about signatures (a followup) and leases and setts

if you want to know if one of your ancestors left a signature on an Inverneill Estates paper, one that I can photo for you, go to KnapdalePeople in the Inverneill People listing. The "tenants" therein listed will have signed a "set agreement" with the Proprietor.

In the early 19th century and before, most Knapdale people lived on agricultural "estates". SOME of them were "tenants", that is, they had leases or "setts", agreements with the landowner to farm portions of the estate. "Cottars" did not have this status. Lots of cotters were retired tenants; or relatives that were not 'tenants', but farmed some of the land and paid rent to the tenants for that privilege. The tenants, on the other hand, were people 'of standing', and played a role beyond that of simple renter. The Agreement made in 1802 for the farm at Cosandrochaid states:

(PRESENCE AT ESTATE BARON BAILIE COURTS)
The forenamed Tenants Engage to give ?Juste & presence to the Baron Bailie Courts held upon the Estate by the Proprietor or his aforesaid or other authorised by them as often as Cited thereto And to observe and fulfill all the lawful Enactment thereof for the Improvement of the Estate maintaining Civilization and good order in the Parish

Most of the tenants I have noticed were either the widows, the sons or the sons-in-law of previous tenants. In fact, if you check the "Kilmory Ross" agreement at KnapdalePeople, you will see that Duncan Campbell, son of John Campbell, expected to 'inherit' the right to be a tenant, because he was the ELDEST son (unlike Archibald). As I have mentioned, the Knapdale Estates were a very awkward combination of modern farming management with ancient tradition. It is no wonder that it did not flourish, financially or socially.