Highland Clearances

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0:00:20 > 0:00:23This story belongs to Iona

0:00:23 > 0:00:25and her Grandad James.

0:00:36 > 0:00:39It's a tiny tale about how children just like you

0:00:39 > 0:00:43lived in the olden days over 200 years ago.

0:00:43 > 0:00:47And now, it's time for Iona and Grandad James

0:00:47 > 0:00:49to go on a journey of discovery.

0:00:49 > 0:00:51Together, they're going to find out

0:00:51 > 0:00:54what life was like all those years ago.

0:00:57 > 0:01:01Iona, could you please hold that while I get the tape?

0:01:04 > 0:01:06Who's the present for?

0:01:06 > 0:01:10We're going to send this present to my friend Ben in Australia.

0:01:10 > 0:01:13Why do people live in other countries?

0:01:13 > 0:01:16People live in other countries for many reasons.

0:01:16 > 0:01:17Some because of their work

0:01:17 > 0:01:21and others because they want to live in a warmer country.

0:01:21 > 0:01:24Others because they think it's an adventure

0:01:24 > 0:01:27and others because they think it might be better there.

0:01:27 > 0:01:30Did you ever want to live in another country?

0:01:30 > 0:01:34No. I love it here because I'm close to you and the rest of my family.

0:01:34 > 0:01:38I know a story about a little boy called Lachlan

0:01:38 > 0:01:40who had to move home.

0:01:40 > 0:01:43He and his family moved abroad a long, long time ago.

0:01:43 > 0:01:46Long before my grandad was born.

0:01:46 > 0:01:47Why did they move?

0:01:47 > 0:01:50Rather than tell you, I could show you.

0:01:50 > 0:01:52- Would you like that?- Yes, please.

0:01:52 > 0:01:56But first, I think we should dress up like Lachlan

0:01:56 > 0:01:59- and his family would have done. - Oh, yes!

0:02:09 > 0:02:11Hurry up, Grandad!

0:02:13 > 0:02:15- I beat you.- You did indeed.

0:02:15 > 0:02:18- What do you think of my clothes? - They're really nice.

0:02:18 > 0:02:22- And what do you think of your clothes?- They're not my style.

0:02:22 > 0:02:25Did everyone dress like this?

0:02:25 > 0:02:27No, these are the clothes worn by the people

0:02:27 > 0:02:31who lived in the Highlands of Scotland over 200 years ago.

0:02:31 > 0:02:33They were called Highlanders.

0:02:33 > 0:02:36I'm a Highlander. I was born in Inverness.

0:02:36 > 0:02:39And Lachlan, he too was a Highlander.

0:02:39 > 0:02:41What do you think of your shoes?

0:02:41 > 0:02:45I don't really like them. I prefer my trainers.

0:02:45 > 0:02:49Back in the olden days, Highlanders like Lachlan ran about in bare feet

0:02:49 > 0:02:53during the week and they only wore shoes on a Sunday.

0:02:53 > 0:02:56- They must have had dirty feet. - They did indeed.

0:02:56 > 0:02:58And they didn't even have showers then.

0:02:58 > 0:02:59Pooey!

0:02:59 > 0:03:01Now that Iona

0:03:01 > 0:03:06and Grandad James look like people from the Highlands in Georgian

0:03:06 > 0:03:10times, they're ready for their big adventure, but where will they go?

0:03:10 > 0:03:15Grandad James has brought Iona to the Highland Folk Museum to see

0:03:15 > 0:03:19how Lachlan and his family would have lived a long time ago.

0:03:21 > 0:03:26Iona, this is what houses in the Highlands looked like 200 years ago.

0:03:26 > 0:03:28I've never seen anything like this before.

0:03:28 > 0:03:32The houses have no windows and only one door.

0:03:32 > 0:03:35Let's see what life would have been like for Lachlan.

0:03:39 > 0:03:42This is what it was like in the olden days.

0:03:42 > 0:03:44Back then, they didn't have electricity.

0:03:44 > 0:03:47- It's a bit smoky too.- It is indeed.

0:03:47 > 0:03:51The fire was used to keep them warm and also for cooking.

0:03:51 > 0:03:55- Would you like me to show you where Lachlan used to sleep?- Yes, please.

0:03:55 > 0:03:58You come this way and I'll show you.

0:03:59 > 0:04:05This is the bed that Lachlan slept on. The mattress was made of straw.

0:04:05 > 0:04:08What do you think is underneath the mattress?

0:04:08 > 0:04:11Earth.

0:04:11 > 0:04:15Highlanders slept on earth beds. They were called turf beds.

0:04:17 > 0:04:21- Would you like to lie down and see if it's comfortable?- Yes, please.

0:04:21 > 0:04:24What do you think? Is it comfortable?

0:04:24 > 0:04:26It's quite hard.

0:04:26 > 0:04:30I hope Lachlan slept well on the bed.

0:04:30 > 0:04:32I would like to think he did.

0:04:32 > 0:04:36But remember, the animals also slept in the house with them.

0:04:36 > 0:04:39It must have been smelly. Where is the toilet and sink?

0:04:39 > 0:04:43There's no toilets or sink in the house. They had to go outside.

0:04:43 > 0:04:47Or they used the same drain in the floor as the animals.

0:04:47 > 0:04:50Gross!

0:05:01 > 0:05:05This is Callum. He works here at the museum.

0:05:05 > 0:05:08He's been busy preparing some Highland food.

0:05:11 > 0:05:14HE SPEAKS GAELIC

0:05:14 > 0:05:16What did he say?

0:05:16 > 0:05:18Callum spoke in Gaelic.

0:05:18 > 0:05:22People like Lachlan, who lived in the Highlands many years ago,

0:05:22 > 0:05:26spoke a language called Gaelic. Callum welcomed us to the village.

0:05:26 > 0:05:28I'll speak in English, so you understand.

0:05:28 > 0:05:32- Would you like some oat cakes and crowdie?- What is crowdie?

0:05:32 > 0:05:35- Do you like soft cheese?- Yes. - Crowdie is a type of soft cheese.

0:05:35 > 0:05:39The Highlanders would milk their cows and make cheese from the milk

0:05:39 > 0:05:42and the oat cakes they'd get from crops in the fields.

0:05:42 > 0:05:45- Would you like to try it? - Yes, please.

0:05:45 > 0:05:48There were no shops for miles and miles in the Highlands,

0:05:48 > 0:05:51so people had to make their own food.

0:05:51 > 0:05:54Do you fancy eating crowdie and oat cakes every day?

0:05:54 > 0:05:57It's nice.

0:06:09 > 0:06:12This is Jane.

0:06:12 > 0:06:15She's a basket weaver and Jane is showing Iona

0:06:15 > 0:06:19and Grandad James how Highlanders made baskets long ago.

0:06:19 > 0:06:22Iona, I'm making a basket out of a pile of twigs here.

0:06:22 > 0:06:25These twigs all come from a willow tree,

0:06:25 > 0:06:29just like the one behind your Grandad James over there.

0:06:29 > 0:06:34They're nice and bendy and what I'm doing is weaving these

0:06:34 > 0:06:38sticks in front of the uprights and behind the uprights of the basket.

0:06:38 > 0:06:42So this one here goes in front of two and behind one.

0:06:42 > 0:06:44Would you like to have a go?

0:06:44 > 0:06:46Yes, please.

0:06:46 > 0:06:50That's it. It goes behind that one there. Yeah, and behind that one.

0:06:51 > 0:06:54And then push it right down.

0:06:54 > 0:06:57Baskets were really important in the olden days.

0:06:57 > 0:07:00They were used for all sorts of things,

0:07:00 > 0:07:04for carrying oats from the field, for bringing the logs for the fire.

0:07:04 > 0:07:07- Do you like weaving the basket? - Yeah.

0:07:07 > 0:07:10Would Lachlan have made baskets like these, Grandad?

0:07:10 > 0:07:14Yes, I'm sure he would have, just like you've done.

0:07:14 > 0:07:17Well done, Iona. You're just as good as me.

0:07:31 > 0:07:34Grandad James and Iona are collecting pine cones in baskets.

0:07:34 > 0:07:38Lachlan and other children would have done chores like this

0:07:38 > 0:07:40to help around the house.

0:07:40 > 0:07:44Pine cones were put on fires to keep people warm.

0:07:44 > 0:07:47Grandad, can you please tell me more about Lachlan?

0:07:47 > 0:07:51Well, Lachlan's land and house belonged to someone else,

0:07:51 > 0:07:56called the landowner. He told people on his land to move out.

0:07:56 > 0:08:01- In fact, many landowners told the Highlanders to move out.- Why?

0:08:01 > 0:08:04The landowners put sheep on the land

0:08:04 > 0:08:07to make more money from selling wool.

0:08:07 > 0:08:11This time in history is known as the Highland Clearances

0:08:11 > 0:08:16because families like Lachlan's were cleared out of the Highlands.

0:08:16 > 0:08:19- Everyone left? - Yes, everyone had to leave.

0:08:26 > 0:08:31Many Highland families went to big cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh.

0:08:33 > 0:08:38Others decided they wanted a new life in a new country, so they sailed

0:08:38 > 0:08:42to faraway places like Canada, the United States of America,

0:08:42 > 0:08:43and Australia.

0:08:56 > 0:08:59Families had to pack up all their belongings

0:08:59 > 0:09:01when they left their homes.

0:09:01 > 0:09:04They took oat cakes and crowdie with them

0:09:04 > 0:09:08for the long walk to the city or the harbour to take them abroad.

0:09:08 > 0:09:10What would happen to their animals?

0:09:10 > 0:09:15They had to sell their animals and furniture to pay for the boat trip.

0:09:15 > 0:09:19They didn't have cars or planes back in those days, did they?

0:09:19 > 0:09:23No, they didn't, so we need to pick up these baskets and start walking.

0:09:29 > 0:09:34It took the Highlanders many days to walk to the big cities.

0:09:36 > 0:09:40And it took them weeks and weeks to sail to Canada and Australia.

0:09:55 > 0:10:00Grandad James has brought Iona to a place called Tranquillity Town.

0:10:00 > 0:10:05The people here have built it to look like an old town in Canada.

0:10:07 > 0:10:09When they arrived in Canada and Australia,

0:10:09 > 0:10:11everything seemed very strange.

0:10:11 > 0:10:14Remember, the Highlanders spoke Gaelic,

0:10:14 > 0:10:16so they had to learn to speak English.

0:10:16 > 0:10:19Lachlan learned to speak English in his new country.

0:10:19 > 0:10:22Do you see anything different here?

0:10:22 > 0:10:26People are wearing different clothes and live in different houses.

0:10:26 > 0:10:29Lachlan and the Highlanders had to learn new things.

0:10:29 > 0:10:32- Do you like it here?- Yes, I love it!

0:10:43 > 0:10:47Living in a new country seemed strange at first,

0:10:47 > 0:10:50but soon Lachlan and his friends got used to it.

0:10:50 > 0:10:55The Highlanders that moved to Canada and Australia were called settlers

0:10:55 > 0:10:58and they soon settled in to the new country.

0:10:58 > 0:11:03They did lots of different jobs and some even tried looking for gold.

0:11:03 > 0:11:07- Would you like to try? - Yes, please.- Good.

0:11:07 > 0:11:10That's what we're going to be looking for.

0:11:10 > 0:11:12That's gold flakes.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15And this is the pan that we're going to use.

0:11:15 > 0:11:19- And what does this look like? - A cooking pan.- A cooking pan.

0:11:19 > 0:11:23I'll scoop some from here and you scoop some from there.

0:11:23 > 0:11:26And then what you do, you shake it slowly

0:11:26 > 0:11:30from side to side until all the water's gone.

0:11:30 > 0:11:32Just make sure all the water's gone

0:11:32 > 0:11:35because you'll not see the gold otherwise.

0:11:35 > 0:11:41All the grit goes to the far end and if you've got gold, it'll be here.

0:11:41 > 0:11:44Do you see any gold?

0:11:44 > 0:11:47- Yes, I've found some!- Very good!

0:11:59 > 0:12:03- We've had a great adventure, haven't we?- Yes, we have.

0:12:03 > 0:12:08Thank you for telling me all about Lachlan and the Highland Clearances.

0:12:08 > 0:12:11Can you remember all the things we've done?

0:12:11 > 0:12:15We got dressed up like Highlanders from a long time ago.

0:12:15 > 0:12:18You looked really amazing, Grandad.

0:12:20 > 0:12:24We went to the Folk Museum and saw old Highland houses.

0:12:25 > 0:12:29I discovered Lachlan slept on a turf bed.

0:12:29 > 0:12:31Didn't feel very comfy.

0:12:32 > 0:12:35I tried crowdie and oat cakes and I liked them.

0:12:37 > 0:12:41Jane taught us how to make a basket. It was great fun.

0:12:41 > 0:12:46We collected pine cones, just like Lachlan would have done.

0:12:46 > 0:12:50Then we packed things up, left the house and went for a long walk.

0:12:50 > 0:12:54We visited a Canadian-looking old town.

0:12:54 > 0:12:58We looked out of place there in our Highlander clothes.

0:13:00 > 0:13:04We went looking for gold. And I found some.

0:13:06 > 0:13:10My! We have been busy! What did you enjoy best?

0:13:10 > 0:13:15I liked making the basket. What was your favourite thing?

0:13:15 > 0:13:18I enjoyed watching you make the basket, but most of all,

0:13:18 > 0:13:20I enjoyed spending time with you.

0:13:20 > 0:13:23Thank you for my great adventure, Grandad.

0:13:23 > 0:13:27- My pleasure. Now it's time for a big...- Hug.

0:13:33 > 0:13:36What a fabulous heap of fun!

0:13:36 > 0:13:38That was Iona and Grandad James' tiny tale

0:13:38 > 0:13:40about the Highland Clearances

0:13:40 > 0:13:44and what life was like for a child over 200 years ago.

0:13:44 > 0:13:47Now Grandad James has shared this story with Iona,

0:13:47 > 0:13:51it's time for Iona to start her own story.

0:13:51 > 0:13:54Do you know someone with a story to share?