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Scottish diaspora

Grave of the MacFarland sisters ofEdinburgh,British Cemetery of Funchal,Madeira
Total population
c. 28–40 million worldwideA[1]
Regions with significant populations
Scotland   4,446,000 (2011) (Scottish descent only.)[2]
United StatesB	8,500,000[3][4]
CanadaC	4,719,850[5]
AustraliaH	2,176,777[6]
EnglandD	795,000
Argentina	200,000[7]
Brazil	80,000
France	45,000
Poland	15,000
New ZealandF	12,792[8]
South AfricaF	11,160
Isle of Man	2,403[9]
Hong KongG	1,459[10][11][12]
Philippines	1,403
Norway	1,400
Spain	1,390
Netherlands	1,380
Switzerland	1,377
Germany	1,373
Italy	1,370
Sweden	1,367
Languages
Scottish English • Scottish Gaelic • Scots
Religion
Historically or TraditionallyProtestant Christianity, mainlyPresbyterianism, alsoEpiscopalism, with smallerCatholic minority and others. Increaslingly irreligious. For further information seeReligion in Scotland
A These figures are estimates based on official  census data of populations and official surveys of  identity.[13][14][15][16] BScottish Americans andScotch-Irish Americans. CScottish Canadians. D Scottish-born people in England only EUlster-Scots F missing G Number of people born in Scotland. missing HScottish Australians

TheScottish diaspora consists ofScottish people whoemigrated fromScotland and theirdescendants. Thediaspora is concentrated in countries such as theUnited States,Canada,Australia,England,New Zealand,Ireland (especiallyUlster), and to a lesser extentArgentina,Chile, andBrazil. The Scottish diaspora has been estimated by theScottish Government to be between 28 and 40 million people worldwide.^[1] Other estimates have ranged as high as 80 million.^[17]

According to Marjory Harper (2003) of theUniversity of Aberdeen, Scottish emigrants and their descendants have maintained connections to Scotland though formal and informal means including "church, school and Scottish society" and "place names, correspondence, family and community networks, andchain migration".^[18]Rogers Brubaker (2005) wrote that immigrants from Scotland have regarded the ancestral homeland as "an authoritative source of value, identity and loyalty".^[19] According to Lauren Brancaz (2016) of theCentre for Breton and Celtic Research: "Scottish culture has not been contained within the borders of Scotland. It has lived on in the minds of migrants who have remained attached to it".^[20]

A Scottish Argentine population has existed at least since 1825.^[21] There are an estimated 200,000Argentines ofScottish ancestry, the most of any country outside theEnglish-speaking world.^[7] Scottish Argentines have been incorrectly referred to as English.^[22]

Scottish people have a long history in Canada, dating back several centuries. Many towns, rivers and mountains have been named in honour of Scottish explorers and traders such asMackenzie Bay and the major city ofCalgary,Alberta, is named aftera Scottish beach. Most notably, theAtlantic province ofNova Scotia isLatin for New Scotland. Once Scots formed the vanguard of the movement of Europeans across the continent. In more modern times, emigrants from Scotland have played a leading role in the social, political and economic history of Canada, being prominent inbanking,labour unions, andpolitics.^[23]

The first documented Scottish settlement in the Americas was ofNova Scotia (New Scotland) in 1629. On 29 September 1621, the charter for the foundation of a colony was granted byJames VI of Scotland to SirWilliam Alexander.^[24] Between 1622 and 1628, Sir William launched four attempts to send colonists to Nova Scotia; all failed for various reasons. A successful occupation of Nova Scotia was finally achieved in 1629. The colony's charter, in law, made Nova Scotia (defined as all land betweenNewfoundland andNew England) a part of mainland Scotland. The Scots have influenced the cultural mix of Nova Scotia for centuries and constitute the largest ethnic group in the province, at 29.3% of its population. Many Scottish immigrants were monoglotScottish Gaelic speakers from theGàidhealtachd (Scottish Highlands).Canadian Gaelic was spoken as the first language in much of "Anglophone" Canada, such as Nova Scotia,Prince Edward Island, andGlengarry County in Ontario. Gaelic was the third most commonly spoken language in Canada.^[25]

As the third-largestethnic group in Canada and amongst the first Europeans to settle in the country, Scottish people have made a large impact on Canadian culture since colonial times. According to the2011 Census of Canada, the number of Canadians claiming full or partial Scottish descent is 4,714,970,^[26] or 15.10% of the nation's total population.

A large proportion of Scottish Chileans are sheep farmers in theMagallanes region of the far south of the country, and the city ofPunta Arenas has a large Scottish foundation dating back to the 18th century.A famous Scot,Thomas, Lord Cochrane (later 10th Earl of Dundonald) formed theChilean Navy to help liberate Chile from Spain in the independence period. Chile developed a strong diplomatic relationship withGreat Britain and invited moreBritish settlers to the country in the 19th century.

The Chilean government land deals invited settlement from Scotland and Wales in its southern provinces in the 1840s and 1850s. The number of Scottish Chileans is still higher inPatagonia and Magallanes regions.The Mackay School, inViña del Mar is an example of a school set up by Scottish Chileans. The Scottish and other British Chileans are primarily found in higher education as well in economic management and the country's cultural life.

Scottish people came to Mexico as a component of larger British ventures that facilitated the nation's economic growth following its independence.^[27]

The table shows the ethnic Scottish population in the United States from 1700 to 2013. In 1700, the total population of the American colonies was 250,888 of whom 223,071 (89%) were white and 3.0% were ethnically Scottish.^[28][29] In the 2000 census, 4.8 million Americans^[37] self-reported Scottish ancestry, 1.7% of the total US population. Another 4.3 million self-reportedScots-Irish ancestry, for a total of 9.2 million Americans self-reporting some kind of Scottish descent.

The 2008 US Census2008American Community Survey figures showed approximately 5.8 million Americans self-identified as being of Scottish ancestry, and another 3.5 million Scots-Irish, for 9.3 million total.^[38] In the2013 American Community Survey, 5.3 ;million identified as Scottish and another nearly 3 million as of Scots-Irish descent, for about 8.3 million total.^[39]

Self-reported numbers are regarded by demographers as massive under-counts, because Scottish ancestry is known to be disproportionately under-reported among the majority of mixed ancestry,^[40] and because areas where people reported "American" ancestry were the places where, historically, Scottish and Scots-IrishProtestants settled inNorth America (that is: along the North American coast,Appalachia, and the SoutheasternUnited States). The number of actual Americans of Scottish descent today is estimated to be 20 to 25 million^{[41][42][43][44]} (up to 8.3% of the total US population), and Scots-Irish, 27 to 30 million^[45][46] (up to 10% of the total US population), the subgroups overlapping and not always distinguishable because of their shared ancestralsurnames.

Large-scale emigration from Scotland to America began in the 1700s after theBattle of Culloden, when theClan structures were broken up. Anti-Catholic persecution^[47][48] and theHighland Clearances also obliged many ScottishGaels to emigrate. The Scots went in search of a better life and settled in the thirteen colonies, mainly aroundSouth Carolina andVirginia.

The majority of Scots-Irish originally came fromLowland Scotland and theScottish Borders before migrating to the province ofUlster inIreland mostly in the 17th century(seePlantation of Ulster) and from there, beginning about fivegenerations later, to North America in large numbers during the 18th century.

Later Scottish Americans descended from 19th-century Scottish immigrants tend to be concentrated in the West, while others inNew England are the descendants of immigrants from theMaritime Provinces ofCanada, especially in the 1920s.

Americans who identify themselves as of Scottish descent outnumber the population of Scotland, where 4,459,071 or 88.09% of people identified as ethnic Scottish in the 2000 Census.^[37][49] There are many US-basedScottish clan societies and other heritage organizations (such as theSaint Andrews societies,Caledonian societies,An Comunn Gàidhealach America,Slighe nan Gàidheal), through which "Scottish migrants have remained attached to their homeland".^[50]

A steady rate of Scottish immigration continued into the 20th century, with substantial numbers of Scots continued to arrive after 1945.^{[56][page needed]} From 1900 until the 1950s, Scots favoured New South Wales, as well as Western Australia and Southern Australia.^{[citation needed]} A strong cultural Scottish presence is evident in the Highland games, dance, Tartan day celebrations, Clan and Gaelic speaking societies found throughout modern Australia.

According to the 2021 Australian census 118,496 Australian residents were born inScotland,^[57] while 2,176,777 claimed Scottish ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry.^[55] This is the fourth most commonly nominated ancestry and represents 8.6% of the total population of Australia.

Scottish migration to New Zealand dates back to the earliest period of European colonisation, with a large proportion ofPākehā New Zealanders being of Scottish descent.^[58] However, identification as "British" or "European" New Zealanders can sometimes obscure their origin. Many Scottish New Zealanders also haveMāori or other non-European ancestry.

The majority of Scottish immigrants settled in the South Island. All over New Zealand, the Scots developed different means to bridge the old homeland and the new. Many Caledonian societies were formed, well over 100 by the early twentieth century, who helped maintain Scottish culture and traditions. From the 1860s, these societies organised annual Caledonian Games throughout New Zealand. The games were sports meets that brought together Scottish settlers and the wider New Zealand public. In so doing, the games gave Scots a path to cultural integration as Scottish New Zealanders.^[59]

The Lay Association of theFree Church of Scotland foundedDunedin at the head of Otago Harbour in 1848 as the principal town of itsScottish settlement. The name comes fromDùn Èideann, theScottish Gaelic name forEdinburgh, the Scottish capital.^[60]Charles Kettle, the city's surveyor, instructed to emulate the characteristics of Edinburgh, produced a striking, "Romantic" design.^[61] The result was both grand and quirky streets as the builders struggled and sometimes failed to construct his bold vision across the challenging landscape. CaptainWilliam Cargill, a veteran of the war against Napoleon, was the secular leader. The ReverendThomas Burns, a nephew of the poetRobert Burns, was the spiritual guide.

From 1570 to 1630, some 6,000 Scots served as mercenary soldiers ofDenmark.^[62]

As England is Scotland's only land neighbour, there has been significant Scottish migration to England since theUnion of the Crowns in 1603. London now has twoChurch of Scotland congregations, the ScotsCare charity (formerly the Royal Scottish Corporation), and Scottish social clubs.

Described by historian Dan Jackson as having a "symbiotic" relationship with Scotland,North East England's Scottish diaspora has been well-established since at least the 1500s.Newcastle upon Tyne alone had hundreds of Scottish inhabitants in the 16th century, includingJohn Knox (1514-1572), who would later lead theScottish Reformation. Many of Newcastle's miners recorded in 1637 were Scottish and, in 1740 over 50% of the city'skeelmen were born in Fife, Stirlingshire or Lothian. By November 1914, there was aTyneside Scottish Brigade of the British Army.^[63]

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Scots in England became prominent figures in fields such as finance, engineering and medicine.John Macadam,John Rennie andThomas Telford designed many English infrastructure projects including bridges, roads, canals and railways. Between 1860-1882, over 1,115 Scots-born medical graduates had spent some or all of their careers in England; Scottish doctors were found in almost every English county, with the greatest numbers found inLondon,Yorkshire andLancashire. TheIndustrial Revolution had been a pull for Scottish migrants to England. By 1851, there were 131,000 Scots residing in England and Wales. Scots entrepreneurs James McConnel,John Kennedy, as well as Adam and George Murray were influential to the growth of the Manchester cotton industry, with many Scots themselves employed in the city's mills.^[18] Theglass industry in the Lancashire townSt Helens attracted many Scots workers; as of 1851, around 7% of the town's glass workers were Scottish (as was 3% of the total population).^[64]

Corby inNorthamptonshire is known for its large Scottish diaspora community, with the town sometimes being nicknamed "Little Scotland". A major inrush from Scotland to the town occurred in the 1930s, when many flocked toStewarts & Lloyds steelworks.^[65] By 1961, over a third of the town's population was Scottish-born.^[66] In 2001, Corby had the highest concentration of Scottish-born people in the UK outside of Scotland.^[67]

Following the decline of coal mining in Scotland in the 1950s and 1960s, many Scottish miners sought work in theSouth Yorkshire Coalfield, including atMaltby andKellingley.^[68][69] Mining communities inNottinghamshire also saw an influx of Scottish mining families in the 20th century.^[70]

Between 1570 and 1630, some 11,000 Scots served as mercenary soldiers of France.^[62]

William Davidson (c. 1593–c. 1669) was an authority on medicine, pharmacy and chemistry in France, court doctor of the French king, and the first native of the British Isles to become a professor of chemistry in France.[71]

TheUlster-Scots, commonly known as Scots-Irish outside of Ireland, are anethnic group inIreland, found mostly inUlster, the northernprovince in Ireland, and to a lesser extent in the rest of Ireland. Their ancestors were mostlyProtestantLowland Scottish migrants, the largest numbers coming fromGalloway,Lanarkshire,Stirlingshire, andAyrshire, although some came from theScottish Borders region, and others from further north in the Scottish Lowlands (Perthshire and theNorth East) and also to a lesser extent from theHighlands.^{[citation needed]}

These Scots migrated to Ireland in large numbers both as a result of the government-sanctionedPlantation of Ulster and the previous and contemporary settlement of Scots inCounty Antrim andCounty Down by James Hamilton, Hugh Montgomery, and Lord Randal MacDonnell; the former a planned process ofcolonisation beginning in 1610 which took place under the auspices ofKing James VI and I on land confiscated from members of theGaelic nobility of Ireland who fled Ulster, and the latter a private scheme beginning in 1606, but also authorised by King James. These arrivals joined other Scots already in the area from centuries of smaller-scale immigration by Scottishgallowglass mercenaries and their families.^{[citation needed]}

Ulster-Scots emigrated onwards from Ireland in significant numbers to what is now theUnited States and to all corners of the then-worldwideBritish Empire;Canada,Australia,New Zealand,South Africa, the West Indies,British India, and to a lesser extentArgentina andChile. Scotch-Irish is a traditional term for Ulster-Scots in North America.^{[citation needed]}

The Scots, forming a significant diaspora in Poland (seePoland section below), rarely settled in the Lithuanian part of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth; however, they conducted trade there, and there were Scottish communities inKėdainiai andSłuck.^[72][73] Out of gratitude for the opportunity to settle in Kėdainiai, the Scottish burghers funded scholarships for students from Lithuania at theUniversity of Edinburgh.^[74] Many of them intermixed with ethnic Lithuanians, and as a result, there are some Lithuanians with partial Scottish ancestry today.

Since the mid-16th century, historical records document the presence of Scots trading, serving as mercenary soldiers, and settling inPoland.^[75] The vast majority were traders, from wealthy merchants to the thousands of pedlars who ensured that the termszot became synonymous in the Polish language with "tinker".^{[76][page needed]} A "Scotch Pedlar's Pack in Poland" became a proverbial expression. It usually consisted of cloths, woollen goods and linen kerchiefs (head coverings). Itinerants also sold tin utensils and ironware such as scissors and knives. By 1562 the community was sizeable enough that the Scots, along with the Italians, were recognized by theSejm as traders whose activities were harming Polish cities; in 1566, they were banned from roaming and peddling their wares.^[77]

However, from the 1570s onward, it was recognized that such bans were ineffectual. A heavy tax was placed upon them instead. Thomas Chamberlayne, an English eyewitness, described them disapprovingly in a 1610 letter toRobert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, stating that "[t]hese Scotts for the most parte are height landers [i.e. highlanders] men of noe credit, a Company of pedeling knaves..."^[78]Linked to some degree of persecution and their role in the Danzig uprising, protection (and by extension, a form of control) was offered byKing Stephen Báthory in the Royal Grant of 1576, assigning Scottish immigrants to a district inKraków. By the first half of the 17th century, the affairs of the Scottish community were regulated by twelve Brotherhoods with seats across various Polish cities; this included a tribunal that met to adjudicate disputes in the Royal city ofToruń.^{[76][page needed]} In 1603, the office of the Scottish General (Generał Szkocki) was created to collect taxes and organize the judiciary over all Scots in Poland, with Captain Abraham Young appointed by KingSigismund III Vasa as the first superior.^[79]

Scottish mercenary soldiers first served in large numbers in the late 1570s. Many were former traders. According to Spytko Wawrzyniec Jordan, one of King Stephen Báthory's captains, they were former pedlars who, "having abandoned or sold their booths ... buckle on their sword and shoulder their musket; they are infantry of unusual quality, although they look shabby to us ... 2000 Scots are better than 6000 of our own infantry."^[80] It is possible that the shift from peddling to military occupations was connected to the implementation of heavy taxation on pedlars in the 1570s. Scottish mercenary soldiers were recruited specifically byKing Stephen Báthory following his experience with them in forces raised by Danzig against him in 1577.^{[76][page needed]} Báthory commented favourably upon the Scots and expressed a wish for them to be recruited in campaigns that he was planning against Muscovy. A steady stream of Scots soldiers served thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from this point forward.

Records from 1592 mention Scots settlers granted citizenship of Kraków, and give their employment as trader or merchant. Fees for citizenship ranged from 12 Polish florins to a musket and gunpowder, or an undertaking to marry within a year and a day of acquiring a holding.

By the 17th century, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Scots lived in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.^[81] Many came fromDundee andAberdeen.^{[citation needed]} The largest Scottish communities could be found inGdańsk,Kraków,Lublin,Lwów,Poznań,Warsaw andZamość, and sizeable numbers of Scots also lived inBrzeziny,Bydgoszcz,Człopa,Krosno,Łobżenica,Raciąż,Sieradz,Sierpc,Tarnów,Tuchola,Wałcz,Warta andZakroczym.^[82] Small communities also existed inBiały Bór,Borek Wielkopolski,Brody,Chojnice,Czarne,Człuchów,Gniew,Gostyń,Iłża,Jedlińsk,Koronowo,Opole Lubelskie,Puck,Skoki,Starogard,Szamotuły,Szydłowiec,Świecie andWęgrów.^{[83][84][85][86]} Settlers fromAberdeenshire were mainly Episcopalians or Catholics, but there were also large numbers of Calvinists. As well as Scottish traders, there were also many Scottish soldiers in Poland. In 1656, a number of Scottish highlanders travelled to Poland, serving under theKing of Sweden in hiswar against it.

The Scots integrated well and many acquired great wealth. They contributed to many charitable institutions in the host country, but did not forget their homeland; for example, in 1701 when collections were made for the restoration fund of theMarischal College, Aberdeen, Scottish settlers in Poland gave generously.^{[citation needed]}

Many royal grants and privileges were granted to Scottish merchants until the 18th century, at which time the settlers began to merge more and more into the native population.Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") was half Polish, since he was the son ofJames Francis Edward Stuart, the "Old Pretender", andMaria Clementina Sobieska, granddaughter ofJohn III Sobieski, king of Poland.^{[87][88][failed verification][89]} In 1691, the City ofWarsaw elected the Scottish immigrantAleksander Czamer (Alexander Chalmers) as its mayor.^[90]

There are places named after the Scottish settlers in Poland, i.e.Stare Szkoty ("Old Scots"), a former suburb of Gdańsk, today a neighborhood within the city limits, inhabited by Scots since the 15th and 16th centuries,^[91] and the village ofSzkocja ("Scotland"), founded in 1823.^[92][93]

In 1879, Scottish specialists were brought to Warsaw to run a newly established hornware factory of Polish industrialistLudwik Józef Krasiński [pl].^[94]

In the2011 Polish census, 632 people declared Scottish nationality.^[95]

Notable people include:

• James Murray (c. 1500s – c. 1600s),naval captain and shipbuilder
• Robert Abercromby (1536–1613), Jesuit missionary, lecturer at theCollegium Hosianum inBraniewo
• William Bruce (c. 1560–after 1613), professor and lecturer at theZamoyski Academy in Zamość, later diplomat of KingJames VI of Scotland.^[96]
• William Davidson (c. 1593–c. 1669), court doctor of KingJohn II Casimir Vasa of Poland^[71]
• Robert Gilbert Porteous [pl] (c. 1600–1661), wealthiest merchant of 17th-centuryKrosno^[82]
• Patrick Gordon (1635–1699), student of the Collegium Hosianum, officer in the Polish Army
• Alexander Chalmers (1645–1703), merchant, jurist, city mayor in Warsaw

The first identifiable Scots reached Russia in small numbers during the mid-sixteenth century, mainly as soldiers or technical experts.^[97] Their presence expanded greatly in the seventeenth century, when the Tsarist government recruited large numbers of foreign officers, engineers, and merchants. Scots became a notable element within this group, particularly under the earlyRomanovs and laterPeter the Great.^[98][99] Unlike in Poland–Lithuania, however, Scots in Russia generally faced restrictions on assimilation due to religious and social barriers, and most remained a distinct foreign community.^[100]

From 1570 to 1630, some 30,000 Scots served as mercenary soldiers of Sweden.^[62]

• English-speaking world
• European diaspora
• Celtic diaspora (disambiguation)
• Scottish Business Network

• Feduszka, Jacek (2009). "Szkoci i Anglicy w Zamościu w XVI-XVIII wieku".Czasy Nowożytne (in Polish). Vol. 22. Zarząd Główny Polskiego Towarzystwa Historycznego.ISSN 1428-8982.
• Wijaczka, Jacek (2010). "Szkoci". In Kopczyński, Michał; Tygielski, Wojciech (eds.).Pod wspólnym niebem. Narody dawnej Rzeczypospolitej (in Polish). Warszawa: Muzeum Historii Polski, Bellona.ISBN 978-83-11-11724-2.

• Imaginaire Celtique YouTube: "The Celtes around the World", with Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, Director of School of Irish Studies, Concordia University.

• Scottish diaspora
• Scottish people
• Ethnic groups in Ireland
• Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom

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