Agriculture in Britain
The agricultural situation in Scotland had always been poorer than that in England, and even as far back as the seventeenth century, England had worried about an influx of poor and ragged Scots migrating southwards. Whereas English labourers were generally relatively well-clothed, some Scottish labourers did not even have shoes, and their quality of life was generally lower. Over time matters did not much improve, and “by 1840, the agrarian revolution in Britain had reduced many farm servants to the status of labourers.” [note]Even by the early twentieth century, “the foot-plough and hand-winnowing [were] still…common” in some parts of Scotland, while more advanced farming techniques, requiring “heavy capitalization” were being utilized in England. [note] In the later part of the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, there had been a population increase that had created a “glut of agricultural labour in the south [of Scotland].” Therefore, throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, labour was readily available to farmers, often at low cost. “Indeed, the problem became one of supporting through the Poor Law an increasing population of agricultural labourers many of whom were surplus to requirements even at the busy season.” [note]
Thus, it is perhaps not surprising that many men signed on to work with Kenneth McKenzie, as it offered them a way to escape the uncertainties that must have faced them in Scotland. Signing on with a company promised a term of stability and employment, as well as a place to live. Due to the hiring practices in Scotland, to be unemployed also often meant being homeless, as “cottages surplus to such requirements [on the farm] were pulled down and the building of new accommodation rigorously controlled.” [note]