The role of the Highland Development Agency: With particular reference to the work of the Congested Districts Board 1897-1912

McCleery, Alison Margaret (1984) The role of the Highland Development Agency: With particular reference to the work of the Congested Districts Board 1897-1912. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis examines the constitution, aims and achievement of the Congested Districts Board (1897-1912) against the wider context of attempts to develop the Scottish Highlands from the late eighteenth century to the twentieth century. The extant records of the Congested Districts Board are used in conjunction with other archive material and with contemporary press articles to assess to what extent the Board was successful in achieving its objectives of developing agriculture and fishing; creating holdings, assisting migration, and enlarging existing holdings; improving communications infrastructure and fostering home industries: and to identify the reasons for the Board's comparative failure. It is contended that the Congested Districts Board was considerably handicapped initially by having a remit wider in scope than its narrow legislative provisions could hope to secure, whether in terms of powers, finance or administrative structure, while at a later stage its confidence was eroded by political uncertainty as to its permanence. In conclusion, it is suggested that the unique contribution of the Board to Highland development lies in its importance as an experiment, demonstrating what is feasible, and in what circumstances, and what is not.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Regional planning, area planning & development, Scotland, Highlands Development Agency.
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: Adams, Dr. J.G.L.
• Date of Award: 1984
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1984-71615
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 10 May 2019 14:06
• Last Modified: 24 Oct 2022 13:59
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.71615
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/71615