115360: Upper Coll Tack (Coll Farm)

In  1729  Murdo Morrison is the tenant of Upper Coll Tack.

In 1754 Angus McGilleachaluim, from Nether Coll, was the one of the tenants; he reported to the Judicial Rental of that year, that he had 17 subtenants and that William Maciver has three subtenants. This implies they were sharing Upper Coll Tack at this time.

In 1766 and 1780 William Maciver, son of Kenneth Maciver: tacksman of Carloway is tenant of Upper Coll Tack. William was married to Annabella Mackenzie, of Gruinard, and the couple had six children: Kenneth, Colin, John and three daughters. By 1825 his son Colin had succeeded him as tacksman.

Colin Maciver married Ann Maciver and the couple had twelve children: William, Evander, Evander, John, Kenneth, Colin, Lewis, John, Lily, Annabella and Alexander. In 1830 Old Gearraidh Ghuirm was detached from the farm and made into fourteen crofts. Colin was succeeded by his son, Lewis, in 1832.

In 1838 Lewis Maciver gave up the tack and the family emigrated to Melbourne, Quebec. The tack passed to Roderick Nicolson.

Roderick Nicolson was married to Jane Hay and the couple had six children: Angus, Colin John, Peter Hay, Roderick, Alexander and Kenneth. Roderick passed the tack to his wife Jane Hay. In 1840 Old Gearraidh Ghuirm was cleared and the land added back to the Tack. Some of the tenants were relocated to Nether Coll, but most went to Borve or the West-side of Lewis. Jane Hay had passed the Tack to her son Angus.

Angus Nicolson did not reside on the Tack, but had a house at Bayhead, Stornoway and ran a shipping business. Part of his profits funded the Nicolson Institute.

Upper Coll Tack then passed to James Rigg. James married Elizabeth Stephenson, formerly of Wellington, Shropshire, and the couple had nine children: Mary, Eleanor, Eliza, Jessie, Thomas William, James, George, Christina and Thomas John. The family moved to Drimnin in Morven, Argyll and the tack passed to John Hunter.

John Hunter was in residence by, at least, 1844. John married twice; his first marriage was to Janet Dickson, of Mouswald Dumfries, and the couple had twelve children: John, James, Catherine, Robert, Margaret, John, George, William, Agnes, Janet, Walter and Charles. John then married Mary Latta Houston, of Renfrewshire, and the couple had four children: Jane, Mary, Andrew and Margaret. In due course the Tack passed to his son Charles.

Charles Hunter married Catherine Ann Nicolson. After the First World War the tack was broken up into 42 crofts and the township of Upper Coll was formed. Charles settled in Canada for a time before returning to Lewis and settling at Macaulay Farm, Stornoway.