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Opium, Soap and Big Plans for Lewis. |
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In 1918, the descendants of James Matheson sold Lewis to the soap magnate Lord Leverhulme, who proceeded to buy up neighbouring Harris as well. Leverhulme was a highly-thought-of philanthropist, who had been praised for his working model village of Port Sunlight near Liverpool. He had great plans for Lewis, and was well received on his arrival.
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His plans centred on building a fish cannery in Stornoway, at which he envisioned the bulk of the island's population would be employed. His plans garnered a lot of support in the town of Stornoway, but he was to tragically misinterpret the mood of the country population.
Most of the crofters of Lewis had served as soldiers and sailors in the Great War, indeed Lewis had the highest per capita rate of service in the whole British Empire, and on their return the Lewismen expected a piece of land to call their own. As raids by the ex-service men on the large farms took hold in Lewis, Leverhulme met the crofters at an open-air meeting at Gress, attended by almost a thousand people. The events of this meeting were recorded by the Gaelic-speaking land official, Colin MacDonald:
"One of the ringleaders managed to rouse himself from the spell and in an impassioned voice addressed the crowd in Gaelic"
Leverhulme's interpreter translated for him:
"Come, come, men! This will not do! This honey-mouthed man would have us believe that black is white and white is black. We are not concerned with his fancy dreams that may or may not come true! What we want is the land - and the question I put to him now is: Will you give us the land?"
The failure of the two sides to settle the land problem led to Leverhulme abandoning his plans for Lewis and turning his attention further south, to Harris, where he was more readily received. Leverhulme only twice returned to Lews Castle after this, the last time being in September 1924 to open the Lewis War Memorial.
"That night before the mail-boat sailed, Leverhulme called on Kenneth Maciver, son of the closest friend he had made in the islands, and asked Maciver to go with him to the canning factory, which was then already half-dismantled. The two men stood there in the dark, Leverhulme a little ahead of his companion. Maciver suddenly saw the outline of the great shoulders trembling with sobs. Neither said a word to the other. They walked back along the quay, and shook hands at the foot of the gangway. Leverhulme never saw the Hebrides again."
Nigel Nicolson, Lord of the Isles.
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