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Isle
of Mull Self Catering
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The
name of the village derives from the Gaelic and Old Norse languages: 'der'
meaning 'good or true' and 'aig' from the Old Norse meaning 'creek or inlet'.
In fact the area was settled long before the arrival of the Norsemen, as
the many standing stones in prominent positions above Dervaig testify. These
early settlers made the right choice, and the place has developed remarkably
over the years. |
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The
village itself was built in 1799 by the then laird MacLean of Coll as a
'planned village' for his agricultural workers, and originally had 26 houses
with gardens and areas of common grazing. The village was progressing well
until a man called James Forsyth, the proprietor of Glen Gorm who had jurisdiction
over Dervaig, deprived the 26 crofters of their grazing rights in 1857,
and by 1883 only 13 crofters remained in the village. |
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But
despite this clearance the village survived, and eventually it had two inns,
a bakery, a shop, a Post Office and a smithy. In 1898 a Reading Room was
opened, and was used as a village hall for many years before the new hall
was built on the road to Tobermory in 2000. This building is now a well-stocked
licensed grocer and Post Office, and there is another shop called 'Coffee
and Books' in the main street. |
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The
church dominates the entrance to Dervaig village, and because of the Celtic
design of its 'pencil' tower looks older than it actually is. It is the
second church to be built on this site; it was designed in 1904 by the architect
P MacGregor Chalmers of Glasgow as a simple rectangular building with a
tall, circular tapering tower with a conical cap at its west end. The stone
came from a quarry at Mornish (on the road to Calgary), and it has very
fine stained glass windows recently restored. The church was consecrated
in 1905. |
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All
pictures, images and textual information contained on this website is ©
Loch Na Cuilce and Web-Grafix, Isle of Mull. It should not be copied or
reproduced in any form without written permission. |
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