The Book

Langwell 

The History of a Caithness Estate and its Management 1750-1850 

This book traces the history of a 30,000-acre Highland estate and its people from after the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745 until the estate was sold to the 5^th Duke of Portland in 1857. Using original research and archival sources including first hand reports, court records, letters and contemporary newspapers, it sheds light on the lives of the crofters, the tacksmen, their landlords, the sheep economy, droving trade, the fishing industry and much else. The book provides a penetrating insight into the immense cultural and social changes taking place in the Scottish Highlands during the period.

 William Parente graduated with first class honours from Oxford in 1972. He worked in media and wrote the Scotsman’s film column from 1980-92. His ancestor the 5^th Duke of Portland (the ‘Mole’) acquired Langwell in 1857.

Michael Moss was emeritus professor of archival science at the University of Northumbria and was previously research professor in archival studies at the University of Glasgow. He died in 2021.