Crofters

Scope and Contents A varied assortment of papers, much of it ethnographic and folklore material handwritten by Alexander Carmichael. Also includes: printer's copies of letters and symbols used in the Carmina Gadelica; printers proofs of Carmichael's work 'Grazing and Agrestic Customs of the Outer Hebrides', written for the Crofting Commission report, 1884; several complaints addressed to the Sheriff of the county of Inverness; assorted newspaper cuttings; ephemera from various events, such as the Gaelic...

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Blessing for crofters (text unclear) and vocabulary note which reads 'Cosda = two crofters ploughing together'. Text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.

Scope and Contents Ewart writes from Lerwick, Shetland, that he would be happy to arrange to keep the 15 ewes and lambs at Fairslacks for a year at a fair price, although it will be best not to add to the permanent stock until the farm is taken over by the University in October or November that year. At an exhibition on Shetland he saw a ewe as small as the one in the British Museum from Papa Stour with goat-like horns and a very short tail, as well as a hornless, short-tailed ewe with white patches at Foula;...

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Fraser-Tytler states that he approves of Ewart's 'scheme' and that he has seen his letter to Haldane. He hopes that the War Office will take the crofters' ponies at three years old.

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MacDonald states that he does not require the young stallion back and asks Ewart to let him know if anyone wishes to buy another of his stallions. He speculates that the Congested Districts Board might pay him a premium for the use of either of his stallions as studs to the crofters' ponies.

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Forsyth reports that the Congested Districts Board are now ceasing to breed ponies for the crofters as they believe they now have enough stock to keep them going. He thinks that the Board would be happy to purchase the ponies 'Fatima II' and 'Rhona' with their foals and agrees with Ewart that a Highland Pony Society should be formed to make for fairer judging between different breeds.

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Cecil describes the estimate he has provided to the Congested Districts Board as to the price of the studs and horses intended for cross-breeding with the crofters' animals.

Scope and Contents Cecil is puzzled that Ewart mixed Spanish and horse blood and produced a Celtic pony, as he would have thought the mix would have produced the Island pony. He reports that Ritchie is annoyed that his neighbours prefer to use a crofters' pony to the Arab breed. He has written to Forsyth asking him to let the pony 'Atholl' to stand at the head of the Monkstadt stud (the experimental farm of the Congested Districts Board) on the Isle of Skye. He writes that he saw the best Highland ponies he...

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Cecil writes that he hopes Lord Middleton will buy 'McNeil' as he would suit his mares at Applecross and describes the Middletons' tour around the West Highlands of Scotland to view the crofters' ponies. He reports that a half-Welsh, half-Hackney horse cross has provided successful at Baron Schroder's in Strathcarron and at Guisachan. He is surprised to learn that none of the crossbred ponies are fetching a higher price in the market than the old crofters' breed of ponies.

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Cecil writes that since he has not heard from Lord Middleton, he will send his pony 'McNeil' to Croall's. He reports that the crofters usually buy their ponies from each other but they are complaining that they are being bred too light of bone for heavy work.