Crofters, Thieves and Workers

The Social History of the Inhabitants of a Group of Nineteenth-Century Settlement Remains

Abstract

The many remains of 19th-century crofts are often regarded as an anonymous mass material in the landscape. In this article the scientific and antiquarian value of the late settlement remains is put forward. As a case study, a group of croft remains, known as Pinotorp, from the late 19th century are studied with archaeologicai methods, including an attempt to capture the non-material and communicative aspects of the remains. The croft remains turned out to be quite different in character. The inhabitants of the crofts were referred to as Pinotorpare and considered to be poor people. It was discovered, however, that the group of Pinotorpare included persons of varied social and economic status. When compared, the testimony of written sources and the remains of the crofts corresponded fairly well. The spatial organization of Pinotorp demonstrates that, despite the social differences, the Pinotorpare formed a unit.