Borve, Lewis

For other places with the same name, see Borve.

Borve Scottish Gaelic: Borgh
Borve Free Church
Borve Location within the Outer Hebrides
Language	Scottish Gaelic English
OS grid reference	NB412561
Civil parish	Barvas
Council area	Na h-Eileanan Siar
Lieutenancy area	Western Isles
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ISLE OF LEWIS
Postcode district	HS2
Dialling code	01851
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Scottish Parliament	Na h-Eileanan an Iar
List of places UK Scotland 58°25′01″N6°25′55″W / 58.417°N 6.432°W / 58.417; -6.432

Borve (Scottish Gaelic : Borgh) is a village on the west side of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, 17 miles (27 kilometres) from the island's only town, Stornoway.

Location

The village lies on the River Borve, which is crossed by two adjacent bridges. The older bridge, built of stone rubble and consisting of a single arch, dates from the late 19th century and is no longer used for road traffic. ^[1] The modern bridge was built in the early 1990s at a cost of £250,000. ^[2] The main road through the village is the A857 between Stornoway and Ness. ^[1]

The village is in three parts: Borve, previously Fivepenny Borve, which stretches from the southern boundary to the river Borve; High Borve, previously Mid-Borve, north of the river; and Melbost Borve, nearest Galson. ^[3]

History

Prehistory

In Melbost Borve there are the remains of a burial ground (Cladh Bhrighid) and the barely visible ruins of a tiny chapel, Teampall Bhrìghid, and a well, TobarBhrìghid, - all dedicated to St Brigid. ^{[4] [5]}

About 1⁄2 mile (800 metres) north of Melbost Borve stand the ruins of the pre-Norse broch Dun Bhuirgh. Its name derives from the old Norse word borg, meaning a fort, and according to 19th-century accounts is the origin of the village's name. The original fort was circular in shape with an internal diameter of 30 feet (9 metres) and walls 11 ft (3.4 m) thick. ^[6]

The Clan Macquarrie rescue

On the night of 31 January to 1 February 1953, the Clan Line vessel SS Clan Macquarrie (7131 tons) was driven onto the foreshore at Borve by gales. Braving the horrendous weather, with winds gusting up to 100 mph (160 km/h; 45 m/s), local men got a breeches buoy onto the vessel and rescued all 66 crew members. In recognition of the villagers' courage and hospitality, the Clan Line donated funds for the construction of a village hall. ^[7]

War memorial

To the north of the Community Centre stands the North Lewis War Memorial, ^[8] which records the names of men from Borve, Galson, Shader, and Ballantrushal who died in the two World Wars and the Iolaire Disaster of 1919. The memorial also records one casualty of the Boer Wars. ^[9]

Churches

Borve Free Church is in the village centre. ^[10] The church has recently been used for traditional Hebridean weddings. ^[11]

Teampall Bhrìghid

The ruins of an earlier church and graveyard, Teampall Bhrìghid (St Bridget's Church) are found in Melbost Borve. The stone has been robbed out to build other structures and all that remains of the church, now, is a grassy mound. Local tradition holds that Swain, a Norse king, was buried with his crown at Teampall Bhrìghid. ^[12]

References

1. Historic Environment Scotland. "Lewis, Borve Bridge (Site no. NB45NW 65)" . Retrieved 25 June 2025.
2. Kynoch, George (23 April 1996). "Isle of Lewis (Roads)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Retrieved 27 March 2015.
3. Historic Environment Scotland. "Lewis, Borve (Site no. NB45NW 50)" . Retrieved 1 July 2025.
4. Muir, Thomas Scott (1885). Ecclesiological notes on some of the islands of Scotland, p. 42. David Douglas
5. Sharkey, John and Payne, Keith (1986). The road through the Isles, p. 238. Wildwood House. ISBN   0704504987
6. Thomas, F. W. L. (1853). "On the Duns of the Outer Hebrides". Archaeologia Scotica: Transactions of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, pp. 365–415.
7. Stornoway Gazette (5 March 2008). "Clan Macquarrie – historic rescue at Borve". Retrieved 27 May 2015.
8. Historic Environment Scotland. "Lewis, Coig Peighinnean Bhuirg, War Memorial (Site no. NB45NW 68)" . Retrieved 25 June 2025.
9. Historic Environment Scotland. "Lewis, Cross, North Lewis War Memorial (Site no. NB56SW 92)" . Retrieved 25 June 2025.
10. "Borve Free Church". Scottish Church Heritage Research. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
11. "Western Isles TV reality wedding". Hebrides News. 24 November 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
12. Barrowman, Rachel C.; Francoz, Charlotte; Hooper, Janet; Rennie, Christine; Tompsett, Gary (17 February 2020). "Chapel-sites on the Isle of Lewis: Results of the Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites Survey". Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports. 88 (88): 1–134. doi: 10.9750/issn.2056-7421.2020.88 . ISSN   2056-7421.

External links

• Borgh - Photographs of some of the locations mentioned above