The Highland Clearances from the Encyclopedia Britannica, were the forced eviction of the Scottish Highlands.
The motivation was the further destruction of the clan system which was the cultural, economic, governmental and marshal system of the Scottish highlands. The ultimate goal was to replace that system with components of capitalism which was the model for both the lowlands and English. The Highland Clearances were one of a number of strategies to bring the Scottish Highlands to heal. The Clan system had supported numerous rebellions and was generally unruly. So after the fifth Jacobite rebellion, and the Battle of Culloden (April 16, 1746) the English set about attacking the power base of these unruly clans, and the chieftains who governed them. These attacks initially included mass arrests but progressed into banning of clan tartans (symbols of clan affiliation), banning bagpipe music, and the Highland Clearances. The systematic depopulation of the lands which supported the clan system.