Bearasaigh
Encyclopedia
Bearasaigh or Bearasay is an islet in outer Loch Ròg
, Lewis
, Scotland. During the late 16th and early 17th centuries it was used as a pirates' hideout and the remains of various buildings from that period still exist. In the modern era its cliffs are used for rock-climbing.
, Little Bernera
and Flodaigh (flat island) and south of Seanna Chnoc (old hill). Although steep-sided the isle has a relatively flat summit. Immediately to the west is Stac an Tùill and there is a sea cave to the north east. The deep sea channel between Bearasaigh and Seanna Chnoc is said to be "troublesome" when the wind opposes the tidal current.
of the MacLeods of Lewis, Old Ruari. In 1598 King James VI had authorised some "Gentleman Adventurers" from Fife
to civilise the "most barbarous Isle of Lewis" and take over the herring fisheries. Initially successful, the colonists were driven out by local forces commanded by Neil MacLeod, his brother Murdoch and his nephews Malcolm, William and Ruairi. The MacLeods, with a contingent of 40 men lived on Bearasaigh for three years, eluding the pro-monarchy MacKenzies
.
During their stay there the Priam under the command of the English pirate Peter Love
entered Loch Ròg. His ship was full of cargo which consisted of cinnamon
, ginger
, pepper
, cochineal
, sugar
, 700 Indian hides, and 29 pieces of silver plate which had been looted from an English ship; a box, containing various precious stones of great value, which had been looted from a Dutch ship; as well as a large number of musket
s. Love and MacLeod entered into an agreement and numerous ships were seized along with their cargoes. These included a ship owned by Thomas Fleming of Anstruther
, whom they detained as a prisoner and a Flemish
ship, later driven by bad weather onto the coast of Shetland, where the crew was forced to go ashore.
Neil MacLeod, however, betrayed Love, and during a feast attempted to seize the pirates. Some of the pirates were killed during a desperate scuffle, but Love and the Priam were captured by MacLeod and his men. This action provided MacLeod with both money and a means of reconciliation with the Scottish Government
. Love and nine of his men were handed over to the authorities in December 1610. They were tried in Edinburgh and hanged on the sands of Leith
.
MacLeod did not last much longer than Love. In 1613, he was forced from Bearasaigh and fled to Harris and the protection of his kinsman, chief Rory Mor MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan
. Neil MacLeod hoped he could obtain a pardon from King James VI but upon reaching Glasgow, MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan gave him up to the authorities. He was found guilty of high treason
and hanged in April 1613 and his son Donald was banished to England.
called "precipice isle", rock climbers
have identified a variety of routes on Bearasaigh's cliffs. "Hadrians Wall" is on the northwest corner of the island, "Pictland" at the north end and "Weathermans Geodha" on the eastern shore. There is also a climb called "Ask not for whom the Bell Tuills" on Stac an Tuill, a 50 metres (164 ft) sea stack
that requires a swimmer to set up Tyrolean traverse
s.
Bearasaigh is also a destination for experienced sea kayak
ers.
Loch Ròg
Loch Ròg or Loch Roag is a sea loch on the west coast of Lewis, Outer Hebrides.The waters of Loch Roag are pristine and clear, and are today the source of farmed organic salmon and organic mussels...
, 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 ....
, Scotland. During the late 16th and early 17th centuries it was used as a pirates' hideout and the remains of various buildings from that period still exist. In the modern era its cliffs are used for rock-climbing.
Geography
Bearasaigh lies north west of Great BerneraGreat Bernera
Great Bernera , often known just as Bernera is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. With an area of just over , it is the thirty-fourth largest Scottish island....
, Little Bernera
Little Bernera
Little Bernera is a small island situated off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.Little Bernera lies between the sea lochs of West and East Loch Roag, immediately to the north of Great Bernera...
and Flodaigh (flat island) and south of Seanna Chnoc (old hill). Although steep-sided the isle has a relatively flat summit. Immediately to the west is Stac an Tùill and there is a sea cave to the north east. The deep sea channel between Bearasaigh and Seanna Chnoc is said to be "troublesome" when the wind opposes the tidal current.
Pirate's redoubt
In the 16th century the island was the retreat of Neil McLeod, the Lewis patriot and illegitimate son of the clan chiefScottish clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the Scottish clan. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and...
of the MacLeods of Lewis, Old Ruari. In 1598 King James VI had authorised some "Gentleman Adventurers" from Fife
Fife adventurers
The Gentleman Adventurers of Fife or Fife Adventurers were a group of 12 Scottish Lowlander colonists awarded lands on the Isle of Lewis by King James VI in 1598 following the forfeiture of all MacLeod lands in 1597 when they failed to produce the title-deeds proving their ownership which had been...
to civilise the "most barbarous Isle of Lewis" and take over the herring fisheries. Initially successful, the colonists were driven out by local forces commanded by Neil MacLeod, his brother Murdoch and his nephews Malcolm, William and Ruairi. The MacLeods, with a contingent of 40 men lived on Bearasaigh for three years, eluding the pro-monarchy MacKenzies
Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st Lord Mackenzie of Kintail
Kenneth Mackenzie, the first Lord Mackenzie of Kintail , was a Highland clan chief who secured for himself and his heirs the entirety of the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and successfully pursued a bloody feud with the Macdonells of Glengarry.-Origins:Mackenzie was the son of Colin Cam...
.
During their stay there the Priam under the command of the English pirate Peter Love
Peter Love
Peter Love was an English pirate, said to have been born in Lewes, Sussex. He was the captain of the Priam, and for a time occupied a base on the island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, when he entered into an agreement with the Hebridean outlaw Neil MacLeod. From his base of operations on Lewis,...
entered Loch Ròg. His ship was full of cargo which consisted of cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
, ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, cochineal
Cochineal
The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, 700 Indian hides, and 29 pieces of silver plate which had been looted from an English ship; a box, containing various precious stones of great value, which had been looted from a Dutch ship; as well as a large number of musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s. Love and MacLeod entered into an agreement and numerous ships were seized along with their cargoes. These included a ship owned by Thomas Fleming of Anstruther
Anstruther
Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...
, whom they detained as a prisoner and a Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
ship, later driven by bad weather onto the coast of Shetland, where the crew was forced to go ashore.
Neil MacLeod, however, betrayed Love, and during a feast attempted to seize the pirates. Some of the pirates were killed during a desperate scuffle, but Love and the Priam were captured by MacLeod and his men. This action provided MacLeod with both money and a means of reconciliation with the Scottish Government
Government of Scotland
Prior to 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state, governed by the monarch, the privy council, and the parliament. As a result of the Treaty of Union agreed in 1706, the Parliaments of England and Scotland each passed Acts of Union to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.-History:Between...
. Love and nine of his men were handed over to the authorities in December 1610. They were tried in Edinburgh and hanged on the sands of Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
.
MacLeod did not last much longer than Love. In 1613, he was forced from Bearasaigh and fled to Harris and the protection of his kinsman, chief Rory Mor MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan
Roderick Macleod of Macleod
Sir Roderick Macleod of Macleod, also known as Rory Mor, was the 15th chief of Clan MacLeod. His seat as Clan Chief was Dunvegan Castle.-Biography:...
. Neil MacLeod hoped he could obtain a pardon from King James VI but upon reaching Glasgow, MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan gave him up to the authorities. He was found guilty of high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
and hanged in April 1613 and his son Donald was banished to England.
Ruins
The remains of the building used by MacLeod are in "the south-western corner of the island". There are five structures, one of which is T-shaped.Sporting activities
Appropriately for a place the NorseNorsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
called "precipice isle", rock climbers
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
have identified a variety of routes on Bearasaigh's cliffs. "Hadrians Wall" is on the northwest corner of the island, "Pictland" at the north end and "Weathermans Geodha" on the eastern shore. There is also a climb called "Ask not for whom the Bell Tuills" on Stac an Tuill, a 50 metres (164 ft) sea stack
Stack (geology)
A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, isolated by erosion. Stacks are formed through processes of coastal geomorphology, which are entirely natural. Time, wind and water are the only factors involved in the...
that requires a swimmer to set up Tyrolean traverse
Tyrolean traverse
A Tyrolean traverse is a method of crossing through free space between two high points on a rope without a hanging cart or cart equivalent. This is used in a range of mountaineering activities: rock climbing, technical tree climbing, caving and water crossings. A zip-line is in essence a Tyrolean...
s.
Bearasaigh is also a destination for experienced sea kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ers.