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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.