History of the Highland Clearances, The

‘An important book which has had an incalculable effect on Scottish opinions and attitudes. Alexander Mackenzie’s The History of the Highland Clearances was first published in 1883 and it was the first comprehensive book on the subject’--Books in Scotland

In the 19th century, many of the inhabitants of the highland glens were cleared out, often by forcible eviction, to make way for a more profitable tenant—the Great Cheviot Sheep. Families had to leave the homes they had lived in for generations. The effects of this tragedy are still being felt in Scotland—and in all countries where the unwilling migrants settled. MacKenzie’s impassioned history brings the distress of the age unforgettably to life.    

Alexander Mackenzie was 45 when he published this book in 1883. He had been editor of the Celtic Magazine, devoted to Gaelic history, since 1875. He died in 1898.