Sheila was a dairy maid at the manor house on the island in the early 1900s. She lived here until 1950, when she moved to the “big island” of Mull. Her cabin was restored about fifteen years ago, and serves as a heritage center for the island. This end of the cottage was her room, and the far end was room for livestock. She was known for using a limb in her fireplace instead of cut firewood, feeding it into the fire as needed, and using the dry end as a hanging rack to dry her laundry.
Ulva has always been privately owned, and had over 600 inhabitants in the 1830s living in 16 villages. During the clearances they scattered to Canada, America, Australia and other parts of Scotland. The explorer David Livingstone’s grandparents lived on Ulva, and although he never visited the stories told by his grandfather appear in his writings and were a strong influence in his life. The Howard family has owned Ulva since 1945.
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