Highland Clearances

[maclhan]

I'm MacLeod, and I'm from Canada, but my ancestors are from Isle of Lewis. They left during the Highland Clearances (1851) and I'm wondering if somehow, some STAYED? Because clearly, there are still some there today.

[Polwarth]

Well, yes... of course some stayed, otherwise Lewis would be totally unpopulated.

[ScotSites]

I'm a bit confused maclhan, in one topic you are recommending a book (albeit on cd) about the Clearances from someone who 'really knows his stuff' and yet here you are asking if 'somehow, some stayed [on Lewis]'... Maybe you need to check out other books on the subject (and there are plenty to choose from)!

The bottom line is, not everyone affected by the Clearances moved that far, many were cleared from what was (to them) good farming land to areas nearer the coast where growing crops wasn't so easy. As a result, in most of Scotland you still find names that were associated to areas since long before the Clearances started!