Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Archaeology Notes
Event ID 657901
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/657901
NG25NW 4 2194 5715.
(NG 219 570) Isay: shown as a township c.1600 (J Blaeu 1662) .... total depopulation before 1875 (OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 1st ed., 1880).
J Blaeu 1662; Visited by OS (A C) 20 January 1961.
The township of Isay was built c.1830 by MacDonald of Waternish as a small fishing community for people evicted from Bracadale, but did not last for more than about 30 years. The houses were constructed by a mason brought from Edinburgh, assisted by local labour (Information from Mr MacDonald, Land-owner, Waternish House).
The depopulated township comprises about 13 large ruined houses of a type not normally met with in Skye, with outbuildings and yards which stretch along the E shore of Isay, just above high water mark. There are also extensive areas of lazy-beds.
The large building at NG 220 517 was built c.1750 as a summer-house for the MacDonalds (Information from Mr MacDonald). It is of two storeys, constructed of rubble masonry, but now roofless. (Visible on RAF air photographs CPE/Scot/UK 175: 1385-6)
Visited by OS (A C) 20 January 1961.
A township, comprising twenty-eight unroofed buildings and eight enclosures is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, Isle of Skye 1880, sheet xv). Twenty-eight buildings and three enclosures are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10560 map (1968).
Information from RCAHMS (AKK) 15 October 1996.
