BENNACHIE, SCOTLAND—Jeff Oliver of Aberdeen University plans to investigate the site of the Bennachie colony, where a community of some 55 squatters lived and farmed on public lands in the early nineteenth century. Local landowners went to court in 1859 and had the property divided so that they could collect rents. Members of the Bennachie colony were portrayed as immoral and backward; they were eventually evicted and their homes destroyed. “We are hoping the archaeology will provide them with something of a voice,” said Oliver.
Homes of Scottish Squatters Will Be Excavated
News April 16, 2013
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