Foundations of Scottish Genealogy 12 of 12: Emigration from Scotland

Many people overseas of Scots origin have a family story that involves a narrative of victimhood – “We were cleared off our land”’ “We were persecuted for our religion”; “We were transported as convicts and/or indentured servants”. But what was the reality? The vast majority of Scots were economic migrants who chose to leave. And most of them came, not from the Scottish Highlands and Islands or the Borders, but the Lowlands between. This was where the majority of Scots lived- speaking Scots rather than Gaelic – and which suffered greater depredations over a longer period than the Highlands. Who were these people – the destitute and distressed, or the educated and able? Where did they go, and why? What were the “Push” and “Pull” factors involved? What welcome did they receive? And why is it historically and culturally mistaken to call anyone “Scots-Irish”?