History of Agriculture on Arran
The Corn Laws introduced at the beginning of the 19th century to protect British farmers made life difficult for people on Arran, as elsewhere. The new legislation caused an increase in the cost of wheat, making bread expensive and resulting in increased demand for vegetables in order to keep families fed. Landowners were aware of this, but their response was to push for further efficiency in agriculture.
The invention of the metal plough, as opposed to the lighter one made of wood meant more strength was needed to pull it. As a result, the Shire horse was introduced to the Island and breeding of the hardy Highland was stepped up. The new roads increased the need to use horses, and the Highland Agriculture Society of Scotland noted in 1880 that most farms now had their own horse. On Arran, a few reared the famous ‘Douglas’, augmenting their meagre income by hiring out this smart trotter, harnessed to a buggy for tourists to drive. With so many horses using hard-surfaced roads rather than the old tracks, keeping horses properly shod became vital, and almost every community had their own farrier. Lamlash had two smithies, one in the area of the present Aldersyde, the other opposite Glencraig. Including horses, cattle and sheep, livestock increased by 3,000 head. The local cow breed was unique to Arran, evolved from four different varieties, the Ayrshire, West Highlander and Arran cows, together with Irish stock.
In 1770, John Burrell had formed a kind of administrative committee for Arran. Some of the names included are familiar to this day. George Couper, William MacGregor, Patrick Hamilton, John Hamilton, Gershom Stewart (minister of Kilbride), Duncan MacBride, John Pette, John Fullarton, Gavin Fullarton, John Hamilton, Thomas Brown, William Ogg, Hector MacAllister, Alexander MacGregor, John MacCook, and Adam Fullarton, as well as Burrell himself. Of these, at least four were directly or indirectly employed by the Arran estate manager, while ten of the whole number were dependent on the Hamilton interest, and bound to support Mr. Burrell’s measures, so the committee could hardly be regarded representative of more general wishes on the island. This was of course hardly surprising, as the concept of popular government was as yet unknown.
The improved ferry service resulted in a huge boost to Arran’s population. By 1823 it reached 6500, the highest ever recorded. Landowners did not entirely welcome this explosion. Improved agricultural ‘efficiency’ meant that fewer workers were needed, and unemployment became common. Against an economic background in which only a few people were earning reliable money, they regarded the increasing numbers of new residents as a problem. For many, the appeal of a fresh start in an unknown country was a strong one, and this solution was supported by land-owners who saw surplus workers as a social problem they did not want to deal with. The invitation from Canada for new immigrants began to be taken up with increasing readiness. A steady trickle of islanders had been emigrating to North America over the years but by 1829 large numbers of Arran residents were taking ship for Canada.
