10 - Crofting in north Scotland

Summary

Crofting is closely associated with the Highlands in the popular mind and there are certainly some districts in the region where smallholdings are still a prominent element in the landscape. This should not obscure the reality of large farm dominance overall, as the nineteenth century generally witnessed a persistent diffusion of commercial farming. But in the Highlands the failure of the planned village movement to provide an effective solution to the problem of overpopulation led to the persistence of traditional agrarian structures until after the Napoleonic Wars, with only limited intrusions by sheep farmers. The compromise was a dynamic one, much affected by the generally upward trend in the profitability of sheep farming and the generally downward trend in the ability of small tenants to support themselves. Yet the economic factor, seeking the highest return from each piece of land, had to be balanced against small tenant perception of opportunity elsewhere, landlord interest in land reclamation by subsistence farmers, and the general estate interest in having a local labour supply available. Reliable information was sparse in remoter parts of the Highlands and Islands and this made the cohesive fabric of the local community all the stronger. Any adjustment would be painful with population growing fast in relation to commercial opportunities. Some security was provided by the retention of the gaelic aristocracy as landlords on the southern model (in contrast to the expulsion of native landowners in Ireland).