Lesson plan
Run rig
Run rig, or runrig, also known as rig-a-rendal, was a system of land tenure practised in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands. It was used on open fields for arable farming. Scottish Gaelic names include ( ), ('one field at a time'), ('one ridge at a time'), ('peasant field'); in Scots it was generally . Its origins are not clear, but it is possible that the practice was adopted in the late medieval period, supplanting earlier enclosed fields which were associated with a more dispersed pattern of settlement. It fell into decline mainly over the last quarter of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century. The land was divided into towns or townships, comprising an area of cultivable "in-bye" land and a larger area of pasture and rough grazing. The in-bye was divided into strips "rigs" which were periodically reassigned among the tenants of the township so that no individual had continuous use of the best land. This periodical reassignment can be considered a defining feature of run rig. The majority of townships were rented by tacksmen and sublet to the actual farming tenants. Some tacksmen would have leases on several townships. The detailed working of run rig differed from place to place. The degree of co-operation in these communal farms was one of these aspects.…
Article summary
Run rig, or runrig, also known as rig-a-rendal, was a system of land tenure practised in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands. It was used on open fields for arable farming. Scottish Gaelic names include ( ), ('one field at a time'), ('one ridge at a time'), ('peasant field'); in Scots it was generally . Its origins are not clear, but it is possible that the practice was adopted in the late medieval period, supplanting earlier enclosed fields which were associated with a more dispersed pattern of settlement. It fell into decline mainly over the last quarter of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century. The land was divided into towns or townships, comprising an area of cultivable "in-bye" land and a larger area of pasture and rough grazing. The in-bye was divided into strips "rigs" which were periodically reassigned among the tenants of the township so that no individual had continuous use of the best land. This periodical reassignment can be considered a defining feature of run rig. The majority of townships were rented by tacksmen and sublet to the actual farming tenants. Some tacksmen would have leases on several townships. The detailed working of run rig differed from place to place. The degree of co-operation in these communal farms was one of these aspects.…
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Discussion questions
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