Cotter

A cotter was an individual who lived on a cottage plot, typically possessing just enough land for subsistence farming. They might own a small amount of land, but always less than 0.25 shares. Cotters often worked part-time for a landlord’s estate or other nobility in exchange for a small plot to live on. Generally, cotters were modest tenant farmers who struggled to make ends meet. They had just enough to live, but were very dependent on their landlord or nobility for survival.