In the 10th and 11th centuries Scots Gaelic was at its most popular as a language where most people who lived in Scotland spoke the language. Today there is only around 1.6% who can speak Gaelic. Most pro- Gaelic speakers would say that this was the plan of the English – to rid the British Isles of its Gaelic language and replace it by the English language. But there are a number of reasons for the decline of Gaelic as a language.

Firstly, by about 1400 the actual variation between the Highlands and the Lowlands had been solidly recognized. A scholarly man known as John of Fordun had this to point out concerning the differences between the highlanders and the lowlanders in 1380:

“The people from the coastal areas tend to be of domestic and civilised conduct, trusty, patient, urbane, reputable in their dress, likeable, as well as quiet, devout in Divine worship, yet continually ready to deny a wrong doing at the hands of their opponents. The highlanders and also people from the islands, in comparison, are a savage and untamed land and peoples, rude and obnoxious and self-sufficient, given to rapine, ease-loving, wise as well as quick to master, comely in person, yet unappealing in apparel, inhospitable to the English men and women too and are also known to be very aggresive in nature. These types of individuals tend to be nonetheless faithful and obedient to their personal king and country, and very easy and quick to submit to regulations, if suitably ruled”.

So it could be argued that the main reason for the decline in the Gaelic language was due to the great divide between the differing parts of Scotland. And by the sixteenth century the divergence between the two was at an all time high due to in the main, historic reasons and a different language being spoken. James VI had two main principles for his Highland policy – one being a way to make an income and the other was for it to be used for plantation. He considered that the highlanders and particularly the islanders were not paying their fair taxation and he wanted to change this.

In 1597 he created three burghs within the Highlands while using the objective of enabling a number of personnel from the lowlanders to rule. There was a lot of disruption to follow. And thus the financial cost of this disruption was high.

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