Martyrs: Glendale and the Revolution in Skye

by Roger Hutchinson

In the 1830s and 1840s the district of Glendale on the island of Skye was swamped by immigrants cleared from other north Skye estates. The resultant overcrowding and overuse of land caused simmering discontent – not against the incomers, but against the landowners, who regarded their tenants as no more than chattels. This book is a definitive account of what happened when the powder-keg erupted and a full-scale land-war ensued. Pitched battles with police, factors and bailiffs, military intervention, arrests, trials, imprisonment and the personal intervention of the Prime Minister were to have huge consequences for crofters all over the Highlands, who, ultimately, were the victors. At the heart of the rising was a man named John MacPherson of Lower Milovaig in Glendale, a courageous, charismatic and articulate crofter who was twice imprisoned for leading a rebellion against a system which kept all but the wealthiest in a state of bitter servitude. MacPherson quickly became known as ‘the Glendale Martyr’. Martyrs tells the story of John MacPherson, his comrades, his allies, his enemies and his final success.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2015

Reviews

[Mark Latchford]

A very interesting story about the virtually unknown crofters uprising on the Isle of Skye in the late 19th century, when the tenants rose up against their lords and the local police over rents and rights. The intervention by Gladstone’s national government first with troops and then with radical crofters legislation formed the basis for todays land management and ownership model on large sections of the Highlands and The Outer Islands. Well researched and written crisply, a great insight into a much loved part of Scotland.

[Gareth Williams]

A clear and detailed account of the events, centred on Skye, which led to the reformation of crofters rights in the Highlands and Islands. Roger Hutchinson writes with his usual light touch, evoking the people of the past with conviction.
This is well-researched and thoughtfully put together local history with a national reach.