Edinbane

Edinbane (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Aodann Bàn the fair hill-face) is a small village on the island of Skye, Scotland.[1]

Edinbane

Edinbane at the head of Loch Greshornish
Edinbane
Location within the Isle of Skye
OS grid referenceNG343508
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPORTREE
Postcode districtIV51
Dialling code01470
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Location

Edinbane lies on the A850 road[2] at the foot of the Waternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, 14 miles (23 kilometres) from Portree and 8 miles (13 kilometres) from Dunvegan. The name An t-Aodann Bàn is said to be taken from the white bog cotton plants that can be found on the hill sides. The village is based around the crofts with a small primary school and pottery. Notable buildings in Edinbane village are the former Gesto Hospital (c. 1870), the Edinbane Inn (c. 1900) and Edinbane Lodge, a stone-built hunting lodge built in 1543.

History

There has been a settlement here since before 1600, but it was Kenneth MacLeod of Greshornish (1 December 1809, died unmarried in 1869) who founded the village.[3]

Kenneth MacLeod of Greshornish
Edinbane Lodge

Kenneth McLeod's family had farmed land in the Gesto area of Skye for over 500 years. At the age of 15 he went to India, with his fare paid out and one golden guinea in his pocket, given him by Mrs MacDonald of Waternish. After a year's work, he took the river boat down to Calcutta. On the way he went ashore and visited a place where an auction of the contents of a sugar factory was in progress. With his precious Guinea, he bought a copper boiler, which he sold in Calcutta for £30. He now returned to the derelict sugar factory and bought it for very little. This set him on the ladder to making a fortune in India planting indigo.

Kenneth MacLeod of Gesto

Returning to Skye, he endeavoured to buy the tack of Gesto but MacLeod of MacLeod was not prepared to sell. Kenneth then bought Orbost, Isle of Skye, Edinbane, Skirinish, Greshornishy, Tote and Skeabost and much of Portree. He ensured that the village had a tradesman from each of the important crafts. He set up the first hospital on Skye in Edinbane, aptly named Gesto. It is now boarded up.[4]

  • Edinbane Lodge in 1930's. Edward Langdale Hilleary on right of picture

Edinbane Lodge

Edinbane Lodge is the oldest coaching inn on the Isle of Skye, dating from 1543.[5] Originally known as Tigh A Linne it operated as one of three change houses for travellers on their way between Portree and Dunvegan. It was purchased by Kenneth MacLeod of Greshornish in the 1860s and converted into a hunting lodge. In 1920 the Lodge was purchased by Edward Langdale Hilleary, a wealthy London businessman, and his wife Edith (née Robertson), niece of Kenneth MacLeod. In 1927 Edward Langdale Hilleary constructed a small hydro plant on the Abhainn Coishletter just behind the Lodge. The scheme supplied electricity to the nearby Gesto hospital and also powered the Lodge.[6] Among other uses, Edinbane Lodge has served as the land court for the surrounding area, where people were tried for various offences including sheep rustling and more serious crimes. If found guilty and sentenced to death, the accused were hanged in the garden grounds.

Wind farm fire

On 24–25 April 2019, a major fire burned 5 square miles (13 square kilometres) of forestry at Edinbane wind farm.[7]

References
  1. "Edinbane". The Gazetteer for Scotland. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  2. "A850". Sabre. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  3. "Skye, Edinbane". Canmore. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  4. "Edinbane". Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
  5. John MacInnes (2018) The Hillearys of Edinbane. Dunblane: John MacInnes Associates ISBN 9780957370333
  6. John MacInnes (2018) The Hillearys of Edinbane. Dunblane: John MacInnes Associates ISBN 9780957370333
  7. Ken Banks (25 April 2019). "Crews called back to scene of major Moray wildfire". BBC. Retrieved 26 April 2019.

Further reading
  • John MacInnes (2015) Edinbane township, Isle of Skye: an island community and its people; 2nd ed. John MacInnes Associates
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