Highland Crofters Cottage Oil

This oil painting depicts an old Crofter's Cottage on the Caithness Coast in the North Highlands. The Caithness stone slabs used as fencing can be seen in the distance. This material was readily available and, at the time, would have been much cheaper than fencing and, of course, longer-lasting! There are a number of these dwellings still in use, but the original Crofting land may well be sold separately.
Crofting as a formalised system largely emerged after the Highland Clearances in the late 18th century, with many permanent stone "blackhouses" and cottages built in the 1800s. The Roofs, unlike in the South of England, where straw was the common material, many Highland Crofts used dried heather or bracken to keep their dwellings dry.

The reason many can be found on the Coast was that, during the clearances, where people were forced out of their homes to make way for sheep grazing, they created small Coastal Communities in the hope of making a living from the Sea. The Village of Bettyhill in Sutherland is one such Community.
Created in April 2026. Signed on the front. Certificate of Authenticity will be included.