31 October 2023

An Old Mill at Breackachy

A NOSAS Field Trip to Breakachy on the braes west of Beauly. In March 2022 NOSAS undertook a detailed field survey of the old ruined buildings that constitute the previous thriving community of Breakachy. That community in the 1870's was captured in the memoirs of William MacDonald, a boy who grew up in Breakachy, and then became a minister in New Zealand. His memoirs were written in the 1920's and printed in Inverness in 1928.

The Breakachian describes a mill at Breakachy, just by the farm of Milton. Neither the mill nor the name of Milton are recorded on any OS or known estate map. However they both exist. Neither of them were recorded in the March 2022 survey.

The visit will be to the mill ruins and the associated pond and lade. It will also encompass the ruins of the settlement at Milton. We'll consider drove roads, river crossings as well as mills in the 18th century. 

For joining details, please contact roland.spencerjones@gmail.com. Open to members of the public. The event is part of NOSAS 25.

31 October 2023

Lost Land of Dreams? Why St Kilda still matters

Talk by Dr Ian Spring

Orpanised by UHI Institute for Northern Studies. Venue: Perth Theatre, Mill Street, Perth PH1 5HZ. Free. No need to book. This lecture is in person and will not be recorded.

Further details from their website

There has been a proliferation of interest in the island of St Kilda, evacuated in 1930. Most representations, however, are based on two dubious assumptions: that the St Kildans had a unique way of life and that the story of St Kilda is only of historical relevance. This talk looks at how St Kilda has been portrayed over two centuries and concludes that there are cultural and socio-economic lessons to be learned from the story of St Kilda that are relevant to Island Studies and to Northern Studies today.