The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil facts for kids

The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil is a play written in the 1970s by John McGrath. It was first performed in April 1973 in Aberdeen by a theatre group called 7:84. This play toured around community centers in Scotland. A TV version of the play was shown on BBC in June 1974 as part of the Play for Today series.

What the Play is About

The Cheviot is a musical play that tells the story of how the economy changed in the Scottish Highlands. It starts with the Highland Clearances in the early 1800s. Then it moves to the oil boom happening when the play was first made.

The 7:84 Touring Theatre Company performed this play live for people in places like South and North Uist, Benbecula, and Lewis. The play mixes live acting with filmed parts showing real events from the Highland Clearances. It also includes funny songs and short scenes. Later in the play, you see interviews with people involved in the North Sea Oil industry in 1974.

A Journey Through Scottish History

The play shows different parts of Scotland's history from 1746 to 1974. Each scene and filmed part is supported by facts and numbers. It talks about a time of hardship for people living in the Highlands after 1746. This was after the Battle of Culloden. During this time, the government made it illegal to speak Scottish Gaelic or wear traditional plaids.

The Highland Clearances Explained

The play then explains how rich English and Scottish landowners bought more land in the early 1800s. This led to the Highland Clearances. Patrick Sellar, who managed land for the Duke of Sutherland, is shown as a key figure. He was known for forcing many Highlanders off their land. The play shows how people were made to leave their homes to make way for more profitable Cheviot and later Blackface sheep.

The play explains why these Clearances happened. It also shows how powerful groups like the church, law, police, and military helped the landowners. Many people were forced to move to poor land by the seashore. They were supposed to fish or collect kelp for industry. Often, men had to leave home for months to find work in the south. They needed money to pay rent on their small farms, called crofts. Some joined the Highland regiments to fight for the British Empire. Many also moved to cities like Glasgow or left Scotland entirely.

Fighting Back and New Challenges

The play also highlights times when people successfully resisted being forced off their land. It mentions political groups like the Land Leagues in the 1880s. These groups fought for land rights. The play contrasts this with the rich landowners' love for stag hunting. By then, sheep farming and hunting had taken over millions of acres. It also mentions land raids by crofters in the early 1900s.

The play briefly touches on how tourism affected the Highlands in 1974. Then it compares the past struggles with the situation in 1974. John McGrath, the writer, explained that when oil was found off Scotland's east coast, things changed fast. Small villages suddenly saw thousands of workers building oil rigs.

Interviews with oil workers in Aberdeen discuss their working conditions, safety, and wages. The play also includes interviews with American oil bosses and local people. They talk about problems like housing becoming too expensive after the oil boom.

The play covers the history of North Sea oil from 1962. It explores issues like damage to coastlines and pollution from refineries. It also mentions that oil exploration was starting in the west, near the Butt of Lewis.

The play ends with a mix of images from 1746 to the oil workers in Aberdeen. The performers tell the audience that this land belongs to them. They encourage people to fight against being taken advantage of. They warn that oil companies might be even harder to deal with than people like Patrick Sellar were in the past.