Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Birlinn Ltd (2007), Paperback, 359 pages
Description
In the Clearances of the 19th century, crofts - once the mainstay of Highland life in Scotland - were swept away as the land was put over to sheep grazing. Many of the people of the Highlands and islands of Scotland were forced from their homes by landowners in the Clearances. Some fled to Nova Scotia and beyond.David Craig sets out to discover how many of their stories survive in the memories of their descendants. He travels through 21 islands in Scotland and Canada, many thousands of miles of moor and glen, and presents the words of men and women of both countries as they recount the suffering of their forbears.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1990
ISBN
184158455X / 9781841584553
Other editions
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Local notes
David Craig tells the stories of those people from the Highlands & Islands who were cleared off their lands in the 19th & 20th century, through the eyes of their descendants. He has travelled far and wide, across Canada and Scotland, to gather the tales.
The stories are at times heartrending, & serve to underline the purpose behind the land reforms of the 1880s & later years. A land struggle that is on-going today.
The stories are at times heartrending, & serve to underline the purpose behind the land reforms of the 1880s & later years. A land struggle that is on-going today.
User reviews
LibraryThing member adb42
An excellent account of the cruelty of the Highland Clearances, showing how people were booted off their land, and where they ended up. Well researched, but a painful read.
LibraryThing member Familyhistorian
This is a well written account of David Craig's odyssey from the highlands of Scotland to places in Canada where the immigrants made their homes, to find what remains of the memories of the Highland Clearances. It was a cruel time that saw people who had lived on the land for centuries being ousted
The writing is wonderful and the descriptions are almost lyrical. A great read for those who are interested in this period of Scottish and Canadian history, especially poignant for those whose family history was shaped by the clearances.
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to make way for sheep. Craig proves to himself and the reader that the memories live on and will continue as long as they are captured in print.The writing is wonderful and the descriptions are almost lyrical. A great read for those who are interested in this period of Scottish and Canadian history, especially poignant for those whose family history was shaped by the clearances.
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Physical description
359 p.
Pages
359