45:
253:
527:. Unfortunately, the commission was underfunded and there was not enough land to distribute to crofters. The Act did not resolve the greatest complaint of the crofters, that the land should be returned to them. There was no resolution of the issue where landlords and crofters wanted the same piece of land.
350:
and what came to be known as land raids: crofter occupations of land to which crofters believed they should have access for common grazing or for new crofts, but which landlords had given over to sheep farming and hunting parks (called deer forests). The strife grew more intense; the landlords hired
589:
Looking back in history, Hunter believes that the Act established an old-fashioned order, with a place for the tenantry quite different than as in
Ireland where crofters could buy their land under "Home Rule" acts. The Act was neither effective in the development of crofting communities nor did it
337:
was pervasive in
Gaeldom and was central to the social cohesion of the clan because it articulated the expectations of the masses that the ruling family had the responsibility to act as their protectors and guarantee secure possession of land in return for allegiance, military service, tribute and
509:
and reevaluating rents every seven years. If crofters believed that the rent was too high they had the opportunity to go to the commission. Quite often the rents were lowered or even removed, if the crofters had already been paying too much. The commission had the power to reform the Act and
248:
The Act itself did not quell the agitation. In particular it was very weak in terms of enabling the
Crofters Commission to resolve disputes about access to land. It was enough however to make much more acceptable, politically, the use of troops in confrontations with agitators.
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granted equality between tenants and landowners, especially with regard to grants and obligations and clarified the details of residency requirements. Now, tenants or owners must live within 32 km (20 miles) of the croft. Crofts not in use may be granted to new tenants.
518:
There were different opinions about the Act. On the one hand crofters complained that the Act did not go far enough, because they were not granted automatic right to fertile land for expansion of their small crofts. Worse, the Act did not delineate the position of
414:
tried to pass a new law granting crofters more rights, but it was voted down in May 1885. Gladstone left his post in 1885 but the other parties created a new government. Gladstone returned to power in
January 1886, and the act was finally passed 25 June 1886.
292:
countries had known for generations, security of tenure and the right to the principle of compensation for their own improvements at the termination of tenancies. Nothing was suggested in the report, or contained in the Act, to restrict
566:, "the Land League") and the Crofters' Party the political influence that they had had, because they could not agree on the issue of land and how far to follow the "Home Rule" movement in Ireland on the issue of land ownership.
1125:
300:
The Act was not fully effective in increasing the equality of land distribution in
Scotland. By the year 2000, two-thirds of Scotland's land area was still owned by only 1,252 landowners out of a population of 5 million.
338:
rental. It was a powerful and enduring belief which lived on long after the military rationale of clanship itself had disappeared and tribal chiefs had shed their ancient responsibilities and become commercial landlords.
313:, the crofters had no official rights to the land. Until 1886, it was legal to evict any crofter at the landlord's convenience. The Land Wars commenced in Scotland in 1874 with the successful legal case of the
600:. Wightman also stated that the "land question" has yet to be resolved, as two-thirds of Scotland's land area is still owned by only 1,252 landowners out of a population of 5 million.
1180:
543:
believed that the Act gave moral authority to the authorities to quell every uprising to reestablish "law and order." For this reason, warships were sent to the Isle of Skye and
427:, the Crofting Act of 1886 affirmed the rights of crofters to their land. It also granted a legal status to crofting towns. The Act dealt with the following points especially:
1130:
317:
on the island of Great
Bernera in the Outer Hebrides. The crofters wanted recognition of their traditional rights to the land that they had enjoyed under the
573:
in which crofters gained the legal right to purchase their land for fifteen years' rent. However, by owning their own land, crofters lost the right to CCAGS (
342:
Land agitation in
Scotland began because of the "Home Rule" movement in Ireland and information and opinions of this movement brought by fishermen to the
1175:
1155:
62:
An Act to amend the Law relating to the Tenure of Land by
Crofters in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and for other purposes relating thereto
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the right of purchase was given to community organizations even against the will of landowners, to advance social and economic development. The
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or limit the amount of land any one individual might own in
Scotland, but for the moment a great advantage has been secured."
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of land (tenants without leases) who were paying less than £30 a year in rent and who had possessed effective common
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325:. Through political and economic development the gentry began to take an alternate perspective on their tenantry:
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Land, Faith and the
Crofting Community: Christianity and Social Criticism in the Highlands of Scotland 1843–1893
594:, the Act paved the road to further land development in Scotland, although it did not affect areas outside the
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448:
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17:
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The Act was largely a result of crofters' agitation which had become well organised and very persistent in
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862:"The Crofters' Party, 1885 to 1892 — The first British independent common people's political party"
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warships for protection from the crofters. From time to time there were open uprisings and riots.
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establish other Acts, as well as grant green land to crofters in order to enlarge small crofts.
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Crofters had the right to be paid for land improvements, such as erecting fences and drainage
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On the other hand, the landlords said that there was "communism looming in the future" and
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494:. Within these counties a crofting parish was a parish where there were year-by-year
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encompass the political and social beliefs of those communities. But according to
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wrote that the Act was a "great infringement on the rights of private property.'"
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and made careful study of the crofters' position, publishing its report in 1884.
198:
were or were not crofting parishes. In many respects the Act was modelled on the
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Crofters had the opportunity to reassess the rent with the Crofters' Commission.
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322:
289:
281:
280:, however, the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886 was nothing less than "the
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179:
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Clanship to Crofters' War: The Social Transformation of the Scottish Highlands
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483:
288:, which conferred on the small tenants there something which the peasantry of
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as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from
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This is summarised in David Findlay's Blog for the Law Society of Scotland.
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There has been a steady flow of primary legislation on crofting, including:
506:
467:
242:
801:
A School in South Uist: Reminiscences of a Hebridean Scoolmaster, 1890-1913
346:. Believing that they were the rightful owners of the land, crofters used
685:
487:
362:
10 or paying £10 in rent annually. This included many Highland crofters.
210:. By granting the crofters security of tenure, the Act put an end to the
187:
85:
392:
The government feared that the "Home Rule" movement would spread to the
389:('The people are stronger than the lord') was their best-known slogan.
245:(occupying land which the landlord had reserved for hunting or sheep).
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as counties where parishes might be recognised as crofting parishes:
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Crofters had the right to pass down their croft to their descendants.
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to the crofters, as long as they worked the croft and paid the rent.
373:('Highland Land Law Reform Association') was established in 1885 in
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251:
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Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning Scotland
218:
365:
At a political level the crofters wanted legal rights, so the
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The Crofters' Commission also was in charge of establishing
1010:
The making of the crofting community (Revised edition 2000)
964:"A new phase of crofting law and a new Crofting Commission"
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A standard of reasonable rent was established and required.
1077:"'Having and Holding': The Highland Land War of the 1880s"
803:, edited and with an introduction by John Lorne Campbell,
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400:(Gaelic-speaking areas in Scotland) from Ireland. The
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Crofters Commission (Delegation of Powers) Act 1888
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1101:Text of the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886
656:Transfer of Crofting Estates (Scotland) Act 1997
539:The Act did not end the land agitation, because
186:, a land court which ruled on disputes between
554:Comunn Gàidhealach Ath-Leasachadh an Fhearainn
381:was established and elected five MPs in 1885.
369:Comunn Gàidhealach Ath-Leasachadh an Fhearainn
1181:Agriculture legislation in the United Kingdom
8:
922:
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626:Crofters Common Grazings Regulation Act 1891
32:
18:Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1886
729:. Edinburgh University Press. p. 179.
575:Crofting Counties Agricultural Grant Scheme
819:
817:
31:
765:Keating, Michael; Bleiman, David (1979).
823:
671:Crofting (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2013
502:during the 80 years since 24 June 1806.
898:"Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886"
826:, pp. 23–29 (figures are for 2000)
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221:and of growing support, throughout the
1131:United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1886
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696:Highland and Island Emigration Society
119:Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Act 1870
631:Small Landholders (Scotland) Act 1911
612:Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886
569:This opinion was raised again in the
148:Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886
129:Representation of the People Act 1884
33:Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886
7:
616:Crofters Holding (Scotland) Act 1887
237:of 1885. Agitation took the form of
666:Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010
646:Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 1976
583:Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010
571:Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 1976
182:to crofters and produced the first
404:interviewed crofters all over the
358:to men owning land worth at least
194:. The same court ruled on whether
170:that created legal definitions of
25:
1176:Highlands and Islands of Scotland
1156:History of the Scottish Highlands
1032:The Companion to Gaelic Scotland
706:History of Scotland § Rural life
241:(withholding rent payments) and
168:Parliament of the United Kingdom
50:Parliament of the United Kingdom
43:
768:Labour and Scottish Nationalism
579:Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003
1075:Bradley, Ian (December 1987).
1038:: Basil Blackwater Publisher.
604:Primary legislation since 1886
1:
1151:History of the Outer Hebrides
661:Crofting Reform etc. Act 2007
1060:. Dùn Èideann: Luath Press.
651:Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993
641:Crofters (Scotland) Act 1961
636:Crofters (Scotland) Act 1955
550:In the years after the Act,
385:Is Treasa Tuath na Tighearna
1001:Manchester University Press
124:Land Law (Ireland) Act 1881
1202:
1161:History of Argyll and Bute
1012:. Edinburgh: John Donald.
725:MacColl, Allan W. (2006).
29:United Kingdom legislation
799:Frederick G. Rea (1997),
160:Achd na Croitearachd 1886
42:
37:
1058:Scotland: Land and Power
458:The Act specified eight
229:, which had gained five
81:Territorial extent
1136:History of human rights
968:Law Society of Scotland
1008:Hunter, James (1976).
701:Highland Potato Famine
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423:For the first time in
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329:The cultural force of
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178:, granted security of
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771:. London: Macmillan.
562:Dionnasg an Fhearainn
356:suffrage was extended
327:
286:Highlands and Islands
263:, crofting town near
255:
231:members of parliament
460:counties of Scotland
449:Crofters' Commission
295:absentee landlordism
1146:History of Shetland
691:Highland Clearances
311:Highland Clearances
278:John Lorne Campbell
212:Highland Clearances
184:Crofters Commission
34:
1105:legislation.gov.uk
1028:Thomson, Derick S.
903:legislation.gov.uk
433:security of tenure
274:
259:Peighinn Choinnich
1141:History of Orkney
1067:978-0-946487-70-7
1045:978-0-631-12502-0
1019:978-0-85976-537-4
778:978-1-349-04678-2
736:978-0-7486-2674-8
412:William Gladstone
402:Napier Commission
152:49 & 50 Vict.
144:
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107:Other legislation
73:49 & 50 Vict.
38:Act of Parliament
16:(Redirected from
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971:. Retrieved
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868:. Retrieved
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271:Isle of Skye
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239:rent strikes
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102:25 June 1886
98:Royal assent
26:
951:Hunter 1976
939:Hunter 1976
927:Hunter 1976
885:Hunter 1976
848:Devine 1993
836:Hunter 1976
323:Middle Ages
319:clan system
309:During the
282:Magna Carta
180:land tenure
1115:Categories
909:1 February
712:References
577:). In the
492:Sutherland
447:The first
305:Background
243:land raids
225:, for the
112:Relates to
58:Long title
787:644246228
507:fair rent
476:Inverness
468:Caithness
321:from the
223:Highlands
188:landlords
1186:Land law
1121:Crofting
1056:(2000).
1030:(1983).
995:(1993).
870:24 April
686:Crofting
680:See also
592:Wightman
488:Shetland
472:Cromarty
431:It gave
354:In 1884
333:dùthchas
196:parishes
192:crofters
162:) is an
154:c. 29) (
86:Scotland
68:Citation
973:28 June
807:. Page
521:cotters
514:Results
496:tenants
419:The Act
284:of the
269:in the
233:in the
176:crofter
166:of the
1064:
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1016:
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733:
490:, and
480:Orkney
464:Argyll
377:. The
375:London
865:(PDF)
809:xviii
545:Tiree
92:Dates
75:c. 29
1062:ISBN
1040:ISBN
1014:ISBN
975:2021
911:2018
872:2017
783:OCLC
773:ISBN
731:ISBN
484:Ross
219:Skye
208:1881
206:and
204:1870
190:and
174:and
146:The
266:Ùig
202:of
164:Act
1117::
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478:,
474:,
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