9838: Rodel, Harris
Rodel is a settlement situated at the southern tip of the Isle of Harris, between the Minch and the Sound of Harris.
The 16th-century St Clement’s Church, built by Alexander MacLeod (Alasdair Crotach), stands on the site of an early, Columban church. The harbour at Rodel was improved, a landlord’s house, storehouse, school and public house built, and St Clement’s repaired, by Captain Alexander MacLeod, who bought the Island of Harris in 1779 and proceeded to establish fishing stations and other schemes.
Rodel, like much of the rest of Harris, was cleared beginning in 1817 by Captain MacLeod’s grandson, Alexander Norman Macleod, and the population removed to Berneray and the Bays. The first tacksman was Donald Stewart, who occupied the landlord’s house. The house subsequently became a hotel, before returning to private ownership in 2016.
Record Location
Details
- Record Type:
- Location
- Also Known As:
- Rodal; Rodil; Roddal; Roudil
- Type Of Location:
- Village/Township
- Record Maintained by:
- HC
Related Media
St Clement’s Church, Rodel