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Scottish Counties:
Kincardine
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns (from A' Mhaoirne meaning 'The Stewartry') was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland. It was bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and west, and by Angus on the south. The Kincardineshire name is retained for a lieutenancy area, and Kincardine and Mearns is a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council. The county town was originally the town of Kincardine (not, as many believe, the village of Kincardine O Neil, which was in the County of Aberdeen). The town of Kincardine, however, ceased to exist during the Middle Ages. The only visible sign of its previous existence is the ruin of Kincardine Castle. In 1296, King John Balliol wrote a letter of surrender from the castle to Edward I of England after a short war which marked the beginning of the wars of Scottish independence.
Kinross-shire
Kinross-shire was a county of Scotland. Its county town was Kinross. To the north it bordered Perthshire, to the east and south Fife, and to the west Clackmannanshire. Abolished in 1975, it became part of the former Tayside Region. Since 1996 it has been part of Perth and Kinross council area. Originally, it was the 2nd smallest Scottish county, and the smallest in terms of population. It was split into the rural parishes of Orwell {containing the market town of Milnathort}, Portmoak, Arngask, Cleish, Fossoway and Tulliebole and the county town of Kinross.
Suggested Reading: Perthshire and Kinross-Shire's Lost Railways by Gordon Stansfield |
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Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire (pronounced Kir-COO-bri-shir; Siorrachd Chille Chuithbheirt in Gaelic), was formerly a county of south-western Scotland, bounded on the north and north-west by Ayrshire, on the west and southwest by Wigtownshire, on the south and southeast by the Irish Sea and the Solway Firth, and on the east and northeast by Dumfriesshire. It included the small islands of Hestan and Little Ross. There area is now part of the unitary authority of Dumfries and Galloway, and is additionally administratively used for property registration.
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire (Siorrachd Lannraig in Gaelic) was formerly a county of Scotland. It was bounded to the north by Stirlingshire and a detached portion of Dunbartonshire, to the northeast by Stirlingshire, West Lothian and Midlothian, to the east by Peeblesshire, to the southeast and south by Dumfriesshire, to the southwest by Dumfriesshire and Ayrshire and to the west by Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire.
Suggested Reading: Lanarkshire's Mining Legacy by Guthrie Hutton |
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Midlothian
Midlothian (Meadhan Lodainn in Gaelic) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders onto the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas. The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the Midlothian district of the Lothian region. The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and it consisted of the local government county of Midlothian, minus the burgh of Musselburgh and Calder, Cramond, Currie and Inveresk areas. The county of Midlothian was known, officially, as the County of Edinburgh until 1921, and was sometimes called Edinburghshire during the 19th century.
Moray
Moray, or Morayshire or Elginshire (Moireibh in Gaelic) is one of the Registration counties of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It was also in use as a local government county of Scotland until 1975, with Elgin as the county town. There were two large detached portions of Morayshire situated locally in Inverness-shire, and a corresponding part of Inverness-shire situated locally in Morayshire. With the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 these parts were merged into the county in which they locally lay. The county shown was officially called Elginshire, sharing the name of the Elginshire parliamentary constituency, so named since 1708.
Suggested Reading: Moray & Badenoch by Richard Oram |
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Nairn
The County of Nairn (Siorrachd Inbhir Narann in Gaelic) is one of the registration counties of Scotland, centred around the town of Nairn. It has a northern coastline onto the Moray Firth. It was also in use as a local government county until 1975, and was then sometimes called Nairnshire. The county had a number of exclaves in other counties, the most considerable of which was situated some distance away from the bulk of the county of Nairn, in Inverness-shire. Another sizable portion existed in Ross-shire, around the village of Urquhart, on the Black Isle. Other, smaller, detached parts existed in Morayshire.
Suggested Reading: Nairn in darkness and light by David Thomson |
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Orkney Islands
The Orkney Islands, usually called simply Orkney, are one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Orkney consists of about 70 small islands 16 km north of Caithness in northern mainland Scotland. The largest island in the group is known as The Mainland, with approximately 20 being inhabited. Orkney's administrative capital is Kirkwall on "The Mainland." Home to the St Magnus' Cathedral, it has about 8,500 inhabitants and a large port. The only other burgh is Stromness at the western end of "The Mainland", with a population of only about 2,000. The third largest settlement (c. 550) is St Margaret's Hope, on South Ronaldsay. Orkney is also a former county, and a Lieutenancy area, and the Orkney constituency of the Scottish Parliament.
Suggested Reading: Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney by Anonymous, Hermann Palsson (Translator) |
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Peeblesshire
Peeblesshire (Siorrachd nam Pùballan in Gaelic) was a county in Scotland. Its main town was Peebles, and it bordered Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lanarkshire to the west. After the local government reorganisation of 1974 the use of the name Peeblesshire was discontinued, and the area was governed as the district of Tweeddale.
Perthshire
Perthshire (Siorrachd Pheairt in Gaelic) was a county in central Scotland, which extended from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south. Perthshire was known as the "big county" and had a wide variety of landscapes, from the rich agricultural straths in the east, to the high mountains of the southern Highlands. Perthshire was a top-level local government area between 1890-1975, when a two-tier system of local government was in operation. During the 1975 re-organisation, some administrative boundaries were changed, and West Perthshire (the area of west and south of Killin including Callander, Crianlarich and Aberfoyle) was transferred to the neighbouring administrative area of Stirling.
Suggested Reading: Atholl and Gowrie: North Perthshire : A Historical Guide by Lindsay J. Macgregor, Richard D. Oram |
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Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire, officially the County of Renfrew, is a registration county of Scotland. It was also used for administrative purposes as a county of Scotland until 1975, and between 1890 and 1975 it had its own elected county council. From 1975 the county was administrated as part of the newly-created Strathclyde Region. It covers the current council areas of Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, each roughly corresponding to the former Strathclyde districts of Renfrew, Eastwood and Inverclyde, respectively. Renfrewshire as a registration county includes several areas annexed to and subsequently enveloped by neighbouring Glasgow in the 1920s. The county is also retained as a Lieutenancy area and can still used in postal addresses. The unofficial county flower of Renfrewshire is the Bogbean, following a UK-wide competition organised by the charity Plantlife in 2002.
Suggested Reading: History of the Witches of Renfrewshire by Paisley Repository (Editor)
Links: www.rlhf.info/news.php |
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Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty (Ros agus Cromba in Gaelic) is a committee area and a lieutenancy area in Highland, Scotland. It was formerly a district within the former Highland region; a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom; and a local government county, with its own county council, from 1889 to 1975; but all these areas have different boundaries. The county was formed as a merger of the older counties of Ross-shire and Cromartyshire. The district, which had its own elected council, was created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and abolished in 1996, when the Highland region was made a unitary council area. The area of the Ross and Cromarty area committee of the Highland Council is similar to that of the former district. The district was smaller than the county: Lewis became part of the Western Isles island area; the Lochalsh area of the mainland became part of the Skye and Lochalsh district of the Highland region; and the Kincardine area became part of the Sutherland district of the same region. The Ross and Cromarty lieutenancy area includes the Lochalsh area and Skye and Raasay, but not the Isle of Lewis. Therefore the lieutenancy area combines the areas of two former districts, Ross and Cromarty and Skye and Lochalsh.
Suggested Reading: Ross and Cromarty: A Historical Guide by David Alston |
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Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire (Siorrachd Rosbroig in Gaelic) was a county of Scotland. It bordered Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire to the north-west, and Berwickshire to the north. To the south-east it bordered England. It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh. Roxburghshire is now within the Scottish Borders administrative district.
Selkirkshire
In the 1st Century AD Selkirkshire formed part of the lands of the Gadeni who hunted it rather than settled there. Neither the Romans nor the Saxons cleared much of the forestry there and for centuries Selkirkshire was known for its forest coverage. Indeed an alternative name for the county was Ettrick Forest. Under the Scottish kings the forest was regarded as Royal. Despite this it was not until the reign of James V that sheriffs were appointed to administer the county on the Crown's behalf. Under Edward I of England, the forest was granted to the Earl of Gloucester. Later, the Earl of Pembroke assumed the hereditary sheriffdom. Under Robert Bruce, the Clan Douglas administered the county on behalf of the Crown. Folk ballads written of the county commemorate the Battle of Philiphaugh in 1645, the 'Dowie Dens' at Yarrow and Tibbie Shiels at St Mary's Loch.
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire (Siorrachd Sruighlea in Gaelic) was formerly a county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It bordered Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west. Most of the former Stirlingshire is now in the modern (and much larger) Stirling council area, and East Dunbartonshire. The southeastern parishes are now part of the Falkirk area. Two small exclaves of Stirlingshire inside Perthshire at Logie and Alva are covered by the Clackmannanshire council area. Kilsyth is now part of North Lanarkshire.
Suggested Reading: The heartland: Clackmannanshire, Perthshire and Stirlingshire by Nigel G Tranter |
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Sutherland
Sutherland (Cataibh in Gaelic) is a committee area of the Highland Council, Scotland, a registration county, and a lieutenancy area. Sutherland was formerly a local government county, until 1975. The county had its own county council from 1890 to 1975, and the name was used also for a district of the Highland region (1975 to 1996), and the Sutherland constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (1708 to 1918). The boundaries of Sutherland are not identical in all contexts. The county had the county of Caithness to the north and east, and the county of Ross and Cromarty to the south.
West Lothian
West Lothian (Lodainn an Iar in Gaelic) is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders onto City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk. The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the West Lothian district of the Lothian region. The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and it consisted of the local government county of West Lothian; minus the burghs of Bo'ness and Queensferry, a Kirkliston area, and part of a Winchburgh area; plus a Calder area formerly within the county of Midlothian.
Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire (Gd: Siorrachd Bhaile na h-Uige) was formerly a county in the south west of Scotland. It bordered Ayrshire to the north, and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright to the east. It is currently administered by Dumfries and Galloway Council. Together Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire are referred to as Galloway. It remains a lieutenancy area and a registration county. The county includes the southernmost point in Scotland, the Mull of Galloway, the Machars and the Rhins of Galloway peninsula. The unofficial capital of the area is Wigtown, although the largest town is Stranraer. Major road links to the area comprise of the A77 to the north, and the A75 to the east.
Shetland
The Shetland Islands, also called Shetland (formerly spelled Zetland, from Ȝetland) formerly called Hjaltland, comprise one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is an archipelago between the Orkney Islands and the Faroe Islands, north of mainland Scotland, with a total area of approximately 1466 km². It forms part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick. Shetland is also a lieutenancy area, comprises the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, and was formerly a county.
Suggested Reading: The Other British Isles: A History Of Shetland, Orkney, The Hebrides, Isle Of Man, Angelsey, Scilly, Isle Of Wight And The Channel Islands by David W. Moore |
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