Dùn Èistean: the historical background, c. 1493 – c.1700

Abstract

This considers the documentary evidence for the 'brieves' or the 'Clan Morrison' a family of hereditary law men in the north of the Isle of Lewis, c. 1493-1700. This investigation was produced as part of an archaeological report following excavation at the Dun Eistean site in the north of Lewis. The documentary record provides evidence which can challenge notions, past and present, of the area as being 'remote' and isolated. The people in the vicinity of this sea stack are placed firmly in their Atlantic, Scottish and British contexts.