Martin Martin
Encyclopedia
Martin Martin was a Scottish
writer best known for his work A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland (1703). This book is particularly noted for its information on the St Kilda archipelago. Martin's description of St Kilda, which he visited in 1697, had also been published some years earlier as A Late Voyage to St Kilda (1698).
A native of Bealach, near Duntulm
, Skye, his work has some authenticity thanks to the fact that he was raised in Gaeldom. Dr Johnson, however, believed him to be credulous, and indeed, some of his descriptions of second sight
and other superstitions appear to be this way.
He appears to have come from the Highland middle class
, the tacksmen
, who were factors on lairds'
estates. His brother may have been tacksman at Flodigarry
on Skye.
Martin graduated MA
from the University of Edinburgh
in 1681. Nothing seems to be known of him in his later years, except that he entered Leiden University
in 1710, and there graduated as MD
, afterwards residing in London
until his death, unmarried, in 1719.
Both Johnson and Boswell
read his book and took a copy of it along with them on their famous tour in 1773. Johnson felt Martin had failed to record the more interesting aspects of life at the time, and suggested that this was because Martin was unaware of just how different the social structure of the Western Isles was in comparison to the modern world.
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...
writer best known for his work A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland (1703). This book is particularly noted for its information on the St Kilda archipelago. Martin's description of St Kilda, which he visited in 1697, had also been published some years earlier as A Late Voyage to St Kilda (1698).
A native of Bealach, near Duntulm
Duntulm
Duntulm is a township on the most northerly point of the Trotternish peninsula of the Isle Of Skye made up of Shulista , south Duntulm and Ghlumaig....
, Skye, his work has some authenticity thanks to the fact that he was raised in Gaeldom. Dr Johnson, however, believed him to be credulous, and indeed, some of his descriptions of second sight
Second sight
Second sight is a form of extrasensory perception, the supposed power to perceive things that are not present to the senses, whereby a person perceives information, in the form of a vision, about future events before they happen , or about things or events at remote locations...
and other superstitions appear to be this way.
He appears to have come from the Highland middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
, the tacksmen
Tacksman
A tacksman was a land-holder of intermediate legal and social status in Scottish Highland society.-Tenant and landlord:...
, who were factors on lairds'
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
estates. His brother may have been tacksman at Flodigarry
Flodigarry
Flodigarry is a scattered settlement on the north east side of the Trotternish peninsula on the island of Skye, and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
on Skye.
Martin graduated MA
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
from the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in 1681. Nothing seems to be known of him in his later years, except that he entered Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
in 1710, and there graduated as MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, afterwards residing in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
until his death, unmarried, in 1719.
Both Johnson and Boswell
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
read his book and took a copy of it along with them on their famous tour in 1773. Johnson felt Martin had failed to record the more interesting aspects of life at the time, and suggested that this was because Martin was unaware of just how different the social structure of the Western Isles was in comparison to the modern world.
See also
- Force-fireForce-fireThe force-fire , or a fire produced by friction, was used in folk magic practice in the Scottish Highlands up until the 19th century. Believers considered it an antidote against bewitching, as well as the plague, murrain and all infectious diseases among cattle...
- HermetrayHermetrayHermetray is an uninhabited island off North Uist, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.Gulls and buzzards nest in the cliffs. The island periodically gets rats.-Geography and geology:...
- Highland dress
- Thomas PennantThomas PennantThomas Pennant was a Welsh naturalist and antiquary.The Pennants were a Welsh gentry family from the parish of Whitford, Flintshire, who had built up a modest estate at Bychton by the seventeenth century...
, a noted Welsh traveller who wrote much about Scotland. - RockallRockallRockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....
- SeonaidhSeonaidhSeonaidh was according to Martin Martin, the name of a water spirit in Lewis.Dwelly defines seonadh as "1. augury, sorcery. 2. Druidism" and quotes Martin further.Martin says that the inhabitants of Lewis used to propitiate Seonaidh by a cup of ale in the following manner...
- St KildaSt Kilda, ScotlandSt Kilda is an isolated archipelago west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. It contains the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The largest island is Hirta, whose sea cliffs are the highest in the United Kingdom and three other islands , were also used for...
External links
- Martin Martin, A description of the Western Islands of Scotland, London (1703) (googlebooks)
- A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland
- Island book trust page
- Martin Martin provided an inspiration for travel writers