Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the impact of extreme weather on the island communities of the Outer Hebrides in north-west Scotland during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is based on the empirical study of school log books, which documented weather extremes and other aspects of island life.

Paper long abstract:

This paper uses school log books to examine the effects of extreme weather on the lives of the inhabitants of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Extreme weather events were frequently recorded in school log books due to their correspondence with school attendance. The paper shows how extreme weather influenced a wide range of aspects of everyday life across the island chain. For instance, it affected the traditional industries of crofting and fishing, hampering the economic development of the region and had implications for the health and wellbeing of the population, often coinciding with outbreaks of disease, illness and pandemics. Children routinely missed school because the weather was too bad for them to reach it, or because their clothing was insufficient for them to cope with heavy rain, wind or snow. Focusing on the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, the paper will consider the relative resilience of different rural and urban and inland and coastal communities. It will also explore the efforts that individuals and communities, as well as authorities, charitable organisations and philanthropists took to mitigate the effects of extreme weather on the islands' inhabitants. Lastly, the paper will argue that school log books are at once a neglected resource for geographers, historians, anthropologists and others, while offering unique insight into past weather extremes and their implications for the everyday lives of island communities on the edge of the world.