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North Rona lies 44 miles NNE
of the Butt of Lewis. Tradition has it that the island was first settled by St Ronan, who
built a small chapel there and that the island takes its name from him. Until about 1680
the island supported a population of up to 30 people who sustained themselves on oats,
barley, cattle and sheep, seabirds and seabird eggs, seals and fish. Since 1844 it has
been used by successive Ness farmers or crofters as grazing for sheep. |
| A Ness crofter, Iain MacLean,
is the current tenant (non-residential) of Rona. Mr MacLean visits the island
regularly to collect and leave sheep. The island, with its cover of grass and
coastal seaweed, offers excellent grazing for the animals. PHOTO RIGHT:
Iain MacLean (centre, wearing light blue boilersuit) with a sheep shearing crew at the
sheep fank on North Rona |
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A ram on Rona that yielded a
23lb fleece during the annual sheep round-up and fank on the island. Taken about
1950, the photograph shows: John Mackenzie MacLeod (Iain Sparaig Sneagain), Colin
Campbell (Cailean an Irish), John MaCKenzie (Nounaidh Tod), Donald Morrison (Domhnall
Murdo na Casag). Photo: James
MacGeoch |
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| The Island
- early history / St Ronan Who
St.Ronan was or indeed if he ever existed is not clear. There are however a number of
early saints with this name and quite a number of chapels dedicated to St. Ronan are to be
found in the Hebrides. He has widely been identified with Ronan, the abbot of Kingrath in
Bute, who travelled the Highlands and Islands preaching the Gospel and died in 737AD.
As well as the chapel
dedicated to St. Ronan on Rona, there is also a well and the site of a chapel in Eoropie,
Ness, dedicated to him. The chapel of St. Ronan in Eoropie is by tradition the earliest
Christian chapel in Lewis.
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| Rona - more.........
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The Rona
Cross
The Rona
Cross, which stood in the cemetary of the church on North Rona, is on permanent display at
the Ness Heritage Centre |
The Rona Cross originally
stood in the middle of the small graveyard on the island of North Rona. According to local
tradition, the cross marked the grave of St. Ronan himself. The figure of a naked man is carved in outline on
the granite stone, with three holes going through the upper part of the cross – under
the armpits and through the neck of the figure. The naked man perhaps suggests the merging
of a pre-Christian belief with the Christian symbol of the cross.
The Rona Cross is difficult to date
accurately but may belong to the 7th or 8th century.
The cross was removed from Rona earlier
this century and later placed in St. Moluadh’s church where it was kept until 1992.
It was then given by the Friends of St. Moluadh’s to the Ness Historical Society for
safe-keeping and display.
The Rona Cross is on permanent display in
the Ness Heritage Centre. |
Illustration
of Rona Cross showing the figure of a a naked man cut into the granite. Three holes
penetrate through the Cross - underneath the armpits and at the neck of the
figure
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| The Rona
Stone |
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LEFT: The Rona
Stone RIGHT: The Rona Stone
sitting on the beautifully carved base and stand that accompanied it when Scottish Natural
Heritage presented the marble artefact to the Comunn Eachdraidh. |
| This
is a small piece of green serpentine marble. It is said to have been brought to Rona by St
Ronan around 700 AD from the early Christian community on Iona. It seems that the early
Christian monks who travelled from Iona preaching the gospel often took special stones
with them when they left Iona. The
stone was found by Frank Frazer Darling in the floor of the Rona chapel, close by the
altar, in 1939. He later presented it to the Nature Conservancy Council. In 1992, Scottish
Natural Heritage, successors of the Nature Conservancy Council, presented the stone to
Comunn Eachdraidh Nis. |
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