The Highland Clearances, 1750 - 1860
The Seer's prophecy foretold of the Duke of Sutherland's land reforms, which resulted in the displacement of countless families from their homes to make way for sheep grazing. This event, known as the 'Highland Clearances', forced many Highlanders to abandon their land and seek new opportunities elsewhere. The Seer's words spoke of a future where roads would cross the hills of Ross-shire and bridges would span every stream, yet warned of the potential for the people to lose touch with their roots and become weakened by their own progress. The prophecy paints a picture of a once proud and strong clan culture succumbing to the pressures of modernization, ultimately fleeing from their homeland before an army of sheep.
His words allegedly were: "That the day will come when there will be a road through the hills of Ross-shire from sea to sea, and a bridge upon every stream. That the people will degenerate as their country improves. That the clans will become so effeminate as to flee from their native country before an army of sheep."
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