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N4/5 Revision
Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s
This revision guide should not replace your own active revision. Its purpose is to summarise the
key points examiners would expect you to know and develop into meaningful, detailed answers.
Answer all exam questions in jotter and give to your teacher to be marked.
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Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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Irish People Come to Scotland
The Push reasons why the Irish came to Scotland
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Irish population doubled between 1791 and 1841
Ireland had a lack of modern industries = very difficult for people to live a secure life
Suffered general poverty, low wages and terrible living conditions
Depended on farming and had very little land - smallholders were often evicted to
make way for new farming methods = Result they became dependent on potatoes
Starvation and terrible diets after 1848 Potato Blight
Situation made worse as British Government too slow to act and many landlords used
the crisis to take away people’s homes
Many could not pay the increasing rents on farms.
Irish desperate to escape famine and some were forced to leave by landlords
No money, no food, no jobs - where should they go: Scotland
The Pull reasons why the Irish came to Scotland
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Available jobs for men, women & children due to Scotland’s growing industries and
farming such as navvying, building, textiles, coal mines and general farm work.
pay was better than in Ireland, Irish with skilled trades could earn much more
Easy travel: New ‘steamers’ meant it was easier, quicker and cheaper to sail across to
Scotland from Ireland.
Short trip to West Coast and Glasgow
Housing available in growing Scottish cities
Existing communities: Families wrote back to relatives to encourage emigration to
Scotland for a better life
Irish communities had established themselves in Scotland by 1900. The Catholic
Church had a bit role in this with Church, social groups, poor relief and sports teams
Where did the Irish settle
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Most settled in Glasgow, the South West, Edinburgh and Dundee. Others roamed
the country looking for work.
Hostile neighbours: Alarm in Scotland, especially Glasgow, at the large number of very
poor people arriving from Ireland. Increased numbers of immigrants created
pressure on housing and jobs
Made worse by Scottish migration moving away from rural areas such as the
Highlands to cities (competing for housing and jobs)
They often lived in the poorest housing with the cheapest rents. Houses often in the
most unhealthy, most run-down parts of town.
Many Irish lived in filth, overcrowding and degradation in badly built tenements
Diseases flourished with contaminated water supplies and poor sewage systems.
Irish suffered more because of their general weakened health with blight
Late 19th century improvements made to the living conditions in cities e.g. Glasgow.
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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What did the Irish do?
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Jobs: Worked on farms, mines, jute factories in Dundee, navvy work building railways
and canals, textiles factories, some turned to retail work
Cheap labour: worked for less pay or worked in low paid jobs.
Prejudice: Many found it difficult to secure a decent job because they were Irish and
Catholic.
Some Irish prospered but most had to work hard just to survive and had to do so in
harsh conditions.
Catholic church central: set up schools, churches, social groups, poor relief and sports
teams
Irish came to Scotland Exam questions
1. Describe the pull
factors that brought Irish immigrants to Scotland in the nineteenth century?
5 marks
2.
Explain the main reasons why immigrants came to Scotland between 1830 and 1939. 8
marks
Source A is from an official report in 1836.
A large number of Irish have arrived in Great Britain in recent years. The wages
which they earn here are almost always higher than they could earn in their own
country. Moreover the employment is more constant. They are able to obtain
payment on a greater number of days in the year. There is more chance of getting
employment for women and children in the manufacturing towns.
3.
Why did so many Irish come to Scotland in the nineteenth century? (Use Source A and
recall) 5 marks
4.
Describe the ways the Irish immigrants able to build a strong sense of community in
Scotland between 1830s and 1930s? 5 marks
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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Relations between Irish and the Scots
Religious and cultural forces which kept the Irish community together.
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Most Irish immigrants Catholic and coming to a predominantly Protestant
Scotland.
Catholic Church important to the Irish immigrants in both religious and social ways.
Church allowed them to worship
gave them a place to meet other Irish Catholics
organised youth clubs and trips
Football teams (Celtic, Hibs and Dundee United)
Developed schools
Helped those in need with clothes, food and a place to stay.
Educated priest could supply advice and guidance to the new Irish immigrants
Results of separate community?
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Meant that Irish kept themselves to themselves to maintain own customs and religious
habits = caused resentment among Scots and didn’t help Irish mix with Scots.
Problems with Irish Protestants: Many Irish Immigrants from Northern Ireland, e.g.
Ulster and Protestant.
Trouble: set up branches of Orange Order and supported Rangers Football Club.
Violence: They often fought with Catholic Irish
Relations between Scots and Irish
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Growing religious conflict between the Catholic Irish immigrants and Scots
Protestants
Many Irish felt like ‘aliens in an alien society’
Scots suspicious of Irish with their different habits and culture. Their prejudice created
hatred and violence
Some were concerned about habits of Irish leading Scots astray
Claims about the Irish being thieves and troublemakers and drunkards
Jobs Irish discriminated against
Scots disliked the Irish because of claims they were stealing jobs and houses = Irish
worked for less pay some Scots lost livelihood
Some thought Irish had lower standards and generally less educated and inferior
Did relations improve?
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Scots employers found the Irish to be good, reliable workers and quick to learn =
reputation improved
Irish made a vital contribution to Scotland’s growing wealth
Antisocial Irish behaviour no worse than the Scots
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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Irish joined Trade Unions to help workers, both Scots and Irish, improve their pay
and conditions = encouraged Scots and Irish workers to join together
Democracy: Irish got involved in campaigns to get men and women the vote, important
voice in the new Labour Party
WW1: Irish Catholic community fought and their efforts helped gain acceptation into
Scottish life
Marriage between Scots and Irish increased - greatly helped the Irish fit into Scottish
life. Some did, however, frown upon such marriages
Some Irish changed their names to more Scottish ones
Irish children born in Scotland absorbed themselves in Scottish ways than their
parents
Irish and the Scots Exam questions
1.
Explain the main problems arose between the Scots and the Irish immigrants in the
nineteenth century. 5 marks
Source A is from the Edinburgh Reporter newspaper in 1841. It is commenting on the case of an Irishman
found guilty of murder.
We should not be surprised the great mass of Irish peasantry are thoroughly mixed up with
crimes of this nature. The lower class of Irish are sunk in the depth of wickedness. The
swarms of Irish labourers who pour into this country bring with them a moral and social plague.
2.
How useful is Source A as evidence of Scots’ attitudes towards Irish immigrants? 5
marks
3.
Describe the ways in which Irish immigrants had settled into Scottish life by the 1930s.
5 marks
Source B is an article in the Ayr Advertiser in 1849
By their great numbers the Irish have either cut the pay of Scots or totally deprived thousands of
the working people of Scotland of work. There can be no doubt that their contacts with the Scots
have not been for benefit of the latter. In the country of Ayr these facts are brought home by the
wretched appearance of once comfortable areas and by the great increase in spirit dealers.
4.
How useful is Source B as evidence of the reasons for the rivalry between Scots and
Irish immigrants in the nineteenth century? 5 marks
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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Scottish Emigration
The Push reasons why the Scots left Scotland
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Many Scots forced to leave due to the poor economic conditions
Decline in kelp industry, herring fishing and need for less workers
Irish immigrants were competing for jobs for less wages
Highland clearances: crofters were forced off land to make way for sheep and deer.
These new sources of income for landowners required fewer labourers
Crofters couldn’t turn to working on kelp or fishing due to their decline
Lack of land: many had subdivided their already poor land to provide for their sons and
the croft was becoming unprofitable.
Emigration only solution? Some crofters preferred farming abroad than factory work
in the cities
New Laws: Government made the landowners responsible for the wellbeing of tenants
= to avoid costs of supporting the poor on their land, many owners forced or helped
them to emigrate - paid for ticket abroad
Scots potato blight 1848. Diet was poor and monotonous
Living conditions for both Highlanders and Lowlanders poor
Population increasing, causing overcrowding & increased competition for jobs, land and
housing = easier life abroad
Working conditions tough with long hours and low pay
Some forced to go abroad as convicts. Van Deiman’s Land in Australia became a
convict settlement.
The Pull reasons why the Scots left Scotland
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Opportunities: attraction of a better life abroad
Existing Communities: Relatives already emigrated wrote back describing an
improved lifestyle, weather to persuade others to join them
There were opportunities for families to grow up in a new healthy environment
Wealth creating opportunities for the willing emigrant = skilled workers and
professionals left Scotland to obtain better pay, greater opportunities and to escape
poverty
Land: generally cheap and abundant
Travel: became easier to emigrate, as travel became quicker
Fortunes: heard about gold discoveries in new lands
Government Organisations: organisations provided assistance with fare, the Highland
and Islands Emigration Society helped fund emigration to Australia
British Government: main efforts to help people emigrate came in the 1930s and were
an attempt to reduce unemployment at home after WW1
Charities: Barnardos helped children emigrate and others for handloom weavers.
Single women in demand: giving much help to emigrate and became nannies and
housekeepers
Landowners: Individual Highland landowners and the rich helped people emigrate.
Landowners cancelled debts, let crofters sell their stock and help with the passage
abroad
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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Agents for abroad: gave talks on benefits of emigration and inspired many to leave.
Influential persuasive pamphlets were handed out also.
Newspapers would carry adverts describing the better lives and opportunities
Success stories about famous emigrants were distributed
Presentations from successful emigrants would sometimes come back home to
persuade
Foreign Governments: offered inducements of land and help with travel costs = to
help open up their country and to develop its economy.
Weather: attraction of the better climate abroad
Religion: To convert people to Christianity like missionaries David Livingstone and Mary
Slessor
Scots Emigrants questions
1. Describe the problems faced by Scots which led to them leaving Scotland between 1830 and
1930. 4 marks (2000)
Source A is from a petition sent by Fraserburgh fishermen to the Secretary of state for Scotland in 1888.
On no part of the east coast have the losses arising from the fishing industry fallen so
heavily than on Fraserburgh, the most important fishing port on this coast. A scheme of
emigration should at once be undertaken so that the surplus population may be saved
from what must end in disaster
2. Why did people leave Scotland between 1830 and 1930? Use Source A and recall 5 marks
3. Explain why people emigrated from the highlands of Scotland between 1830 and 1930. 5
marks
4.
Describe the push factors which led Scots to emigrate. 5 marks
Source B is from a modern Historian John Smith his textbook ‘Why the Scots left’ published in
1997
The soil and the weather in the Highlands meant that it was not easy to be a prosperous
farmer. Yet a large population lived there. Most were crofters and lived on tiny scraps of
land. Many became dependant on growing potatoes, yet in 1846 this crop was hit by
blight and left over 100,000 people unable to feed themselves.
5. How useful is source B for explaining why Scots left the Highlands? 5 marks
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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The Scots Abroad Revision
Where they went to:
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Most went to Canada, America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, England
Journeys to took a long time on sailing ships
Journey times reduced: steam ships took over in the later 19th century
Many travelled in cramped, miserable and unhealthy conditions
What it was like:
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Some Scots faced harsh climates and difficult terrain in their new homes. Many
areas contained untamed wildernesses.
Others got good land at cheap prices, ready to plough and lots of sunshine.
Problems with natives of the countries Scots went to often tried to resist losing their
land to the new emigrants but lacked the military strength to win.
Scots killed natives to get their land for farming and mining - helped in the
destruction of the native’s way of life.
Scots took part in the gold rush of the 19th century, not only in America but also in
New South Wales in Australia - saw men abandon their place of work in the hope of
becoming wealthy by finding gold. Risky life with profits available but also ruin
Convicts experience: varied greatly from some being given a great deal of freedom to
some being treated cruelly
System ended in 1868 because Australia now well developed as a place for free settlers
Why they were successful?
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Scottish emigrants enjoyed great success overseas and England
Successful in industry, finance, politics and education
Success was especially due to their education and their skills
Welcomed because of skills in farming, banking, mining
Prepared to work hard and most had a basic education
Adapted better to different conditions - many used to harsh Scottish conditions
Created and developed large farms and these farms produced wool and meat for
export
Developing Societies: made fortunes some became millionaires
Charity: used wealth to help less fortunate people, including people at home in
Scotland such as Andrew Carnegie
Entrepreneurs: John Alexander MacDonald from Glasgow = Canada’s first Prime
Minister.
John Muir from Dunbar = America’s first National Park
Andrew Carnegie, whose family came from Dunfermline became richest man in world
= believed his wealth should be used to help others.
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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Why did some fail?
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Language: The Gaelic speaking Highlander was not welcome by other settlers - lost
tongue
Some gave up and returned home
Lacked money to achieve much in their new world
Failure to make land fertile or profitable
Some found the gold rush to be all hype and lies
Some homesick
Keeping the heritage:
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Most Scot emigrants had a real desire to remember their Scots heritage
Formed piped bands
organised Highland Games
Set up Caledonian Societies
Wore Highland dress at special occasions
Retained their language and dialects
Celebrated important days like Burns Night and New Years Day.
Scots Abroad questions
1.
Describe the conditions Scots found on their journeys abroad.
5 marks
2.
Explain why Scots who emigrated were often successful in their new countries.
5 marks (2001)
Source A is from a letter written in 1896 by Neil Calder who left Scotland to settle in
Australia
I went to Marlborough on New Year’s Day to the Caledonia society. It was the greatest Scotch
gathering in Australia. There was a huge crowd of people there. There were about twenty pipers
in Highland costume and I can assure you that my blood warmed when I heard the skirl of old
Highland pipes. We had a great scotch dance. It brought olden times back to memory.
Evaluate the usefulness of Source A as evidence of the desire of Scots abroad in the
late nineteenth century to remember their Scots heritage?
5 marks (2003)
(you may want to comment on who wrote it, when they wrote it, why they wrote it, what they
say or what has been missed out.
3.
Source B is from William Rogerson, a Scot who emigrated to Canada.
This is a wild country and from what I have seen I do not like it. They are mostly Irish except a few
merchants who are Scotch. The island is not known in the interior, but it is supposed that there is
nothing but Indian savages, deers, foxes, wolves etc.
4.
How fully does Source B explain why some Scots found it difficult to emigrate?
5 marks
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide
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Source C comments on the experience of Scots in Australia
The Scottish influence on Australia has been out of all proportion to the number of Scots settling
there. By mid-century, Scots were leading all sectors of the Australian economy. Scots arrived as
much sought after shepherds, became managers and sometimes rose to become landowners in
their own right. Scots merchants quickly established themselves in Sydney and had their fingers
in every pie.
Source D: from T.M. Devine, The Scottish Nation 1700-2000 (1999)
The Scots migrants generally made a deep mark on the development of their adopted homelands.
…Of course, it would be nonsense to assume that all succeeded, but … the record of the emigrant
Scot in the making of North America and Australasia is a formidable one. The Scots who
emigrated had acquired a range of skills that few other emigrants from Europe could match.
Between 1815 and 1914, as many as half the Scotsmen who moved to the USA were skilled or
semi-skilled...To this was added a loyalty to other Scots.
5.
How far do Sources C and D agree about the importance of Scots in developing
other countries?
4 marks
Context 6: Immigrants and Exiles: Scotland, 1830s-1930s Revision Guide