Scotland in the 1800s Our Scottish heritage originates with a large family of Rosses from Ross-shire (seems like a good many people living in Ross-shire were named Ross!), some of whom came to Australia in the 1850s and 60s. There are many descendants of this … Continue reading Edderton
Tag: highland clearances
The most peaceable and virtuous peasantry in Britain
It is worthy of remark that it was at the climax of its spiritual prosperity the cruel work of eviction began to lay waste the hill-sides and the plains of the north. Swayed by the example of the godly among them, and away from the … Continue reading The most peaceable and virtuous peasantry in Britain
The Wicked Generation
Many streams and rivers run down the eastern fall of the mountains of northern Scotland, the Highlands, as they are called. The valleys they form, though narrow and wild at their heads, spread out into gentler, lusher lands as they approach the east coast, where … Continue reading The Wicked Generation
Witnessing the Strath Oykel Clearance. March 1820.
In the winter of 1819-20, the word went around that the people of Strath Oykel were to be evicted. Snow lay on the ground during that January of 1820, but it was a fertile valley; in the summer the area "was beautiful... a green valley … Continue reading Witnessing the Strath Oykel Clearance. March 1820.
The Year of the Sheep
According to John Prebble there were two periods of major clearances in the Highlands, the first from 1782 to 1820, and the second from 1840 to 1854. My ancestors came from Ross-shire, which was the scene of unrest during both of those periods. The first … Continue reading The Year of the Sheep