Crossbost is a village on 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 the parish of
North Lochs, 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 ...
,
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 ...
. It is located approximately ten miles away from
Stornoway
Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland.
The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well a ...
, the main town on the island. Due to its close proximity to the main island town there are very few local amenities. The village includes a
Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland may refer to:
* Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), seceded in 1843 from the Church of Scotland. The majority merged in 1900 into the United Free Church of Scotland; historical
* Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), rema ...
, graveyard, war memorial and an old fashioned,
red telephone box (this no longer accepts coins; cards only). There are two piers in the village, both of which are regularly used, mainly for personal rather than business use.
The village of Crossbost was formed in the 1840s after the
clearances of the people from Lemreway and other surrounding villages from the opposite side of
Loch Erisort
Loch Erisort ( gd, Èireasort) is an 8-mile-long narrow sea inlet on the east coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland.
Its name is a relic of the Viking Age and came from Old Norse ''Eiríksfjorðr'' = "Er ...
. Many of the families gathered the few possessions they could and came across the
loch
''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...
, most surviving their first winter in their upturned boats.
References
External links
Names on the Crossbost War Memorial
Villages in the Isle of Lewis
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