Help with Feus and feuars

[rory mac]

Can anyone help me understand more about these terms?  Particularly in connection with Crawfordsdyke near Greenock.  All I know is that a feuar held a feu which was a form of tenancy transferable by deposition.  And one had to be a feuar to serve on the Greenock Council during the late 18thC.

My ggg-grandfather's younger brother John McPherson was described as a feuar at Crawfordsdyke in 1803.  Another John McPherson was described as a feuar at Crawfordsdyke in 1784.

Will be most grateful if someone can shed more light on this question.

Cheers
Rory
Australia

[Kathyh]

Title holder of land

[Ann Baker]

Hi Rory

as a tenant you paid feu duty to your landlord (the owner) at set intervals throughout the year. Where I lived in Scotland it was every 6 months. Tho I owned the flat I lived in I didn't own the feu so had to pay feu duty. It's a practise that still continues to this day. In England it's called ground rent but means same thing.

Ann

[Skoosh]

Ann,  Feu duty was done away with years ago.....Skoosh.

[Ann Baker]

Hi Skoosh

seems that not everywhere has caught up with brave new world cos  it;s still alive and well in some parts of west of Scotland - tho it's now called Ground Rent/Feu depending on who you pay it to.

And is still alive and well down here cos I pay my £6 every year to the Sheffield Forresters Society for Feu. (says so on the bill)

Ann

[rory mac]

Hi Ann

Many thanks.  Your information helps to fit another piece to the jigsaw puzzle!  But I'm still looking for more detail re Greenock in late 18thc.

Regards

Rory

[Skoosh]

Ann,  feu duty was abolished by an act of the Scottish Parliament in 2004, with a one off payment by way of compensation, land is now owned outright. The situation before was that land could be sold but the feudal rights retained incurring duties. In England I gather that you could buy land Leasehold and that in say a hundred years hence the land/house reverts to the seller. The situation is explained in http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/08/19790/41578

[elaine447]

Hi Rory
what other info are you looking for regarding Greenock
Elaine

[rory mac]

Hi Elaine

My McPherson ancestors arrived in Greenock from Argyle mid to late 1700's.  I'm trying to establish from which parish.  One of the family, John was a feuar and I've come across another John McPherson also a feuar in Crawfordsdyke who was born in Inverchaolain.  Am trying to determine whether the two were related.  So am interested in knowing how many people were likely to have been feuars in Greenock parish, particularly Crawfordsdyke, late 1700's.  And whether there are records concerning the transfer of feus.

Regards
Rory