The Late Medieval Landscape of North-east Scotland: Renaissance, Reformation and Revolution

Colin Shepherd* (Corresponding Author)

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Book/ReportBook

Abstract

Colin Shepherd paints a picture of rural life within the landscapes of the north-east between the 13th and 18th centuries by using documentary, cartographic and archaeological evidence. He shows how the landscape was ordered by topographic and environmental constraints that resulted in great variation across the region and considers the evidence for the way late medieval lifestyles developed and blended sustainably within their environments to create a patchwork of cultural and agricultural diversity. However, these socio-economic developments subsequently led to a breakdown of this structure, resulting in what Adam Smith, in the 18th century, described as 'oppression'.

The 12th-century Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation and the Industrial Revolution are used here to define a framework for considering the cultural changes that affected this region of Scotland. These include the dispossession of rights to land ownership that continue to haunt policy makers in the Scottish government today. Whilst the story also shows how a regional cultural divergence, recognised here, can undermine 'big theories' of socio-political change when viewed across the wider stage of Europe and the Americas.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationOxford
PublisherWindgather Press
Number of pages288
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-91442-705-3
ISBN (Print)978-1-91442-704-6
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2021

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