IT was cleared 200 years ago, with more than 50 families evicted during a brutal winter as landowners put profit over people.
Now a Wester Ross township that “disappeared” in the Clearances is to be rediscovered through a two-year community archaeology project.
Inverlael, which stood near Ullapool, was cleared for sheep by landowner George Steuart Mackenzie of Coul. Some of those evicted sought new homes in larger towns across the Highlands, while others emigrated for new lives in the “New World”.
Over the next two years, a team from the community-led Ullapool Museum will be supported by archaeologists to investigate the township through digs, research, genealogy and more.
Backed by a £68,000 grant from Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the Lost Inverlael: Finding Balblair project will also work with local arts organisations to create artistic responses which will commemorate and celebrate the lost community. And it is hoped that the local initiative may help rewrite the history of the Highlands and clear up potential confusion over two places bearing the same name on different coasts.
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Helen Avenell, who will co-ordinate the project, said: “Much of the story of this cleared community and its evicted families has been lost, even though we know that Inverlael was a thriving community, at one time the largest north of Dingwall.
“Alongside the archaeology programme, we are running a research project to get stories from families and relatives that will help in our understanding of the area.
“We also wish to hear from people who believe their family were from Balblair [Cromarty]. We believe that Balblair [Lochbroom] was a hugely populated area and many people may have the wrong Balblair when it comes to their own family history.
“If you believe your family were from Balblair but have found little information on the east coast, then we at Ullapool Museum would really like to hear from you.”
Dr Kevin Grant, archaeology manager at HES, said: “We are delighted to be able to support this valuable project which is exploring an important aspect of the history of Wester Ross. Cleared townships such as Inverlael are not only of local interest but are a crucial part of our story as a nation – they contributed greatly to the culture and society of modern Scotland.
“Historic Environment Scotland looks forward to working with our partners and the local community to deliver this project which will explore the history, heritage, and culture of the West Highlands and support the diverse communities who live there today.”
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On the timing of the launch, which coincides with the coronavirus pandemic and widespread shutdowns, Avenell said: “The launch of Lost Inverlael: Finding Balblair comes at a challenging time for us all, but we are thrilled to be able to begin work on what we know will be an important and meaningful project for our local community.
“Over the coming two years there will be lots of opportunities for people to come together to get involved. We are putting out an appeal to anyone who may have information on ancestors who were from Inverlael and Balblair. Scraps of the social history of Inverlael have been preserved through oral tradition handed down through generations of local families.”
The Highland Clearances were one of the most emotive periods of Scotland’s history, with artists and writers mining it for subject matter. Painter Thomas Faed’s 1865 work The Last of the Clans remains instantly recognisable in its depiction of dispossessed Highlanders, while dozens of books have been authored on the subject. Despite this, experts are still uncovering new information about the period, such as at Wilkhouse in Sutherland, where research published late last year revealed a rich picture of life cut short by the Clearances.
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