Review 36: The Crofter and the Laird

The Crofter and the Laird by John McPhee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable small book. McPhee is descended from Scotland, specifically a small island in the Hebrides, 25 miles off the west coast off the Scottish mainland called Colonsay. McPhee took his family to live there for a while, renting a house from a guy called Donald Gibbie.

This is an autobiographical book by most means, it consists mostly of essays that aren't necessarily connected. They are all about Colonsay, what it was like and is now like, well now being at the time of when McPhee lived there, around the late 1960s. Early on we find out that a croft is a small farm, with less than 49 tillable acres. A Crofter then being a farmer, although he does not own the land, nor his house, the whole island belongs to a Laird. It is part of the Crofter Holdings Act of 1886. Thus the people are now dependent on the Laird of the island for their livelihood, for the most part. Some like Donald Gibbie work very hard and hold multiple jobs to make the ends meet.

McPhee has an excellent way of telling stories. He is funny in a dry witty way that makes the reading even more enjoyable. I was thoroughly enamored with this book. I did wonder how the island fares today. At that time there was a "new" Laird who inherited from his father, the "old" Laird. The new Laird was attempting to change the ways, saying that basically he owns the island and is a landlord, while his father took a different view. The old Laird spent way more money into the island than it made for him, thus supporting all of the inhabitants by his own wealth. I'm feel near certain that today things are run differently, but honestly, I do not know. Is it still owned by one family? Are there many people "islanders" living there?

Okay, a quick internet search finds this: yes, about the same number of people still live on the island. They still have the primary schools but for advanced, high school age, you must go to the mainland. The Isle of Colonsay website answers most of my questions, except the ownership.

I don't know all those answers just yet, but what I do know is that I will read another McPhee book. This is my second, and I can't wait to read another.



Previously Read John McPhee books:

Assembling California (4 stars) - April.2018