The Highland Clearances were a series of evictions and forced displacements that took place in the Scottish Highlands from the late 18th to the late 19th centuries. Landowners sought to replace tenant farmers with more profitable sheep farming, resulting in widespread economic hardship, cultural disruption, and mass emigration to other parts of the world. Through the evictions, the burning of homes and the shattering of lives, profits trumped compassion. The scars remain, reminding us of the cost as "progress" tramples tradition. On this tea towel, we include some wistful lines by Scotland's bard, Robbie Burns. The image is a detail from a painting, The Last of the Clan, by Thomas Faed (1826–1900), seen by some as the Robbie Burns of Scottish art.
