RELIGION. 529 



large portion of the ancient parish of Ness, is included the 

 quoad sacra parish of Knock, erected in 1857. In the same 

 year, the quoad sacra parish of Cross was erected in the 

 parish of Barvas. The old parishes of Lochs and Uig, after 

 a lapse of many years, were re-erected by the Lords Com- 

 missioners of Teinds in 1722. The first minister of Lochs, 

 after the re- constitution, was Colin Mackenzie, ordained 

 in 1724, and the first of Uig was John Macleod, ordained 

 in 1726. The old parish churches were, respectively, St. 

 Columba (Ui), St. Peter (Barvas), St. Columba, on the 

 Island of St. Colm (Lochs), and St. Christopher (Uig). At 

 the disruption, in 1843, several of the Lewis ministers went 

 over to the Free Church. 



The parish of South Uist is formed of the old parishes 

 of Kilpeter, Howmore, and Benbecula. The first minister 

 of South Uist on record is Donald Macmillan, who is 

 described in 1626 by Bishop Knox, as "a very old man." 

 Martin Macpherson, the minister of South Uist in 1658, 

 sheltered General Middleton from the troops of the Com- 

 monwealth, and his services were acknowledged, after 

 the Restoration, by a gift of .200. Barra was an old 

 parish, but had been annexed to South Uist, from which 

 it was disjoined in 1733, and re-constituted as a separate 

 parish. 



Until the system of poor rates was established by the 

 Poor Law Act in 1845, the Church was the chief dispenser 

 of alms in the Long Island. The poor were supported 

 by church collections, and fines imposed upon " irregular 

 persons," which were largely supplemented by private 

 charity, the latter being still exercised in various forms. 

 The poor were received into the houses of the well-to-do 

 inhabitants, and invariably received hospitable treatment. 

 In some parishes, the Kirk Session distributed, every spring, 

 among the paupers on the roll, a quantity of grain, regu- 

 larly set aside for their use by those of their neighbours 

 who could afford it. The wife of the last Lord Seaforth 

 was distinguished by her care of the poor in Lewis. 



In educational matters, the Long Island was, until the 



