A small farm or agricultural holding, especially in Scotland and northern England, typically including a house and a small plot of land. Often associated with tenant farming and subsistence agriculture.
From Old English 'croft' meaning 'small field' or 'enclosed land', related to Middle Dutch 'krocht' meaning 'high and dry land'. The term has been particularly preserved in Scottish English where crofting remains a distinctive form of small-scale farming.
The Highland Clearances of 18th-19th century Scotland forced many crofters from their traditional lands, leading to mass emigration to places like Nova Scotia (literally 'New Scotland'). Today, crofting is protected by Scottish law as both an agricultural system and a cultural heritage practice, with crofters having special rights to their land that date back centuries.
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