800: Linshader, Lewis

Linshader is a village in the west of Lewis. It is part of the Bernera Ward although it is nearer geographically to Callanish, which is where local children attend school. For local authority and social purposes Linshader is included in Bernera.

It was always a farm and according to William Matheson, in his Families of Lewis: Macaulay, “it became the regular practice for prominent members of the Macaulay clan to have a tack on this farm. Its attraction lay in the valuable fishings on the Grimersta River, which were included in the tack.” The first, it seems, was Zachary Macaulay, son of Angus, tacksman of Brenish.

Linshader was a four farthing land, and in 1754 two farthings was in the possession of the tacksman Donald Macaulay and the other two farthings in the possession of eight sub-tenants. By the end of the century this number had increased and there were probably cottars with no land at all living there too. It was during the Dotor Ruadh’s time that the sub-tenants were evicted and the farm worked in the modern style with ‘sgalags’ farm servants.

It was subsequently owned by various people including a Bernera man who made good in America and bought it for his brother to manage. During much of the 19th century, the tack included Laimisiader in Borrowston.

It was the last village to be lotted, in the1920s. It now has eleven crofts.

Families in Linshader lived in the following crofts:

Macdonald: 1, 3, Feu 12

Mackay: 2, 3

Morrison: 4, 5

Ferguson: 6, 8, 11

Macinnes: 9, 10

Macleod: 7

Satellite image