Margaret Hope MacPherson facts for kids

Margaret Hope MacPherson (born MacLean) was an important Scottish woman. She was born on June 29, 1908, and passed away on October 21, 2001. Margaret was a crofter, which means she farmed a small piece of land. She was also a politician, a writer, and an activist. People often called her the "First Lady of Crofting" because she worked so hard to help crofters.

Growing Up in Scotland

Margaret Hope MacLean was born in Colinton, Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 29, 1908. Her father, Norman Maclean, was a minister in the Church of Scotland. When she was seven, her family moved to St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh. Margaret had a comfortable childhood because of her father's job. She once said that her family was "comfortably off" and had servants.

Margaret went to a private school in Edinburgh. She also spent nine months studying at a school in Switzerland. Later, she studied at the University of Edinburgh. Her family owned a holiday house on the Isle of Skye, where she spent her summer breaks.

Life as an Adult

After finishing university, Margaret went to Glasgow. There, she married Duncan MacPherson. Duncan was the son of crofters who lived near Margaret's family holiday home on Skye. He worked as a seaman. Margaret and Duncan had known each other since they were teenagers.

Margaret's parents were not happy about the marriage. This was because Margaret came from a wealthy family, and Duncan was from a working-class background. Margaret later said her father stopped talking to her because he felt she had married someone "beneath" her.

Starting a Croft on Skye

After they married, Margaret and Duncan moved to Skye. Duncan worked as a drover. This meant he moved cattle and sheep from Skye to mainland Scotland to sell them. Their first few years were hard because of the Great Depression. It was difficult to make money from droving. Margaret remembered that prices for animals kept falling.

Eventually, they were able to rent a croft on Skye from the Forestry Commission. They spent the next ten years raising cattle on their farm.

Margaret's Political Work

In 1945, Margaret MacPherson was elected to represent Portree on the Inverness County Council. She became a local councillor. During her time on the council, her political views changed. She moved from the Liberal Party to the Labour Party. She left the council in 1949.

Margaret was very active in her local Labour Party. From 1961 to 1984, she was the Secretary of the Skye Labour Party. She was part of a group who wanted crofts to be owned by the community, not by individuals. They tried to get the Labour Party to agree to this idea every year. However, the party leaders did not support this and instead wanted crofters to be able to buy their land. In 1991, when she was 83, she stopped going door-to-door to ask people to vote for the party.

Helping Crofters

In 1951, Margaret was asked to join the Commission of Enquiry into Crofting Conditions. This group looked into the challenges faced by crofters. Margaret believed that large farms should be owned by the government or communities. She also thought crofters should not be able to buy their own crofts, as she supported community ownership. The Commission released its report in 1954. This led to the creation of the Crofters Commission, which helps regulate crofting in Scotland.

Becoming an Author

From the 1960s, Margaret MacPherson started writing children's books. Her stories were inspired by the culture and history of the Scottish Highlands. At first, she had trouble getting her books published. But her first book, The Shinty Boys, was published in 1963. She wrote six more books, including The Rough Road (1965), Ponies on Hire (1967), The New Tenants (1968), The Battle of the Braes (1970), and The Boy on the Roof (1972).

Personal Life

Margaret married Duncan MacPherson after she finished university. They had seven sons together.

Margaret passed away on October 21, 2001, in Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland. She was 93 years old. Her funeral was held at the Portree Parish Church on October 24.