MARTIN MARTIN CONFERENCE STRENGTHENS ISLAND LINKS
Ness
at the northern end of Lewis was the location
of a highly successful 3-day event in
September organised by The Islands Book
Trust to commemorate the 300 th anniversary
of Martin Martin’s pioneering work: ‘A
Description of the Western Islands of
Scotland’ first published in 1703. The
conference attracted over 60 people from
many different Scottish islands and from
the mainland – with a geographical spread
from Shetland to East Sussex . In addition
to talks from an outstanding array of
speakers, locals and visitors enjoyed
a ceilidh and a trip to see some of the
sites described by Martin in the Ness
area.
And
the Book Trust has now brought out a new
fully annotated and illustrated edition
of Martin Martin’s book, including the
scanned images of the original 1703 publication.
This was launched at the Mod in Oban on
15 October – details of how to order copies
are given below. The Martin Martin conference
proceedings will also be made available.
Speakers
at the conference included:
On
a very breezy day following the indoor
sessions, several hardy souls visited
places in Ness described by Martin, including
Stoth, where travellers to (North) Rona
departed and landed before and after their
hazardous voyage; Luchruban (Martin’s
‘Island of Pigmies’ –a rocky offshore
island with remains of sunken man-made
structures which can be reached at low
tide); and Teampull Mholuidh in Eoropie
, thought to be the church which figures
in the ancient custom which Martin describes
of making a sacrifice of ale to a sea
god called Shony at Hallowtide.
Why
is Martin Martin so important? John Randall,
chairman of The Islands Book Trust, attempted
to answer this question in his introduction
to the event. He stressed that Martin
wrote the first detailed account of the
islands and that, unlike the authors of
most of the descriptions which followed,
Martin was a native of the islands (from
near Duntulm in Skye) and a Gaelic speaker.
He was therefore in a position to describe
the early customs and beliefs of the islanders
from the inside.
However,
as other speakers at the conference brought
out, Martin did not visit all the islands
he described, and he was reliant on information
from individuals who tended to be associated
with the clan chiefs and landowners, and
which was sometimes misleading or untrue.
For example, Peter Youngson suggested
that the story repeated by Martin that
Gillour MacCrain, a native of Jura, ‘kept
180 Christmases in his own house’ may
have been given to him by an islander
keen to play a joke on Martin – if old-style
and new-style Christmases are both counted,
Gillour could have been a more credible
90 before he died!
Also,
as Donald William Stewart stressed, Martin
was writing primarily for an outside audience,
principally the London and Edinburgh-based
cognoscenti who sponsored his visits.
There was an inevitable tendency therefore
for Martin to focus on aspects of life
which were unusual from this perspective
(what Martin called ‘curiosities of art
and nature’).
But
Martin’s book was emphatically not like
many of the dozens which followed. While
concerned to cover the natural as well
as the human history of the islands, Martin
did not describe the scenery – an aspect
which became a major theme of the Romantic
movement’s view of the Hebrides . It is
not a guide book, and does not mention
features such as Fingal’s cave which were
later to be highlights on the itineraries
of future travellers. Nonetheless, Martin
influenced those who came after him –
his book was one of the main triggers
for the ‘discovery’ of the islands by
the outside world and we know from James
Boswell that Dr Johnson carried a copy
of Martin with him during his famous tour
in 1773.
Martin
aimed to present a first hand account
of a little known area in a spirit of
scientific observation and with a view
to improving the circumstances of those
who lived there. Of course, he had his
prejudices. There are many references
to ‘pagan and Papist superstitions’ which
he believed were ‘ridiculous’ and an obstacle
to progress. He believed that agriculture
should be improved and that the Government
should encourage a fishing trade to the
economic benefit of the islanders.
It
cannot be denied, as Johnson uncharitably
pointed out, that Martin’s book has defects.
It is not clearly structured, and contains
a hotch-potch of loosely related material
covering the natural world, customs and
religion, antiquities and monuments, diseases
and cures, and suggestions for economic
development. It moves from island to island
in an unpredictable manner, missing out
some, and including others such as Orkney
and Shetland which might appear to be
outwith the geographical scope of the
title. It shows every sign of having been
put together hurriedly.
But
for all that, it is a veritable goldmine
of information, and by far our most detailed
early account of the islands. John Randall
believes that it forms a natural choice
for the first major conference and first
publication of The Islands Book Trust,
based in Lewis, and which aims to promote
historical knowledge and comparative research
o Scottish islands in their wider Celtic
and Nordic setting.
The
new edition of Martin Martin published
by the Trust in October contains:
- The
scanned images of the original 1703
first edition.
- Extensive
notes on places and topics mentioned
in the text.
- A
substantial introduction written by
Michael Robson.
- Some
50 illustrations, both reproductions
and modern photographs, of places referred
to by Martin.
Copies
are available priced £16 paperback or
£25 hardback plus £6 packaging and postage
from The Islands Book Trust at 10 Callicvol,
Port of Ness, Isle of Lewis (telephone
01851 810681). The proceedings of the
Martin Martin conference will also be
available from the same address priced
£6 plus packaging and postage.
