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Farm workers' cottages, Midlothian |
Pair of thatched farm workers' cottages of approved design, in the 1790s. The 'hinds' (ploughmen), who formed the backbone of the agricultural labour force, were hired by the term (half year). Before the mid 19th century their homes were almost universally wretched.
From the 1840s, the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland took an active role in encouraging the building of better housing for hinds. A comprehensive rebuilding followed which was almost complete by the end of the 19th century.
In east-central Scotland, where single men were employed, very basic housing in a communal 'bothy' continued to be the rule. The new houses – as many as a dozen on the biggest arable farms – often had their own outbuildings, such as ash privies and pig sties. |
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