Our first visit of the day was to Barpa Langais which is the best preserved Neolithic chambered cairn in the Outer Hebrides. It is typical of tombs built all over the islands by Neolithic farming communities and, in this case, is about 25 metres in diameter.
It contains a great mass of stones which would have dominated the surrounding landscape and would have had a relatively small burial chamber. It may have been a communal tribal resting place not just for a single leader. Many such tombs have passages which face midwinter sunrise or sunset but the entrance of the Langais cairn does not follow that pattern.
Barpa Langais has never been investigated by modern archaeologists but more than a century ago, pottery, charcoal and cremated human bones were found scattered on the floor with fragments of Beaker pottery also being found there.
This part of Uist has produced some of the earliest evidence for the presence of Man in the Outer Hebrides so far. In the Middle Stone Age, or Mesolithic period, a small band of hunters and gatherers set up seasonal camp here on the slopes of Langais. They built shelters which left traces of small post-holes in the ground and lit fires, the ashes of which survived to this day under the engulfing peat. They made stone tools which were strong enough to hunt seal and salmon and delicate enough to scrape the skins and make clothing.
In time, these harvesters of the island’s wild resources began to take their first steps to becoming farmers. Adopting a more settled lifestyle meant that new luxuries like pottery became possible.
Our next visit was to the Iron Age Broch of Dun an Sticir.
In this tidal loch are two islands connected by stone-built causeways. The outer islet has been used as a secure stronghold since prehistoric times. During the Iron Age, more than 2,000 years ago, a massive galleried dun or broch was built. which would nave been occupied by the local tribal chieftain.
The site of Dun an Sticir has never been investigated so the picture above is conjecture. That said, it is though that in the turbulent later Middle Ages a rectangular hall was inserted into the pre-existing circular dun, and the islands once again served as the residence and refuge of the local magnates.
It is not known how far back the islands were inhabited or even if they are artificial. Other islets in North Uist have been found to go back more than 5,500 years to the Neolithic period. Access may have only been by boat before the causeway was built.
It is thought that between the 9th and 13th centuries AD the Outer Hebrides were under the overlordship of the Norsemen who abandoned the old centres of power in favour of new sites. By the 16th century it is thought that Dun an Sticir had again become the centre of an important lordship. A new hall was built inside and around the old broch, and the larger island, the ‘Island of Bad Council’ also contained as least one substantial building. This apparently echoes Finlaggan on Islay where the Lords of the Isles held council.
In 1601, Dun an Sticir was the scene of dramatic events when Hugh MacDonald was seized by his enemies and taken to his death on Skye. Apparently Hugh MacDonald was regarded as a powerful and treacherous man and plotted against his uncle, Donald Gorm Mor, the Clan Chief, who did not have children. The title of Clan Chief would pass to Hugh’s older brother, so Hugh resolved to usurp the title. Unfortunately for Hugh, when he sent two letters, one to his hired assassins, and the other to the Clan Chief, each letter was sent to the wrong person. Donald Gorm Mor was now aware of his nephew’s treachery and sent a party led by clansman Donald MacDonald to arrest Hugh. Hugh had taken refuge at Dun an Sticir, disguised as a woman. He was taken to Duntulm Castle on Skye and thrown into a dungeon with a meal of salt beef. Without any water it is reported he died of thirst.
The history behind many of these ruins is fascinating and brings the ruins to life when it is sometimes difficult to see what a pile of stones represented.
Word and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024