Tarskavaig History
Tarskavaig History
Introduction
At a recent Robertson family funeral on a windswept hillside overlooking the Holy Loch, it became apparent that the ‘new generation’ understood little about the history of their family or its roots. Our great-grandfather Alexander Robertson, the famous Clyde boat-builder, lived in a house called ‘Tarskavaig’ so we always imagined there was a connection with the village of the same name on the Isle of Skye.
Several attempts had been made to unravel the mysteries of the family in the past but with limited success. However, with the introduction of new family-history software and access to electronic birth/marriage/death records, the missing link between Sandbank and our ancestors in the village of Tarskavaig (Crofts 30 and 31) was quickly established. While completion of the family tree satisfied our immediate needs, it did nothing to reveal the type of life they would have led in this small isolated coastal crofting community.
One magical summer evening while fishing with my son at Tarskavaig Point, with the majestic Cuillin Hills set against the radiant crimson sunset, I began to wonder what had happened to the ruined church by the shore, the abandoned crofts and original inhabitants. And, so began one person’s quest to understand the history of Tarskavaig.
D I Hutchison
Please note this is not a physical product.