Township (Scotland)

In Scotland a crofting township is a group of agricultural smallholdings (each with its own few hectares of pasture and arable land (in-bye land)) holding in common a substantial tract of unimproved upland grazing.

In reference to the history of Scotland, a township is often called a toun (the Lowland Scots word for a township), although before the Anglic language Scots became widespread in Scotland the word baile was more commonly used.

[citation needed] Traditional townships were largely wiped out during the Highland Clearances.

Auchindrain in Argyll, once occupied by up to seven tenant families who farmed the land cooperatively, was the last to survive.

This was down to the 19th century landowner, the 8th Duke of Argyll, who decided that splitting the township into individual crofts would not be financially viable and encouraged his tenants to modernise their methods.

In northern and western areas of Scotland, many people live in small crofting townships, such as here on the Isle of Skye .
Ruins of the township of Arichonan, forcibly cleared in 1848 as part of the Highland Clearances . Caol Scotnish can be seen in the middle distance with Loch Sween farther out.