Uig Tower

[2] Major William Fraser became the owner of the Kilmuir Estate in 1855[2] and the tower was constructed around 1860 at a place where the local tenants had to go to pay their rents to his Factor.

[3] Fraser was, like many other landlords in Scotland, notorious for his contribution to the Highland Clearances, during which tenants were evicted so the land could become available for large-scale sheep farming.

[4] Fraser lived in a large house called Uig Lodge, which was washed away in a flood in 1877 shortly after the conclusion of the clearances.

[2][4][better source needed] In 1884 Fraser attempted to evict a family at Garafad in Staffin during a rent strike.

The gaps resemble loopholes of a castle through which arrows could be fired on attackers, although it has no defensive function and was built purely as a show of wealth.