history

The people of Bernera have a long history stretching back from Neolithic times through the Iron Age and then the Norse (the Romans never reached this far north, hence the uninterrupted Iron Age).

place names and clans

The impact of the Norse period on the island is reflected in most place names. Indeed the name Bernera itself is said to come from Bjarnar—father of the Norse Chieftain of Lewis Ketil Bjarnarson—Bjarnar meaning Bear in Norse.

Or it may have been known as Bear Island (although there is no evidence of bears ever having lived here).

The name of the township of Kirkibost is derived from Old Norse, where kirkja means church and bost means dwelling place. The remains of a late mediaeval church are located in Kirkibost.

Little is known about the Middle Ages in Bernera, other than the clans to be found here: the Fergusons, Macaulays, Macdonalds, Macinnes’, Macivers, Mackays, Mackenzies, Maclennans, Macleods, Morrisons and Smiths.

pirates and buried treasure

One notable person from the early 17th century was Neil Macleod, described as ‘a bit of a rogue’.

Having fallen foul of both his family and the authorities, Neil and his followers took refuge on Berisay island where they held out for three years.

During that time Macleod indulged in piracy in and around the islands; his most famous capture was the Priam—another pirate ship—laden with gold and silver which Neil and his crew plundered.

It is said that, as the authorities closed in, Macleod buried some of this gold on Bernera but it has never been found.

He finally surrendered from Berisay when his wife and children were tied to rocks exposed only at low tide.

On 30 March 1613 Macleod was taken to Edinburgh for trial on, amongst other things, piracy, murder and theft, where he was sentenced to be hanged.

recent history

The 19th and 20th centuries had several notable events that combined make the history of Bernera very interesting, some of which had influence or impact at a national level.

1805

In 1805, Kirkibost became one of the first lotted crofting villages in Scotland, giving rise to what is now thought to be the ‘classic’ crofting layout, each croft being long and narrow, giving everyone access to the shore and comprising an area of lower, flattish arable land and higher, poorer quality, grazing land.

The crofts also had access to a common grazing area; in the summer months the women and children would stay in shielings (stone shelters) on the common grazings to tend the animals, returning home only once a week for provisions.

1863

1863 saw the building of the Loch Risay Lobster Pond by Murdo Morrison. A lobster pond is a dammed area where lobsters caught at sea were stored until such times as they were large enough and the market conditions were right for them to be sent to the mainland for sale. The Loch Risay Lobster Pond was still in use in the 1950’s.

1874

1874 saw what later became known as the 'Bernera Riot'. Over the years the crofters of Bernera had had their common ground moved several times, each move resulting in poorer and poorer land. In 1874 they finally refused to move again and Donald Munro, Chamberlain of Lewis, together with two men, came out with the intention of evicting 57 crofting families. The three men were promptly chased off, to their harm and distress.

A few days later, Angus Macdonald, said to be one of the ringleaders, was seen in Stornoway and arrested by the police. People in Stornoway came out to see what was going on and allegedly became rowdy. The Sheriff was called and he read the Riot Act to disperse the crowd. Angus was taken to jail.

Word got back to Bernera and 150 men of the island rose up and marched the 15 miles to Stornoway, accompanied by a piper, to air their grievances with the then owner of Lewis, Sir James Matheson.

Four men were identified as ringleaders of the activities on Bernera, and Angus Macdonald, Norman Macaulay and Iain Macleod were summoned to court in Stornoway. They were aptly defended by Inverness lawyer Charles Innes and were acquitted by the end of the day.

The Bernera Riot was the first in a series of Land Wars which consequently led to the Crofters’ Holdings (Scotland) Act being passed in 1886, which granted security to crofters and established a court to mediate on land disputes.

A Cairn commemorating the event has been erected at the junction to Tobson, incorporating stones from every croft in Bernera and Tir Mor. The coping (top) stones are taken from the houses of the three men who stood trial.

1878

1878 saw peat run out as a fuel for the crofters living at Bosta. They were all moved to other parts of Bernera and Lewis—some even emigrating—and Bosta village was abandoned. Only the outlines of the houses can be seen today.

1953

1953 saw the opening of the first Bernera Bridge. Prior to that all people, goods and livestock had to be moved by boat. This was the first pre-stressed concrete bridge to be built in Britain and was of great interest to many engineers. The bridge was recently deemed no longer structurally sound for today’s heavy vehicles and was replaced by a new one in 2021.

1970s
Community Centre

In the 1970s a few members of the community took on the task of raising funds and starting work on a new purpose-built Community Centre, a huge achievement for a small rural community. Since then, the Centre has been further expanded and developed into what it is now.

Many more stories and artefacts on the history of Bernera can be found in the Bernera Museum and in the booklet ‘A History of Bernera’, which is available to buy in the Museum.