reasons for migration of scots Flashcards
8 push reasons scots left the highlands
potato blight caused extreme poverty and starvation
housing in the highlands was of a very poor quality
highland landlords moved tenants to the worst bits of land for farming, usually near the coast
landowners deliberately and forcibly cleared people off their lands to make room for sheep to graze (highland clearances)
lighting was dull as there weren’t many windows
unsuitable facilities to live in as fires were lit in the middle of the room
ventilation was poor so homes had a terrible smell coming from the animals.
the wind and harsh weather conditions put homes under stress.
8 pull reasons scots left the highlands
Highlands and Islands Emigration Society organised the travel arrangements for emigrants
Highlands and Islands Emigration Society advertised benefits of living in places like Canada to the Highlanders
British Government paid emigrants directly to leave Scotland through the Empire Settlement Act of 1923
New Zealand, Australian and Canadian governments offered incentives like free land and free travel to emigrants
scots who had already left Scotland sent letters to people back in Scotland telling them how good life was in their new countries
new technology like steamboats cut down the journey time to places like Canada
farmers could earn far more overseas than they could in the Highlands
people could own their own land for the first time if they moved abroad
8 push reasons scots left the lowlands
machines on farms had improved and were taking over jobs previously done by Lowland Scots.
economic depression in the 1920s after WWI meant that heavy industries in Scotland collapsed and many people became unemployed.
in the lowlands, big farms bought little farms so there was little chance of owning your own land.
prices for crops and wool dropped massively between 1880-1914.
young farm workers lived in shared accommodation called ‘bothies’ with no privacy.
living conditions in the slums of Glasgow and Edinburgh led to diseases spreading easily.
skilled craftsmen had been taken over by factories and machines who could produce more and quicker.
lots of lowland farm work was seasonal and people could face months with no job at all.
7 pull reasons scots left the lowlands
skilled workers from the towns, for example, textile workers, were attracted to emigrate by higher wages.
skilled workers such as granite workers from Aberdeen were in high demand overseas to build buildings.
many lowland Scots received letters and postcards from relatives telling them how good life abroad was.
some relatives who had emigrated offered to pay for the travel of family back in Scotland.
emigration became less expensive and easier with the invention of new ways of travel such as steamboats.
the Empire attracted rich Scots as it offered them opportunities to invest their money in things like railways and industry.
newspapers ran adverts about moving to places such as Canada and New Zealand.
