The Poor Had No Lawyers: Who Owns Scotland and How They Got It (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781780278834)

Explores Scotland's history of landownership, revealing how land was appropriated and the ongoing political implications.

New and Updated Edition

Who owns Scotland? How did they get it? What happened to all the common land in Scotland? Has the Scottish Parliament made any difference? Can we get our common good land back? In this book, Andy Wightman updates the statistics of landownership in Scotland and explores how and why landowners got their hands on the millions of acres of land that were once held in common.

He tells the untold story of how Scotland's legal establishment and politicians managed to appropriate land through legal fixes. Have attempts to redistribute this power more equitably made any difference, and what are the full implications of the recent debt-fuelled housing bubble, the Smith Commission and the new Scottish Government's proposals on land reform? For all those with an interest in urban and rural land in Scotland, this updated edition of The Poor Had No Lawyers provides a fascinating analysis of one the most important political questions in Scotland.

Author: Andy Wightman
ISBN-10: 1780278837
ISBN-13: 9781780278834
Publisher: Birlinn
Language: English
Published: 01/07/2025
Pages: 576
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 7.72h x 4.88w x 1.65d