The Hebrides
Brother Tom Messer, Editor, The Scotian

Early in the 13th century, King Edgar, the King of Norway (he was known as Magnus Barefoot) conquered the Hebrides, a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland that was a convenient area for sheltering an enemy force invading the Scottish mainland. Many years later, Scotland's King Alexander the Second tried to persuade the then Kong of Norway, King Hakon, that the Hebrides really belonged to Scotland and not to Norway. Hakon refused to listen to him. Alexander offered to buy them back, but Hakon told him he didn't need any money. Alexander, however, was determined to win back the Hebrides at any cost. So he set sail with an army to fight the Norwegians in the Hebrides and settle the matter once and for all.

Alexander was confident that this mission would be successful, but fate took a hand. During the voyage from the Scottish mainland, he became very ill and when his ship reached the Bay of Oban in Argyllshire, he had to be put ashore on the Island of Kerrera where he died. Local people did not really mourn his death. They said that it was a punishment for doing such an unjust thing as trying to win back the islands from the King of Norway......