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The evolution of Highland townships during the medieval and early modern periods

The evolution of Highland townships during the medieval and early modern periods This paper considers how Highland townships changed over the medieval and early modern periods. It examines both structural and sectoral change. As regards the former, it draws the basic distinction between large and small townships but argues that ongoing processes of township disaggregation and aggregation blurred this distinction, creating a range of complex, hybrid forms. As regards the latter, it argues that we need to clarify the different ways in which townships were sectored. Many townships were fashioned around infields that comprised small detached blocks of arable so that the imposition of assessment can be seen as imposing a unity of status on them, as well bringing them within a single scheme of husbandry. However, in some instances, fieldnames belie internal differences within infield that may hint at still older differences in status and meaning. Expansion beyond infield was distinguished by its non-assessed status, but equally, we need to understand how expansion reduced the flow of nutrients from pasture to arable, forcing adjustments in husbandry that helped to underpin emerging differences in status between assessed and non-assessed land. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Landscape History Taylor & Francis

The evolution of Highland townships during the medieval and early modern periods

Dodgshon, Robert A.
Landscape History , Volume 20 (1): 13 – Jan 1, 1998
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN
2160-2506
eISSN
0143-3768
DOI
10.1080/01433768.1998.10594502
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This paper considers how Highland townships changed over the medieval and early modern periods. It examines both structural and sectoral change. As regards the former, it draws the basic distinction between large and small townships but argues that ongoing processes of township disaggregation and aggregation blurred this distinction, creating a range of complex, hybrid forms. As regards the latter, it argues that we need to clarify the different ways in which townships were sectored. Many townships were fashioned around infields that comprised small detached blocks of arable so that the imposition of assessment can be seen as imposing a unity of status on them, as well bringing them within a single scheme of husbandry. However, in some instances, fieldnames belie internal differences within infield that may hint at still older differences in status and meaning. Expansion beyond infield was distinguished by its non-assessed status, but equally, we need to understand how expansion reduced the flow of nutrients from pasture to arable, forcing adjustments in husbandry that helped to underpin emerging differences in status between assessed and non-assessed land.

Journal

Landscape History – Taylor & Francis

Published: Jan 1, 1998

Keywords: Highlands; Township; Assessment; Infield; Land Division

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