Arran Through Time – a review
Arran Through Time – A collection of articles about people and events associated with the Isle of Arran. By James Henderson
Arran Through Time is a newly published collection of articles about Arran by James Henderson. Having been born in a cottage in Bungalow Road, Lamlash, in 1942, Jim’s curiosity about island history began as a young man when he started an apprenticeship with McArthur Joiners in Lamlash. George McArthur had an extensive knowledge of Arran, and along with the trade’s skills imparted to the young James, so too was a life-long interest in his home island.
Over the years this interest has deepened and this recent work reflects many years of research and writing, which James has now collated into one volume. The reader is taken on a wide-ranging journey from prehistoric times to the present day, taking in the island’s geology and agriculture, the times of the Vikings, Robert de Brus, and generations of the Hamilton family. There are also chapters on Holy Island, the Kilbride Parish, the Darien Disaster, as well as the Clyde Paddle Steamers.
The material covers the changing fortunes of Arran and its people over the centuries. We learn about the tumultuous and prolonged periods of raids and conflict, firstly during the period when the island was under Viking domination, and then in later periods with the English, or different factions of Scots. Henderson writes, “Over the years many changes took place on the Isle of Arran, with control changing hands from the Irish, Vikings, Celts, Stewarts, to the Lord of the Isles and his descendants, until the Hamiltons took over in 1467.”
But if Arran’s history has been one of frequent change, it has also seems to have been one of fortitude and endurance, and in the short time that humans have taken their place here, the landscape – the glens, the lochs and the bays – have provided an unchanging backdrop for all that has played out on the island’s shores. We hear how Lamlash Bay, and Innis Shroin (Holy Isle) provided shelter for 100s of Viking longships before the Battle of Largs; and how Brodick castle over centuries was a point of dispute, a locus for the battles of power, including Robert de Brus routing the English in the early 1300s, and Cromwell and his troops in the 1600s. It wasn’t until well into the late 1600s that these periods of unrest began to settle, and when Brodick Castle once again came back into Hamilton hands around 1650, a period of relative calm came upon the island. During this time Duchess Anne was dedicated to Arran and its community, overseeing improvements to roads and building chapels and harbours.
Yet by the late 1700s the shadow of the clearances was looming, which Henderson describes as “Perhaps the most significant change to Arran life.” At this time the factor of James 7th Duke of Hamilton (who was just a young child) and the trustees of Arran Estates, engaged John Burrel, Hamilton estate ‘Manager of Improvements’ to visit the island to make recommendations about the existing crofting arrangements. “Burrell’s remit was to put an end to the run-rig system and to create larger farms to increase productivity.” Along with the increased rents, this led to 800 families over a period losing their homes, and many leaving Arran altogether.
The effects of this reorganisation of land, kinship and labour can still be felt today, and it is quite poignant to note the current issues surrounding community ownership in light of this. Seen through this long lens, Arran Through Time provides a fascinating and broad exploration of this wee, yet in spirit very large, island.
Arran Through Time is on sale at several outlets around the island: The Ship House, Lamlash; the Arran Heritage Museum, Brodick, Arran Gift Box, Brodick, and the The Wee Bookshop, Corrie.
Also available at the Heritage Musuem and The Wee Bookshop is another of James Henderson’s publications – Arran to Canada one way. *Extracts of this research can also be accessed in the Voice for Arran archives (all the back issues of the Voice from 2011 which are now online).
Featured image shows the King’s Caves, near Machrie. Photo credit: James Henderson
