Description

Book Synopsis

The Highland Clearances stands out as one of the most emotive chapters in the history of Scotland. This book traces the origins of the Clearances from the eighteenth century to their culmination in the crofting legislation of the 1880s. In considering both the terrible suffering of the Highland people as well as the stark choices that faced landowners during a period of rapid economic change, it shows how the Clearances were one of many 'attempted' solutions to the problem of how to maintain a population on marginal and infertile land, and were, in fact, part of a wider European movement of rural depopulation.

In drawing attention away from the mythology to the hard facts of what actually happened, The Highland Clearances offers a balanced analysis of events which created a terrible scar on the Highland and Gaelic imagination.



Trade Review

'required reading ... not to be missed for its fearless and comprehensive grasp of the past and its relevance for today'

* Ileach *

'Eric Richards is a fluent, lucid writer'

* Herald *

The Highland Clearances

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    A Paperback / softback by Eric Richards

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      Book details

      Publisher Birlinn Ltd
      Published 6 June 2016
      ISBN-13 9781780273846
      978-1780273846
      ISBN-10 1780273843
      Also in:
      European history History and Archaeology Social and cultural history

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      The Highland Clearances stands out as one of the most emotive chapters in the history of Scotland. This book traces the origins of the Clearances from the eighteenth century to their culmination in the crofting legislation of the 1880s. In considering both the terrible suffering of the Highland people as well as the stark choices that faced landowners during a period of rapid economic change, it shows how the Clearances were one of many 'attempted' solutions to the problem of how to maintain a population on marginal and infertile land, and were, in fact, part of a wider European movement of rural depopulation.

      In drawing attention away from the mythology to the hard facts of what actually happened, The Highland Clearances offers a balanced analysis of events which created a terrible scar on the Highland and Gaelic imagination.



      Trade Review

      'required reading ... not to be missed for its fearless and comprehensive grasp of the past and its relevance for today'

      * Ileach *

      'Eric Richards is a fluent, lucid writer'

      * Herald *

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