Great Bernera
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Great Bernera (; gd, Beàrnaraigh Mòr), often known just as Bernera ( gd, Beàrnaraigh), is an island and
community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
in the
Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
of
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. With an area of just over , it is the thirty-fourth largest
Scottish island This is a list of islands of Scotland, the mainland of which is part of the island of Great Britain. Also included are various other related tables and lists. The definition of an offshore island used in this list is "land that is surrounded by ...
. Great Bernera lies in
Loch Roag ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is cognate with the Manx lough, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh words for lake, llwch. In English English and Hiberno-English, the anglicised spelling ...
on the north-west coast of
Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
and is linked to it by a road bridge. Built in 1953, the bridge was the first pre-stressed concrete bridge in Europe. The main settlement on the island is
Breaclete Breacleit (or Roulanish; gd, Breacleit; Old Norse: ''Breiðiklettr'') is the central village on Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Breaclete is within the parish of Uig. Although the village name comes from a geographical feature r ...
(Gaelic: ''Breacleit''). The island, under the name of "Borva", was the setting for ''A Princess of Thule'' (1873) by the Scottish novelist William Black. The novel is notable for its descriptions of the local scenery.


History

The island's name is Norse in origin and is derived in honour of Bjarnar, father of the Norse Chieftain of Lewis Ketil Bjarnarson (or the Flatneif). The vast majority of placenames in the district are similarly Norse, implying extensive Viking settlement. The most common name on Great Bernera is MacDonald (MacDhòmhnaill or Dòmhnallach), and these are said to be descended from a watchman of the
Macaulays of Uig The Macaulay family of Uig in Lewis, known in Scottish Gaelic as ''Clann mhic Amhlaigh'', were a small family located around Uig on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There is no connection between the Macaulays of Lewis and ...
, who gave him the island in return for his services. Since 1962, the island has been owned by Robin de la Lanne-Mirrlees, a former Queen's Herald, who is recognised as Laird of Bernera. He eventually inherited the title Prince of Coronata and died in 2012. His home Bernera Lodge was at
Kirkibost Kirkibost ( gd, Eilean Chirceaboist) is a low-lying island west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Geography Kirkibost, along with neighbouring Baleshare, is covered by a machair system of coastal plains covered with shell sand, p ...
.


Kirkibost / Circeabost

In the southeast of the island is the first planned crofting township in the Outer Hebrides. It was created in 1805 by the regular allotting of individual crofts by the Earl of Seaforth's land surveyor, James Chapman. The tenants of this planned village were all evicted in 1823 and the publication of the first edition of the Ordnance Survey rather poignantly showed the deserted village and the original parallel croft boundaries. The village was resettled in 1878 and the original boundaries are still in use today.


Calanais VIII

Callanish VIII The Callanish VIII stone setting is one of many megalithic structures around the better-known (and larger) Calanais I on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles), Scotland. It is also known locally as Tursachan. ...
is a unique standing stone arrangement near the bridge between Lewis and Bernera, set out in a semicircle. It is known locally as ''Tursachan'', which means merely "Standing Stones". The ruins of Dun Barraglom
broch A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy. Origin ...
are nearby.


Bostadh

Bernera is also known for its
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
(or possibly
Pictish Pictish is the extinct language, extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited num ...
) settlement at Bostadh (or Bosta), discovered in 1992 and now covered by sand so that it is preserved. A replica Iron Age house matching those now buried is sited nearby. Bostadh Beach is the location of a Time and Tide Bell, one of a series of installations by
Marcus Vergette Marcus Vergette MRSS (born 1961) is an American sculptor based in the UK, much of whose recent work involves bells. He is also a double bass player and composer. Early life and education Vergette was born in Carbondale, Illinois. He studied at ...
.


Teampall Chirceaboist

Teampall Chirceaboist (St Macel in Kirkibos) is the ruin of church, that is a
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
. However, there is some debate about its actual location, local belief is that the scheduled monument is actually a more recent church, built around 1820, and the real Teampall Chirceaboist is located further up a hill.


Bernera Riot

The island was the location of the
Bernera Riot The Bernera Riot occurred in 1874, on the island of Great Bernera, in Scotland in response to the Highland Clearances. The use of the term 'Bernera Riot' correctly relates to the court case which exposed the maltreatment of the peasant classes ...
of 1874, when
crofter A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable, and usually, but not always, with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer, especially in rural area ...
s resisted the
Highland clearances The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulte ...
. This was a peasant revolt and subsequent legal case which resulted in a victory for oppressed small-tenants against the heavy-handed evictions and treatment by Donald Munro, the factor of
Sir James Matheson Sir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet, FRS (17 November 179631 December 1878), was a Scottish Tai-Pan. Born in Shiness, Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, he was the son of Captain Donald Matheson. He attended Edinburgh's Royal High Sch ...
. The islanders refused to agree to remove their stock in favour of expanding sporting estates, and were in turn threatened with a military visit. This did not occur, but even more eviction notices were handed out, and the visitors were pelted with clods of earth. The legal case was the first recorded victory for small-tenants at will and the evidence that was heard at the eleven-hour trial paved the way for land reform in Scotland.


Geography and geology

The island is roughly long by wide, the length being oriented from northwest to southeast. The coast is much indented and there are also numerous fresh water bodies such as Loch Barabhat, Loch Breacleit and Loch Niocsabhat. The highest point is the eminence of Sealabhal Bhiorach south of Bostadh and north of Tobson that reaches . There are deposits of
muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage ...
and tremolite asbestos. An example of a rock of tremolite on muscovite from Great Bernera is shown in the photograph to the right. The western side of the island is included in the South Lewis, Harris and
North Uist North Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Tuath; sco, North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Etymology In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and ...
National Scenic Area.


Surrounding islands

There are many islands in Loch Roag. To the west, from north to south are Pabaigh Mòr,
Vacsay Vacsay ( gd, Bhacsaigh from Old Norse "bakkiey" meaning "peat bank island") is one of the Outer Hebrides. It is off the west coast of Lewis in West Loch Roag. It is in size, and at its highest point. History Like many of the surrounding i ...
(''Bhacsaigh''),
Fuaigh Mòr Fuaigh Mòr (sometimes anglicised as Vuia Mor) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It is off the west coast of Lewis near Great Bernera in Loch Roag. It is and at its highest point. History In 1841, Fuaigh Mòr was the scene o ...
(''Vuia Mòr''), and
Fuaigh Beag Fuaigh Beag or Vuia Be(a)g is an island in the Outer Hebrides. It is off the west coast of Lewis near Great Bernera in Loch Roag. Its name means "little Fuaigh", and is named in contrast to Fuaigh Mòr nearby. History The element "Fuaigh", deriv ...
(''Vuia Beg''). To the north, the island of Bearnaraigh Beag (
Little Bernera Little Bernera ( gd, Beàrnaraigh Beag) is a small island situated off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Little Bernera lies between the sea lochs of West and East Loch Roag, immediately to the north of Great Bernera. ...
), and a number of islets. To the east, there are not so many islands, but there is
Eilean Chearstaidh Eilean Kearstay ( gd, Eilean Chearstaigh) is an uninhabited island in Loch Roag in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It lies south east of Great Bernera, just across the water from the headland of Callanish Callanish ( gd, Calanais) is a villa ...
(Eilean Kerstay) to the southeast.


Flora and fauna

Sea life is especially rich where there is tidal run between the ''Caolas Bhalasaigh'' (English: "Valasay Straits/Kyles") and the inner
sea-loch ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is cognate with the Manx lough, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh words for lake, llwch. In English English and Hiberno-English, the anglicised spel ...
of ''Tòb Bhalasaigh''. There are numerous
molluscs Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil sp ...
,
sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
s, brittlestars, and
sea star Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...
s, the latter growing noticeably larger in size than normal. Cup coral,
snakelocks anemone The snakelocks anemone (''Anemonia viridis'') is a sea anemone found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The latter population is however sometimes considered a separate species, the Mediterranean snakelocks anemone (''Anem ...
and dead man's fingers coral, may also be found here. Common fish include shanny and butterfish and
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
and
common seal The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinnipeds, pinniped (walruses ...
s are regular off-shore visitors. Great Bernera hosts numerous seabird species, including gulls, waders and ducks such as
goldeneye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the ser ...
. More unusually, a
jack snipe The jack snipe or jacksnipe (''Lymnocryptes minimus'') is a small stocky wader. It is the smallest snipe, and the only member of the genus ''Lymnocryptes''. Features such as its sternum make it quite distinct from other snipes or woodcocks. Et ...
was observed on the island in 2007.


Economy and infrastructure

Great Bernera's population is mainly dependent on
lobster fishing Lobsters are widely fished around the world for their meat. They are often hard to catch in large numbers, but their large size can make them a profitable catch. Although the majority of the targeted species are tropical, the majority of the glob ...
,
crofting Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production particular to the Scottish Highlands, the islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man. Within the 19th century townships, individual crofts were established on the bette ...
and tourism. There is a Primary school located in Breacleit. Fertile
machair A machair (; sometimes machar in English) is a fertile low-lying grassy plain found on part of the northwest coastlines of Ireland and Scotland, in particular the Outer Hebrides. The best examples are found on North and South Uist, Harris an ...
pasture permits sheep and cattle grazing. A processing plant was built at Kirkibost in 1972. There are still some weavers but this is no longer one of the main industries.
Breacleit Breacleit (or Roulanish; gd, Breacleit; Old Norse: ''Breiðiklettr'') is the central village on Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Breaclete is within the parish of Uig. Although the village name comes from a geographical feature r ...
is home to a small
museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
, mini-mart & off licence, school, a post office, church, community centre with café, petrol station, fire station and doctor's surgery. Communications were much improved during the 20th century. The first
telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
was installed on Lewis in 1897 and outlying villages were slowly connected. Great Bernera was the last exchange to link to Lewis with a single wire circuit and an earth return. The bridge to the island from Lewis was built in 1953 and was one of the first constructed using pre-stressed concrete post-tensioned techniques in Europe. It was constructed after the islanders threatened to dynamite the hillside to create a causeway of their own making. The bridge is sometimes referred to as The Bridge over the Atlantic, though this designation is also used for other bridges in Scotland and Faroes. In 2003 the island residents were considering a feasibility study into bringing the island into community ownership, a process that has been successfully completed by the islanders of
Gigha Gigha (; gd, Giogha, italic=yes; sco, Gigha) or the Isle of Gigha (and formerly Gigha Island) is an island off the west coast of Kintyre in Scotland. The island forms part of Argyll and Bute and has a population of 163 people. The climate is m ...
and
Eigg Eigg (; gd, Eige; sco, Eigg) is one of the Small Isles in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Isle of Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an a ...
. However, the laird is apparently popular locally and has said he is unwilling to sell. At the time of the 2011 census there were 252 people usually resident on the island, an increase of 8% on the figure of 233 for 2001.


Notable people

* Murdo Stewart Macdonald Born on the island (1852–1938); the last of the Sea Barons and Lloyds Surveyor of Shipping. * John Nicolson Macleod (1880-1954); Educationalist and writer. Was the schoolteacher resident in Bernera for many years. He was the author of the satirical collection of essays "Litrichean Alasdair Mhòir" and the definitive collection of poetry from Lewis "Bàrdachd Leòdhas". *
George Macleod George Fielden MacLeod, Baron MacLeod of Fuinary, (17 June 1895 – 27 June 1991) was a Scottish soldier and clergyman; he was one of the best known, most influential and unconventional Church of Scotland ministers of the 20th century. He ...
Born on the island (1890-1969); a maritime model-maker of national recognition with examples of his work on exhibit in The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich and the Liverpool Ship Museum. * Dr Peter John Macleod Born on the island (1896-1951); award-winning medical practitioner and specialist in rehabilitation of ex-servicemen. *
Callum Macdonald Callum Macdonald (1912–1999), was a Scottish printer and publisher born in Breaclete on the island of Great Bernera. He was educated in Stornoway and read History at the University of Edinburgh. After service in the Royal Air Force in World W ...
Born on the island (1912–99), arguably the most important publisher of Scottish poetry of the 20th century. * Robin de la Lanne-Mirrlees (1925-2012). Owner and Laird of Great Bernera formerly resident in Kirkibost. Mirrlees was a researcher in heraldry and set out the flag of the island. *
Dòmhnall MacAmhlaigh Dòmhnall MacAmhlaigh (21 May 1930 – 28 February 2017) was a Scottish Gaelic poet and professor.obituary on
...
Born on the island (1930-2017); Professor Emeritus in Celtic at the University of Aberdeen. He was one of the foremost modern Gaelic poets in Scotland and was a respected researcher in Norse/Gaelic placenames. *
Alistair Darling Alistair Maclean Darling, Baron Darling of Roulanish, (born 28 November 1953) is a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party, he was a Member ...
(born 1953); politician. The former
Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
owns a converted
blackhouse A blackhouse ( ga, teach dubh ; gd, t(a)igh-dubh ) is a traditional type of house which used to be common in Ireland, the Hebrides, and the Scottish Highlands. Origin of the name The origin of the name blackhouse is of some debate. On the Is ...
at Breaclete, and his mother's family were from the island. On 1 December 2015 he was created a
life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
, taking the title 'Baron Darling of Roulanish, of Great Bernera in the county of Ross and Cromarty'. *
Cathy MacDonald Cathy MacDonald (Gaelic: ) is a Scotland, Scottish broadcaster who is known for hosting many Scottish Gaelic-language television programmes such as Dotaman and has also presented BBC Scotland's ''Reporting Scotland'' news bulletins in the late 198 ...
Educated and resident in the district. Journalist and broadcaster who is the current anchor of numerous Gaelic television programmes.


See also

*
List of islands of Scotland This is a list of islands of Scotland, the mainland of which is part of the island of Great Britain. Also included are various other related tables and lists. The definition of an offshore island used in this list is "land that is surrounded by ...


References


External links

{{coord, 58, 13, 48, N, 6, 51, 0, W, display=title Islands of Loch Ròg