The Scottish Land Court is a Court of law. The Court’s jurisdiction is set firmly within the context of Scottish farming. It has authority to resolve a range of disputes, including disputes between landlords and tenants, in agriculture and crofting. The Court is based in Edinburgh, but holds hearings throughout Scotland.
The Court has a Chairman, who has the same status as a Court of Session judge; and three Members of Court, who are experienced in farming and crofting matters. The current Chairman of the Court is Lord McGhie, who was appointed in 1996. The present agricultural Members of Court are Angus Macdonald (a Gaelic speaker), David Houston and John Smith.
You will find detailed information on this web site about
- the jurisdictions and powers of the Court
- the process by which the Court resolves disputes
- what you need to do if you wish to use the Court to resolve a dispute
- recent decisions made by the Court.
Whilst the name of the Court is the Scottish Land Court, the Court does not have universal jurisdiction to deal with all matters relating to land. In particular the Court does not have any jurisdiction to deal with the question of ownership and heritable title to land (which are dealt with by the ordinary courts, i.e. the Sheriff Court and the Court of Session), nor does the Court have any jurisdictions in relation to urban subjects.
There is a close relationship between the Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland: they share the same offices, and the Chairman of the Land Court is also President of the Lands Tribunal. However, the work they do is quite distinct, and they have separate administrative staff and systems.
THE SCOTTISH LAND COURT — THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS
After coming into being on 1 April 1912, the Court celebrated its centenary on 1 April this year. The Court plans to mark the centenary throughout the year in a number of ways, for example:
- by publishing a book, No Ordinary Court, about the creation and the history of the Court to date.
- by hosting a formal reception on 11 May in the Court, when the Lord Justice Clerk will carry out a ceremonial that has been described as “opening the Land Court window”. Guests will include lawyers who have appeared before the Court and others who have helped the Court in one way or another.
- by a personal visit by members of the Court to Braes (just south of Portree on Skye), site of The Battle of the Braes in 1882, an event that led to the setting up of the first Crofters Commission as a judicial body to address the crofters’ problems. This was the direct predecessor of the Court. The visit to the commemorative cairn at Braes will be followed by a dinner party at the Gaelic College, Sabhal Mor Ostaig.
Read more about these activities, the centenary and the Court’s first hundred years at The Court Centenary page.
The cairn at Braes on Skye, commemorating the Battle of the Braes, one of the events that saw to the formation of the Scottish Land Court.
The Scottish Land Court
George House
126 George Street
Edinburgh
EH2 4HH
DX ED 259
LP 14 Edinburgh 2
Tel: 0131 271 4360
Fax: 0131 271 4399
E-mail:
