British Empire Medal for lifelong efforts in the community

The latest New Year’s Honours List published at the end of December included a name well-known to many who live in the Western Isles or descend from here. Bill Lawson, genealogist, prolific author, and Harris resident has been awarded a BEM.

A few of many books written by Bill Lawson. His 100th publication (Croft History of Scarp and various villages of North Harris) was celebrated in 2022.

Mr Lawson was selected for an honour along with two other residents from the Western Isles, Elizabeth McAtear (OBE) from Barra and  Charles Nicolson (BEM) from Lewis.

Iain Macaulay, HM Lord-Lieutenant, emphasised the three recipients’ exceptional contributions to the community: “Their areas of expertise and interests in volunteering, charitable work, and the cultural heritage of the Hebrides reflect the rich talent of our islands. All have provided outstanding service, in their various roles, not just locally but also much further afield.”

The recognition for Bill Lawson comes after decades of genealogical research across the Highlands and Islands. Born in Stirling, Mr Lawson discovered Harris as a young visitor and kept coming back for holidays until finally moving here in the early 1980s. His work for the community officially began then. He helped deliver local projects through the Integrated Development Programme as Project Leader and his interest in family records and histories of local crofts eventually led to the establishment of a genealogy research service in Northton. With his late wife Chris Lawson, he founded Cò Leis Thu? in 1988. The centre found its base in the Old Schoolhouse. In 2000, the Seallam! Visitor Centre was opened. Both are currently run by the Northton Heritage Trust, the latter now as the Hebrides People Visitor Centre. Mr Lawson continues his efforts as a consultant to the Trust.

Anybody who would imagine genealogical research in Hebrides as a lonely work in archives would be mistaken. “Written records in the Islands are generally poor, and were often kept by incomers with no knowledge of Gaelic, and even less interest. Oral tradition, on the other hand, comes from within a community and is much more likely to be accurate, even though it does tend to be more localised,” writes Mr Lawson in his book Harris in History and Legend. “So much of this oral tradition was going to be lost with the old folk, as few of the younger people were listening if only because the educational system had taught them to devalue all things local,” he adds. “The memories of the older people are a vital resource for the history of the Islands and their people.”

You can learn more about Bill Lawson’s work by visiting the Hebrides People Visitor Centre.