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main image Turf under-thatch, Hill of Hatton, Auchterless, Aberdeenshire
Until the late 18th and early 19th centuries, land on Scottish farms was divided into 'infield', which was continuously cultivated, and 'outfield', patches of which were only intermittently tilled. The remainder of the outfield provided grazings and materials such as turf, used in roofing and walling or recycled as fuel and manure.

The turf under-thatch on this croft house was revealed when a corrugated sheet metal covering blew off in a gale. Turf, and other building materials were derived from the 'outfield'.

This basic form of stewardship ensured that through low-key use, the land's resources could be used and re-used. Agricultural Improvement abolished the infield-outfield division and, thereby, its use as a source of materials.


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