Rum's past

The history of Rum is as exciting as its wildlife and there is still a lot to be discovered. The following is just a brief overview to its many historical facets.

During archaeological excavations in a field to the north of Kinloch Castle between 1984 and 1986 hazelnut remnants were found. They were radio-carbon dated and revealed occupation from 7500 years old (early Mesolithic). The human habitation that these hazelnuts were associated is one of the earliest discovered in Scotland. The habitation area revealed a very simple structure – basically poles holding up an animal hide and forming a sort of wind break.

It is thought that Rum was occupied seasonally by a nomadic band of hunter gatherers hoping from island to island during the mesolithic era, with the later neolithic settlers being more pastoral and establishing farming communities.

One of the reasons for the more permanent settlement may well have been that Rum became important as a source of stone implements and tools. Many Neolithic artifacts have been found, including sharp cutting stones, known as microliths. One of the most important rocks is the hard flint-like rock known as bloodstone, Bloodstone Hill is on the North coast opposite Canna. Arrowheads and other implements made from bloodstone have been found on Rum and further afield. It is likely that people came from far and wide to quarry bloodstone or trade for artifacts, as stone suitable to manufacture arrowheads and the like was in short supply in Scotland.

More detail about the excavations and small isles archeology can be found here: www.rcahms.gov.uk

There are various prehistoric signs of habitation on Rum, such as bronze age burial cairns and standing stones. There are also Iron Age promontory forts at Kilmory and Shellesder (2,500 to 1,500 y.o.)
The earliest known historical reference to Rum is contained in the Irish annals, which record the death of Beccan Ruim’. Beccan may well have been a Monk from Iona, who may have lived as a hermit, or was charged with maintaining the impetus of early Christian development on Rum. There was certainly an early christian presence on Rum as Celtic crosses from the 7th and 8th century can be seen in the Kilmory burial ground and a cross marked stone (pictured) at Cave Bay (above). The name Papadil means Glen (dale) of the priest and is presumably a reference to early Christian development.

Moving ahead to norse times, by 900 AD the viking kingdom extended along the entire west coast of scotland, from Shetland to the isle of Man, including the Hebrides. There is little evidence of Viking settlements on Rum, although some speculate that its name may be viking in origin. Viking double - burial cysts have been discovered as has a gaming piece made of narwhal ivory. The chief legacy of the norsemen is embodied in many of the place-names - val means mountains -dil is a corruption of ‘dal’ meaning dale or valley , hence Dibidil = deep dale

After the norsemen were defeated by King Alexander in Largs in 1262, the Hebrides were ceded to the Scottish crown. The subsequent owners of Rum included the powerful Lords of the Isles –the Macruaris, also known as Clanranald – and eventually the Macleans of Coll, who held sway from the 15th to 19th century. During this time the people of Rum lived in nine townships, around the coastline – the main ones were at Harris and at Kilmory.

Here they farmed the land in the communal runrig system, where the land was re-allocated annually to give everybody a fair chance. As already discussed, the land on Rum is difficult to farm and the effort put in by the islanders to secure enough food to eat and pay rent can still be seen today. These cultivation strips, ‘feannagan’, inappropriately known as lazybeds are very obvious testament to the hard work put in. The soil was heaped in parallel ridges and fertilised with seaweed and soot-impregnated thatch. The ditches between the ridges aided drainage. Cereals (oats and barley) and, latterly, potatoes were the crop.

Another testament to the work put in can be seen throughout the island in the form of shielings, of which over 400 have been identified on Rum. The shielings were the little simple homes, up on the hillsides, in which the farm communities from the glens lived  for several weeks in the summer when the animals could benefit from the lush pastures high up in the hills above the farmed lands on the floor of the glen. It was the women and children that took up residence in these stone houses.

The islanders would also catch deer – using deer traps such as those found at the foot of Orval. The deer would be driven into the very wide opening of the trap, which leads into a narrowing funnel of stone dykes and eventually a circular high - walled corral. When trapped in this way the deer could be killed. The islanders were so successful at this that red deer became extinct between 1772 and 1797. Other ’wild harvests’ included some fishing, although the severe coastline limited this - the remains of stone structures used to trap fish on the receding tide have been found at Kinloch and the islanders would also harvest young shearwaters (fachachs’).

The population on Rum peaked at 443 in the early 19th century and stood at 350 in 1826, a very sad year in Rums history. Despite their industrious nature, the islanders were in severe rent arrears with the owner of the island, Maclean of Coll, whose assets were diminishing. In order to stabilise his assets, he ordered the clearance of the entire population so the island could be let to a single tenant sheep farmer. In July 1826 the bulk of the islands 350 inhabitants were shipped off to Port Hawkesbury* in Nova Scotia, with the remaining 50 following in July 1828. They were replaced by 8000 Black faced sheep.

The clearances were so complete that the tenant of Rum (Dr Lachlan Maclean a relative by marriage to Maclean of coll) had to bring in new islanders to act as shepherds. These new inhabitants were themselves being cleared from Skye and Mull, diverted on to Rum. This black house (below), that you can see on the Loch Scresort trail (near the new pier) was built to house one of the shepherds.

The island was purchased from the Macleans of Coll in 1845 by the second Marquis of Salisbury for £26,455 who transformed it into a classic highland shooting estate. It was at this time the present red deer were introduced, the native stock having diminished. The island then past onto his son Viscount Cranborne and then to the third Marquis of Salisbury.
In 1870 the island was again sold, too Farquhar Campbell, who from 1879 leased the shooting rights to John Bullough. James Hunter Campbell a cousin of Farquhar Campbell inherited the island upon the latter's death. By 1886 it was again up for sale, purchased eventually by John Bullough in 1888 for £35,000. John Bullough died in 1891 leaving the island to his eldest son George Bullough. To George Rum was much more than some passing fancy.

So there it is, a brief history of Rum taking us up to the end of the 19th century but its story of change continues...

* Looking at a map of Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia (new Scotland sic.)and surrounding villages shows just how many west coast Scottish names there are ie. Arisaig, Barra and Glenelg. Click 'here' for map.



 

text © George Logan.
images © Laurie Campbell except images 2 and 3 from top - © George Logan