The deserted township of Erisco, lies on the shore of Duntulm Bay, is sheltered by the long barrier of Tulm Island, and is overlooked by the medieval Duntulm Castle. It is a kilometre or so south of Rubha Hunish, the most northern point of Skye. Erisco was considered good land for growing some crops of potatoes and oats. There is evidence of lazy-bed cultivation techniques. The name Erisco, probably derives from the words ‘Erie,’ meaning a low tract of land, and ‘Sco,’ a lovely green open field. Another theory suggests it could be Erik’s town, named after one of those Viking chiefs who ruled these parts for nearly four centuries.
As I have frequently mentioned in these posts, the 19th Century was a time of eviction of tenants to make way for those Cheviot sheep and their shepherds from the Borders. Some Skye landlords, like Lord MacDonald, instead of just evicting their tenants, relocated them elsewhere. To this end, Erisco was made available to eight cotters and their families. These industrious folks built themselves stone cottages and byres with thatched roofs, all lined up alongside the township enclosure wall at the head of their crofts. The cottages were evenly spaced and had similar plots of land. Most of those cottages still stand, reaching up to the wall height and keeping their internal divisions intact. Look at the above photograph, and you’ll see three of these ruined cottages standing in a row as a testament to this past, their head-dyke forming a demarcation with the encroaching bracken1Skye, Erisco | Canmore.org.uk Year: 2023 URL: https://canmore.org.uk/site/11381/skye-erisco.
When the Crofters Act was enacted in 1886, conditions certainly got better for the crofters, and places like Erisco were abandoned, with tenants being given a chance at bigger and more productive crofts in nearby townships. Others took the opportunity to emigrate to Australia.
The OS map of Inverness-shire from 1878 indicates a crofting township comprising fourteen unroofed buildings, one enclosure, a field system, and a head-dyke. It’s considered being the finest example of a depopulated ‘improvements’ township in Skye.
- 1Skye, Erisco | Canmore.org.uk Year: 2023 URL: https://canmore.org.uk/site/11381/skye-erisco
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