66595: Deposition of Donald Macinnes (Lewis/Harris boundary dispute) 1850

Testimony of Donald MacInnes at the second hearing of the Lewis/Harris boundary dispute;

At Stornoway, 16th day of August 1850.

Compeared Donald M’Innes, a witness for the defender, who being sworn, depones, That he is sixty-seven years of age, and resides at Balagloum in Uig: That his father and grandfather were tenants in Kirkibost: That he himself was there till he was forty years of age, and left it twenty-seven years ago: That he calculates that his father and himself, between them, have paid rents for five score years: That the shealings his father and grandfather had, were the shealings Jar-Scleit: That the sheep and cattle having begun to go beyond their limits, deponent erected a shealing called Arigh-clar-Neil: That deponent was also for some years at Arigh-hedderscuir: That the march that his father showed him, and that he kept, was the water of Veckdale, through Loch Ruairidh, up to Braidh-ruisg, Arigh-Alt-Mhoir to Braidh-an-fhia-clachan: That Campbell of Scalpa occupied Arigh-Mhoir: That he knew Arigh-Aulay: That it is a gunshot north of Arigh-Mhoir: That when John Og Campbell of Scalpa occupied Arigh-Mhoir, Aulay M’Aulay occupied Arigh-Aulay: That this was before deponent’s father’s time, but it was his father told him: That the said Aulay M’Aulay was tenant of Breanish in Uig, when he occupied said shealing. Depones that the burn Gil-Arigh-Mhoir, is between Arigh-Mhoir and Arigh-Aulay: That this was the burn which formed the march at that part. Depones, That his father told him that one of M’Aulay’s cows having gone across the march-burn, the said John Og Campbell cut off her ear, and that afterwards a cow of John Og’s having come across the burn, M’Aulay cut off her tail: That he has heard that John, the son of Rory Clerach at Kirkibost, had a daughter, who was married to the said John Og Campbell: That her father, being tenant of Kirkibost, had the grazings of Lieud, and she asked her father to allow her husband to occupy the shealing of Uliscuir, and allow his cattle to graze there; that her father agreed to this, but on condition that her husband should pay for it: That his father told him that the sum to be paid was a penny one year, and a halfpenny another, alternately, and his father said, that when the penny or halfpenny was not paid, that a person was sent to Scalpa to get it before the cattle left the shealing.

Interrogated for the Pursuer – Depones, That he has heard of a stone having been at Eeuntom, and he has heard many stories about it, all differing from each other. Depones, That he cannot write.