792: Bosta, Lewis

From “Placenames of Lewis and Harris” by D Maciver F.E.I.S: Bosta comes from the Old Norse bolstadhar, steading.

Bosta is now a deserted village. It is at the north-west corner of Bernera and is much visited because of the lovely beach. It was inhabited until 1878 when the available peat banks were exhausted. This made life impossible. The people went mostly to Kirkibost from where some of them had been evicted earlier in the century. It is now part of Tobson grazing.

In 1992 a storm surge uncovered remains of stone walls hitherto concealed by the sand dunes. After excavation the remains were determined to be a settlement from the late Iron Age i.e. about 600 AD.

There is now a full-scale replica of one of these houses at the south end of the beach, and artefacts from the site are on display in the Bernera Museum.

Satellite Image