180 LEWIS. HISTORY OF THE WESTERN ISLES. 



Norwegian rovers during the eighth century. It is 

 probable that in the time of these incursions, settlements 

 were formed, and some of those names imposed which 

 still continue to predominate among the islands. Little 

 certain information can however be procured respecting 

 these invasions till towards the end of the ninth century, 

 the period of the conquests of Harold Harfagre, and 

 the subsequent revolt of Ketil; under whose sway a 

 Norwegian government was consolidated in the Western 

 islands. The new kingdom of Man, which immediately 

 succeeded, absorbed within itself the whole of them ; yet 

 some obscurity hangs over the nature and extent of 

 this sovereignty, as it appears, that although during 

 the whole of this period they were subject to the kingdom 

 of Norway, and were under the immediate command of 

 lieutenants sent from that country, they payed tribute 

 to the Earls of Caithness and Orkney. Antiquaries 

 have vainly endeavoured to throw light on the obscurity 

 of these times ; but in truth the elucidation of the 

 exploits of these roving freebooters, unless it may be 

 supposed to derive some merit from its difficulty, seems 

 as little interesting as the history of those who now 

 roam through the islands of the Pacific ocean, bran- 

 dishing the wooden spear and the war club. A gleam of 

 light appears on the arrival of Magnus the bare-footed, 

 who being called to the assistance of Donaldbane 

 about the end of the eleventh century, conquered and 

 laid waste the islands, consolidating his dominion over 

 them and adding to it the peninsula of Cantyre. 

 Between this period and the time of the battle of 

 Largs, fatal to the Norwegian power in Scotland, they 

 seem to have remained under the dominion of Nor- 

 way, nominal at least if not real; since on several 

 occasions it appears that its lieutenants or viceroys 

 assumed the kingly title, and either renounced their 

 allegiance altogether, or sought protection from England 

 or from Scotland, as the politics of those days, not 



