Women of the Highlands

by Katharine Stewart, Margaret Elphinstone (Foreword)

When was the last witch burnt in the Highlands and what was her crime? Which Jacobite lady led men to war while her Hanoverian husband stayed at home? Who were the first Highland women to be recorded in history and what did they do? And how have women's lives changed since mediaeval times?

Katharine Stewart recounts the lives and legends of famous Highland and Island women, from Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus to Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon. However, the true essence of the book lies in the abiding sense of the thousands of Highlanders throughout the ages who, though they lived under different laws and in far-off times, have together created the history and culture that produced the Highland women of today.

Genres: Scotland

158 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

Katharine Stewart was an author, crofter, teacher and postmistress. She is most well known for her book A Croft in the Hills. First published in 1960, it describes the life of a family in a remote croft in the 1950s. The book has been republished and reprinted seven times. She also wrote A Garden in the Hills, A School in the Hills and The Post in the Hills.

Reviews

[Angela Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snapshots of what Highland life was like for women over the centuries, and portraits of notable Highland women. I learnt about equality and ideas of fostering and kin in Celtic society, about witches and the 'evil eye', about women on their crofts managing cattle, helping at harvest, cooking, baking, spinning, dyeing and 'waulking the cloth', and rituals around conception and childbirth. There is also information about what Highlanders ate (nettle and garlic soup anyone?), and the plants they used for medicine, among other details of lifestyle and survival (and Highland women have certainly had their fair share of tough times). Stewart also celebrates the poets, storytellers and singers who have kept Gaelic culture alive.

[Karyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting and informative book. I think the book felt a little choppy due to the organization of chapters. My preference would have been to have the book divided into two sections--information chapters and biographical chapters. It wasn't a huge distraction but one I kept coming back to while reading.

[Angi Plant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich insight into the lives of women who lived in the highlands over the centuries. Well worth reading