The crofting community

The crofting community were perceived as being particularly resistant to the reclamation works. There could be as many as 100 working in a field at a time, a surprisingly large number to operate two engines and a plough.

They were regarded as surly, uncooperative and obtuse in their attitude and engagement with the work. From the perspective of the Duke and the establishment, the tenants were being provided with respectable jobs that would improve their lot. As a group who had tended the land with structures, tools and techniques developed over hundreds of years, the sudden changes imposed through the operation of unfamiliar technologies must have been disconcerting. This tension was evident all through the years of reclamation work, despite all the technical and environmental problems that made the reclamations so difficult, it was reported at the time that ‘the chief mistake has been that sufficient supervision was not provided’ (Roberts, 1880).