Noble Landowners of Scotland - Colin Darroch
"We need to redistribute land. How else does one address
the inequality of land ownership we've inherited? At
present 87% of the land is in the hands of 12.6% of the population. "
These are the words of Derek Hanekom, Minister of Land Affairs in Nelson Mandela's Government. Bad as the situation is in
South Africa, it is even worse in Scotland. We need a Minister
Of Land Affairs in an Independent Scotland to tackle this appalling problem.
Finding out the exact details about land ownership in Scotland
is not easy, although Auslan Cramb and Andy Wightman have to
be congratulated on providing useful information in their recent
books. *
The Register of Sasines was created by an Act of the Scots Parliament in 1617 to establish property rights. Almost 400 years later,
this is still our main source of information although a new Land
Register was created in 1979 which is being introduced in stages
throughout Scotland with the intention that it will eventually
supersede the Sasines Register. Unfortunately, registration under
either system, although desirable, is not mandatory. It can take
several years for a change of ownership to be recorded and this
allows a new owner to take his time in deciding which nominee
company in which tax haven should hold the title to the land.
The Scottish Landowners Federation has claimed that its 4,000
members (less than 0.1% of the population) own 80% of the land.
This claim is probably exaggerated but Andy Wightman has identified that 1,411 owners own 58% of Scotland. This inequality occurs because we do not have a Scottish Parliament to ensure that
we have a democratic form of landholding. As David Rollo pointed
out last month, many members of the House of Lords own land
in Scotland and abuse their power to look after their own interests.
they claimed at least one third of the places on the new Deer Commmission. On the island of Jura there are 6,000 deer and less than
200 people. Which do you think receives their Lordship's priority?
I have been able to identify 85 peers who between them own
more than two million acres which is 11% of Scotland. I am sure
that my list is not comprehensive. If you.know of others, please
write and let us know. Their relatives also own substantial parts
of the country. For example, Sarah Troughton, sister of the late
Duke of Atholl, owns 17,000 acres at Ardchattan in Argyll and
Lord Vestey's cousin Edmund Vestey owns 86,300 acres at Assynt and Banmore.
Their Lordships' biggeabuse of power was probably when they
hijacked a Local Government Act to ensure that rates were no
longer payable on fishing and shooting rights.. This removed the
sole remaining land tax in Scotland. Now they no longer pay the
community but we continue to pay them forestry grants or we even
pay them not to plant trees if their land is designated as a site of
special scientific interest. Our generosity reached the absurd stage
at Knockdow in Cowal where the UK Government paid a forestry
grant of £400,000 to the landowner who just happened to be the
Swedish Government. Somehow I cannot see Nelson Mandela's
Government being so generous.
(~"Who Owns Scotland" by Andy Wightman, published by Canongate ~
£14.99. "Who Owns Scotland Now" by Auslan Cramb, published by
Mainstream ~ £l4.99).
OWNER ESTATE ACRES
Duches of Abercorn Ardchyline, Argyll 2,350
" " " Halterburn, Roxburgh 3,000
Earl of Ailsa Cassilis, Ayrshire 10,000
Earl of Airlie Airlie, Angus 37,300
Earl Of Annandale Annandale, Dumfries 12,500
Duke Of Argyll Argyll Estates 60,800
Viscount Astor Tarbert, Jura 19,500
Duke Of Atholl Atholl, Perthshire 1 48,000
Lord Balgonie Glenferness, Nairn 6,500
Lord Balneil Balcarres, Fife 4,000
Lord Binning Tyninghame, East Lothian 6,000
Duke Of Buccleuch Bowhill, Selkirkshire 37,500
" " " Dalkeith, Midlothian 2,000
" " " Daerhead & Whitecleugh 5,700
" " " Queensberry & Liddesdale 216,400
Lord Burton Dochfour & Glenquoich 31,000
"." " Glenshiel & Cluanie 17,000
Marquess Of Bute Ardentraive, Argyll 3,000
" " " Dalblair, Ayrshire 19,600
" " " Bute 31,300
Earl of Cadogan Snaigow, Perthshire 4,000
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