Patrimony and power : a study of Lairds and landownership in the Scottish Borders
In this thesis I point to the continued existence in the Scottish Borders of a small number of traditional, great landowning families who exert an enormous amount of power and influence at the level of everyday life. I attempt to show how the basis of this power has changed over time. What started out as essentially military power became, with the Agricultural Revolution, economic power. At the same time, an increasingly political basis to this power was being developed and this was sustained, more or less, until the reorganisation of Scottish local government in 1974. After reorganisation, politics as a channel of influence became blocked and for a while it seemed as if the days when the lairds ran rural society were over, ending not so much with a bang as with a whimper. In the Borders this was not the case, for many lairds had already been busy investigating new ways to make their presence felt. This was achieved by enterprising lairds like the Duke of Buccleuch and the Duke of Roxburghe being prepared to open their stately/ancestral homes to the public; laying the foundations for the birth of a Scottish 'heritage industry' as they did so. The basis of power was thus transferred from the level of politics
Morris, Angela
History the Scottish Borders
Patrimony and power : a study of Lairds and landownership in the Scottish Borders. In this thesis I point to the continued existence in the Scottish Borders of a small number of traditional, great landowning families who exert an enormous amount of power and influence at the level of everyday life. I attempt to show how the basis of this power has changed over time. What started out as essentially military power became, with the Agricultural Revolution, economic power. At the same time, an increasingly political basis to this power was being developed and this was sustained, more or less, until the reorganisation of Scottish local government in 1974. After reorganisation, politics as a channel of influence became blocked and for a while it seemed as if the days when the lairds ran rural society were over, ending not so much with a bang as with a whimper. In the Borders this was not the case, for many lairds had already been busy investigating new ways to make their presence felt. This was achieved by enterprising lairds like the Duke of Buccleuch and the Duke of Roxburghe being prepared to open their stately/ancestral homes to the public; laying the foundations for the birth of a Scottish 'heritage industry' as they did so. The basis of power was thus transferred from the level of politics
patrimony power study landownership scottish point continue_existence scottish small_number traditional great landowning family exert enormous amount power_influence level everyday_life attempt_show basis power change_time start essentially military_power become agricultural revolution economic_power time increasingly political basis power develop sustain less reorganisation scottish local_government reorganisation politics channel influence become block day laird run rural_society end much case many laird already busy investigate new_way make presence felt achieve enterprising laird like duke duke prepare open ancestral home public lay_foundation birth scottish heritage industry basis power thus transfer level politics