SKYE, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Dave Thompson has submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament to mark the 125th anniversary of legislation that ended the worst abuses of crofters by their landlords.
During the 1880s, men and women of the crofting communities in the Highlands and Islands had been agitating against the injustice and inequality to which they had been subject. The infamous Battle of the Braes was repeated across the Highlands and Islands, bringing the mistreatment of crofters to the attention of Westminster. This culminated in the election of four pro-crofting MPs to Parliament in 1885.
With public sympathy on their side, the crofters pressed for legislation which would give them security of tenure and fair rents. In 1886 the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act was passed which recognised their demands, defined crofts and additionally gave crofters the right to compensation. It also established the first Crofters Commission.
More than a century later, the approach to this form of agriculture common in the Highlands and Islands still survives and Mr Thompson was keen to see the anniversary of the Act’s introduction marked.
“This Act had a dramatic effect on the fortunes of Scotland’s crofting communities, who had previously had an even harder struggle to survive because their landlords had the power to seize their land,” said Mr Thompson.
“In some of the worst cases, crofters who had made dramatic improvements to their land, by draining it or building roads, had this seized with no compensation for their efforts.
“There was a public outcry after a Royal Commission looked into these cases and reported on its findings and that led to this much-needed legislation to give crofters basic human rights.
“While the Act has been amended in various ways over the years the central principle remains: that every crofter has the right to maintain his or her land. Although there is still much work to be done, we have a solid foundation upon which to build.
Note:
Dave Thompson’s motion:
Date of Lodging: 28 November 2011
Short Title: 125 Years of the Crofters Act
S4M-01437 Dave Thompson () (Scottish National Party):
That the Parliament notes the 125th anniversary of the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886 in 2011; celebrates the men and women of the crofting communities who were not afraid of agitating against injustice and inequality; remembers the conditions that provoked an investigation into the state of crofting in Scotland, including the 1884 Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands, which heard numerous testimonies from oppressed and mistreated crofters; understands that the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886 provided crofters with fair rents, security of tenure and a right to compensation for their improvements and established the first Crofters Commission; considers that the crofting system remains robust and will be regulated by the new Crofting Commission from next year; recognises the value of the system to many communities in the Highlands and Islands, and calls for Scottish Government support for these communities and their current collective efforts to map and maintain their lands and common grazings.
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