The History of the Highland Clearances 18

The History of the Highland Clearances 18

He replied, “I kept them

while I had a piece of land to support them; you have taken that land

from me, then take them along with the land, and make of them what you

can; I must look out for myself, but I cannot carry them to the labour

market.” Gunn was in a fix, and had to give John assurance that he

would not be removed if he would take his sisters, so John took them

home, and has not been molested as yet.

 

I have here beside me (in Canada) a respectable girl of the name of

Ann Murray, whose father was removed during the time of the wholesale

_faggot_ removals, but got a lot of a barren moor to cultivate.

However barren-like it was, he was raising a family of industrious

young sons, and by dint of hard labour and perseverance, they made it

a comfortable home; but the young sons one by one left the country

(and four of them are within two miles of where I sit); the result

was, that Ann was the only one who remained with the parents. The

mother, who had an attack of palsy, was left entirely under Ann’s

care after the family left; and she took it so much to heart that her

daughter’s attention was required day and night, until death put an

end to her afflictions, after twelve years’ suffering. Shortly after

the mother’s death, the father took ill, and was confined to bed for

nine months; and Ann’s labour re-commenced until his decease. Though

Ann Murray could be numbered among the most dutiful of daughters,

yet her incessant labour, for a period of more than thirteen years,

made visible inroads upon her tender constitution; yet by the liberal

assistance of her brothers, who did not loose sight of her and their

parent (though upon a foreign strand), Ann Murray kept the farm in the

best of order, no doubt expecting that she would be allowed to keep

it after her parent’s decease, but this was not in store for her; the

very day after her father’s funeral, the officer came to her and told

her that she was to be removed in a few weeks, that the farm was let to

another, and that Factor Gunn wished to see her. She was at that time

afflicted with jaundice, and told the officer she could not undertake

the journey, which was only ten miles. Next day the officer was at her

again, more urgent than before, and made use of extraordinary threats;

so she had to go. When she appeared before this Bashaw, he swore like

a trooper, and damned her soul, why she disobeyed his first summons;

she excused herself, trembling, that she was unwell; another volley

of oaths and threats met her response, and told her to remove herself

from the estate next week, for her conduct; and with a threat, which

well becomes a Highland tyrant, not to take away, nor sell a single

article of furniture, implements of husbandry, cattle, or crop; nothing

was allowed but her own body clothes; everything was to be handed over

to her brother, who was to have the farm. Seeing there was neither

mercy nor justice for her, she told him the crop, house, and every

other thing belonging to the farm, belonged to her and her brothers

in America, and that the brother to whom he (the factor) intended to

hand over the farm and effects never helped her father or mother while

in trouble; and that she was determined that he should not enjoy what

she laboured for, and what her other brothers paid for. She went and

got the advice of a man of business, advertised a sale, and sold off,

in the face of threats of interdict, and came to Canada, where she was

warmly received by brothers, sisters, and friends, now in Woodstock,

and can tell her tale better than I can. No one could think nor believe

that his Grace would ever countenance such doings as these; but it was

done in his name.

 

I have here within ten miles of me, Mr. William Ross, once taxman of

Achtomleeny, Sutherlandshire, who occupied the most convenient farm

to the principal deer-stalking hills in the county. Often have the

English and Irish lords, connected in marriage with the Sutherlands,

dined and took their lunch at William Ross’s table, and at his expense;

and more than once passed the night under his roof. Mr. Ross being

so well acquainted among the mountains and haunts of the deer, was

often engaged as a guide and instructor to these noblemen on their

deer-stalking and fishing excursions, and became a real favourite with

the Sutherland family, which enabled him to erect superior buildings

to the common rule, and improve his farm in a superior style; so that

his mountain-side farm was nothing short of a Highland paradise. But

unfortunately for William, his nearest neighbour, one Major Gilchrist,

a sheep farmer, coveted Mr. Ross’s vineyard, and tried many underhand

schemes to secure the place for himself, but in vain. Ross would

hearken to none of his proposals. But Ahab was a chief friend of Factor

Gunn; and William Ross got notice of removal. Ross prepared a memorial

to the first and late Duchess of Sutherland, and placed it in her own

hand. Her Grace read it, instantly went into the factor’s office, and

told him that William Ross was not to be removed from Achtomleeny while

he lived; and wrote the same on the petition, and handed it back to

Ross, with a graceful smile, saying, “You are now out of the reach of

factors; now, William, go home in peace.” William bowed, and departed

cheerfully; but the factor and ground-officer followed close behind

him, and while Ross was reading her Grace’s deliverance, the officer,

David Ross, came and snapped the paper out of his hand, and ran to

Factor Gunn with it. Ross followed, but Gunn put it in his pocket,

saying, “William, you would need to give it to me afterwards, at any

rate, and I will keep it till I read it, and then return it to you,”

and with a tiger-like smile on his face, said, “I believe you came

good speed to-day, and I am glad of it;” but William never got it in

his hand again. However, he was not molested during her Grace’s life.

Next year she paid a visit to Dunrobin Castle, when Factor William

Gunn advised Ross to apply to her for a reduction of rent, under the

mask of favouring him. He did so, and it was granted cheerfully. Her

Grace left Dunrobin that year never to return; in the beginning of the

next spring she was carried back to Dunrobin a corpse, and a few days

after was interred in Dornoch. William Ross was served with a summons

of removal from Achtomleeny, and he had nothing to show. He petitioned

the present Duke, and his commissioner, Mr. Loch, and related the whole

circumstances to them, but to no avail, only he was told that Factor

Gunn was ordered to give him some other lot of land, which he did: and

having no other resource, William accepted of it to his loss; for

between loss of cattle, building and repairing houses, he was minus one

hundred and fifty pounds sterling, of his means, and substance, from

the time he was removed from Achtomleeny till he removed himself to

Canada. Besides, he had a written agreement or promise for melioration

or valuation for all the farm improvements and house building at

Achtomleeny, which was valued by the family surveyor at £250. William

was always promised to get it, until they came to learn that he was

leaving for America, then they would not give him a cent. William Ross

left them with it to join his family in Canada; but he can in his old

age sit at as comfortable a table, and sleep on as comfortable a bed,

with greater ease of mind and a clearer conscience, among his own

dutiful and affectionate children, than the tyrant factor ever did, or

ever will among his. I know as well as any one can tell me, that this

is but one or two cases out of the thousand I could enumerate, where

the liberality and benevolence of his Grace, and of his parents, were

abused, and that to their patron’s loss. You see in the above case

that William was advised to plead for a reduction of rent, so that the

factor’s favourite, Ahab Gilchrist, would have the benefit of Naboth

Ross’s improvement, and the reduction he got on his rent, which would

not be obtained otherwise.

 

The unhallowed crew of factors and officials, from the highest to the

lowest grade, employed by the family of Sutherland, got the corrupt

portion of the public press on their side, to applaud their wicked

doings and schemes, as the only mode of improvement and civilisation

in the Highlands of Scotland. They have got what is still more to

be lamented, all the Established ministers, with few exceptions, on

their side; and in them they found faithful auxiliaries in crushing

the people. Any of them could hold a whole congregation by the hair

of their heads over hell-fire, if they offered to resist the powers

that be, until they submitted. If a single individual resisted, he was

denounced from the pulpit, and considered afterwards a dangerous man

in the community; and he might depart as quick as he could. Any man,

or men, may violate the laws of God, and violate the laws of heaven,

as often as he chooses; he is never heeded, and has nothing to fear;

but if he offends the Duke’s factor, the lowest of his minions, or

violates the least of their laws and regulations, it is an unpardonable

sin. The present Duke’s mother was no doubt a liberal lady of many good

parts, and seemed to be much attached to the natives, but unfortunately

for them, she employed for her factors a vile, unprincipled crew, who

were their avowed enemies; she would hearken to the complaints of the

people, and would write to the ministers of the Gospel to ascertain

the correctness of complaints, and the factor was justified, however

gross the outrage was that he committed--the minister dined with the

factor, and could not refuse to favour him. The present Duke[9] is a

simple, narrow-minded gentleman, who concerns himself very little even

about his own pecuniary affairs; he entrusts his whole affairs to his

factors, and the people are enslaved so much, that it is now considered

the most foolish thing a man can do to petition his Grace, whatever is

done to him, for it will go hard with the factor, or he will punish and

make an example of him to deter others.

 

[9] Macleod wrote this in 1854.--ED.

 

To detail what I knew myself personally, and what I have learned from

others of their conduct, would, as I said before, fill a volume. For

instance:--When a marriage in the family of Sutherland takes place, or

the birth of an heir, a feast is ordered for the Sutherland people,

consisting of whisky, porter, ale, and plenty of eatables. The day

of feasting and rejoicing is appointed, and heralded throughout

the country, and the people are enjoined in marshal terms to

assemble--barrels of raw and adulterated whisky are forwarded to each

parish, some raw adulterated sugar, and that is all. Bonfires are to

be prepared on the tops of the highest mountains. The poorest of the

poor are warned by family officers to carry the materials, consisting

of peats and tar barrels, upon their backs; the scene is lamentable

to see groups of these wretched, half-clad and ill-shod, climbing up

these mountains with their loads; however, the work must be done,

there is no denial, the evening of rejoicing is arrived, and the people

are assembled at their different clachans. The barrels of whisky are

taken out to the open field, poured into large tubs, a good amount of

abominable-looking sugar is mixed with it, and a sturdy favourite is

employed to stir it about with a flail handle, or some long cudgel--all

sorts of drinking implements are produced, tumblers, bowls, ladles, and

tin jugs. Bagpipers are set up with great glee. In the absence of the

factor, the animal called the ground officer, and in some instances

the parish minister, will open the jollification, and show an example

to the people how to deal with this coarse beverage. After the first

round, the respectable portion of the people will depart, or retire

to an inn, where they can enjoy themselves; but the _drouthies_, and

ignorant youthful, will keep the field of revelling until tearing of

clothes and faces comes to be the rule; fists and cudgels supplant jugs

and ladles, and this will continue until king Bacchus enters the field

and hushes the most heroic brawlers and the most ferocious combatants

to sound snoring on the field of rejoicing, where many of them enter

into contracts with death, from which they could never extricate

themselves. With the co-operation and assistance of factors, ministers,

and editors, a most flourishing account is sent to the world, and

to the absentee family in London, who knows nothing about how the

affair was conducted. The world will say how happy must the people be

who live under such good and noble, liberal-minded patrons; and the

patrons themselves are so highly-pleased with the report that, however

extraordinary the bill that comes to them on the rent day, in place of

money, for roast beef and mutton, bread and cheese, London porter and

Edinburgh ale, which was never bought, nor tasted by the people, they

will consider their commissioners used great economy; no cognizance is

taken, the bill is accepted, and discharged, the people are deceived, and the proprietors injured.