We would like to introduce you to the Scotland’s Rural Past (SRP) project, set up in the autumn of 2006 to raise awareness of and encourage an interest in Scotland’s rich and varied rural heritage. This comprises literally thousands of abandoned settlements, farms, crofts, shielings and field systems. These remains are a major national asset and an unrivalled source of information about Scotland’s rural history, yet they are only partially documented and are poorly understood.
Scotland’s Rural Past is led by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and is being funded for five years by the Heritage Lottery Fund and other leading heritage bodies across Scotland. An experienced team of four will work with local community groups, heritage organisations and schools to develop projects aimed at identifying, researching, recording and raising awareness of abandoned rural settlements across the country. The team will provide expert training, guidance and support for local volunteers throughout each project. The overall aims of Scotland’s Rural Past are to gather vital information on a neglected resource and encourage local communities to understand and value their historic environment.
Field survey and recording will be a major element in the project although other activities such as guided walks may also be involved. Field survey and recording have low impact on the landscape and involve small groups of trained volunteers for short periods of time. These groups will be photographing, describing and measuring building remains so that they can be entered into the RCAHMS database of monuments and thereby contribute to the National archive of historic monuments; no excavation or other intrusive work is required. The project seeks only to identify and research the history of the remains of historic rural settlement for the furtherance of knowledge.
Landowners may be interested in the project and the information about rural settlements on their land that is collected by the volunteers and placed in the Royal Commission archive. They may also be interested in being involved in some other aspect of the project, such as an exhibition or school project.
**** will be making detailed records of a number of settlements sites around the island during the course of the next year or two. We will be working closely with the group throughout their project and will be providing training and support for their fieldwork, which is fully endorsed by the RCAHMS.

We hope that you will agree that this is an exciting and worthwhile project and that by allowing volunteers access to your land so that they can document rural settlements, you will be contributing to our understanding of Scotland’s rural past. It is the responsibility of the local group to make contact with you directly, but if you have any questions about the SRP project, please do not hesitate to contact me or visit our website: www.scotlandsruralpast.org.uk
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Thank you.
Dr Tertia Barnett, Project Manager
Scotland’s Rural Past
Email: srp@rcahms.gov.uk
Sponsored by Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, National Trust for
Scotland, Historic Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise