Scotland in the 1800s
Scotland never suffered the huge mortality that Ireland had when the potato blight struck the Highlands in the 1840s because only 200,000 people were affected by poverty and hunger compared with three million Irish. While the mortality rate was also less than other Scottish famines in the 1690s, and 1780, the Highland potato famine caused over 1.7 million people to leave Scotland during the period 1846–52. (64)
There was the enclosure movement in Scotland in particular, where landlords were consolidating their holdings into large estates to make way for large scale sheep farming and entire communities were swept away so that the land could be sold off to southern sheep farmers (62). Crofters were not simply given their oatmeal rations: they were expected to work for them, eight hours a day, six days a week. Some landlords worked to lessen the effects of the famine on their crofting tenants. Other landlords resorted to eviction and were evicting peasant small farmers off the land with the many in arrears over their rent being offered a choice of a free passage or eviction from their crofts.
There was the enclosure movement in Scotland in particular, where landlords were consolidating their holdings into large estates to make way for large scale sheep farming and entire communities were swept away so that the land could be sold off to southern sheep farmers (62). Crofters were not simply given their oatmeal rations: they were expected to work for them, eight hours a day, six days a week. Some landlords worked to lessen the effects of the famine on their crofting tenants. Other landlords resorted to eviction and were evicting peasant small farmers off the land with the many in arrears over their rent being offered a choice of a free passage or eviction from their crofts.
These people either ended up going to the large urban centres of Britain and the newly emerging factories, or they got the boat to the States in pursuit of new opportunities. In Scotland they were called the Highland clearances. During the ten years following 1847, from throughout the Highlands, over 16,000 crofters were shipped to foreign shores (59).
After 1840, New Zealand and Australia offered qualified emigrants passage money or land grants in the destination country as an alternative to receiving poor relief. Many Scots from the Highlands emigrated in this manner. Emigrants sought opportunity in a new land or fled poverty or oppression in Scotland. |
Clearances of Population
Regions of Scotland and their Towns
Argyll & Bute: Ardbeg, Bridge of Orchy, Bunessan, Cairndow, Campbeltown, Dunoon, Helensburgh, Kilmelford, Lochdon, Luss, Oban, Port Askaig, Scaranish, Tarbert, Tighnabruaich, Isle of Tiree, Tobermory.Ayrshire: Arran, Ayr, Blackwaterfoot, Irvine, Kilwinning, Troon, Turnberry, Whiting Bay.
Borders: Chirnside, Duns, Ettrickbridge, Jedburgh, Lauder, Galashiels, Kelso, Melrose.
Central: Airth, Stirling, Tillicoultry.
Dumfries & Galloway: Castle, Douglas, Dalbeattie, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Moffat, Stranraer, Thornhill.
Edinburgh/Lothians: Edinburgh, Bo'ness, East Calder, Dunbar, Haddington, Musselburgh, Uphall.
Fife: Anstruther, Burntisland, Crail, Cupar, Elie, Kirkaldy, Letham, Leven, Lower Largo, Lundin Links, Pittenweem, St Andrews.
Glasgow/Strathclyde: Airdrie, Biggar, Glasgow, Glasgow Airport, Kirkintilloch, Lanark.
Grampian: Aboyne, Ballater, Buckie, City of Aberdeen, Dinnet, Dufftown, Forres, Glenlivet, Grantown-on-Spey, Huntly, Kildrummy, Peterhead.
Highlands: Aboyne, Ballater, Buckie, City of Aberdeen, Dinnet, Dufftown, Forres, Glenlivet, Grantown-on-Spey, Huntly, Kildrummy, Peterhead.
The Isles: Breasclete, Stenness, Isle of Harris, Lerwick, Lochcarnan, Lochmaddy, Orphir, South Galson.
Tayside: Alyth, Arbroath, Auchterarder, Balquhidder, Blair Atholl, Blairgowrie, Carnoustie, Comrie, Couper Angus, Crieff, Dundee City, Dunkeld, Edzell,
Glendevon, Glenfarg, Killin, Kinloch Rannoch, Kinross, Kirriemuir, Perth, Pitlochry, Scone, Strathyre.