The Ship Hector Tartan Journal with booklet
This Waverley Tartan Hector Tartan Commonplace Notebook celebrates the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the ship Hector in Nova Scotia. The Hector brought the first Scottish settlers from mainland Scotland to Pictou, Nova Scotia and dropped anchor on September 15, 1773. The arduous Atlantic crossing lasted eleven weeks. Some Scots died on board, and more in the months after their arrival. The accompanying book gives an account of the background to this story – who the settlers were, why they went, and what they found when they arrived. There are some extracts taken from historical documentary sources which describe the harsh conditions, hunger and lack of shelter, in the forested lands that the settlers faced. This is an amazing story of pioneering spirit, determination and courage. There are today more than 140,000 descendants of the Hector people in Canada and the USA. The stream of Scottish immigration which, in later years, flowed, not only over the county of Pictou, but to much of the eastern part of the Province, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, portions of New Brunswick, and even the Upper Provinces, began with the voyage of the Hector.
- Contains a 32-page book about The Hector with the story of the 1773 voyage.
- The boat carried 189 people. Arrived after 11-week voyage in Pictou, Nova Scotia on September 15, 1773.
- Many died within months of arrival; some migrated into Nova Scotia, while many more travelled on across the Canadian territories. (Canada was not established as an independent country until 1867).
- The Scots were not forced to leave Scotland but soaring rents imposed by Government landlords impoverished people and caused them to consider emigration to new lands.