Thatched Croft House

This is a fine photograph of a thatched croft house below the finger in Cleadale. Two ladies are standing to the right. The one with the hat is obviously a visitor, probably Catriona’s aunt Dorothea Christian Dewar nee MacEwen (1883-1967), and the other with a white apron is presumably a crofter. The building has a central flue in the roof and the window to the right is glazed. It was a house when the picture was taken, but later became a byre when it was replaced by the present timber-framed croft house to the south west. Duncan Ferguson’s typescript “The Island of Eigg” describes the house as follows: The next house is today (1974) Angus Kirk’s. The present house is constructed of wood and corrugated iron. The original house was stone built and is today used as a byre. The first tenant of the old house as far as I know was William MacLeod. His son Ronald took over after him. Ronald was married to Catherine Campbell a sister of John Campbell the blacksmith. They had 4 of a family.……… When Ronald MacLeod died the croft was taken over by his son John but he died young. His brother Donald then took over. Donald was married to Margaret MacQuarrie of Cnoc Oilteig – their family was Mary, Katie, John, Ronald and Donald Archie. Mary was married to Sandy Fraser – no family. ……… Donald Archie who took over the croft after his father died was married to Catriona MacLellan from Eriskay.…… Donald Archie was appointed as gamekeeper on the Estate after he returned from Canada in 1925. Donald had also been estate gamekeeper, and features prominently in the Ishbel Anderson Collection. If the pictures were taken in 1913 or 1914, then the crofter is probably Donald’s wife Margaret MacQuarrie.