People in the Highlands suffered greatly during the Clearanc...
Unknown Person
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1978.176
Original Tape ID
Summary
People in the Highlands suffered greatly during the Clearances, some dying as a result of evictions and house-burning.
During the Highland Clearances people were put out of their houses without warning and the houses burned so that they could not go back. Some people went abroad; some were left out in the open to die, even women and children. In one case men begged the factor to leave a woman in her house as she was about to give birth. The factor refused and the woman gave birth in the woods. She and the child died. In Sutherland, a very old woman, Mrs Chisholm, was pulled from her burning house by her daughter and died of her burns. The factor knew she was inside when the house was set on fire, and said it was time she was dead. An old man was also burned to death. The perpetrators were tried at the High Court in Inverness but got away with it. Mr Beaton remarks that this could not happen now [1978], and mentions a woman landowner and her son and daughter at Stein who were fined for evicting a tenant.
The Duke and Duchess of Sutherland began the Clearances in Sutherland and then they spread all over the Highlands. Mr Beaton knows about what happened in Skye from his father and grandfather. He names several places in Waternish that were affected. The landowner, Major Neil MacLeod, was away with the Army for many years. The evictions were carried out by Captain Alan MacDonald. The landowner is now [1978] a Dutchman. No actual atrocities took place in Skye during the Clearances. Mr Beaton also read about the Clearances in a book by W. C. MacKenzie. Mr Beaton comments on the hypocrisy of a supposedly Christian Britain at the time of the Clearances.
Item Notes
W. C. MacKenzie (1862-1952) wrote books about Hebridean history and place-names.
Recording Location
County - Inverness-shire
Island - Skye
Parish - Portree
Village/Place - Portree
Item Location
Village/Place - The Highlands and Islands
Language
English
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good