Ness () is the northernmost part of the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () 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 if they were separate islands. The t ...

, a community consisting of about 16 villages, including Lionel, Habost, Swainbost,

Cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and South Dell, Cross Skigersta,

Skigersta Skigersta () is a village to the south east of Ness, Lewis, Ness on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It is the easternmost settlement in the Ness district and is 5km (3miles) southeast of the Butt of Lewis. Skigersta is situate ...

Eorodale Eorodale () is a settlement in the community of Ness, on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Eorodale is within the parish of Barvas Barvas (Scottish Gaelic: ''Barabhas'' or ''Barbhas'', ) is a settlement, community and civil parish on t ...

, Adabroc,

Port of Ness Port of Ness () is a village on the Isle of Lewis in the community of Ness, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Port of Ness is within the parish of Barvas. Port of Ness is situated at the end of the A857, which runs from Stornoway. In 2014, the N ...

, Knockaird, Fivepenny and Eoropie. It was the most north-westerly community in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, when the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

was a member. Its most northerly point is the

Butt of Lewis The Butt of Lewis () is the most northerly point on the Island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The headland, which lies in the North Atlantic, is frequently battered by heavy swells and storms and is marked by the Butt of Lewis Lig ...

. The name Ness derives from the

old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

for ''headland'' and many of the other place names in the area also have a Norse origin.

History

In the medieval period, the Ness area was dominated by the

Clan Morrison Clan Morrison is a Scottish clan. The Highland Clan Morrison is traditionally associated with the Lewis and Harris, Isle of Lewis and Harris (Leòdhas) around Ness, Lewis, Ness (Nis), Dun Pabbay, and Barvas (Barabhas), lands in Sutherland aroun ...

, including the island of Dùn Èistean where numerous archeologically remains have been discovered. In 1862, 31 fisherman from Ness were lost during a storm in what was named the 'Great Drowning of Ness'. The incident resulted in 24 widows and 71 children being left without fathers. In 1919, a Ness boat builder called John F. Macleod from Port saved 40 lives following the sinking of H.M.Y. ''Iolaire'' by managing to take a line to shore. The Ness Historical Society, the first historical society to be established in the Outer Hebrides, was established in 1977. Since 2007, Ness is part of the Galson Estate, which is owned by ''Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn'' (Galson Estate Trust) which is managed by 10 local trustees elected by the community. The official hand-over took place on 12 January 2007. In 2011, the small school at Cross closed due to declining rolls, latterly having only 19 pupils. The buildings, including Ness Hall have now been taken over by Comunn Eachdraidh Nis, the Ness Historical Society as a museum.

Community

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

is the language of the community with 75% being able to speak it.

Peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

cut from the moor, is used as a fuel for cooking and heating in many homes, but its use is on the decline. The 2001 Census results show a resident population of just under 1,000. In 1831 Ness had a population of just over 3,000.

Traditions

Each year 10 men from Ness go out to the island of

Sula Sgeir Sula Sgeir is a small, uninhabited Scotland, Scottish islet in the North Atlantic, west of North Rona, Rona. One of the most remote islands of the British Isles, it lies approximately north of Isle of Lewis, Lewis and is best known for its ...

in late August to September for a

fortnight A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (two weeks). The word derives from the Old English term , meaning "" (or "fourteen days", since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights). Astronomy and tides In astronomy, a ''lunar fortnight'' is hal ...

to harvest around 2,000 young

gannets Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus ''Morus'' in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. They are known as 'solan' or 'solan goose' in Scotland. A common misconception is that the Scottish name is 'guga' but this is the Gaelic nam ...

known locally as Guga. The Guga hunt is a Ness tradition and the bird considered a delicacy. The practice was described at length as part of the story in

The Blackhouse ''The Blackhouse'' is a suspense thriller,
''New York Times'', 16 November 2012< ...

novel by Scottish writer Peter May, much of which is set in Ness. Ness is known for its Sgoth, a type of clinker built skiff with a dipping

lug sail The lug sail, or lugsail, is a fore-and-aft, four-cornered sail that is suspended from a spar, called a yard. When raised, the sail area overlaps the mast. For "standing lug" rigs, the sail may remain on the same side of the mast on both the port ...

. The boats were used for line fishing until the early half of the twentieth century. There are several still in active use owned by community trusts which maintain them.

Transport

Ness is accessible via the A857 road and is about by road from

Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...

. Ness can also be reached by walking across the moor from North Tolsta in

Back The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...

to Skigersta. It is about and takes 6 hours at a leisurely pace.

Landmarks

Landmarks include the 13th-century Teampull Mholuaidh in Eoropie and the small island of Dùn Èistean which is the ancestral home of the Lewis Morrisons of the

. There is a road sign to the bridge across to Dùn Èistean, and archaeological excavations have been taking place there. Morrisons of Harris and Lewis can traditionally be found around Nis, and in the north-west Highlands in the county of Sutherland around the town of

Durness Durness () is a village and civil parish in the north-west Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north coast of the country in the traditional county of Sutherland, around north of Inverness. The area is remote, and the parish is huge and spar ...

(Scottish Gaelic: Diùranais). There is a Ness Fishery Memorial above the harbour at Port of Ness that honours the local fisherman who have died as a result of sinkings and drownings. The memorial was unveiled in 2014 at the instigation of local veteran boat-builder John Murdo Macleod.

Education

Lionel School is the only remaining school providing for Ness. The school roll is 116.

Sport

Football is the main sport with Ness FC playing their home matches on Fivepenny Machair. 'Spors Nis' is a new (2007) Community Sports Centre with all the modern facilities you would expect including a two lane 10 pin bowling alley. Lionel School also has a swimming pool which is open to the public when not in use by the school.

Notable People

* Murdoch Campbell, minister

References

External links

Census results 2001 for Ness
* (Ness Historical Society) {{Authority control Isle of Lewis Surfing locations in Scotland