Knoydart: A History

By: Denis Rixson

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Synopsis: A local historian chronicles the famously remote region of the Scottish Highlands from its early Viking settlers to the present day. Located in the &“Rough Bounds&” of northern Scotland, the remote region of Knoydart is Britain&’s last true wilderness. Deriving its name from Viking settlers, the desolate peninsula was home to warlike inhabitants who became notorious in the 18th century under the ruthless leadership of Coll of Barrisdale. Notorious across Scotland, his protection racket gave the word &“blackmail&” to the English language. Knoydart was also a fertile recruiting ground for the Jacobites. But in the 18th and 19th centuries the area suffered large scale emigration, partly as a result of the brutal clearances of 1853. A long century of decline followed until, in 1948, it became the scene of the famous land-raid by the &“Seven men of Knoydart.&” Today, Knoydart continues to be the focus of land settlement and reform controversies. Local historian Denis Rixson places these issues in their larger historical context. It is the story of a community&’s ongoing struggle to preserve itself against the harshness of the environment and the cynical exploitation of man.