Bernera Riot
Encyclopedia
The Bernera Riot occurred in 1874, on the island of Great Bernera
, in
Scotland
in response to the Highland Clearances
.
in the Outer Hebrides
. It is fairly close to Lewis, but it was not until 1953 that a bridge was built, after the islanders threatened to dynamite the hillside to create a causeway. Bernera continues to be a crofting
community, as it was at the time of the riot.
was another, where the Battle of the Braes took place.
Sir James Matheson having bought the island of Lewis, also took charge of adjoining Bernera, and appointed a solicitor, Donald Munro to be his factor. Munro was perceived as being heavy handed, and his evictions were naturally unpopular.
The Bernera islanders had their summer grazings taken over by a new sporting estate and were forced to construct dykes at their own expense as a new boundary with the estate. Munro then even took away this new grazings from them. The islanders naturally had enough and made a stance against this tyranny.
When the bailiffs arrived at Tobson however, they were pelted with a shower of clods of earth. The sheriff officer also had his coat torn and he issued a threat that if he had a gun many Bernera mothers would be mourning the loss of their sons.
The Bernera court case of 1874 is the first documented victory for Highland crofters and correctly holds its place as the opening shot of the crofters fight-back which led to the Napier Commission and land reform.
The Crofters' War took place about ten years later, and led to the founding of the Napier Commission
, which led to compromises being made on behalf of the crofters, and the reform of crofting in Scotland.
The Gaelic poet, Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn (John Smith) lived in Lewis near Bernera at the time of the Riot, and wrote his poem Spiorad a' Charthannais (Spirit of Charity) in condemnation of feudal tyranny.
Great 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....
, in
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...
in response to the Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
.
Location
Great Bernera (Bearnaraigh Mòr) is an island in Loch Roag, off the Isle of LewisLewis
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 ....
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...
. It is fairly close to Lewis, but it was not until 1953 that a bridge was built, after the islanders threatened to dynamite the hillside to create a causeway. Bernera continues to be a crofting
Crofting
Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production unique to the Scottish Highlands, the Islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man....
community, as it was at the time of the riot.
Beginnings
The whole of north west Scotland suffered from the Highland Clearance over a period of a hundred years or more. Although much lamented in Gaelic song, and literature, in very few places did they meet a stiff resistance - Bernera was one of them, and SkyeSkye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
was another, where the Battle of the Braes took place.
Sir James Matheson having bought the island of Lewis, also took charge of adjoining Bernera, and appointed a solicitor, Donald Munro to be his factor. Munro was perceived as being heavy handed, and his evictions were naturally unpopular.
The Bernera islanders had their summer grazings taken over by a new sporting estate and were forced to construct dykes at their own expense as a new boundary with the estate. Munro then even took away this new grazings from them. The islanders naturally had enough and made a stance against this tyranny.
The Riot
Munro sent his men over to Bernera with eviction orders for 56 families and were initially greeted with quiet disbelief in Breacleit.When the bailiffs arrived at Tobson however, they were pelted with a shower of clods of earth. The sheriff officer also had his coat torn and he issued a threat that if he had a gun many Bernera mothers would be mourning the loss of their sons.
The Response
After three crofters were singled out and arrested hundreds of Bernera men marched on Lews Castle, Stornoway with pipers at their head. They demanded an audience with Sir James Matheson himself. Matheson who was somewhat aged at the time disowned Donald Munro, who came to be dismissed in 1875. The prisoners themselves were acquitted following the brilliant performance of the Inverness lawyer Charles Innes. Mr Innes's name is still revered in Bernera today.The Bernera court case of 1874 is the first documented victory for Highland crofters and correctly holds its place as the opening shot of the crofters fight-back which led to the Napier Commission and land reform.
Influence
The riot was mentioned in a number of Scottish radical journals in the following years.The Crofters' War took place about ten years later, and led to the founding of the Napier Commission
Napier Commission
The Napier Commission, officially the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands was a royal commission and public inquiry into the condition of crofters and cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.The commission was appointed in...
, which led to compromises being made on behalf of the crofters, and the reform of crofting in Scotland.
The Gaelic poet, Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn (John Smith) lived in Lewis near Bernera at the time of the Riot, and wrote his poem Spiorad a' Charthannais (Spirit of Charity) in condemnation of feudal tyranny.