Who Was Patrick Sellar?

Patrick Sellar was a Scottish born lawyer and factor for the infamous Countess of Sutherland during the Highland Clearances. He and his son, also Patrick Sellar were responsible for much of the tragedies of the Clearances and have earned a bad reputation in the history of the Highlands.

The Countess and her husband, George Levenson-Gower pursued a cruel policy of clearance and evictions throughout the highlands and islands and that memry lingers on.

Estate records reveal that evictions on a scale of around 2,000 people a day were not uncommon.

Patrick Senior held alot of land on the isle of Lewis. His son Patrick was tried and aquitted of for the use of unnessary force and cruelty during evictions. Contempoary records show the level of violence used in evictions. However most of the jurors at the trial were landowners themselves and aquitted the obviously guilty Sellars. After the trial he ceased working as a factor but was rewarded by th Countess for his work.