For the good of the empire, or the relief of the poor? Motivations for British Government Provision of Famine Relief in Scotland, 1783–4

Abstract

The failure of the grain and potato harvests across much of Britain in 1782 led to the enactment of traditional famine-relief measures across the country to secure sufficient food supply for the population. It has been well established by historians that the British government also allocated £10,000 worth of grain to the north of Scotland to provide additional support. What has been less thoroughly investigated is why. This article examines the motivations behind the government's break with traditional famine-relief policies by exploring the nature and impact of the crisis in the north of Scotland in greater detail. By comparing government intervention in major Scottish subsistence crises both before and after 1782–4, the government's actions in 1783 can be seen as marking a significant change in attitude towards the most vulnerable sections of the population during subsistence crises, and the inhabitants of the north of Scotland in particular. Consequently, a new policy of state-sponsored famine relief was established that shaped government response to subsequent Highland subsistence crises until the 1840s.