014d.drovers.html

THE CATTLE DROVERS
      There were no markets or places of commerce in the 18th century Highlands and the primitive conditions of that area deterred cattle buyers from travelling there. Thus the cattle had to be driven to a place where they could be sold and this was in the Lowlands or northern England. There were several market towns but the best known ones were Crieff and Falkirk.
      Getting the cattle to a market town presented a problem for individual clansmen for the taking the cattle to market conflicted with their harvesting of the grain crops. The need was met by drovers who were typically locals who knew the language and the different places where cattle were available. The cattle owners typically entrusted their cattle to the drover's care for a promise to get the best possible price less a small commission or sold their cattle to the drover at the drover's price on credit because cash was always in short supply. Of course, some of the cattle were sold to the landlord at his price, for payment of his rent.
     The starting time for the cattle drives was at the end of August or early September when the cattle were strongest after a summer of abundant grazing and before the bad weather set in. The number of cattle in a drive could number in the hundreds and journey to the south started from all over the Highlands and Islands. There were no paved roads in those days but the drives followed paths called 'roads' that allowed the fastest and safest passage to their destination. At least two of these 'roads' passed through Badenoch and merged into one at Dalwhinnie for the climb over the Drumochter Pass. October was the time of the sales. We are told that 33,000 head of cattle changed hands at Crieff in 1723 and as many as 200,000 at Falkirk a hundred years later.
      The price to be gained from sale of cattle increased the further south was the point of sale. In the early years of the 18th century Ian ruadh na mairst (John Roy of the Markets) and his brother Donald of Crubin of the Breakachie family were merchant drovers, engaged in driving cattle -- 400 head in each drove -- from Badenoch to the market at Carlisle in northern England.
      Although the raising of sheep replaced cattle to some extent in the early 19th century, it was the opening of the Highland railway lines in the 1860s that finally ended the droving trade. But the railroads provided easy access for another cash crop -- tourism -- and villages such as Newtonmore grew up to serve the summer visitors .
      One development that may have aided the droving trade was the Wade roads. After the Rising of 1715 these roads were built by military labour under the direction of General George Wade to allowing a military force to be based in the Highlands and to quickly move to trouble spots to suppress future 'risings'. In addition to roads, the scheme included the construction of barracks such as that at Ruthven which was built on the foundation of the former castle burned by Dundee in 1689. The Wade roads did improve the ability of moving wheeled vehicles but also sped the movement of the Jacobite army to Edinburgh in 1745.