Tour Scotland 4K short travel video clip with Scottish music, of thatched crofters cottages on the Island Of Berneray, Scottish Gaelic: Beàrnaraigh na Hearadh, on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to the Outer Hebrides, Britain, United Kingdom. As the first waterproof roofing material used in Scotland, thatch can be dated back as far as the Bronze Age. Scots often used long stemmed plants like reeds found along rivers, or straw. heather, bracken, broom and marram grass. The plants were dried out, bundled together and piled up to create a robust roof that sloughed off rain and kept houses and cottages cool in Summer and warm in Winter. By the end of the 1790s, thatch in Scotland was increasingly confined to poorer rural communities and agricultural structures. In more remote areas, the local traditions of thatching continued well into the 20th century. Thatched buildings in Scotland are part of our rich, diverse built heritage and contribute to our sense of place and regional distinctiveness. Angus MacAskill, a Scottish born Canadian giant, was born in 1825 on the Isle of Berneray in the Sound of Harris. His father was Norman MacAskill, who was 5 feet 9 inches tall, and his mother was Christina Campbell. He had twelve siblings, several of whom died young, and he was an ordinary sized baby. After several years in Stornoway, Outer Hebrides, the family settled in the fishing community of Englishtown, Cape Breton Island, Canada, around 1831. Young MacAskill was said to be of normal stature, but in entering his adolescence he began to grow rapidly and by his 20th year had attained 7 ft 4 inches, eventually reaching 7 ft 9 inches. He was known in his local community of St. Ann's as " Gille Mòr " meaning " Big Boy. ". He was also known to many as the " Cape Breton Giant " or simply " Giant MacAskill. " MacAskill was well known for feats of strength such as lifting a ship's anchor weighing 2,800 pounds to chest height, and an ability to carry barrels weighing over 350 pounds apiece under each arm or reputedly able to lift a hundredweight with two fingers and hold it at arm's length for ten minutes. In 1849 he entered show business and went to work for P.T. Barnum's circus, appearing next to General Tom Thumb. In 1853 he toured the West Indies and Cuba. Queen Victoria heard stories about MacAskill's great strength and invited him to appear before her to give a demonstration at Windsor Castle in England, after which she proclaimed him to be " the tallest, stoutest and strongest man to ever enter the palace ", and presented him with two gold rings in appreciation. After a show business career demonstrating his size and strength in Europe and North America, he returned to his home community of Englishtown and purchased a gristmill, a general store and several other properties. In the summer of 1863 MacAskill undertook a trip to the colonial capital at Halifax, where he had been planning to sell produce and purchase stock for his store that he would need for the winter season from the city's wholesalers. During the trip, he suddenly became seriously ill and was returned to St. Ann's, where his family moved him back to his parents' home. His original childhood bed was hastily lengthened and put up in their living room to provide for his care. The doctor's diagnosis was brain fever. After a week's illness, MacAskill died peacefully in his sleep on August 8, 1863, Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.
No comments:
Post a Comment