History - Part II
A standing
stone at Tarbert, turned into a Christian landing stone
Into the light of History
The first point at which Jura and the rest of the Hebrides come into written history is with the voyage of Pytheas of Massalia, whom explored most of what is now northern Europe, including a circumnavigation of the British Isles after reaching visual sight of Iceland. This was accomplished around 325 BCE and among his even more notable accomplishments was an estimation of the coastline length of the British Isles (within 2.5% of modern measurements!) and the first descriptions of houses and people along the Irish Sea-which the Isle of Jura abuts. Finally, his voyage, the complete journal of which is lost to history, served as the basis for further exploration by the Romans after their invasion of Britain in the south in 43 AD. Around 80 AD Gnaeus Julius Agricola sent a Roman fleet around Britain and Latin names were given to most of the islands of the Hebrides, though some are in dispute, Jura being one of them. More on the Romans?
Irish annals and other anecdotal sources report a major battle between the Dalriadans and native Britons, though the date of this battle is debated, with dates of 570 to 768 AD being bandied about. The Dalriadans were essentially invaders from the northern and northeastern portions of Ireland, probably drawn to the Kintyre first, then the neighbouring islands, due to a need for land and the weakness of the native Britons. At some point, the Dalriadans and the Picts further north began to unite, though it appears to be a piecemeal effort.
At any rate, during this time a significant event in the history of what would become Scotland was the arrival of St. Columba and his followers in the Inner Hebrides and the establishment of their religious headquarters on the island of Iona. This was in 563 AD. From this moment, and long after the saint's death, the Celtic Christian missionaries sought to convert all they came into contact with, be it Pict, Dalriadan or Briton. St. Columba's uncle, St. Ernan, has been legendarily connected with Jura via the 'lost' religious community of Hinba, though current academic thought is leaning more towards Jura being the location of this important retreat. Jura's location close to the ancient capital of Dunadd, Alba (Scotland), would also make it a logical choice for a retreat, it would seem. St. Columba during his life was very politically involved, to the point that the first king crowned and 'blessed by God' in Europe was King Aedan of Alba; this was accomplished after an angel of God visited St. Columba on 'Hinba' (Jura) and told him to do so - though after considerable argument between St. Columba and the angel, if the 'Life of St. Columba' is to be believed. After St. Columba's death in 597, the Inner Hebrides enjoyed a generation of quiet, but there are allusions to the raids by 'Loch-linn' and 'Gall', or 'men from the north' and 'strangers' - they would be known as Vikings to history. More on the Picts and Scots?
A
re-created birlinn..what's a birlinn?
Click on the image!
The Hebrides were assaulted by the Vikings at Iona in 795, and perhaps there was no more apt place to strike first, as Columba had tried to unify the peoples of the islands and mainlands. While there are no specific relations of Viking activities on Jura, there are various oral stories that concern 'lost battles', particularly around Inver and Ardfin. While there has yet to be found evidence of Viking or Norse habitations on Jura, the area around Sannaig and Port na Birlinne are known to have been the headquarters of the local followers of the Norse that controlled the Inner Hebrides from the Isle of Man; the followers of Somerled would use these same sites. There is ample proof of Viking presence in Jura's place names as sites such as Liundale, Sannaig and Rainberg Mor and Rainberg Beag, to name a few. (However, the great misconception is that the island of Jura itself is "almost certainly derived from the Norse Dy Oer - pronounced Joora and meaning, "Deer Island"", is certainly incorrect. First, it ignores proper Gaelic pronunciation and furthermore, the name 'Jura' is from an earlier proto-language that was spread across Europe. In fact, the place name Jura may be found from France to Bulgaria and Albania. The Gaelic word 'diura' itself means 'tough, or durable'.) More on the Vikings?
The Norsemen and their clients from the Kings of Man on the isle of Man were dominant on Jura until Somerled, whose steady rise to power in the Herbides was cemented in the famous sea-battle of 1156 of Islay, ended Norse power in the Hebrides. Somerled's descendants, named Clan Donald, and more commonly known to history as the "Lords of the Isles" grew to control all of the west coast of Scotland, most of the north of Scotland and the islands south in the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man. They also had considerable relations in Northern Ireland.
Claig Castle on Am Fraoich Eilean
Click to read the greatest epic poem ever written about Clan Donald!
Until the 1493's the MacDonalds controlled Jura via the MacLeans, Buies and Darrochs. While Claig Castle on Am Fraoch Eilean was their primary sea-fortress, Sannaig, Keils and Leargybreac, were all the centres of power during this period, according to oral history and limited written evidence. It is reputed that the MacDonalds extracted tolls from the ships passing through the Sound of Islay.
In the early 16th Century Clan Donald was destroyed by the Scottish Crown due to the 'Lords' duplicity in signing secret treaties with the English Crown against the Scottish, and also by the active instigation of Clan Campbell, ancient competitors for control of not only Argyll, but all Gaeldom. In 1506 the Treaty of Camus an Staca took away all MacDonald rights to land and power on Jura and gave them to a cadet branch of the House of Campbell. The Macleans, though formerly submissive followers of the MacDonalds-and controllers of Jura-had tried to take advantage of the decline of their masters and the lack of intelligence by their new neighbours, the Campbells. From their headquarters at Aros Castle, located just above Glen Garrisdale, the MacLeans constantly strove to keep the Campbells out of north Jura. More on Somerled, the MacDonalds or the Campbells?
The Macleans sold their holdings in 1737 to Donald McNeil of Colonsay, thus by one means or another, keeping it from the hated Campbells of Jura.