The book Arran; - Cook Clan

214 THE BOOK OF ARRAN
tion to adjoining parts of the moor by use of the spade.
Wlien these fourteen and nineteen years' leases expired,
the process of increasing the size of farms was taken another
stage upwards, many small possessions being thus amalgamated.
Other restrictions imposed were these : sheep were pro-
hibited except on the stock farms ; goats were banned ' as
troublesome and unprofitable,' and so a distinctive feature
of the island life disappeared ; the herds of swine had their
free roaming severely circumscribed. For breaches of such
rules there were fines, but these were exacted in the form of
work upon roads ; ^ sheep found on unlawful farms seem to
have been poinded by estate officials and had to be destroyed
when claimed ; according to the popular story, they were
simply confiscated.
As Burrel's bottom idea was the division of farms, the
idea of the present operations, in addition to carrying out
the division, and as a result of such division, was to increase
the size of the minimum holding, ultimately to bring it up to
what required at least one pair of horses to work. Previous
to 1815 the ducal property had been set in 113 farms, each
having from four to a dozen tenants ; after that date the
division was in 458 farms, of which 53 were pretty large
and the others were from two to forty acres. But during
subsequent years, as has been said, there was further consolidation,
in order to raise the lower limit of size. Sub-
division was rigorously prohibited.
Obviously such changes could not be carried through
> Road-making.—The Patersons (father and son), who were factors in Arran, used
to compel the Arran people to make roads as fines. Thus my father was fined for
allowing a pig to stray on the road at Blackwaterfoot, and my hrothers Archibald
and John on his behalf had to make two chains of the road connecting Machrie with
the String Road.
Donald MacMaster (deceased), farmer at Bruachbrek (Bruthadh Breac), Shisken,
made a chain of the same road.
Duncan Cook (deceased), farmer at Corriecravie, made part of the road there
between his farm and Blackwaterfoot as a fine. (Communicated.)