Book

The Isle of Lewis and Harris: a study in British community

At the University PressEdinburghPublished In 1955 • Pages:

By: Geddes, Arthur.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Geddes presents a survey of the changing physical-environmental and cultural systems on the island of Lewis and Harris from the 17th century to 1952. Based upon clerical and documented histories (including census records), some scant archeological records (prior to the 17th century), and his own survey work between 1919 and 1952, Geddes describes and interprets the Gaelic economic, societal, political and religious organization, as well as the 'clan spirit' (an underlying theme), in terms of adaptation to a highly variable and rugged environment. Detailed descriptions of crofting (the tenant farming system of land tenure), small-scale fishing, fishing industries, kelp-making, home weaving and the tweed industry, the primary economic ativities on the island, are presented and compared through time for the several different overlordships that directed the community.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Culture summary
Geography
History
Sociocultural trends
Fishing
Domesticated animals
Tillage
Dwellings
Settlement patterns
Real property
Exchange and transfers
Family
Community structure
Ecclesiastical organization
Religious intolerance and martyrs
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Highland Scots
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
1995
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Europe
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
British Isles
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Geographer
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah T. Bridges
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1919-1952
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
ca. 1700-1952
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Isle of Lewis and Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
NotesAdditional notes
[by] Arthur Geddes
Includes bibliography and index
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Highlands (Scotland)