Coll Lead and Turnips

Ian Bale

Through a series of fortunate co-incidences I have acquired a number of editions of "The Life of Johnson, A Tour to the Hebrides" by James Boswell.

The story of an enforced visit to Coll by Boswell and Dr. Johnson in October 1773 has been partly retold by W. R. McKay in his account of "Early Travellers to Coll" published in Coll Magazine No. 2.

A passage in the "Life of Johnson" refers to the existence of what was thought to be a promising vein of lead and no doubt the young laird of Coil who took Boswell to see this one morning, had in mind the commercial potential of this discovery.

However, despite making enquiries I could not establish the precise location of the appearance of lead described by Boswell. Sufficient detail is tantalisingly left out of the account which is as follows: -

"Col and I rode out this morning" (6th October 1773) "and viewed a part of the island. In the course of our ride we saw a turnip field which he had hoed with his own hands. He first introduced this kind of husbandry into the Western islands. We also looked at an appearance of lead which seemed very promising. It has been long known for I found letters to the late laird from Sir John Areskine and Sir Alexander Murray respecting it."

This account remained tantalisingly through two summer visits to Coll until the solution was eventually found in a mainland library in Dr. John Walker's survey of Coll of 1763, also mentioned by W. R. McKay in Coll Magazine No. 2.

vey is notable for being a very precise account of the flora, fauna and natural resources (or lack of them) to be found on Call in 1763. In the description of the mineral resources of Coll Dr. Walker gives the following account: -

"This island is destitute of coal, freestone, limestone and marve, nor are there any hopes of discovering any of these fossils as the island is composed entirely of whin rock.
The rock in general runs S.E. and N.W. obliquely across the island and all the veins and fissures nearly in the same direction.
At a place called Crossapul (as spelt) on the West side of the island on the sea shore, I found a considerable vein of lead breaking out at the surface and bearing ore at day, wherever it is uncovered.
I traced it above three hundred feet in length, where in several places it is twenty six inches wide and filled with considerable masses of lead. It lies in a straight line and runs on the one hand into the sea and on the other into the hill.
At another place about a mile East from the harbour in a little bay on the sea shore, I found another large vein, uncovered at top out of which I picked several pieces of lead ore mixed with black tar. This vein like the former rises from the sea and runs into the hill. It is in different places from one to three feet wide but is mostly choked up with earth and loose stones."

The latter part of Dr. Walker's description raises new doubts. Did he mean to locate the second vein near Gorton assuming Breachacha to be the harbour mentioned?

Perhaps the exact location of Coll's only usable mineral resource remains the island's best kept secret, known to all except visitors.

Shades of Whiskey Galore!