Crofting
/ˈkrɒftɪŋ/noun
A traditional system of small-scale farming, especially in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, involving tenants working small holdings, often with common grazing rights.
Did you know?Scottish crofting was formally shaped by the Crofters’ Holdings (Scotland) Act of 1886, which granted many tenants security of tenure and compensation for improvements.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*kruftiz
“A small enclosed field or piece of land; the deeper origin is uncertain.”
Old English
Old English
croft
“A small enclosed field or plot of cultivated land.”
Middle English
Middle English
croft
“A small field, pasture, or enclosed piece of ground, often near a dwelling.”
16th Century
Scots
croft
“A small farm or holding, especially in northern Scotland.”
19th Century
English
crofting
“The practice or system of working a croft, particularly in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.”
Modern English
English
crofting
“Small-scale tenant farming under Scotland’s distinctive crofting system.”
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