Scottish Highlands and Lowlands: It’s Not Just Geography

What do you think of when I say "Scotland"?

Many countries have a north / south divide. I don’t mean anything as extreme as North Korea and South Korea. I mean southern Italy versus northern Italy. Many of you may know there is a difference between those regions both in terms of cuisine and economy. Some Italians and relatives of Italians (like Italian Americans) say people from each region also have been known to speak disparagingly of one another. In the U.S., the north and the south are two distinctly different cultural regions and, since there was a war between the North and the South not all that long ago (yes, Americans, 160 years, in the history of the world, is not that long ago), some people (not all) still view people from the other region in a decidedly negative way. Even in England (and I do mean England, not Britain or the UK), there is a difference between people from the south (let’s say London) and people in the north (I’m talking Yorkshire, not Scotland—see, I really meant England).

It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that there is a difference between Highlanders (who are sort of kind of in the north) and Lowlanders (who are mostly in the south—the boundary isn’t quite as horizontal and clear cut as in some other places). You might be surprised, though, to discover just how much of a difference there is. Historically, the two regions differ in these ways:

--lifestyle / economy (rural versus urban—’though not 100%)

--population size

--culture

--politics [king and country vs clan loyalty]

--ethnicity (yes, you read that right)

--religion

--language

But First: Fun Facts

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      I’ll get into the details of the above in a moment, but first, a couple of fun facts. While the Highlands are a mountainous region, not all of the land in the Highlands is high. Some of it is flat. And not all of the Lowlands are entirely flat. This is because the areas are not just defined by their geography. Culturally, economic, political, and other historical elements helped to shape the two areas.

A question: when I say “Scotland”, what things come to your mind? Admit it—kilts, bagpipes, clans, tossing the caber, girls in tartaned skirts dancing in competitions, maybe Nessie. Right? Of course. Those are the things most non-Scottish-born people associate with Scotland. But all of those things are actually a part of Highland culture, not all-Scotland culture. There was a time (not that long ago) when a Lowlander wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a kilt. And a Lowland woman might plug up her ears to block out the noise of a bagpipe.

Then, in the nineteenth century, Sir Walter Scott wrote some novels and, more importantly, Queen Victoria became enamored of Scotland. Scott’s novels (especially Rob Roy) romanticized Highland culture, making it seem really cool. In the mid-1800s, Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, bought Balmoral Castle. She adopted the Royal Stewart tartan as the official tartan of the Royal family and began holding an annual ball at which she wore a tartan sash. She also liked bagpipes, so suddenly everyone else did too. Victoria was a trendsetter (yes, she was! Look it up). So, Scottish things became popular. The thing was they were Highland things, not all-Scotland things. But somewhere along the way, that fact got lost even, to a degree, among the Lowlanders. After all, who wants to get on the Queen’s bad side?

Getting Down to Details

Starting around the late 15th to early 16th century, Scotland began to split into two distinctly different population groups: the Highlanders in the north and west, and the Lowlanders in the south and east.

[Note: Scotland is more complicated than this. There are the Highlands, the Southern Uplands, the Central Plain, the Border counties, and the islands but, for the purposes of this post, I’m going to focus on the Highlands (which include some of the islands) and the Lowlands (which often are defined as including the Central Plain, the Southern Uplands and the Border counties.]

If you're a fan of Scottish tartans, thank Queen Victoria for making them cool again after they had been outlawed.

The fact that the Lowlands became called a’ Ghalldachd (“place of foreigners” in Scots Gaelic) hints at why this divide took place. The Anglo-Normans had begun flowing into Scotland in the Middle Ages, and the English kept coming. And they weren’t just Anglo-Norman, as you’ll see below under “Ethnicity.” But there was more to the culture clash than just ethnicity or ancestral country of origin. Politics and, later, religion played a role. Economy, especially after industrialization, played a significant role, too. Below are some details.

Lifestyle / Economy: The Highlands tend to be rural with an economy focused on agriculture. The Lowlands developed into urbanized cities and economic hubs. It must be noted, however, that the Midland Valley (aka the Central Lowlands) has been Scotland’s most productive agricultural center. Then, with the discovery of coal in the 19th century into the 20th, the area became an important industrial center. Even today, the area is a chief hub of the Scottish economy, although the businesses have shifted to technology (such as electronics, computers, telecommunications, and so on).

Population size: Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bulk of Scotland’s population resides in the Lowlands. After all, that’s where the majority of the jobs are. The Highlands are less populated by comparison.

Culture: The culture of the Highlands tends to be Celtic: clannish with a strong love of music and sports. As mentioned above, the Highlands are the home of tartans, kilts, bagpipes, traditional dancing, and the Highland Games. The Lowlands tend towards a more English-leaning culture.

Politics: The center of Scottish kings became the Lowlands, and the monarchs—Scottish and, later, British, found themselves at odds with the Highlanders. The primary unit of leadership for the Highlanders was the clan structure, so they were loyal to their chieftain rather than to the crown. This became especially true when the English and Scottish crowns were united. The Highlanders developed a high sense of Scottish nationalism which could be fiercely independent and resistant to being ruled from London.

For a time, Lowlanders thought the Highlanders were too Irish. They had a point. The Irish and the Scottish Highlanders are both Celts. The Lowland Scots--not so much.

Laws enacted after the Battle of Culloden worked to end the clan system and to suppress symbols of Highland culture ranging from the wearing of the kilt to the speaking of Scottish Gaelic. These measures, along with the Highland Clearances, which took place from the 18th century into the 19th century, threatened to destroy this culture. Sir Walter Scott and Queen Victoria, as mentioned above, helped save it. In the latter part of the 20th century, Celtic revivals aided the continuation of traditional Highland culture.

Ethnicity: Speaking broadly, the DNA of typical Lowlanders tends to be similar to that of the English: Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and Frisian with some Danish and Norwegian thrown into the mix. Highlanders tend to be Celtic with a DNA similar to the Irish. In fact, the Lowlanders historically used to complain that Highlanders were too Irish!

Religion: The Highlanders were holdout Catholics for a long while (one of the contributing factors to their support of the Jacobite Rebellions). Some converted to Scottish Episcopal. The Lowlands, after the Reformation, became a center of Presbyterianism. Catholicism is now strongest on some of the islands, but religion has become more mixed throughout Scotland in modern times with almost 50% of the population claiming no religious affiliation as of the 2022 census.

Language: Most 21st century Scots speak English as their first (and often only) language. But, starting in the Middle Ages, the Highlanders spoke Scottish Gaelic (a member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic family of languages) while the Lowlanders spoke Scots (a variant of a West Germanic language family). Today, Scots is officially recognized by the Scottish government as “an indigenous language.” It is listed by UNESCO as “a vulnerable language.” Scottish Gaelic (which is related to Irish), is listed by UNESCO as “definitely endangered,” but there now are efforts to encourage a revival of the use of the language. Interestingly, one of the strongest concentrations of Scottish Gaelic speakers is in Glasgow in the Lowlands. The language is also spoken in higher concentrations on some of the islands, especially in the Outer Hebrides.

So, as you can see, the Highlands and the Lowlands of Scotland historically were different in many ways. They continue today to have some differences in lifestyle, economy, and culture but television, the internet, and easy travel have decreased the differences.

So Much More Scotland

For a time, Highlanders and Lowlanders even spoke a different language.

There is so much more to Scottish culture, history, and geography than I can possibly cover in this short post. I look forward in the future to writing posts about the Highland Clearances (which led to a massive emigration of Scots to other countries), and to discussing the cultures and especially the folklore of the islands.

But if you can’t wait to read more about Scotland, here are some of my favorite posts from the past:

https://www.moonfishwriting.com/post/scotland-s-ancient-sites-skara-brae-and-maeshowe 

--two of Scotland’s most ancient and mysterious sites

https://www.moonfishwriting.com/post/tour-the-land-of-the-unicorn-scotland 

--from Kepies to Silkies to Nessie, explore Scotland through its myth and folklore

https://www.moonfishwriting.com/post/ten-of-scotland-s-best-mostly-real-beasties

--from Shetland Ponies to Highland Cows

https://www.moonfishwriting.com/post/scots-versus-scots-gaelic-there-s-a-difference

--Exploring the difference between Scots and Scots Gaelic

https://www.moonfishwriting.com/post/great-scot-14-commonly-used-scottish-inventions

--from disposable contact lenses to ATMS: the amazing things given to us by Scottish minds

https://www.moonfishwriting.com/post/a-summer-getaway-to-scotland

--a list of not-so-typical things to check out, many of them FREE! 

https://www.moonfishwriting.com/post/mining-folk-writing-prompts-inspired-by-scottish-folklore

--writing prompts based on Scottish folklore.

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Slán go fóill

     All artwork for this post (except for the Ukranian flag and the GIF) by Christine Dorman via Bing Image Creator.

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