Community has always been at the heart of the Galson township – from fighting for their land 100 years ago to now being part of a community-owned estate.
The power of community has been celebrated and commemorated with the opening of a monument in the north of the Isle of Lewis on a community-owned estate, 100 years after a community worked together and resettled on their land after it was cleared to make way for a sheep farm. ‘na Dorsan’, which is the Scottish Gaelic for the doors, was unveiled in South Galson, Isle of Lewis on Friday 1st November and marks 100 years of transformation, whilst commemorating some of the township’s significant historical events.
In 1924, Galson’s story underwent a profound transformation as 52 families found new homes in Melbost, South Galson, and North Galson. People, hailing from Dell, Borve, Shader, Carloway, Fivepenny Ness and further afield, were able to make their home in Galson, but not without significant confrontations by some; in 1863 the community of Galson was cleared to make room for a sheep farm and in 1888, Galson Farm was raided by a large group, resulting in the arrest, and transfer to court in Edinburgh of four men; Malcolm Smith, Malcolm Saunders, Malcolm Maciver and John Nicolson. Fast forward to 2007, the entire estate passed into community ownership, to be managed by Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Galson Estate Trust) on behalf of the community.
Significant historical documents
Juliette Desportes, the historian who consulted on the accompanying exhibition, shared: “I was delighted to contribute to this project and help capture the voices of those who have bravely fought for the right to live on and off the land. While the story of the clearances for sheep and subsequent land raids is a well-known one, the events which took place in Galson have somehow been largely ignored by historians. It is wonderful to see such an important historical episode come to light and be celebrated in this way, 100 years after the township’s resettlement.”
The exhibition details Galson’s fight for land and those involved in the project called on significant historical documents to learn more about the challenges, including original mortgage documents and deeds for croft houses, including those of Seonaid Ruairidh ‘an Mhàrtainn and Murchadh ‘an Bhàin Dòmhnallach, two of the people to be resettled in 1924, and the grandparents of Agnes Rennie, the current Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn Board Chairperson.
On reflecting on moving to Galson in 1924, Seonaid Ruairidh ‘an Mhàrtainn, who was born in Shader in 1898 and died in 1995, recalled to Agnes, who also lives in Galson: “O yes, we liked it. It was lovely right enough. It was green and clean. Nothing was ploughed except for the land around the tack… Each family had their own sheep when they came to Gabhsann. What they had they brought with them. They brought all their possessions as they were not coming on a temporary basis. They were here to stay.”
The heart of this community
Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn, which operates to ensure that the community of Galson Estate benefit from community ownership, and manage all estate business, whilst also overseeing a range of projects, to support and develop the area, commissioned the monument, and accompanying exhibition. Designed by celebrated artists Will Maclean and Marian Leven, who also designed other island monuments including the Iolaire and Sùileachan, na Dorsan was unveiled in the opening ceremony, which featured musical and poetry contributions from community members, including a young piper from the Lewis and Harris Youth Pipe Band and primary school pupils who had written poems to celebrate the day. Marian Leven, artist, commented: “Our idea was to create a monument which reflected the re-establishment of Galson township, using the symbolism of the doorway to represent the homes and the welcome which are the heart of this community. It has been a source of pride and satisfaction to see the concept of na Dorsan coming to fruition.”
Janet Macleod, Cultural Engagement Officer, Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn, added: “I would encourage anyone, whether you are a member of the local community or a visitor to the area, to visit the monument and exhibition to learn more about the history of Galson and to reflect on the historical and cultural importance of this project. I am very grateful to have been part of the team coordinating this project, and I have gained a far greater appreciation of the challenges faced by those who were cleared from the area and what they went through for us to be in the position that we find ourselves in now, living and working in a thriving community owned and managed estate.”
For more information about na Dorsan and the work of Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn, which manages the community-owned 56,000 acre Galson Estate, please visit www.galsontrust.com.