cottager

A cottager is a person who occupies or owns a cottage, typically in a rural area. The term is most closely associated with small, modest dwellings that are distinct from larger farmhouses and urban houses. In historical Britain, cottagers were often linked to agricultural life and could be tenants or smallholders living on the lands of a manor or estate.

Historically, cottages were part of the rural economy and social structure. Cottagers might hold their homes under copyhold or customary tenure, paying rent or rendering services to a landowner. The relationship between cottagers and landowners varied by region and period, and some cottagers cultivated surrounding plots to supplement their livelihoods. The term has frequently carried connotations of limited wealth or low social status, though ownership of a cottage by the late 19th and early 20th centuries could provide stability for some families.

In modern usage, cottager is a descriptive rather than a formal legal designation in many places. It commonly refers to residents of rural cottages or to people who choose a countryside lifestyle. The housing status of cottagers today ranges from owner-occupied to rented accommodation, often within villages and conservation areas. The word can evoke rural heritage in literature and media and is less common as an official category in contemporary housing policy.

See also: Cottage, Smallholding, Tenant farming, Copyhold, Rural housing.