The History of The Crown Estate in Scotland

As in England the royal estates that form the basis of Crown Estate property in Scotland dates back hundreds of years.

After James VI of Scotland assumed the crown of England, Scotland and Ireland, Crown Lands in Scotland were placed in the care of The Exchequer in Edinburgh. This situation remained unchanged until 1832, when The Office of Woods assumed administration for Scottish Crown Lands.

Since this time the value of these holdings has increased, particularly as a result of several large investments made in the last century. The purchases include Applegirth (approximately 7,000 ha), Whitehill (1,400 ha), Glenlivet (23,000 ha) and Fochabers (4,700 ha).

Today, in terms of income, around 6% of the total Crown Estate net revenue comes from the Scotland estates.

In 1955 a Government Committee recommended that to avoid confusion between Government property and Crown land, the latter should be renamed The Crown Estate and should be managed by an independent board. These recommendations were implemented by The Crown Estate Acts of 1956 and 1961, encompassing all holdings within the UK.

Under the Act of 1961, the estate is managed by a Board who have a duty to maintain and enhance the value of the estate and the return obtained from it, but with due regard to the requirements of good management. As with all Crown Estate funds, the net revenues from the Scottish estates go directly to the Treasury, and thus ultimately are put to work for the taxpayer.

Although not required by The Crown Estate Act, Scotland is represented on the Board by a Scottish Commissioner. This position is currently held by Gareth Baird.

In the wake of devolution, The Crown Estate continues to work hand-in-hand with all our customers in Scotland, from individual tenants and community groups to Scottish ministries and Parliamentary bodies. We have an enormous range of Scottish holdings — rural, marine and urban — and we take some pride in our ability to embrace such an array of sectors. This though is no reason for complacency, and we are constantly looking at better ways to communicate with our customers, and provide service and solutions that suit a landlord of choice in the 21st century.

For further information on our Scottish holdings, please visit our Scotland page.