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Crofts

Croft is a term used for a small agricultural holding, typically including a dwelling and a modest area of cultivated land and grazing, found especially in Scotland, parts of northern England, and Ireland. A person who works a croft is called a crofter. Crofts are usually tenanted rather than owned outright, and land use is often for subsistence farming, dairy, vegetables, and sheep or cattle grazing. In Gaelic regions they form a distinct social and economic unit within landed estates, with crofting communities sharing common grazing rights.

Historically, crofting developed in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, where large estates were subdivided into

The plural form crofts simply refers to multiple croft holdings. The term also exists as a surname;

numerous
crofts
under
long-term
tenancies.
The
system
led
to
protections
for
crofters
through
legislation
such
as
the
Crofters'
Holdings
Act
of
1886,
which
established
security
of
tenure,
fair
rents,
and
other
rights,
helping
to
shield
crofters
from
eviction.
Regulation
of
crofting
later
evolved
into
dedicated
bodies
to
oversee
crofting
law
and
crofter
matters.
Today,
crofts
remain
in
Scotland's
crofting
counties,
though
many
have
been
sold
or
consolidated,
and
some
are
used
for
diversification,
tourism,
or
as
residential
plots;
crofting
remains
a
distinctive
form
of
smallholder
farming
in
the
region.
Crofts
may
refer
to
people
bearing
the
surname
or
to
places
named
Crofts.