Tour Scotland short 4K travel video clip, with Scottish music, of deserted clearances crofters cottages on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to Badbea village on the coast of the Caithness Highlands, Britain, United Kingdom. Sir John Sinclair wanted to improve the income from his estate in southern Caithness and introduce lucrative sheep farming. His solution was to evict the farming families and move them to Badbea, on the high cliffs south of Berriedale. Twelve families were evicted, moving some 80 people to the clifftop village, a place so inhospitable that the residents had to tether their animals and even small children to avoid them being swept over the cliffs by high winds. In 1804 James Anderson evicted more farming families from his land at Ausdale, leaving the Strath of Berriedale devoid of residents. Another wave of Clearances occurred in 1830 when landowner Donald Horne evicted families from Auchencraig. Badbea was inhabited at least as early as the 1770s, but it was not until the infamous Highland Clearances that the population began to swell. Houses had to built from scratch, using any available material. Some built traditional Caithness longhouses, with both humans and animals under one roof. Some crofters turned to making illegal whisky, and there were several stills operating. The crofters evolved a system of warning signals to let each other know when excise men were approaching. The population of Badbea was starting to decline by the 1850s, and many people emigrated abroad to New Zealand, Australia, America and Canada. The last crofter left in 1911, and gradually the stone houses fell into decay and the bracken. The leader, preacher and doctor for Badbea was John Sutherland, born 1789, died 1864, who was said to own the only watch in the village[. Sutherland was born at Ousdale to a tenant farmer before the clearances and had one brother, who died at Waterloo, and some sisters. His father died at an early age, Sutherland was left to raise his sisters on his own and, because of his family responsibilities, he never married. As the nearest church was some miles away, Sutherland, who was a pious man, opened his house to others on the Sabbath and preached to anyone who came. Sutherland, who was a gifted speaker, corresponded by letter with many members of the Church and became well known as the preacher "John Badbea ", one of the most notable of the spiritual elite of the Caithness Church of Scotland who were known as The Men" of Caithness. He was said to have performed many public duties for the church and made many friends across Caithness and Sutherland. In June 1855, at the age of 66, he wrote to an admirer in Glasgow who occasionally sent him monetary gifts, saying: " I long to hear of my friend’s widow, Mrs G. Keith. Did she arrive safe in New Zealand with her dear little ones ? This is a weary and dreary wilderness. 'The mirth of the land is gone'. Everything is out of order." Sutherland died at the age of 75 and was buried at Berriedale at a funeral attended by several hundred mourners, many of whom had travelled long distances to pay their last respects. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome
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