Lewis, Balllan, Pairc Deer Raid Monument
Commemorative Monument (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Lewis, Balllan, Pairc Deer Raid Monument
Classification Commemorative Monument (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 118897
Site Number NB21NE 7
NGR NB 2611 1964
NGR Description NB c. 2611 1964
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/118897
- Council Western Isles
- Parish Lochs
- Former Region Western Isles Islands Area
- Former District Western Isles
- Former County Ross And Cromarty
Balallan (Baile Ailein) Park Memorial, Will Maclean, with mason Jim Crawford, 1994 Simple stone structure like an upturned barrel, incorporating a circular stair with viewing platform overlooking Loch Erisort. It commemorates the Park Deer Raid of 1887, the desperate action of an overcrowded clearance township that ended in a reading of the Riot Act.
Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk
NB21NE 7 c. 2611 1964
See also: NB43SE 11 and NB44SE 56.
This is one of three monuments commemorating civil unrest in the 1880s in Lewis. This memorial cairn was built c1995 to commemorate the the Pairc Deer Raid of November 1887, and the crofters struggle for land in the face of worsening poverty. Through the raid, during which they killed many deer, they challenged the authority of the State (Lady Matheson in particular) in an attempt to regain some of the lands from which they had been cleared. Six of the raiders eventually faced trial in Edinburgh, but were acquitted by the High Court. The cairn was designed by Will Maclean and built by Jim Crawford (stone mason).
Information from RCAHMS (MKO), 5 June 1997.
