Editing South Uist (section)

==History==
=== Early history ===

[[File:Beinn a' Charra Standing Stone - geograph.org.uk - 93059.jpg|thumb|The neolithic monument at Beinn A' Charra]]
South Uist was clearly home to a thriving [[Neolithic]] community. The island is covered in several neolithic remains, such as [[burial cairn]]s,{{refn|By the early 21st century, cairns had been identified at Sig More, Glac Hukarvat, Reineval, Barp Frobost, Loch a'Bharp and Leaval. A variant style was found at Dun Trossary, which is a long [[court cairn|horned cairn]]. Most are in poor condition, but the cairn at Reineval is exceptionally well-preserved.|group="note"}} and a small number of standing stones, of which the largest—standing {{convert|17|ft|m}} tall—is in the centre of the island, at the northern edge of [[Beinn A' Charra]]. Occupation continued into the [[Chalcolithic]], as evidenced by a number of [[Beaker people|Beaker]] finds throughout the island.

[[File:Bronze Age Settlement - geograph.org.uk - 1340839.jpg|thumb|left|Cladh Hallan roundhouses]]
Later in the [[Bronze Age]], a man was [[mummified]],{{refn|group="note"|~1600 BC}} and placed on display at [[Cladh Hallan]], parts occasionally being replaced over the centuries; he was joined by a woman three hundred years later. Together they are the only known [[prehistoric]] mummies in the British Isles.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques/mummies_cladhhallan_01.shtml BBC - History - The Mummies of Cladh Hallan]</ref>{{Clarification needed|date=January 2023}} Towards the end of the Bronze Age, the mummies were buried,{{refn|group="note"|in 1120BC, for reasons which are now unknown}} and a row of [[Atlantic roundhouse|roundhouses]] built on top of them.

Burials underneath buildings during this time are seen elsewhere on South Uist. At Hornish Point (''Cnoc Mòr'') a burial was found under a roundhouse, consisting of an individual, likely male and aged 12.  The skeleton had been dismembered, probably some time after death when the body was partly decomposed. Cannibalism was ruled out as there were none of the marks of skinning, filleting and butchering which would be expected if it was cannibalism.<ref>{{Canmore|desc=South Uist, Hornish Point, Cnoc Mor|num=9913|access-date=2021-07-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Vol 3 (2003): Bronze Age farms and Iron Age farm mounds of the Outer Hebrides {{!}} Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports|url=http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/sair/issue/view/11|access-date=2021-07-26|website=journals.socantscot.org}}</ref>

[[File:The broch at Dun Vulan, South Uist - geograph.org.uk - 645593.jpg|thumb|The remains of Dun Vulan{{refn|group="note"|It is the first floor which is exposed; the ground floor lies buried beneath the surface, and the entrance passage remains intact.}}]]
Cladh Hallan was not abandoned until the late [[Iron Age]]. At around that time, in the 2nd century BC, a [[broch]] was built at [[Dun Vulan]]; archeological investigation suggests the inhabitants often ate [[pork]]. After the 2nd century AD, the Dun Vulan broch was converted into a three-roomed house. At a similar time, a [[wheelhouse (archaeology)|wheelhouse]] was constructed at [[Kilpheder]]; within a cupboard (in the wheelhouse) was found an enameled bronze [[brooch]], of a style fashionable in the [[Roman Britain]] of 150 AD.{{refn|group="note"|A photograph can be found [http://nms.scran.ac.uk/search/ here], by entering the search term "000-100-039-059-C" <!-- ref tag issue preventing a direct link; shame the image isn't in commons - it a would be a good image for here-->}}

{{clear left}}

=== Kingdom of the Isles ===

In the 9th century, Vikings invaded South Uist, along with the rest of the Hebrides, and the [[Gaels|gaelic]] kingdom of [[Dál Riata]] to the south, and established the [[Kingdom of the Isles]] throughout these lands. A short [[Ogham]] inscription has been found in [[Bornish]], inscribed on a piece of animal bone, dating from this era;<ref name="OghamForsyth">''An Ogham-Inscribed Plaque from Bornais, South Uist'', [[Katherine Forsyth]] in ''West over Sea: Studies in Scandinavian Sea-Borne Expansion and Settlement Before 1300'', edited by Gareth Williams, 2007, Koninklijke Brill, p. 471-472</ref> it is thought that the Vikings used it as a [[gaming token]], or perhaps for [[Cleromancy|sortilege]].<ref name="OghamForsyth" />

Following [[Unification of Norway|Norwegian unification]] under King [[Harold Fairhair]], the Kingdom of the Isles was declared a crown dependency by the Norwegian king; to the Norwegians it was ''Suðreyjar'' (meaning ''southern isles''). [[Malcolm III of Scotland]] acknowledged in writing that Suðreyjar was under Norwegian control , and later[[Edgar of Scotland|King Edgar]] was forced to[[quitclaim]] in favour of the invaders. At Kilpheder, the roundhouses were abandoned in favour of [[longhouse#Europe|Norse longhouses]];{{refn|group="note"|the substantial remains of which were largely destroyed by a storm in the early 21st century}} at Bornish, a few miles to the north, a more substantial Norse settlement was built.{{refn|group="note"|containing at least 20 houses; the largest Norse settlement yet found in modern Scotland}} As indicated by archaeological finds, residents had access to a wide trading network, stretching throughout the Norwegian empire, as well as adjacent lands like Ireland.

[[File:Howmore 20090609 St Dermot's Chapel.jpg|thumb|The remains of the early 13th-century Howmore monastery]]
However, in the mid-12th century, [[Somerled]], a [[Norse-Gael]] of uncertain origin, launched a coup, which made Suðreyjar independent of Norwegian domination. Following his death, Norwegian authority was nominally restored, but in practice the kingdom was divided between Somerled's heirs ({{lang|gd|[[Clann Somhairle]]}}), and the dynasty that Somerled had deposed (the [[Crovan dynasty]]). The final return of Scotland's territory was to follow. The [[Clann Ruaidhrí|MacRory]], a branch of Somerled's heirs, ruled Uist, as well as [[Barra]], [[Eigg]], [[Rùm]], the [[Rough Bounds]], [[Isle of Bute|Bute]], [[Isle of Arran|Arran]] and northern [[Jura, Scotland|Jura]].<ref>''Kingship and Unity, Scotland 1000-1306'', G. W. S. Barrow, Edinburgh University Press, 1981</ref><ref>''Galloglas: Hebridean and West Highland Mercenary Warrior Kindreds in Medieval Ireland'', John Marsden, 2003</ref><ref>''Lismore: The Great Garden'', Robert Hay, 2009, Birlinn Ltd</ref><ref>''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland'', 90 (1956-1957), A.A.M. Duncan, A.L Brown, pages 204-205</ref><ref>''The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard'', R. A. McDonald, 1997, Tuckwell Press</ref>{{refn|group="note"|[[Isle of Muck|Muck]] and [[Canna, Scotland|Canna]] were ruled by the [[Bishop of the Isles]] and [[Abbot of Iona]], respectively}} A small monastery was established at [[Howmore]].{{refn|group="note"|St. Dermot's Chapel and parts of the Clan Ranald chapel date from this period}}

=== Lordships ===

[[File:Howmore 20090609 St Mary's Church.jpg|thumb|left|The remains of the late 13th-century parish church]]
In the 13th century, despite Edgar's [[Quitclaim deed|quitclaim]], Scottish forces attempted to restore parts of Suðreyjar to Scotland, culminating in the [[Battle of Largs]]. In 1266, the matter was settled by the [[Treaty of Perth]], which acknowledged the whole of Suðreyjar to Scotland, in exchange for a  compensatory sum of money.{{refn|group="note"|4,000 marks}} The Treaty expressly preserved the status of the rulers of Suðreyjar; the MacRory lands, excepting Bute, Arran, and Jura, became the ''Lordship of [[Garmoran]]'', a quasi-independent crown dependency. Following this, the Norse longhouses were gradually abandoned, in favour of new [[Blackhouse]]s{{refn|group="note"|in which the space was shared with livestock,<ref>Smith, H., Marshall, P. and Parker Pearson, M. 2001. Reconstructing house activity areas pp. 249-270. In Albarella, U (ed) Environmental Archaeology: Meaning and Purpose. Kluwer Academic Publishers.</ref>}} and a new parish church was built at Howmore for South Uist.{{refn|group="note"|Now called ''the big church'' (''Teampall Mòr'' in Gaelic)}}

At the turn of the century, [[William I of Scotland|William I]] had created the position of [[Sheriff of Inverness]], to be responsible for the Scottish highlands, which now extended to Garmoran.<ref>Dickinson W.C., ''The Sheriff Court Book of Fife'', Scottish History Society, Third Series, Vol. XII (Edinburgh 1928), pp. 357–360</ref><ref>''The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707'', K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007-2017), 15 July 1476</ref> In 1293, however, king [[John Balliol]] established the [[Sheriffdom of Skye]], which included the Outer Hebrides. Nevertheless, following his usurpation, the Skye sheriffdom ceased to be mentioned,{{refn|group="note"|in surviving records, at least}} and the Garmoran lordship (including Uist) was confirmed to [[Ruaidhrí Mac Ruaidhrí|the MacRory leader]]. In 1343, King [[David II of Scotland|David II]] issued a further charter for this to [[Raghnall Mac Ruaidhrí|the latter's son]].<ref>''Regesta Regum Scottorum VI'' ed. Bruce Webster (Edinburgh 1982) no. 73.</ref>

[[File:Drimsdale black houses - geograph.org.uk - 242645.jpg|thumb|Blackhouses in Howmore]]
Just three years later{{refn|group="note"|1346}} the sole surviving MacRory heir was [[Amy of Garmoran]]. The southern parts of the Kingdom of the Isles had become the ''[[Lordship of the Isles]]'', ruled by the [[Clan Donald|MacDonald]]s (another group of Somerled's descendants). Amy married the MacDonald leader, [[John of Islay, Lord of the Isles|John of Islay]], but a decade later he divorced her, and married the king's niece instead (in return for a substantial [[dowry]]). As part of the divorce, John deprived his eldest son, [[Ranald MacDonald (founder of Clanranald)|Ranald]], of the ability to inherit the Lordship of the Isles, in favour of a son by his new wife. As compensation, John granted Lordship of Uist to Ranald's younger brother Godfrey, while making Ranald Lord of the remainder of Garmoran.

However, on Ranald's death, disputes between Godfrey and his nephews (the elder of whom founded [[Clan Ranald]]) led to an enormous amount of violent feuding. In 1427, frustrated with the level of violence in the Highlands, [[James I of Scotland|King James I]] demanded that Highland leaders should attend a meeting at [[Inverness]]. On arrival, many of the leaders were seized and imprisoned; Alexander MacGorrie, son of Godfrey, was considered to be one of the two most reprehensible, and after a quick [[show trial]], was immediately executed.<ref name="G65">{{Citation | author1=Gregory, Donald | title=History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland, from A.D. 1493 to A.D. 1625, with a brief introductory sketch, from A.D. 80 to A.D. 1493 | publisher=Edinburgh, W. Tait | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DaoHAAAAQAAJ | access-date=11 May 2012 | year=1836 }}, p. 65</ref> King James declared the Lordship of Uist forfeit.

===Fracture===

[[File:Calbhaigh castle - geograph.org.uk - 878406.jpg|thumb|left|[[Calvay Castle]], in Loch Boisdale]]
Following the forfeiture, and in that same year, [[Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross|the Lord of the Isles]] granted [[Laird]]ship of the southern third of South Uist (traditionally called ''Lochboisdale''{{refn|group="note"|, after [[Lochboisdale]], which forms its northern boundary}}), together with [[Barra]], to Giolla Adhamhnáin mac Néill, leader of the [[Clan MacNeil|MacNeils]]. At around this time [[Calvay Castle]] was built, guarding Lochboisdale.

[[File:Caisteal Bheagram - geograph.org.uk - 823321.jpg|thumb|Caisteal Bheagram in Drimsdale]]
The remainder of South Uist remained with the Scottish crown until 1469, when [[James III of Scotland|James III]] granted Lairdship of it to [[John of Islay, Earl of Ross|John of Ross]], the Lord of the Isles; in turn, John passed it to his own half-brother, [[Hugh of Sleat]] (the grant to Hugh was later confirmed by the king—[[James IV of Scotland|James IV]]—in a 1493 charter). Hugh died a few years later, in 1498, and for reasons that are not remotely clear, his son—John of Sleat—immediately resigned, transferring all authority to the king.

On 3 August that same year, [[James IV of Scotland|king James IV]] awarded the central third of South Uist (traditionally known as ''Kilpheder''{{refn|group="note"|after its main settlement, Kilpheder}}), by charter to [[Ranald Bane]], leader of [[Clan Macdonald of Clanranald|Clan Ranald]].<ref name="AMac238">Angus & Archibald Macdonald. ''The Clan Donald'' volume 2, The Northern Counties Publishing Company Ltd, 1900, p. 238</ref> Two days later,{{refn|group="note"|5 August}} the king gave Ranald Bane a charter for the northern third (traditionally known as ''Skirhough''{{refn|group="note"|after its main settlement, Howmore; ''Sgire'' is Gaelic for ''district''}}) as well.<ref name="AMac238" /> Ranald Bane, or his heirs, built Casteal Bheagram, on Loch an Eilean in Skirhough, as their local stronghold.{{Refn|group="note"|Ranald's grandchildren, and their heirs, used [[Borve Castle, Benbecula|Borve Castle]], on [[Benbecula]], as their main residence in Uist; Caisteal Bheagram, as a small tower, was more useful merely as a refuge, and vantage point.}}

===John Moidartach and his sons===

Some time after Ranald Bane's nephew, John Moidartach,{{refn|group="note"|''Moidartach'' refers to [[Moidart]]}} succeeded as laird, he fell out of favour with [[James V of Scotland|King James V]].{{refn|group="note"|Surviving records do not explain why.}} By 1538, James had transferred lairdship of Kilpheder to John's younger half-brother, Farquhar;{{refn|group="note"|Though they shared the same father, Farquhar's mother was Marion MacIntosh, while the name of John's mother was ''Dorothy'' (her surname is unknown).}}<ref>''Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland'', edited by M. Livingstone, 1908, HM General Register House, volume II, entry 441</ref> the king gave him Skirhough shortly afterwards.<ref>''Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland'', edited by M. Livingstone, 1908, HM General Register House, volume II, entry 592</ref> In 1563, Farquhar sold his portion of South Uist to a distant relation, [[James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg|James MacDonald]] (heir of the second son of John of Islay);{{refn|for 2,000 [[Merk (coin)|marks]]|group="note"}}<ref>''Clan Donald'', Donald J MacDonald, MacDonald Publishers (of Loanhead, Midlothian), 1978, p.298</ref> that same year, [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], issued a charter confirming James MacDonald as laird of these lands.<ref>''Register of the Great Seal of Scotland'', edited by Maitland Thomson, 1912, HM General Register House, volume IV, entry 335</ref>

[[File:Howmore 20090609 Clan Ranald Chapel.jpg|thumb|The Clan Ranald chapel at Howmore<!--the clanranald stone would be a better picture-->]]
In the following year, Farquhar was murdered by John Moidartach's sons.<ref name="JMac301">''Clan Donald'', Donald J MacDonald, MacDonald Publishers (of Loanhead, Midlothian), 1978, p.301</ref> The year after that,{{refn|group="note"|1565}} as opponents of the [[Scottish reformation]], Moidartach and his family took the side of [[Mary, Queen of Scots|the Queen]] during the [[Chaseabout Raid]], and were consequently back in royal favour; the Queen prohibited them from being punished for Farquhar's murder.<ref name="JMac301" /> By the last decades of the century, John Moidartach had obtained a practical hold on Farquhar's former lands, though seemingly as a tenant of James MacDonald's heirs. In 1584 John died, and was buried at Howmore; a decorated stone from the site (the ''Clanranald Stone'') is thought to have been his headstone.{{refn|group="note"|Following the theft of the stone, in the 1990s, it is now located at the Kildonan museum.}}

In 1596, concerned by the active involvement of highland leaders in Irish rebellions against [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth of England]], king [[James VI and I|James VI of Scotland]] (Elizabeth's heir) demanded that they send well-armed men, as well as attending themselves, to meet him at [[Dumbarton]] on 1 August, and produce the charters for their land. As neither John Moidartach's heirs, nor those of James MacDonald, did so, Skirhough and Kilpheder became forfeit, by the corresponding Act of Parliament. Consequently, the king awarded them to Donald Gorm Mòr, the heir of Hugh of Sleat, as a reward;<ref>''Register of the Great Seal of Scotland'', edited by Maitland Thomson, 1912, HM General Register House, volume VI, entry 161</ref> he had been one of the few Highland leaders who obeyed the king's summons.<ref>''Clan Donald'', Donald J MacDonald, MacDonald Publishers (of Loanhead, Midlothian), 1978, p.309</ref> Donald Gorm Mòr [[subinfeudation|subinfeudated]] Skirhough and Kilpheder back to Clan Ranald, for £46 per annum.

===Reunification===

[[File:Loch Baghasdail - geograph.org.uk - 448913.jpg|thumb|left|Loch Boisdale]]
The leader of the MacNeils did not submit to the 1609 [[Statutes of Iona]]. Using this as justification, Clan Ranald drove the MacNeils out of Lochboisdale, and were subsequently awarded a charter for it, in 1610.<ref>''Register of the Great Seal of Scotland'', edited by Maitland Thomson, 1912, HM General Register House, volume VII, entry 129</ref> In 1622, Donald Gorm Mòr's successor, Donald Gorm Òg,{{refn|group="note"|''Og'' means ''the younger''}} is found requesting that the Privy Council physically punish the Clan Ranald leadership for not removing their families and tenants from Skirhough;<ref>''Register of the Privy Council of Scotland'', edited by I Hill-Burton, 1877, HM General Register House, volume XIII, 741-742</ref> presumably they hadn't been paying the rent.<ref name="AMac321">Angus & Archibald Macdonald. ''The Clan Donald'' volume 2, The Northern Counties Publishing Company Ltd, 1900, p. 320-321</ref> By way of settlement of the dispute,{{refn|group="note"|agreed at the [[Chanonry of Ross]]}} Donald Gorm Og was granted lairdship over Lochboisdale as well;<ref name="AMac321" /> thus Donald Gorm Og became laird of the whole of South Uist, while Clan Ranald held it as his feudal vassals.

In 1633, Donald Gorm Òg decided to simply sell lairdship of South Uist to [[Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll|the Earl of Argyll]];{{refn|group="note"|for 26,921 marks, 10 shillings, and 8 pence}} in January 1634, this arrangement was confirmed by a crown charter.<ref>Angus & Archibald Macdonald. ''The Clan Donald'', Volume 2, The Northern Counties Publishing Company Ltd, 1900, p. 324</ref> In 1661, as a leading opponent of king [[Charles I of Scotland|Charles I]], the Earl's son — [[Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll|the Marquess of Argyll]] — was convicted of high treason, and his lands became forfeit. Thus, in 1673, it was the king demanding that Clan Ranald pay their outstanding rent for South Uist.<ref>Angus & Archibald Macdonald. ''The Clan Donald'', Volume 2, The Northern Counties Publishing Company Ltd, 1900, p. 339</ref>

===Debt, poverty and loss===

[[File:Ormacleit Castle - geograph.org.uk - 444355.jpg|thumb|The ruins of Ormaclete Castle.]]
In 1701, Ailean Dearg MacDonald, the Chief of [[Clan MacDonald of Clanranald]], built Ormaclete Castle as his new main residence in South Uist. According to local ''[[Seanchaidh]]'' Angus MacLellan, Ailean Dearg is said to have gone into considerable debt in order to build the castle and, according to the [[oral tradition]], once played a prank that terrified his many creditors when they visited South Uist, which resulted in his debts all being cancelled and his credit restored.<ref> Angus MacLellan & [[John Lorne Campbell]], (2001), ''Stories from South Uist'', [[Birlinn Limited]]. Pages 89-91, 222.</ref>

In 1715, some [[venison]] caught fire in the kitchen, which led to the whole castle burning down. At the time, like many of the other [[Clan Donald]] leaders, Ailean Dearg was away fighting in the [[Jacobite rising of 1715]]. A few days after the fire, Ailean Dearg was fighting on the right wing of the Jacobite Army at the [[Battle of Sheriffmuir]] when he fell mortally wounded. Ailean Dearg was, according to [[John Lorne Campbell]], "killed, it was popularly said, by a [[silver bullet]] that negatived the charm he used to wear".<ref> John Lorne Campbell, "Canna; Story of a Hebridean Island," p. 90.</ref> Alasdair Dubh, 11th Chief of [[Clan MacDonald of Glengarry]] then managed to rally the faltering warriors of [[Clan Donald]] by throwing up his [[Blue bonnet (hat)|blue bonnet]] and crying ({{langx|gd|"Buillean an-diugh, tuiream a-màireach"!}}) ("Blows today, mourning tomorrow!").<ref>Ronald Black (2019), ''An Lasair: Anthology of 18th-century Scottish Gaelic Verse'', Birlinn Limited. Page 405.</ref> After these events, the Chiefs of Clan Ranald moved their main residence back to [[Benbecula]].

During the time when the Chiefs of Clanranald were [[absentee landlord]]s, the estate [[Factor (Scotland)|Factor]] lived, according to Angus MacLellan, in a house at Loch Eynort on a site still known as ({{langx|gd|Rubha Taigh a' Mhàil}}), or "The Rent House Point."<ref> Angus MacLellan & [[John Lorne Campbell]], (2001), ''Stories from South Uist'', [[Birlinn Limited]]. Page 81, 220.</ref>

During the [[Jacobite rising of 1745]], Ranald MacDonald, the son of the Clan Ranald leader,{{refn|group="note"|who was also called Ranald}} amassed large amounts of debt by funding the Jacobite army.{{refn|group="note"|his father, by contrast, was unwilling to actively support the campaign}} In the following year, [[Charles Edward Stuart|Bonnie Prince Charlie]] was able to hide at Calvay Castle, after fleeing from the [[Battle of Culloden]], until he was able to escape with the aid of [[Flora Macdonald|Flora MacDonald]]. Though an act of attainder (and forfeit) was subsequently passed against Ranald, it had no effect, due to accidentally naming him as ''Donald'' MacDonald.

[[File:Kelp on the beach - geograph.org.uk - 1472137.jpg|thumb|left|Kelp on the Bornish beach]]
Ranald's debts proved burdensome for his family, but his grandson, [[Ranald George Macdonald|Ranald George MacDonald]], was able to keep them at bay thanks to the [[Napoleonic Wars]]; the wars had restricted the supply of certain minerals, turning the production of [[soda ash]] by burning [[kelp]] into a highly profitable activity. Kelp harvesting (and burning) became one of the principle economic activities of the population of South Uist,<ref>{{cite book|last=Innes|first=Bill|title=Old South Uist|year=2006|publisher=Stenlake Publishing|location=Catrine, Ayrshire|isbn=9781840333817|page=3,4|url=http://www.stenlake.co.uk/books/view_book.php?ref=440|access-date=22 October 2013|archive-date=23 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023110943/http://www.stenlake.co.uk/books/view_book.php?ref=440|url-status=dead}}</ref> but when the wars ended, competition from imported [[barilla]] resulted in the kelp price collapsing.<ref name="OldSouthUist">{{cite book|last=Innes|first=Bill|title=Old South Uist|year=2006|pages=3, 4}}</ref> In 1837, facing bankruptcy,<ref name="OldSouthUist" /> Ranald sold South Uist to Lt. Colonel [[John Gordon (soldier)|John Gordon]] of [[Cluny Castle|Cluny]].

Already accustomed to [[Sugar plantations in the Caribbean|treating people as slaves]], and seeing the financial advantages to livestock farming, Gordon was ruthless, evicting the population with short notice. On 11 August 1851, he demanded that everyone in South Uist attend a public meeting at Lochboisdale; according to an eyewitness,{{refn|group="note"|Catherine MacPhee}} he dragged the attendees from the meeting, sometimes in handcuffs, and threw then onto waiting ships, like cattle.<ref>''The Jaws of Sheep: The 1851 Hebridean Clearances of Gordon of Cluny'', James A. Stewart, in ''Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium'', 1999</ref> Having [[Highland Clearances|"cleared"]] much of the land, he replaced the population with flocks of [[Scottish Blackface|Blackface]] sheep, bringing in [[Scottish Borders|Lowland]] farmers to care for them. The former population largely moved to Canada; the remaining populace of South Uist represented less than half of the 1841 total.{{refn|group="note"|which was 5093}}<ref name="ArchPear">''South Uist:Archaeology and History of a Hebridean Island.'' Pearson, Shaples, Symonds. 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-7524-2905-2}}</ref>

Meanwhile, as both Col. Gordon and his [[Factor (Scotland)|Factor]]s considered the nearby island of [[Eriskay]] "agriculturally worthless", accordingly used the island as a dumping ground for evicted tenants from his many other island estates throughout the southern [[Outer Hebrides]]. For the most part, however, the newly arrived islanders of Eriskay, which drastically multiplied the island's population, belonged overwhelmingly to the once strictly illegal [[Catholic Church in Scotland]] and had their family roots across the [[Sound of Barra]] in South Uist.<ref> Roger Hutchinson (2010), ''The Life and Legacy of a Hebridean Priest'', Birlinn Limited. Page 130-131.</ref>

=== Later history ===

Lochboisdale became a major herring port later in the 19th century. In 1889, counties were formally created in Scotland, on shrieval boundaries, by [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889|a dedicated Local Government Act]]; South Uist therefore became part of the new [[Invernessshire|county of Inverness]]. Following late 20th-century reforms, South Uist became part of the Highland Region.  The population level remained steady after the 19th-century clearances (in 2004 it was 2,285<ref name="ArchPear" />). Following a series of different landowners, South Uist was owned by South Uist Estates Ltd from 1960. In 2006, the local community bought all of the company's shares, via the [[special purpose vehicle]] ''Sealladh na Beinne Mòire''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.storasuibhist.com/about-us/|title=About Us|publisher=Stòras Uibhist|date=2013|access-date=2018-06-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Who owns Scotland? |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/who-owns-scotland-here-s-the-next-five-in-our-top-20-1-1153750 |website=The Scotsman}}</ref>

===MOD Hebrides===
[[File:South Ridge of Stulabhal - geograph.org.uk - 15963.jpg|thumb|right|East Coast]]
In the north west of the island at ({{Coord|57|20|N|07|20|W|region:GB_type:isle|display=inline}}), a missile testing range was built in 1957–58 to launch the [[MGM-5 Corporal]] missile, Britain and America's{{clarify|date=February 2017}} first guided nuclear weapon. This development went ahead despite significant protests, some locals expressing concern that the [[Scottish Gaelic]] language would not survive the influx of English-speaking Army personnel. The British Government claimed that there was an 'overriding national interest' in establishing a training range for their newly purchased Corporal, a weapon that was to be at the front line of [[Cold War]] defence. The Corporal missile was tested from 1959 to 1963, before giving way to [[MGM-29 Sergeant]] and [[MGM-52 Lance]] tactical nuclear missiles. The 'rocket range' as it is known locally has also been used to test high-altitude research rockets, [[Skua (rocket)|Skua]] and [[Petrel (rocket)|Petrel]]. Local opposition to the range inspired the 1957 novel ''[[Rockets Galore (novel)|Rockets Galore]]'' by [[Compton Mackenzie]], which was made into the film ''[[Rockets Galore!]]''.

[[MOD Hebrides]] is still owned by the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|MoD]] operated by [[QinetiQ]] as a testing facility for missile systems such as the surface-to-air [[Rapier missile]] and [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s.<ref>QinetiQ: Hebrides Operations{{Dead link|url=http://www.qinetiq.com/home/defence/test_and_evaluation/tande_services/singlesitefacilities/hebrides_facilities/hebrides_operations.html|date=August 2009}}</ref>