Borve ( gd, Borgh) is a village on the

west side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

of the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis ( gd, Eilean Leòdhais) or simply Lewis ( gd, Leòdhas, ) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as ...

in Scotland, from the island's only town, Stornoway.

Location

The village lies on the River Borve, which is crossed by two adjacent

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s. The older bridge, built of stone rubble and consisting of a single arch, dates from the late 19th century and is no longer used for road traffic. The modern bridge was built in the early 1990s at a cost of £250,000. The main road through the village is the A857 between Stornoway and Ness. The village is in three parts: Borve, previously Fivepenny Borve, which stretches from the southern boundary to the river Borve; High Borve, previously Mid-Borve, north of the river; and Melbost Borve, nearest Galson.

History

Prehistory

In Melbost Borve there are the remains of a burial ground (Cladh Bhrighid) and the barely visible ruins of a tiny chapel, ''Teampall Bhrìghid'', and a well, ''Tobar'' ''Bhrìghid'', - all dedicated to

St Brigid Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogra ...

. About north of Melbost Borve stand the ruins of the pre-Norse broch Dun Bhuirgh. Its name derives from the old Norse word ''borg'', meaning a fort, and according to 19th-century accounts is the origin of the village's name. The original fort was circular in shape with an internal diameter of and walls thick.

The ''Clan Macquarrie'' rescue

On the night of 31 January to 1 February 1953, the

Clan Line The Clan Line was a passenger and cargo shipping company that operated in one incarnation or another from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. History Foundation and early years The company that would become the Clan Lin ...

vessel ''SS Clan Macquarrie'' (7131 tons) was driven onto the

foreshore The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species of ...

at Borve by gales. Braving the horrendous weather, with winds gusting up to , local men got a

breeches buoy A breeches buoy is a rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one place to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg harn ...

onto the vessel and rescued all 66 crew members. In recognition of the villagers' courage and hospitality, the Clan Line donated funds for the construction of a village hall.

War memorial

To the north of the Community Centre stands the North Lewis War Memorial, which records the names of men from Borve, Galson, Shader, and Ballantrushal who died in the two World Wars and the Iolaire Disaster of 1919. The memorial also records one casualty of the Boer Wars.

Churches

Borve Free Church is in the village centre. The church has recently been used for traditional Hebridean weddings.

Teampall Bhrìghid

The ruins of an earlier church and graveyard, Teampall Bhrìghid (St Bridget's Church) are found in Melbost Borve. The stone has been robbed out to build other structures and all that remains of the church, now, is a grassy mound. Local tradition holds that Swain, a Norse king, was buried with his crown at Teampall Bhrìghid.

References

External links

Borgh - Photographs of some of the locations mentioned above
{{Lewis and Harris Villages in the Isle of Lewis