Mealista
Mealista was a township in the west of the Isle of Lewis. It is currently largely uninhabited due to the Highland Clearances, which occurred there in 1838.
Mealista is a name of Norse origin, melr-stadhr, meaning 'lyme-grass steading'. Mealasta lends its name to Eilean Mhealasta which is just to the southwest. The area of Mealasta is known to be the location of a medieval settlement, with a possible nunnery on the headland.
During World War II, fourteen of the survivors of the merchant ship SS Geraldine Mary reached shore at Mealista in August 1940. The ship had been torpedoed, off the coast of Ireland, by the German U-Boat U-52.
