-- History --
Up
until the 1840's Rona was the property of the McLeods but through
various failed ventures they found themselves in debt and had
to sell the island. The new proprietor of Rona, and its neighbour
Raasay, was George Rainy who was seen as something of a philanthropist
and he did his best to negate the effects of the potato famine.
Rainy didn't last long as owner and neither did his son who died
only 10 years after inheriting the island from his father.
The
next in a long line of owners was George MacKay who forced up
the rents and within three years had sold the islands for a handsome
profit to another Englishmen William Armitage. Only 18 months
later the island once again changed hands as Herbert Wood became
the latest owner. Wood imported deer, pheasants and rabbits and
cleared the best agricultural land on Raasay which put even more
pressure on Rona. In time Parliament recognised the rights of
crofters and from 1886 existing holdings were protected putting
an end to continual changes in land use as decreed by whoever
owned the islands.
Life
continued to be a struggle on the rocky island of Rona and the
small settlement in the north at Braig was abandoned in 1889.
After the first world war seven of Rona's ex-servicemen decided
to leave the island and stake a claim on their ancestral land
at Ferans on Raasay. Known as the 'Rona Raiders' they were arrested
and put on trial, but public support saw them freed and allowed
to return to the land they had claimed. The outcry created by
this incident saw the islands of Raasay and Rona purchased by
the Scottish Board Of Agriculture in 1922.
By
now there were around 15 families left on Rona at Doire na Guaile,
Acairseid Mhor (Big Harbour) and Acardeid Thioram (Dry Harbour).
However, by 1930 the numbers had dropped to just two tennant families.
The last of these, the MacRae's, left in 1943 and the struggle
for survival on Rona was over. Nowadays the island is owned by
a Mrs Jensen who has renovated the harbour as well as converting
the mission house at Dry Harbour into two holiday cottages. The
islands sole permanent inhabitant is the land manger, Bill Cowie. |
