| Administrative History | James Matheson (1796-1878), Member of Parliament for Ross and Cromarty and latterly Sir James Matheson of the Lews, acquired the Achany Estate in 1840 before he returned from Asia (Canton) where he had made his fortune with the Jardine Matheson trading company. He married Lady Matheson (Mary Jane Percival) in 1843, a marriage which produced no issue. The following year, James Matheson purchased the Island of Lewis. Upon Lady Matheson's death in 1896, the estate passed to James' nephew Donald Matheson (1819-1901) who subsequently sold the Lewis estate to William Hesketh Lever (Lord Leverhulme) in 1918, and thence to his son Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Matheson (1850-1930). Duncan married Clara Ellen, daughter of Sir Erasmus Dixon Burrows. The estate subsequently passed to their son Major James Sutherland Mackay Matheson (1880-1933) and thence to James' sister Ethel Gladys Matheson (married name Trower).
Dating from c.1800, Achany House is located in the Achany Glen close to the River Shin and was originally a seat of the Munros. Following its acquisition by James Matheson in 1840, the house remained in the Matheson family until 1948 when it was sold to the Ministry of Agriculture and used as an agricultural college. It subsequently became a hotel before returning to private ownership. |