Why many Highlanders emigrated overseas from 1901 to 2000

• Due to the Highland Clearances in the 1840s and early 1850s many highlanders left Scotland
• Forced evictions were taking place by landlords and were replaced by sheep or deer hunting as they were more profitable
• Landlords often funded emigration for their tenants in order to prevent violent evictions from taking place
• Overpopulation led to the System of sub-division of land into crofts which led to many migrating as they struggled to make a living of their crofts
• The crofting population were already relying on a potato diet and when the crop failed during the potato famine in the late 1830s and again in the late 1840s emigration seemed the only alternative to starvation
• The failure of the kelp and herring industry also resulted in many highlanders emigrating
• There was a poor standard of living in the highlands as blackhouses were shared with animals, they often had no chimneys and roofs leaked. Also, houses often lacked basic amenities such as toilets
• There were Better job opportunities for skilled workers within the Empire
• Scots were good farmers and their skills could be put to good use abroad
• Many Scots were attracted to countries abroad through the promise of landownership
• There were few employment opportunities for ambitious young people as there were a limited number of professional posts for the well-educated resulting in young wealthy highlanders emigrating
• Effects of the Agricultural Revolution with new technologies and fewer jobs in farming led to mass emigration as there were fewer opportunities for many on the land due to the introduction of machinery and new farming techniques