500 A.D. saw the arrival of the first Christian missionaries making their way up the west coast of mainland Britain. They were wiped out by the Vikings in the 800's but christianity is alive and well today in the Outer Hebrides. Indeed, the influence of christianity on the islanders is obvious, but people rarely consider the influence of the islands on the faith. So before telling you about the Disruption, let's start by looking at how the islands affected faith. I will use tales of Harris for this part of the story.
I think that in England we take the siting of graveyards for granted; either around the local parish churches or out on the edges of towns and cities. Well, if you died in the Bays area of Harris, you could not be buried there for there simply is no soil in which to bury you. So your body would have been transported slowly along the 'coffin road' across Harris from the Bays on the east coast to the machair of the west coast. This was a long and often perilous journey as streams had to be waded through due to the absence of bridges. Often small piles of rocks would be left where the people rested from the weight of carrying a coffin over such difficult terrain. On a very practical point, there are no crematories on the Outer Hebrides, so bodies have to go to Inverness for cremation.
Facilities for the islanders to learn to read and write were slow to come to the Outer Hebrides; perhaps it was in the interest of the proprietors and the priests to keep the people ignorant and subservient. The difficult terrain meant that some islanders only went to church twice a year and so were left on their own for most of the time. One of the oldest schools in Harris was between Leverburgh and Rodel and it was clear that people wanted to learn to read the bible for themselves. But this task was made more difficult as the people spoke Gaelic, not English, and the Bibles were written in English. Indeed the use of Gaelic in the classroom was banned for a long time, but nowadays school children can receive their education in Gaelic. We heard this language used all around us in the cafes, museums, and shops.
The priests of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries held considerable influence over the islanders and the ladies of Lewis could not wear fashionable bright coloured clothes as this was disapproved of by the preachers. So, everyone wore black. And the relative lack of progress in agriculture and any sort of economical activity is put down to the influence of the church who didn't think that people should try to do better than their neighbours.
Visitors to Harris and Lewis are often surprised to find that almost everything is closed on a Sunday; a tradition which has long since disappeared from mainland UK. Sunday is a day of rest and church-going, not a day for any visible signs of working. This habit is known as the Sabbath stillness, and even newcomers to the islands soon learn that they should not hang their washing out on a Sunday! According to Bill Lawson, you can tell a Hearaich (a native of Harris) by the way they walk in single file, even when they walk alone! For in the olden days, the long walk to church was a solemn process, as was the service itself.
The DISRUPTION encompasses the great sense of bitterness which ensued on the formation of the Free Church of Scotland. Even today, members of the Free Church of Scotland might avoid those members of the Church of Scotland. Religion in Harris is taken very seriously and people have long memories! It all comes down to the right of self-determination and freedom from interference from outsiders. The Patronage Act of 1712 conferred on a heritor of the manor to decide who would be the vicar, regardless of who the congregation wanted. This vexed question of patronage was the main factor contributing to the separation of the Free Church from the Established Church in 1843. The bulk of the people of the islands joined the new Free Church of Scotland, with the farmers (land-owners) and merchants staying with the established Church of Scotland.
Perhaps the most important church remaining in Harris today is St. Clement's church in Rodel, at the far south of the island, clearly visible for some distance (see photo above). A short distance from the church and you can see the rugged coastline looking towards the Isle of Skye in the far distance. While St. Clement's church has some delicacy about it, most other churches we passed in the Outer Hebrides were gloomy, grey-stoned, solid structures towering over the local housing. One downside of driving on single tract roads is the lack of places to stop the car to take photos! So, I cannot show you examples of these places of worship.
Curiously, you can find very human touches built into the fabric of the stone wall surrounding St. Clement's church. In the photos below you should be able to find a stone heart (now cracked) and a stone flower.
St. Clement's church was built in around 1520 on the site of a pre-existing church. After fires and natural decay, the church was restored by the Countess of Dunmore in 1873. Today it is an empty shell but still houses exquisite tombs and stone work. Of most importance is the tomb of Alasdair 'Crotach' MacLeod of Dunvegan and Harris, 8th Chief of the Clan MacLeod who died in 1547.
In 1266 the islands were formally ceded by the Vikings to the Scottish Crown lead by the Lordship of the Isles. The last Lord of the Isles submitted to James IV of Scotland in 1494 and the clan chiefs were no longer buried in Iona which had been the Lordship's religious centre. So they built their own churches and the MacLeods were buried in Rodel.
There are private burial enclosures (caibeal) around the church housing the graves of those persons of significance.
Another significant church building in Harris is The Temple in Northton; a small late medieval chapel. It is the small dot at the far end of the coastline in the photo above. The scenery along the long walk to The Temple is stunningly beautiful, with at least three white-sanded beaches to roam across and many cows and sheep to negotiate. The Temple was rebuilt in 1528 and before then would have been built by missionaries in the time of Columba. There is evidence of Iron Age workings (a broch) whose stones were probably re-used to build this chapel.
When it comes to religion there is a significant north-south divide in the Outer Hebrides; the people of the more northern islands (Harris and Lewis) belong to the Church of Scotland in its various forms, while those in the southern islands (the Uists and Eriskay) are Catholic. As a result, you will not find any pubs in the northern islands but you will find one in Eriskay! Harris does have a few hotels with bars but most drinking seems to be done at home, thus raising the incidence of alcoholism in these pub-less communities.
As you drive south down South Uist, you will see a statue of The Lady of the Isles up on the hillside to your left. It was erected on the western slope of Rueval in 1957, and she has the face of a typical island woman. It was commissioned and paid for by the local community when the Ministry of Defence built nearby. It is said to be a public and permanent reminder to 'strangers' that they were entering a 'different' world.
You cannot miss St. Michael's church as you drive onto the southern island of Eriskay. It sits neatly on top of a little hill and looks out over the Eriskay causeway. St. Michaels' church is a relative youngster, being built in 1903, and is dedicated to St. Micheal the Archangel.
Note the boat under the main alter in the photo to the left. This features in Peter May's novel 'The Lewisman' which provides a depressing/distressing fictional account of religion-based orphanages in the 20th century. It was from this book that I learnt of the religious divide between these islands.
The religious heritage of the Outer Hebrides is still visible in the landscape and in the manner in which Hebrideans manage their lives to this day. Bare this in mind when you read the other sections of my blog about Exploring the Outer Hebrides.
