murdered.

 

The link to Hibbert's book is about a subsequent and seemingly final battle where the Lewismen were routed.

[Guest Anonymous]

When du comes ta da fit o da brae, (Da Shop Gaet), below da Spiggie Hotel, just upö da corner, luik ta de right. an du'll see a peerie hump aboot 100 yards in ower tae da nort.

Da hump is aboot 30ft lang, aest ta wast, an aboot 4 ft high.

We oosed ta tak a guid run doon da brae, fae Scousburgh, at it wi wir sledges i da sna an try ta do a ski jump. Da result wis a lok o bruckit runners upö wir widden sledges, an a lok o blue melts upö wir boadies. Bit it wis brawly guid fun.

[EM]

The first account by Rev Kay is taken from the Zetland Family Histories book. It is an account of Shetlanders being killed by the Lewismen. Oliver (Olav) Sinclair was the then foud of Shetland who had Hutcheon MacLeod's brother murdered.

 

The link to Hibbert's book is about a subsequent and seemingly final battle where the Lewismen were routed.

 

It is all quite confusing with various versions of the story in various combinations. In some accounts Olav (who seems to have been quite a rogue, and was also the guy Bothwell was visiting when the Unicorn incident happened) jumps off Sumburgh head, loses eye, end of story. In another he subsequently rallies his men and wipes out the Lewismen.

[Ghostrider]

Assuming there's some level of accuracy in most of the written accounts, it would seem plundering raids had been commonplace for a century or more, not only to the Ness, but also to Foula, that much is stated on the Foula Hertitage site. I also read somewhere, for the moment I forget where though, possibly amoung Gilbert Goudie's work, that at one time there were numerous burial mounds of the victims of these, to be seen in the back sand between Toab and Quendale, which have long since been buried under feet deep of blown sand.

 

Local tradition at least has it to be the burial mound at Scousburgh was from the final raid, assumedly the casualty total was such the Lewismen decided it was no longer a profitable venture. Tradition also has it that they landed at Quendale, and were allowed a free hand to go where they pleased north along the west side of the loch, and they did so, unaware that it was a pre-planned tactic to allow the Sinclair laird to marshall locals armed with whatever "weapons" they could find to ambush them as they came up the brae from the north end of the loch. Any retreat back the way they came was slowed by the fact they had to negotiate the burn exiting the loch, that back in those days ran out to the north, allowing them to be over-run.