UIST-NORTH, an island and parish, in the county
of Inverness; containing, with the islands of Balishear,
Boreray, Grimsay, Heisker, Illary, Kirkibbost,
Orinsay, Ronay, Vallay, and Vorgay, 4428 inhabitants,
of whom 3788 are in the island of North Uist. This
place, which is included in the Hebrides, or Western
Islands, is supposed to have derived its name of Uist
from its situation westward of the Isle of Skye. Originally
it formed part of the territories of Somerled,
King of the Isles, whose representative, the present
Lord Macdonald, is now the sole proprietor. The island
is about thirty miles in length, and from eight to fourteen
miles in breadth. It is bounded on the north-east
by the sound of Harris; on the south-east by the
Minch; on the north-west by the Atlantic; and on the
south-west by the sands which, at low water, connect it
with the island of Benbecula. From the extreme irregularity
of its surface, its numerous indentations by
arms of the sea, and the great number of its inland
lakes, it has not been accurately surveyed; nor has
even the number of square miles it contains been computed
with any degree of exactness. The surface in the
eastern portion is diversified with ranges of hills, increasing
gradually in height from north to south, and
varying from 300 to "00 feet in elevation above the level
of the sea. Towards the west, the surface is chiefly a
tract of level sands, with a wide extent of moorland intersected
by fresh-water lakes of large size, and in some
parts marked by low ranges of hills, covered with heath,
and affording only coarse pasture for cattle. In this
part of the island lie most of the cultivated grounds,
rendered fertile by the drifting of shell-sand from the
shores of the Atlantic, and in favourable seasons pro-
ducing good crops of grain; also some extensive tracts
of luxuriant meadow, yielding fine crops of red and white
clover. The numerous inland lakes are thickly studded
with small islands, the resort of various aquatic fowl, and
abound in trout of different kinds and of good quality:
in some of them, which in high tides communicate with
the sea, salmon are also occasionally found. There are
no streams that at all approach to the character of
rivers; but many of the inlets from the sea penetrate
with rapid currents far into the land.
On the west, the coast, with the exception of a few
rocky headlands, is low and sandy, affording little security
for vessels of any kind; but on the south-east it is
bold and elevated, bounded by ranges of high hills, and
indented with numerous bays forming excellent harbours.
The principal harbour on the north is Cheese bay,
which is easy of access from the south-east, and has
safe anchorage for vessels of any burthen at all times.
Loch Maddy, on the south-east, and in front of whose
entrance are three bold rocks from which it takes its
name, is a capacious and secure harbour, readily entered,
and affording anchorage to vessels of any size,
which may ride in perfect safety, protected from all
winds by the high grounds that inclose it on either
side. To the south of Loch Maddy is Loch Efort, extending
six miles inland, though narrow at the entrance;
it possesses secure anchorage-ground, but, from its proximity
to Loch Maddy, is not much frequented. Still
farther to the south is the harbour of Rhucva, which,
though affording good anchorage, is difficult of access,
from the narrowness of its entrance. About three miles
to the south of Rhueva is the harbour of Kcalliii, between
the islands of Grimsay and Ronay, having safe
accommodation for vessels of moderate size: near this
harbour is a fishing-station.
Connected with the parish are numerous islands,
some of them inhabited and under cultivation, and
others affording only scanty pasturage for a few sheep,
or frequented merely for the sea-weed found on them,
which is collected for the manufacture of kelp. Boreray,
about two miles to the north of North Uist, is a
very fertile island, about a mile and a half in length and
half a mile in breadth, and inhabited by about thirty families
engaged in agriculture. The island of Orinsay,
south of Boreray, and near the main land of North Uist,
is about half a mile in length, and insulated only at high
water. To the west is the island of Vallay, separated
from the main land by a strand dry at low water; this
island is tvvo miles in length and a quarter of a mile in
breadth, affording good pasture, and in favourable seasons
fair crops of grain. The island of Heisker, about
six miles westward of the main land, is two miles in
length, but of very inconsiderable breadth; the soil is
sandy, bearing a little grass and a small quantity of
grain, but the isle is chiefly valuable for its kelp-shores.
The islands of Kirkibbost and Illary, which are insulated
only at high water, are also situated on the western
coast. Kirkibbost is now barely a mile in length, and ^
very narrow: consisting of fine sand exposed to the sjlfm
violence of the western gales, it was, wuth the exception
of what remains, blown away by the winds, before the
use of bent-grass, and other modes of fixing sandy
grounds, were discovered. The island of Illary is about
four miles in length, and nearly two miles in breadth;
the soil is partly sandy and partly a rich black loam,
yielding tolerable crops of barley, and affording good
pasturage for cattle. Grimsay, situated on the strand,
between the main land and Benbecula, and insulated only
at high water, is two miles in length and a mile in extreme
breadth; it is fertile and in cultivation, and inhabited
by about forty families. The island of Ronay,
of much smaller extent, though formerly unprofitable,
has been much improved, and is now a valuable pasture.
The fish commonly obtained off the coasts of the parish
are cod, ling, sythe, and flounders of large size, little
inferior in quality to turbot; and herrings sometimes
frequent the shores during the season, though no regular
fisheries have been established. Shell-fish of various
sorts are found upon the sands, including lobsters and
crabs; but the most abundant kind are cockles, in the
collection of which, on the ebbing of the tide, hundreds
of people are employed, as they form nutritious food,
and also for the sake of the shells, -which, when burnt,
make lime of a superior quality to anj' produced from
limestone. The moorlands and hills abound with grouse,
snipes, and woodcocks, and are much frequented by
sportsmen. Plover and curlews are also to be found in
large numbers; and on the shores, and in the several
islands of the inland lakes, are numerous herds of red deer.
In this parish the quantity of land which is arable is
about 14,000 acres; there are 53,000 acres of meadow
and good pasture, and a large extent is sand and waste.
The chief crops are oats, barley, and potatoes, of which
last great quantities are raised, forming the principal
food of the poorer inhabitants. Husbandry has been
improved of late years; much waste land has been reclaimed
and brought into profitable cultivation, and
unusual attention is paid to the management of live
stock. The sheep are greatly improved in the breed.
Cheviots and the black-faced have been introduced, while
some of the native breed are still kept by the small
tenants. Of this last breed there are some thousands,
their flesh of exquisite flavour. The cattle are of the
Highland breed, and, from the care bestowed on their
improvement, the greater number are inferior to none
in weight and symmetry. Even those of the smaller
tenants are superior to most in the Hebrides in size and
quality, and are still improving under the encouragement
of the proprietor, who gives premiums for the finest
specimens. A number of horses are reared for purposes
of husbandry: they are hardy and strong, though in
general of but moderate stature; and those bred by the
princijjal tenants are equal, both in size and value, to
those kept for agricultural use in the south of Scotland.
There are scarcely any plantations, but from the discovery
of trunks and roots of trees in the mosses, at a
great depth from the surface, it would appear that the
island of North Uist anciently abounded with timber.
Trees have been planted in some few sheltered spots,
and continue to thrive; but from the general want of
shelter, little jjrogress has been made. The annual
value of real |)ri)perty in the parish is £40S0. There is
no village properly so called; and the only manufacture
is that of kelp, in which the tenants are employed
by the proprietor of the island during intervals of
leisure from agricultural pursuits, in the months of
June, July, and August. About 900 tons of kelp are
annually made, and sent to the southern markets; 400
persons are thus employed, and the average earnings of
each family are £4 for the season. The handicraft
trades requite for the wants of the parish are carried on
in different places, and there are also several shops. At
Loch Maddy, which is a packet-station, about eleven
vessels, varying from twenty to sixty tons' burthen each,
and several of which were built in the parish, are employed
in the coasting trade. A post-office has been
established at the same place, which has three deliveries
weekly; a gaol has been built, and there is a good inn.
Fairs for black-cattle, sheep, and horses, are held in the
neighbourhood of Loch Maddy, in July and September;
and facility of communication is maintained by good
roads, which have been lately extended, and by a packet
that sails three times a week to the Isle of Skye.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs this parish is within the
limits of the presbytery of Uist and synod of Glenelg.
The minister's stipend is £15S. 6. 8., of which more
than one-half is paid from the exchequer; with an
allowance in lieu of manse, and a glebe valued at £40
per annum: patron, the Crown. The church, erected
in 1764, is a plain structure containing sittings for
400 persons. A church was erected by government, in
182S, at Trumisgarry (which see); and at Carinish is a
missionary station, the minister of which is supported
by the Royal Bounty, and officiates in a building containing
396 sittings. The parochial school affords instruction
to about sixty children; the master has a
salary of £34. 4. 4., and the fees average £16. Two
schools are supported by the education committee of
the General Assembly, who pay the masters a salary of
£25 each; and various other schools are supported by
the Glasgow Auxiliary Gaelic Society, and the Society
for Propagating Christian Knowledge.
Nearly in the centre of the parish are two hills, on
the summits of which immense cairns of loose stones
have been raised. As there are no stones within a
great distance of the site, it is difficult to imagine how
these stones, some of them of enormous weight, can
have been conveyed to their present situation. They
are supposed to have been raised over the remains of
some distinguished leaders who were slain in a battle
that took place near the spot; but no particulars of any
such event have been recorded. On the islands in some
of the inland lakes, and on the high grounds in different
parts of the parish, are vestiges of Danish forts, within
view of each other, and apparently intended as a chain
of signal stations, to give notice of the approach of an
enemy. At Carinish, in the south, are the remains of
an ancient church called Teampul na-Trianade, or " the
temple of the Trinity", which is supposed to have been
the first Christian church erected in the Highlands.
There arc some Druidical remanis, and the ruins of various
cha])cls, in the burial-grounds of which are crosses
rudely sculptured, and in two of them obelisks of stone,
of considerable height.