IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church
Between 1780 and 1855, the scenic but impoverished northwestern regions of Scotland were troubled by what became known as the highland clearances. Landlords sought to dedicate their estates to the more profitable businesses of sheep and cattle raising. They displaced their tenant farmers by forcing them into marginal communities, by raising rents, and by issuing evictions. The tenants, many of whom had resided in the same places for generations, reacted with bitterness and occasional violence to this betrayal of traditional arrangements. The outcome was large-scale emigration to Canada, the United States, and Australia. We will look at underlying factors (language, religion, politics, and technology), examine events at a few representative estates, and follow some of the emigrant groups to their new homes overseas. John Alan Stewart is a retired software developer with degrees in biology from the University of Michigan.
