Angus Graham was a strongman

Strongman (strength athlete)

In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...

 born circa 1812 on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and died at Habost

Habost

Habost is the name of two crofting townships on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.One is in the Ness area at the northern tip of the island at and is home to an arts and music centre....

 in the Port of Ness

Port of Ness

Port of Ness is a village on the Isle of Lewis in the parish of Ness, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.Each year men from Ness district sail from the port to Sula Sgeir in the Atlantic Ocean in order to collect young gannets for food. The event, which was first recorded in the 16th century, is now...

 in the year 1896. Throughout life Angus achieved a name for himself as a man of outstanding physical strength. He was widely reported to be the strongest man on Lewis

Lewis

Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....

 and possibly Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. His incredible feats of strength have become folklore on the island, one being the rolling of a large boulder

Boulder

In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....

 which is still to be seen on the Barvas moor in Lewis. The large boulder, possibly weighing more than a ton, was moved by Angus when he was around 40 years old. In recent times the boulder has been painted white, by someone wishing to ensure that the stone was not forgotten. This stone is marked by a commemorative plaque which was unveiled by Kenneth John Mackay, chairman of the Angus Graham Stone Committee, celebrating the strength of Angus Graham.

Many anecdotes still in circulation are based on his reputation as the strongest man in Lewis, sometimes getting confused with the feats of the other famous hebridean strongman

Strongman (strength athlete)

In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...

 Angus MacAskill

Angus MacAskill

Angus Mòr MacAskill, frequently referred to as Giant MacAskill or Black Angus , was a Scottish-Canadian giant, and is the world's largest "true" giant...

 (who was confirmed as the strongest man ever to have lived, and who also lived in the Western Isles, upon the Isle of Berneray

Berneray, North Uist

Berneray is an island and community in the Sound of Harris, Scotland. It is one of fifteen inhabited islands in the Outer Hebrides. It is famed for its rich and colourful history which has attracted much tourism....

).

See also

• Angus MacAskill
  Angus MacAskill
  Angus Mòr MacAskill, frequently referred to as Giant MacAskill or Black Angus , was a Scottish-Canadian giant, and is the world's largest "true" giant...
  
  
• Donald Dinnie
  Donald Dinnie
  Donald Dinnie was a Scottish strongman, born at Balnacraig, Birse, near Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. He has been recognized as "The Nineteenth Century's Greatest Athlete"...
  
  
• Stone put
  Stone put
  The stone put is one of the main Scottish heavy athletic events at modern-day Highland games gatherings. Similar to the shot put, the stone put more frequently uses an ordinary stone or rock instead of a steel ball...
  
  
• Hammer toss
• Weight for Distance
  Weight throw
  The weight throw is a track and field event that is held at Scottish Highland games and occasionally at indoor track meets.In the Highland Games, the weight throw consists of two separate events, the light weight and the heavy weight. In both cases, the implement consists of a steel or lead weight ...
  
  
• Weight for Height
  Weight over the bar
  The Weight Over the Bar competition is a test of strength featured at Scottish Highland games. The weight is a steel or lead weight attached to a metal circular handle. The weight is thrown one-handed over a bar set at increasing heights above the thrower. The thrower has three attempts for each...
  
  
• Sheaf toss
  Sheaf toss
  The sheaf toss is a traditional Scottish agricultural sport event originally contested at country fairs. A pitchfork is used to hurl a burlap bag stuffed with straw over a horizontal bar above the competitor's head. Typical weight for the bag is 16 pounds . Three chances are given to each...
  
  
• Western Isles Strongest man
  Western Isles Strongest man
  Western Isles Strongest man is held annually at the village of Tong on the island of Lewis and Harris. It is usually held in conjunction with the local Highland Games where the heavy athletes compete against each other over the coveted title, a trophy and prize money...