Problems in the Highlands

Scotland is often thought of as splitting into two

parts; the Lowlands and Highlands. The

Highlands covers the North and North West of

the country.

Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, life in the

Highlands was very hard.

Most people who lived in the Highlands worked as

farmers.Due to overpopulation in the Highlands, there was not enough land.This meant that farm

plots were sub-divided, making it hard to earn

enough.

Farming was very tough; the soil was often stony and of poor quality, and the harsh climate meant there was

only a short growing season for crops.

Also farming equipment was very basic, with

Highlanders replying on limited tools such as the cas

chrom.

The Potato Blight that devastated Ireland in the 1840s also hit

Scotland too.This resulted in a

famine as Highlanders that relied on potatoes did not have enough food to eat or sell.

Jobs were very hard to find in the Highlands.

Many people worked collecting kelp

(seaweed used to make chemicals). It paid very little but when cheaper

foreign kelp became available those Highland

jobs were lost.

The fishing industry (especially herring)

provided various jobs such as catching and processing

fish.However the impact of

World War One and also changing tastes meant

less people wanted herring, leading to big job losses.

Poverty was a huge problem in the Highlands. Low

incomes meant poor diets which led to poor health.

The quality of housing was extremely poor;

blackhouses were often shared with animals or had leaky roofs. Other houses

lacked basic facilities such as toilets.

Highland village life was very isolated; many

people found it hard to access health services

or entertainment.As a result of these

problems, many Highlanders moved

abroad or to other parts of Scotland.