The Assynt Crofter

Acair, 2018. 304 pages. Paperback.

Some names are so closely linked with historical events that they almost become one and the same. One such is Allan MacRae, who, along with a small group of fellow crofters, led to victory the ground-breaking Assynt Crofters Trust land buy-out.

Allan MacRae’s unique character was informed by the Highland Clearances, staunch Presbyterianism and, extraordinarily, the London music hall. Judith Napier’s well researched biography explores the life of a remarkable man – stonemason, orator, athlete, campaigning writer, but above all a crofter who cared deeply for his beloved Assynt.

"It's Allan's voice that'll stick always in my mind, that and the way he could so forcefully put into words his belief - one he helped make real in Assynt - that croft lands should be owned and managed, not by lairds, not by externally controlled organisations of any kind, but by the crofting communities living on them."
Professor Emiritus James Hunter, University of Highlands and Islands

"This is a captivating read of a captivating character whom I remember fondly."
Professor Frank Rennie, University of the Highlands and Islands