Matheson Memorial
Posted: Wednesday, 27 September 2006 |
Today, the renovated Matheson Memorial was officially inaugurated in the Stornoway Castle Grounds, following a major refurbishment. Those arriving into Stornoway by ferry may be familiar with the monument, which stands on a hill overlooking the harbour.
It was erected by the wife of Sir James Matheson (1796 - 1878) in his memory. The inaugural ceremony was attended by representatives of the Matheson Clan and from the Jardine-Matheson company, co-founded by James Matheson in the 1820s.
Sir James Matheson made his fortune in the opium trade, and could arguably be referred to as a drugsbaron. This may well elicit a few gasps of horror in certain circles, but it should be born in mind that Great Britain went to war to protect its interests in said opium trade. At the end of the Opium Wars, Hong Kong was occupied by Britain, only to be ceded back to the People's Republic of China in 1997.
Matheson meanwhile returned to Scotland in 1842 and purchased the Isle of Lewis. For his efforts to alleviate the effects of the potato famine (1846/7) in Lewis, he was awarded a baronetcy in 1851.
Matheson was also responsible for the clearance of the southern half of Park (Eishken), with the 36 villages I have blogged about before. Sheep being more profitable than people, I presume.
Comments
Just the sort of cove we should be celebrating - drugs baron and an ethnic cleanser - quite a double!
calumannabel from Tale Bhan Cottage Ness
The monument may bring some Chinese tourists, coming to reassure themselves that, thank heavens, he is really, really gone.
mjc from NM,USA
if my memory serves, am i right in thinking that there is a Monkey Puzzle tree...(Araucaria araucana.. aint google great) nearby? and i believe there is another one in Stornoway, but cannot remember where! does anyone know the history of these?
ex - cove from Glasgow
Y'see, there's good and bad in everyone. Cleansing ethics - a fresh state of mind and a free guga-oil spray to every customer. For every extra ethic cleansed, you get bogof on the guga oil. It's a win-win situation..........
Flying Cat from Fairstory Fields
I thought he must have done more then that whys he got a staue then
rick from point
Yes there was a very impressive Monkey Puzzle tree near the Castle close to where a glass conservatory once stood, I understand it was an arboreal victum of the great storm January 2005. Correction if I'm wrong. As to the memory of the drug barron Matheson we certainly do not celebrate his life or its passing. We must never forget the missery and hardship his like presided over by the inhumane actions of their greed. History cannot be rewritten but surely a plaque telling the other side of the story would be a worthy contribution. Or an ash tray and spittoon.
another ex-cove in Glasgow from Glasgow
There are two sides to every story. Yes Matheson dealings in the opium trade were reprehensible but he did do some good. We cannot judge him by the standards of today. Most people in Britain supported our role in the Opium Wars at the time. Several of his captains in the Jardine Matheson fleet were from Stornoway. Matheson, in person, was an amiable man; many examples of his personal kindness and generosity to individuals are on record. Against this he was said not to be a man to cross. Let's get a few facts straight. Matheson bought Lewis in 1844 not 1842 and he was not responsible for the clearances in Park. During the first 10 or so years of his proprietorship he spent a huge amount of money on improvements, roads, bridges, schools, etc. However, at some point he left the estate in the hands of his factors, an unwise move, as the record of the notorious Donald Munro testifies. We should remember Matheson, for both the good he did and the bad.
SY Cove from Stornoway
A reasonable comment from sycove. While Matheson was a bit 'dodgy' in modern parlance, it could hardly be supposed that he bought Lewis to take full advantage of it financially and make as much cash out of it as possible, any more than Leverhulme did. I mean, they made a lot more out of opium and soap respectively, right?. Let's have a crack at AMEC for that instead, eh? Both James Matheson and his wife have things to answer for, as regards the way the locals were treated, but they did leave something good that survives to this day, i.e. the beautiful Castle Grounds and the shamefully neglected Castle itself. These make Stornoway a much more attractive place to local and tourist than it would otherwise be. But as regards the Stornoway Trust, it's just typical of them to get things ar*e for elbow like this, celebrating dead opium barons and soap barons alike, while simultaneously selling off chunks of Lewis to multinationals without the consent of the people who live here.
Jimmy from Eilean Leodhais
Invasion alert! Blog infected by Fairness & Balance!
Flying Cat from Janus Way
I have been in Lewis since late 2004 and am observing life on this fascinating island from an outsider's perspective. I look out at the lighthouse every day - as it looks out over the island and the sea. 
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