Public Policy in the Scottish Highlands: Governments, Politics and the Land Issue, 1886 to the 1920s. Ewen Archibald Cameron. A Thesis Presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Glasgow, September 1992. c Ewen Archibald Cameron. ProQuest Number: 11007731 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11007731 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT This thesis is concerned with the development of government policy in the Scottish Highlands from the Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act of 1886 to the mid 1920s. It begins with an analysis of the politics of the 1886 Act encapsulating an examination of the input of crofters, proprietors and politicians to the contents of the Act. The contemporary polemical reactions to the Act and the historiographical debate surrounding the Act and its legacy are given consideration. The Crofters' Commission, set up in 1886 to implement the Act, is examined in depth. Particular attention is paid to the use of the Commission by the Government in the turbulent years from 1886 to 1888. The reforms of the Commission in 1887 and 1888 are also scrutinised. The reactions to the Commission by the various social and political groups in the Highlands are summarised. A brief statistical analysis of the work of the Commissioners in setting fair rents and granting enlargements of holdings concludes this section. Parallel developments in the period from 1886 to 1895, such as the debates on emigration, development of the infrastructure and reform of land tenure are detailed. The context here is the differing perspectives of the Conservative and Liberal Parties who were both in office during this period. The origins of the suceeding policy of land purchase are discerned. The role of the Congested Districts Board, set up in 1897, is analysed. Firstly, its actions in attempting to carry out the policy of land purchase under a Conservative government from 1897 to 1905 and subsequently the second phase of its work under a Liberal Government from 1906 to 1911, are analysed. Attention is given to the work of the Board on the ground in attempting to interest crofters in the policies of land purchase and migration. The negative response of crofters to both initiatives is discussed. The effects of the ongoing debate on the Small Landholders (Scotland) Bill, which provided for the abolition of land purchase and the CDB, in the Highlands are put in context. A detailed political analysis of this debate, and the role of the representatives of crofters and proprietors complements the examination of the work of the Board. The final two sections of the thesis are concerned with the policy of land settlement. The short working life of the Small Landholders (Scotland) Act, 1911 is analysed. The problems caused by the ideological origins of this piece of legislation are the particular focus. Statistical evidence is employed to measure the relative success or failure of the operation of this Act in the period from 1911 to 1919. The improved performance of land settlement under the Land Settlement (Scotland) Act of 1919 is presented as a contrast. A comparitive statistical analysis demonstrates the quantitative improvement clearly. However an examination of the qualitative aspects of the results of post war land settlement leads to a more complex understanding of the success of the policy. The political context of the immediate post war period provides the backdrop to this section. The stringent fiscal atmosphere and the renewed sequence of land raids and strident rhetoric by applicants for land are the two most important features of this period. The overarching themes concern the political tension and debate between the various pieces of legislation. The statutes of 1886 and 1911 were based on the concept of protected tenancy; whilst that of 1897 was based on the concept of land purchase. The 1919 act contained elements of both ideas. The prevailing interpretation of the role of landowners in policy in this period is revised. The diversity of conditions across the Crofting Counties is also a constant theme. Some attention is given to the political legacy of the policy developments of this period. CONTENTS. 1. The Making of the Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act 1 . 2. The Crofters' Commission, 1886 to 1912.......... 33. 3. Liberals and Unionists: Variations in Highland Policy, 1886 to 1895.................... 66. 4. The Conservative Government and the Congested Districts Board....................... 101. 5. The Liberal Government and the Congested Districts Board................................. 131. 6. The Small Landholders' Scotland Bill, 1906 to 1911......................................... 161 . 7. Land Settlement, 1911 to 1919.................. 188. 8. Land Settlement from 1919...................... 219. 9. Conclusion.................................... 256. 10. Bibliography.................................. 285. TABLES. 2:1 - Average Rent Reductions, 1886 to 1892..... 47. 2:2 - Fair Rent and Arrears Decisions, 1886 to 1895...................................... 49. 2:3 - Fair Rent and Arrears Decisions, 1896 to 1912...................................... 50. 7:1 - Land Settlement in the Crofting Counties April 1912 to December 1919.............. 211. 8:1 - Ex Service Demand for Land Settlement, 1919 to 1924............................. 221 . 8.2 - Land Settlement in the Crofting Counties, 1912 to 1925.............................. 243. 8:3 - Hebridean Land Settlement, 1912 to 1925.... 244. APPENDICES 1. The Course of the Land Agitation in the Highlands, 1886 to 1895.................................... 269. 2. Memorial to the Prime Minister with reference to Crofter Legislation, May 1908.................. 275. 3. Dramatis Personae.............................. 278. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I am grateful to The Cross Trust, The Carnegie Trust for the Scottish Universities, The Scottish Education Department and the University of Glasgow for funding the research on which this thesis is based. I have benefited from the assistance of the staffs of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, the British Library, Churchill College, Cambridge, (Political Archives Centre), Edinburgh University Library, Glasgow University Library, the Highland Regional Archive, the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, the National Library of Scotland, the Public Record Office, the Scottish Record Office and the Staffordshire County Record Office. I am grateful to the following owners of private muniments who have facilitated access to carry out research; The Duke of Argyll, Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel, Mr Neil Hunter of Hunterston, Mrs Sheena Linzee-Gordon of Cluny, Mr John MacLeod of MacLeod, Mrs F. Raven-Smith of Ardtomish, the Marquis of Salsibury, and the Viscount Thurso. Mr John MacLeod of MacLeod was unique among the owners of private archives consulted here in imposing a charge for the use of his muniments; namely £50 for the first day and £15 for each suceeding day (plus VAT). I have benefited enormously from the stimulation of my superviser, Dr Allan I. Macinnes and the assistance of Professor A.A.M. Duncan, Professor R.H. Campbell and Mr Kevin Pringle. The developing Scottish History Postgraduate Community at Glasgow University, especially Fiona Watson and John Young, contributed in their different ways to the enjoyment of research. I owe an immeasurable debt to my parents for their support during, what must have seemed, an extended career as a student. ABBREVIATIONS AJBP - A.J. Balfour Papers. BL Add MS - British Library Additional Manuscript. BLO - Bodleian Library, Oxford. BoAS - Board of Agriculture for Scotland. CAB - Cabinet. CBP - Campbell Bannerman Papers. CDB - Congested Districts Board. Es - Enlargements. EUL - Edinburgh University Library. FR - Fair Rent. HJ - Historical Journal. HLLRA - Highland Land Law Reform Association. HRA - Highland Regional Archive. ILP - Independent Labour Party. KLTR - Kings and Lord Treasurers' Rememberancer. NHs - New Holdings. NLS - National Library of Scotland. NS - Northern Scotland. PD - Parliamentary Debates. PP - Parliamentary Papers. PRO - Public Record Office. PWLC - Public Works Loans Commissioners. RD - Real Demand. SCRO - Staffordshire County Record Office. SEG - Skene, Edwards and Garson. SHR - Scottish Historical Review. SGM - Scottish Geographical Magazine. SJA - Scottish Journal of Agriculture. SLA - Scottish Liberal Association. SLC - Scottish Land Court. SLFP - Scottish Landowners Federation Papers. SLPF - Scottish Land and Property Federation. SRO - Scottish Record Office. TGSI — Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness. WEGP - W.E. Gladstone Papers. 1 CHAPTER ONE. The Making of the Crofter's Holdings (Scotland) Act. The 1870s and 1880s saw rural issues maintain prominence on the British political agenda. The decline in the prices of wheat, barley and oats over this period led to changes in the relationship between farming tenants and landowners. The most significant of these were reductions in rent and the development