Highland settlement evolution in West Perthshire : development and change in the parish of Balquhidder from the fifteenth century to 1851
This thesis is concerned with four leading ideas. These are continuity, persistence, discontinuity, and redundancy, as essential elements of the evolutionary process of human settlement. This requires a dynamic view of history, rather than a periodic one. The research, therefore, focussed upon one parish and traced its evolution from the middle ages into the nineteenth century. The thesis reviews evidence for origins of the social and settlement system before the fifteenth century. Internal local processes of change, and external forces, are examined. Modern theories of the antiquity and influence of great estates, and their subsidiary territorial units, upon the development of rural environments, are examined in relation to the development of land use, tenurial systemst and social organisation. Results indicate the persistence of ancient land divisions, and of cultural characteristics of communities, through periods of significant change. Demographic changes were very important driving forces in the evolutionary process. However, cultural traditions, handed down through generations, tended to inhibit changes, even in the face of economic necessity and land shortage. A destructive negative force operated within
Stewart, James Henderson
History
Highland settlement evolution in West Perthshire : development and change in the parish of Balquhidder from the fifteenth century to 1851. This thesis is concerned with four leading ideas. These are continuity, persistence, discontinuity, and redundancy, as essential elements of the evolutionary process of human settlement. This requires a dynamic view of history, rather than a periodic one. The research, therefore, focussed upon one parish and traced its evolution from the middle ages into the nineteenth century. The thesis reviews evidence for origins of the social and settlement system before the fifteenth century. Internal local processes of change, and external forces, are examined. Modern theories of the antiquity and influence of great estates, and their subsidiary territorial units, upon the development of rural environments, are examined in relation to the development of land use, tenurial systemst and social organisation. Results indicate the persistence of ancient land divisions, and of cultural characteristics of communities, through periods of significant change. Demographic changes were very important driving forces in the evolutionary process. However, cultural traditions, handed down through generations, tended to inhibit changes, even in the face of economic necessity and land shortage. A destructive negative force operated within
highland settlement evolution west development change parish concern lead idea continuity persistence discontinuity redundancy essential_element evolutionary_process human_settlement require dynamic view history rather periodic therefore focus_upon parish trace_evolution middle review evidence origin social settlement system internal local process_change external force examine modern_theory antiquity influence great estate subsidiary territorial unit upon development rural environment examine_relation development land_use tenurial social_organisation indicate persistence ancient land_division cultural characteristic community period significant_change demographic_change important driving force evolutionary_process however cultural_tradition hand generation tend inhibit change even face economic necessity land shortage destructive negative force operate_within