What is the definition of a Croft and what is the definition of a Smallholding?
A suggestion for the Scottish Government: How about turning the whole of Scotland into Crofting Counties so the Crofting grant system can apply throughout the country?
That is indeed a good thought. In fact, it was quietly suggested during the consultaion on the review of crofting legislation.
A croft is a small agricultural unit that is covered by the Crofting legislation. The 1886 Crofting Acts defined the crofting counties as Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness-shire, Argyll, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, so basically the NW Highlands and Islands. The area was recently expanded to take in Moray and maybe another few small areas - to align the crofting areas with that of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The reason for the original area was political - the landowners of NE Scotland and Highland Perthshire didn't want included so they lobbied successfully to have the legislation cover only those areas that had been visited by the commissioners charged with drawing up the legislation. So areas that were clearly crofting areas like Arran, NE Scotland and Highland Perthshire were excluded. Remember the purpose of the crofting legislation was to protect tenants in the wake of the Clearances. Some but not all crofts have inbye land plus a share in commion grazing.
However, as you rightly observe, Fleecewife, the structure of lowland agriculture wasn't always as it is today. The same clearances of the Lowlands took place before those in the Highlands - they were less violent, perhaps (only in Galloway was there violent resistance), and there were towns and planned villages for the country folk to move to and to be employed but people were still forcibly cleared off the land in the name of Improvement. If you are interested, there is a very good and accessible book called "The Lowland Clearances - Scotland's Silent Revolution 1760 - 1830"
However, being a croft has advantages and disadvantages, depending on how you look at it. [member=25668]oor wullie[/member] may wish to contribute here. There are responsibilities to being a crofter, broadly, the land must be kept in good condition and not neglected; it must be used for agriculture, horticulture or woodland or "other productive use"; the crofter must live within 32km of the croft. Over the centuries, crofting legislation has been changed and added to - right to buy lead to owner-occupier crofters for example.
I kind of like the idea of extending the crofting legislation to all of Scotland - OneScotland and all that. Folk in Moray etc that have just been included have the option of registering as a croft but I'm not sure if any have. I don't know why that is. However, until the crofting legislation is sorted out and rendered fit for the 21st century, it probably wouldn't be that attractive.
Oops, have to go feed pigs