George Granville Leveson-Gower, duke of Sutherland
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George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland, was a British noble who lived from 1758 to 1833. He married Elizabeth, the Countess of Sutherland in her own right. As Marquess of Stafford, he was later created Duke of Sutherland in 1833.
He is primarily known for his role in the Highland clearances. Believing the interior of Sutherland was best suited for sheep, he evicted thousands of families, burning their homes and establishing large sheep farms. The displaced tenants were moved to small coastal crofts and forced to rely on fishing and kelp harvesting. This initiated a pattern of rural depopulation, leading many to migrate to Canada, the United States, Australia, or within Scotland.1
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