The Estate and the Country House in Scotland, circa 1700A Case Study of Sir William Bruce’s Hopetoun House

Explores the relationship between estate management, agricultural improvement and the country house in eighteenth century Scotland

• Studies architectural, agricultural, mining, economic, social and cultural histories to define the function and significance of the country house circa 1700
  
• Makes use of Hopetoun’s private archives alongside materials from the National Records of Scotland, National Library of Scotland, John Sinclair House, Glasgow University Manuscript Library and Records for Parliament of Scotland
• Examines Hopetoun House from a functional and financial perspective by analysing the spaces that supported the house and the estate
• Places the house within the context of Sir William Bruce’s larger body of work

Using Hopetoun House as a case study, this book studies the intertwined relationship between land management, estate development and country house construction in the early decades of the eighteenth century.

The book shows that in revitalising ancient landscapes and maximising their productivity and profitability, landowners transformed the landscape through improvement. Making use of the rich and extensive collection of private archives at Hopetoun House, alongside materials from national archives, the book traces how Scotland’s societal structure was transformed as the new consumer capitalist paradigm shift emerged. The country house was interwoven into this nascent phenomenon.