Lochmaddy
Encyclopedia
Lochmaddy is the administrative centre of North Uist
in the Outer Hebrides
, Scotland
. Na Madaidhean (the wolves/hounds) are rocks in the bay after which the loch, and subsequently the village, are named.
Lochmaddy sits at the end of a sea inlet (tairbeart
) and, due to the rocky nature, is the only settlement of any size on the east coast — far from the villages in the more populous west of North Uist.
Virtually the first mention anywhere of Lochmaddy is a complaint of "piracie and murder" in a report dated 1616: "Lochmaldie on the coast of Uist is a rendezvous for pirates" it said. The coves and inlets characterising the area around the village were ideal hiding places for raiding ships stocked with fine goods bound for the clan chiefs of the time, and contraband activity persisted until the modern era.
Nowadays the same good harbour makes Lochmaddy the ferry port for the island, with the MV Hebrides
plying the route to Skye. The commercial activity of shops and public building has been generated due to the port activity, and today the village has the only bank, courthouse, tourist information office and youth hostel on North Uist. Lochmaddy hospital closed in March 2001. It was replaced by the newly-opened Ospadal Uibhist agus Bharraigh (Uist and Barra Hospital) in Balivanich, Benbecula
.
Lochmaddy was an important fishing community before the commercial decline of the herring
. During the reign of King Charles
it was the site of a Royal Fishing Station.
North Uist
North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of , slightly smaller than South Uist. North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula...
in the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
, 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...
. Na Madaidhean (the wolves/hounds) are rocks in the bay after which the loch, and subsequently the village, are named.
Lochmaddy sits at the end of a sea inlet (tairbeart
Tarbert (disambiguation)
Tarbert may refer to the following places:Settlements* Tarbert, Argyll and Bute the town at the northern end of the Kintyre peninsula, Argyll, Scotland* Tarbert, Jura, on the east coast of the island of Jura, Scotland...
) and, due to the rocky nature, is the only settlement of any size on the east coast — far from the villages in the more populous west of North Uist.
Virtually the first mention anywhere of Lochmaddy is a complaint of "piracie and murder" in a report dated 1616: "Lochmaldie on the coast of Uist is a rendezvous for pirates" it said. The coves and inlets characterising the area around the village were ideal hiding places for raiding ships stocked with fine goods bound for the clan chiefs of the time, and contraband activity persisted until the modern era.
Nowadays the same good harbour makes Lochmaddy the ferry port for the island, with the MV Hebrides
MV Hebrides
MV Hebrides a ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne from Uig on the west coast of Scotland.-History:...
plying the route to Skye. The commercial activity of shops and public building has been generated due to the port activity, and today the village has the only bank, courthouse, tourist information office and youth hostel on North Uist. Lochmaddy hospital closed in March 2001. It was replaced by the newly-opened Ospadal Uibhist agus Bharraigh (Uist and Barra Hospital) in Balivanich, Benbecula
Benbecula
Benbecula is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,249, with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It forms part of the area administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar or the Western...
.
Lochmaddy was an important fishing community before the commercial decline of the herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
. During the reign of King Charles
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
it was the site of a Royal Fishing Station.