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Scotland's Empire, 1600 - 1815
A dazzling account of Scotland's role in the world by Scotland's bestselling historian. The Scots had an enormous impact on the global development of the British Empire as emigrants, soldiers, merchants and colonial administrators. Scotland's Empire provides a comprehensive examination of their crucial role during the formative era of the long eighteenth century. The book ranges from the Americas to Australia and from the Caribbean islands to India. It explores in depth many key themes including the slave trade, the Scots on the colonial frontier, Highland soldiers, the saga of the Ulster Scots, the effect of the Scottish Enlightenment and the connection between empire and the economic revolution in Scotland itself.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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320 people want to read
About the author
T.M. Devine
43 books59 followersSir Thomas Martin Devine, Kt OBE FBA FRSE HonMRIA FRHistS FSA Scot, is a Scottish academic historian. Devine's main research interest is the history of the Scottish nation since c. 1600 and its global connections and impact. He is regarded as the leading authority on the history of modern Scotland.
He is the author or editor of some three dozen books and close to 100 articles on topics as diverse as emigration, famine, identity, Scottish transatlantic commercial links, urban history, the economic history of Scotland, Empire, the Scottish Highlands, the Irish in Scotland, sectarianism, stability and protest in the 18th century Lowlands, Scottish elites, the Anglo-Scottish Union, rural social history, Caribbean slavery and Scotland, the global impact of the Scottish people and comparative Irish and Scottish relationships. The Scottish Nation (1999) became an international best-seller, and for a short period even outsold in Scotland the adventures of Harry Potter when first published. In 2013 the volume was listed first in the '100 Best Books to Build a Better Scotland' compiled by ListMuse.com.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Devine
He is the author or editor of some three dozen books and close to 100 articles on topics as diverse as emigration, famine, identity, Scottish transatlantic commercial links, urban history, the economic history of Scotland, Empire, the Scottish Highlands, the Irish in Scotland, sectarianism, stability and protest in the 18th century Lowlands, Scottish elites, the Anglo-Scottish Union, rural social history, Caribbean slavery and Scotland, the global impact of the Scottish people and comparative Irish and Scottish relationships. The Scottish Nation (1999) became an international best-seller, and for a short period even outsold in Scotland the adventures of Harry Potter when first published. In 2013 the volume was listed first in the '100 Best Books to Build a Better Scotland' compiled by ListMuse.com.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Devine
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 10, 2024
Many people from outside Britain refer to the country as “England” rather than as Britain, but the empire is always “the British Empire,” (similarly the Army is always “the British Army”). This book looks at Scotland’s role in the formation of the Empire, focusing mainly on the 18th century and the 19th century up to about 1830. In looking at the 18th century, the book naturally has a strong focus on the American colonies. I had previously read the author’s book on the “Tobacco Lords” of Glasgow, who dominated said trade with Virginia, so I had been over some of this ground before. Interestingly he devotes a chapter to the so-called “Scotch-Irish”. In the 17th century there had been substantial emigration from Scotland to Ulster, particularly in the 1690s when Scotland suffered a severe famine. Many of their descendants moved to America, where they made a significant contribution to the new country.
Talking of significant contributions, Canada was the country where actual Scots probably had the biggest impact. Highlanders made up a particularly large proportion of the emigrants to Canada. In the Highlands there’s a strong tendency to portray the emigrations of the 18th/19th centuries as a “tragedy”, and there are lots of Gaelic songs in which emigrants expressed their homesickness. Prof. Devine puts a refreshing spin on this by highlighting the joy that many felt. He provides the lyrics to a song, “O ‘S Alainn an-t-Àite” (Fair is the Place) written by an 18th century emigrant about his new home in Prince Edward Island, and another “Canada Ard” (Upper Canada) written by a woman from Morar who sailed out with many of her neighbours in 1786. She compares the journey to that of the Israelites travelling to the Promised Land, and the last line of the song looks forward to having a place where “landlords will no more oppress us”.
A sombre chapter looks at the history of Scots in the Caribbean islands, which in the 18th century were considered far more economically important than Canada. Prof. Devine comments that, for an 18th century African slave, these islands were the worst place to end up, worse even than the American South (though I did wonder about Brazil). The chapter on Australia again provides an insight in that the Scottish courts had a less punitive approach to sentencing than their English counterparts, (something that is still partly true today) and in Scotland only the most hardened criminals were sentenced to transportation. The author quotes a contemporary remark that “A man is banished from Scotland for a great crime, from England for a small one, and from Ireland…morally speaking for no crime at all.”
Scots administrators were noticeably to the fore in early Australia, with men like Lachlan MacQuarrie and Thomas Brisbane as Governors. In general the book sets out how Scots formed a wildly disproportionate number of managerial type posts within the Empire, most of all in the numbers of military officers (and doctors). There’s a relatively short chapter looking at this aspect with respect to India. The reasons for this over-representation are discussed.
The extent to which Britain benefited economically from the Empire is endlessly debated. Some economic historians argue that the Empire made a trivial contribution to the growth of Britain’s economy. Others that colonial plunder was essential to it. Viewpoints are usually determined by the author’s wider political outlook. Prof. Devine leans towards the view that the Empire was significant to the development of the Scottish economy, more so than for that of England.
Prof. Devine’s books are written in an academic style, but he has the happy knack of being able to write such books and make them readable. I find them so anyway, though perhaps it’s because I’m interested in the subjects he writes about. A fascinating account.
Talking of significant contributions, Canada was the country where actual Scots probably had the biggest impact. Highlanders made up a particularly large proportion of the emigrants to Canada. In the Highlands there’s a strong tendency to portray the emigrations of the 18th/19th centuries as a “tragedy”, and there are lots of Gaelic songs in which emigrants expressed their homesickness. Prof. Devine puts a refreshing spin on this by highlighting the joy that many felt. He provides the lyrics to a song, “O ‘S Alainn an-t-Àite” (Fair is the Place) written by an 18th century emigrant about his new home in Prince Edward Island, and another “Canada Ard” (Upper Canada) written by a woman from Morar who sailed out with many of her neighbours in 1786. She compares the journey to that of the Israelites travelling to the Promised Land, and the last line of the song looks forward to having a place where “landlords will no more oppress us”.
A sombre chapter looks at the history of Scots in the Caribbean islands, which in the 18th century were considered far more economically important than Canada. Prof. Devine comments that, for an 18th century African slave, these islands were the worst place to end up, worse even than the American South (though I did wonder about Brazil). The chapter on Australia again provides an insight in that the Scottish courts had a less punitive approach to sentencing than their English counterparts, (something that is still partly true today) and in Scotland only the most hardened criminals were sentenced to transportation. The author quotes a contemporary remark that “A man is banished from Scotland for a great crime, from England for a small one, and from Ireland…morally speaking for no crime at all.”
Scots administrators were noticeably to the fore in early Australia, with men like Lachlan MacQuarrie and Thomas Brisbane as Governors. In general the book sets out how Scots formed a wildly disproportionate number of managerial type posts within the Empire, most of all in the numbers of military officers (and doctors). There’s a relatively short chapter looking at this aspect with respect to India. The reasons for this over-representation are discussed.
The extent to which Britain benefited economically from the Empire is endlessly debated. Some economic historians argue that the Empire made a trivial contribution to the growth of Britain’s economy. Others that colonial plunder was essential to it. Viewpoints are usually determined by the author’s wider political outlook. Prof. Devine leans towards the view that the Empire was significant to the development of the Scottish economy, more so than for that of England.
Prof. Devine’s books are written in an academic style, but he has the happy knack of being able to write such books and make them readable. I find them so anyway, though perhaps it’s because I’m interested in the subjects he writes about. A fascinating account.
July 4, 2013
I cannot argue that this book fails in research. It is a wonderful look into the history of nearly every event that changed the direction of the Scots in one way or another. I think that many readers who are looking for historical facts will find them here, if you do some looking through the bouncing around of time. More a textbook of the history than an intriguing compilation of facts, anyone expecting a little colorful storytelling with their history should look elsewhere.
Personally, I didn't exactly get what I was expecting and perhaps that is why I found it hard to keep my mind focused on what I was reading. I felt that what I was trying to get out of the book didn't quite seep into my mind the way other books on history have done. This is truly the history of Scotland overall, not only how the recruitment into the British Army and how others participated in slave trade changed how things worked out in America. Australia was included, as well as other parts of the world and I found myself interested in every new section. I really do wish I had been able to remain focused on it in order to retain more.
A wonderful history, well researched, but you really need to be in the mind for the strict factual alignment of the book. Don't pick it up because you want a story of what was, pick it up because you want the exact facts of what happened.
Personally, I didn't exactly get what I was expecting and perhaps that is why I found it hard to keep my mind focused on what I was reading. I felt that what I was trying to get out of the book didn't quite seep into my mind the way other books on history have done. This is truly the history of Scotland overall, not only how the recruitment into the British Army and how others participated in slave trade changed how things worked out in America. Australia was included, as well as other parts of the world and I found myself interested in every new section. I really do wish I had been able to remain focused on it in order to retain more.
A wonderful history, well researched, but you really need to be in the mind for the strict factual alignment of the book. Don't pick it up because you want a story of what was, pick it up because you want the exact facts of what happened.
September 27, 2012
I was most interested in this book because I am fascinated by the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on American politics. While this book covers more than just the Americas I still enjoyed the entire book. As is usual with a subject like this popular myths are debunked under close scrutiny. Still, one can only come away with admiration for a small group of emigrants who punched way above their weight as they influenced the world.
June 5, 2024
A very interesting read, one I had put off for quite a long time. The references run to around 80 pages so it can be dense at points. However I learnt a lot about Scotland’s position in the empire.
Here are things I found interesting.
Just how treacherous voyages across the Atlantic were for those emigrating from Scotland, with many dying of disease.
Pre 1800s most Highlanders emigrating were actually middle class as the minimum cost of £10 per person was out of reach to the poorest classes. - 136
When I studied in America I was always a little confused by people calling themselves Scotch-Irish but it was interesting to hear that they actually mean they are Ulster Presbyterians.
It was interesting to hear how the Scottish Enlightenment influenced Alexander Hamilton and James Madison when they were writing the constitution.
Scotland became a “Highland Culture” in the Canadian & Victorian community. Where the Highland ideal although initially proscribed became its defining feature.
Many Scots fled America to Canada as many Scots were loyalists.
Many Scots moved to Canada for political liberation (catholics) the short journey time from the Clyde ports (in comparison to India) and the less regulated trading network (the East India Company) which allowed Scots to flourish.
Many of those selected to work in the Hudson Bay Company were Orcadians (dependable Scots) many married into Cree families and had daughters with them.
A quarter of all slaves died within 3 years of arrival, 43% at the Codrington plantation in Barbados. - 224
Scots educated at university could go into a variety of roles. However primarily planters, merchants, colonial officials, attorneys, doctors, overseers and tradesmen . - 230
85% of the medical graduates in Britain were trained in the Scottish universities. (18th century)- 233
Huge numbers of Scots went to India through patronage networks to work in the EIC.
Major Donald Macleod from Skye fought a brutal war against the aborigines in Australia to annex 20,000 acres. A brutal highland clearance, except by Highlanders onto the natives of Australia. - 282
Lachlan MacQuarie from Mull an avowed rehabilitationist and Sir Thomas Brisbane from Largs two hugely influential figures in the development of Australian society. - 286
Until 1845 there were more aborigines than whites. Between 1788-1822 they were well treated but after relations declined markedly. -287
37-48,000 troops from the highlands recruited from a population of 250/300,000. The most intensively recruited region in the country - 307
Most of all the overwhelming point was that although Highland tenants were the victim of the Empire, many Scots and Highland Scots (even families such as the son of executed Jacobite Lord Lovat) attained ranks in the army, civil service, and latterly government.
Here are things I found interesting.
Just how treacherous voyages across the Atlantic were for those emigrating from Scotland, with many dying of disease.
Pre 1800s most Highlanders emigrating were actually middle class as the minimum cost of £10 per person was out of reach to the poorest classes. - 136
When I studied in America I was always a little confused by people calling themselves Scotch-Irish but it was interesting to hear that they actually mean they are Ulster Presbyterians.
It was interesting to hear how the Scottish Enlightenment influenced Alexander Hamilton and James Madison when they were writing the constitution.
Scotland became a “Highland Culture” in the Canadian & Victorian community. Where the Highland ideal although initially proscribed became its defining feature.
Many Scots fled America to Canada as many Scots were loyalists.
Many Scots moved to Canada for political liberation (catholics) the short journey time from the Clyde ports (in comparison to India) and the less regulated trading network (the East India Company) which allowed Scots to flourish.
Many of those selected to work in the Hudson Bay Company were Orcadians (dependable Scots) many married into Cree families and had daughters with them.
A quarter of all slaves died within 3 years of arrival, 43% at the Codrington plantation in Barbados. - 224
Scots educated at university could go into a variety of roles. However primarily planters, merchants, colonial officials, attorneys, doctors, overseers and tradesmen . - 230
85% of the medical graduates in Britain were trained in the Scottish universities. (18th century)- 233
Huge numbers of Scots went to India through patronage networks to work in the EIC.
Major Donald Macleod from Skye fought a brutal war against the aborigines in Australia to annex 20,000 acres. A brutal highland clearance, except by Highlanders onto the natives of Australia. - 282
Lachlan MacQuarie from Mull an avowed rehabilitationist and Sir Thomas Brisbane from Largs two hugely influential figures in the development of Australian society. - 286
Until 1845 there were more aborigines than whites. Between 1788-1822 they were well treated but after relations declined markedly. -287
37-48,000 troops from the highlands recruited from a population of 250/300,000. The most intensively recruited region in the country - 307
Most of all the overwhelming point was that although Highland tenants were the victim of the Empire, many Scots and Highland Scots (even families such as the son of executed Jacobite Lord Lovat) attained ranks in the army, civil service, and latterly government.
December 13, 2024
A really deep and well researched study of the history of Scotland between the seveneenth and the nineteenth century through the lenses of empire-building on the British Isles and related Scottish migration to the colonies. It's a history book so it has a lot factual material and is at times a bit dry, but the superb analysis of the economic, political and social conditions as well stories of lives of Scots at various periods of history of Scotland make the more academic content worth it as it rounds up nicely into a coherent and captivating whole.
It paints a pretty compelling picture of Scotland and Scots as adventurous and scholarly people that benefitted from the empire quite a lot even though its natural development destroyed their traditional ways of life in a lot of parts of Sctoland and made them more prone to leave the country to seek new opportunities in the East Indies and the New World. They took part both in good and bad of what the empire brought to the world and possibly shaped it even more than the English did as the English, being the "wealthy brother" in that relationship at the start, had way less incentives to leave home while Scots frequently had no other choice if they wanted upward mobility. Thus they became colonial administrators, doctors, merchants and later migrated in bulk as a response to enclosure and breakdown of the old tenant laws.
Overall, a worthy read for anyone looking for an account of Scottish history in the wake and during the early years of the Union. Splendid.
It paints a pretty compelling picture of Scotland and Scots as adventurous and scholarly people that benefitted from the empire quite a lot even though its natural development destroyed their traditional ways of life in a lot of parts of Sctoland and made them more prone to leave the country to seek new opportunities in the East Indies and the New World. They took part both in good and bad of what the empire brought to the world and possibly shaped it even more than the English did as the English, being the "wealthy brother" in that relationship at the start, had way less incentives to leave home while Scots frequently had no other choice if they wanted upward mobility. Thus they became colonial administrators, doctors, merchants and later migrated in bulk as a response to enclosure and breakdown of the old tenant laws.
Overall, a worthy read for anyone looking for an account of Scottish history in the wake and during the early years of the Union. Splendid.
June 3, 2025
An excellent, if compact, read covering roughly the years 1650-1850, which examines Scotlands imperial and colonial history. Goes into great detail in the beginning of the book around the pre-Union attempts to form a mercantile empire and the subsequent events leading up to and following the Acts of Union 1707.
In the middle of the book it explores the involvement of Scots and Scottish Institutions/Innovations in the foundation and running of colonies such as America, Canada, the West Indies, India, Australia and New Zealand, and how Scots played a disproportionate role not just in terms of emigration to these places but in their formation, the running of them (for good or ill) and in the number of officials, soldiers, officers, bureaucrats and functionaries that sought their riches and expanded the influence of Scottish thought and culture to the globe.
The end of the book explores the push and pull factors of *why* people left and *why* they made the impact they did, and explores the social history of the Scottish homeland and its relation with Britain as a whole, while leaning heavily on Highland culture and its influence on Scottish national identity while being a small minority of the population.
Overall, a very strong read
In the middle of the book it explores the involvement of Scots and Scottish Institutions/Innovations in the foundation and running of colonies such as America, Canada, the West Indies, India, Australia and New Zealand, and how Scots played a disproportionate role not just in terms of emigration to these places but in their formation, the running of them (for good or ill) and in the number of officials, soldiers, officers, bureaucrats and functionaries that sought their riches and expanded the influence of Scottish thought and culture to the globe.
The end of the book explores the push and pull factors of *why* people left and *why* they made the impact they did, and explores the social history of the Scottish homeland and its relation with Britain as a whole, while leaning heavily on Highland culture and its influence on Scottish national identity while being a small minority of the population.
Overall, a very strong read
May 7, 2017
Devine's work is a powerful and highly readable contribution to Scottish diaspora studies and towards a reevaluation of Scotland's role in the empire. By emphasising the global spread of the Scots, Devine teases out the impact of the Scots who migrated to the US, Canada, Australia and the Caribbean and the role Scottish culture and education played in shaping the places they went. Furthermore, Devine's background in economic history allows the disproportionate benefits Scotland gained from participation in the British imperial project to be drawn out. Scots participated significantly in the Atlantic slave trade, and Glasgow in particular gained from the funds generated by Scottish control of the Virginia tobacco trade. Devine's work, and that of other Scottish historians at that time (see Dr Alex Murdoch 'Scotland and America 1600-c1800) challenge the narrative that the Scots were an oppressed people. In fact, in many cases, the Scots themselves played the role of oppressors abroad.
December 26, 2018
Wide ranging tour around the the various elements of the “British Empire” showing the everlasting impact of the Scottish. Deploy researched and lots of anecdotes (e.g., how the Hudson Bay company started hiring in London then moved further north and further north until they realized the Orkneys were ideal employees. But seemed somewhat repetitive with his Scottish Nation book and doesn’t cleanly explain some necessary history before the events of the book (i.e., if Gaelic culture was Highlander which was preserved through martial glory, when did the Highlander and Lowlander differences develop and why?)
March 14, 2018
"Scotland's Empire 1600-1815" is a wonderful compilation of migratory information concerning the Scottish peoples.
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March 9, 2021Excellent historical account of Scotland's substantial role and success in the British Empire...
July 30, 2025
I put the book down for many months because it was too upsetting to read. Part of the great reveal of Scotland's historical ties with empire and colonialism.
December 23, 2025
Interesting. But hard, hard work. And that’s with the assumed knowledge.
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August 2, 2011This book might be too dry for some readers but it's a very comprehensive study of the emigration patterns from Scotland and the causes behind the emigrations during the period from 1600-1815. It's also a more objective analysis than some popular Scottish histories that the author calls "the Burns Night Supper School of History" (or something to that effect).
Scots were emigrating as merchants and mercenaries to Europe and the Baltic states in the 1600's. That pattern shifted to settling in Ulster (Northern Ireland). Scots were relative late comers to America, Canada, the West Indies and India.
Shipping tobacco from America to Scotland & England and then on to Europe was one of the first major economic successes for Scotland (the famous Tobacco Lords of Glasgow). After the American Revolution, the tobacco trade was largely replaced by the sugar trade with the West indies.
This book takes an objective look at the role Scots played in the slave trade, both as slave traders and as plantation owners/managers. It also takes an objective view of the interactions between the Scottish fur traders in Canada and native tribes and the early settlers in Australia and the Aboriginies.
The Scottish soldiers, especially the Highland regiments, played a key role in the British military. By the time of the Napoleonic Wars a large percentage of the Highland regiments came from lowland Scotland as the Highlands were already heavily recruited. Military success, especially in India, became a road to advancement for many younger sons of impovrished nobles.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in how Scots came to settle throughout the world and become so successful.
Scots were emigrating as merchants and mercenaries to Europe and the Baltic states in the 1600's. That pattern shifted to settling in Ulster (Northern Ireland). Scots were relative late comers to America, Canada, the West Indies and India.
Shipping tobacco from America to Scotland & England and then on to Europe was one of the first major economic successes for Scotland (the famous Tobacco Lords of Glasgow). After the American Revolution, the tobacco trade was largely replaced by the sugar trade with the West indies.
This book takes an objective look at the role Scots played in the slave trade, both as slave traders and as plantation owners/managers. It also takes an objective view of the interactions between the Scottish fur traders in Canada and native tribes and the early settlers in Australia and the Aboriginies.
The Scottish soldiers, especially the Highland regiments, played a key role in the British military. By the time of the Napoleonic Wars a large percentage of the Highland regiments came from lowland Scotland as the Highlands were already heavily recruited. Military success, especially in India, became a road to advancement for many younger sons of impovrished nobles.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in how Scots came to settle throughout the world and become so successful.
December 11, 2017
Excellent - In my opinion this is the best book on the topic because it is serious research based peer reviewed academic history on the subject, and not the 'Wha's like us' tea towel version of Scottish History. As a graduate in the discipline (although I never studied under the author's tutelage) I am perhaps a bit biased in favour of real Scottish History and not the tartan mythology peddled by less rigorous authors.
November 10, 2013
An excellent overview of Scottish history, particularly pertinent in view of the imminent referendum for Scottish independence (due September 2014). If you are eligible to vote, read this book and make your decision an informed one.
September 9, 2012
The same narrative history and many ideas taken over from 'The Scottish Nation' and reformulated here. A middle part of the book very hard to 'digest'.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews