A sheriffdom is a judicial district of Scotland. Originally identical to the Shires of Scotland, from the eighteenth century many counties were grouped to form "sheriffdoms".Owen Ruffhead, The statutes at large: from Magna Carta to the end of the last parliament, 1761 [i.e. 1763], M. Baskett (1765 ) p. 104.
By 1975 there were 12 sheriffdoms, with only Lanarkshire not grouped with another county. Following the abolition of the counties and formation of new local government areas in 1975 and 1996 the number of sheriffdoms has been reduced to six.
Shires originated in the twelfth century when the office of sheriff was introduced to Scotland. These shires eventually became the counties of Scotland. Malcolm III appears to have introduced sheriffs as part of a policy of replacing Gaelic forms of government with Norman feudal structures. This was continued by his sons Edgar, Alexander I and in particular David I. David completed the division of the country into sheriffdoms by the conversion of existing thanedoms.
The ending of heritable jurisdictions At the accession of George II in 1727 twenty-two sheriffs were hereditary, three were appointed for life and only eight held office at the pleasure of the monarch.
The heritable sheriffdoms were:
Argyll Bute Banff Caithness Clackmannan Cromarty Dumbarton Dumfries
Elgin Fife Kinross Kirkcudbright Linlithgow Nairn Orkney and Zetland
Peebles Renfrew Roxburgh Selkirk Sutherland Stirling Wigtown
Those appointed for life were:
Perth
Forfar
Ayr
Those held at pleasure were:
Aberdeen Berwick Edinburgh
Haddington Inverness Kincardine
Lanark Ross
Following the unsuccessful Jacobite Rising of 1745 the Heritable Jurisdictions Act 1747 revested the government of the shires in the Crown, compensating those office holders who were displaced. The Sheriffs (Scotland) Act 1747 reduced the office of sheriff principal to a largely ceremonial one, with a sheriff depute or sheriff substitute appointed to each "county, shire or stewartry". The sheriff deputes, who were paid a salary by the Crown, were qualified advocates and took charge of sheriff courts. Where a sheriff depute was appointed to more than one county, he was aided by sheriff-substitutes.
Combinations after 1747
Shire Combinations under theSheriffs (Scotland) Act 174721 Geo.2 c.19 Combinations under theSheriffs (Scotland) Act 1853The Sheriffs (Scotland) Act 1853 (16&17 Vict. c.92) provided that a number of sheriffdoms were to be combined when a vacancy in the office of either sheriff next occurred. The sheriffdoms to be combined were: Mid-Lothian with Peebles Sutherland with Caithness Banff with Elgin & Nairn Linlithgow with Clackmannan & Kinross Dumbarton with Bute Haddington with Berwick Roxburgh with Selkirk Wigton (sic) with Stewartry of Kirkcudbright
This took some years to achieve, and in the case of Peebles and Mid-Lothian was never effected. Combinations under theSheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1870 Combinations under theAdministration of Justice (Scotland) Act 1933 Sheriffdom in 1975 Aberdeenshire - Aberdeen & Kincardine (1870)Aberdeen, Kincardine & Banff (1882)On the resignation of Benjamin Robert Bell, Sheriff of Banff, Elgin and Nairn, the shire of Banff was disunited from Elgin and Nairn and joined to Aberdeen and Kincardine and the shires of Elgin and Nairn were joined to Inverness on 25 March 1882. Aberdeen, Kincardine & Banff Argyll Argyll & Bute (disunited 1776) - Renfrew & Argyll (1946)Union of Sheriffdoms Order 1946 S.I.1946/1037 (S.40): On the Sheriffdom of Ross, Cromarty & Sutherland becoming vacant Ross & Cromarty and Inverness Moray (formerly called Elgin) and Nairn united as the Sheriffdom of Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty Sutherland united with Caithness, Orkney & Zetland to form Sheriffdom of Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & Zetland On the Sheriffdom of Bute & Renfrew becoming vacant The counties disunited Bute united with Ayr to become the Sheriffdom of Ayr & Bute Renfrew united with Argyll to become the Sheriffdom of Renfrew & Argyll (in effect 18 July 1946) Renfrew & Argyll Ayrshire - Ayr & Bute (1946) Ayr & Bute Banffshire - Banff, Elgin & Nairn (1854)The office of Sheriff of Banff became vacant when the incumbent sheriff, Alexander Currie, was appointed Sheriff of Forfarshire. The Sheriffdoms were combined in January 1854 when the Sheriff of Elgin & Nairn, Benjamin Robert Bell, was appointed to the vacant office of Sheriff of Banff. Aberdeen, Kincardine & Banff (1882) Aberdeen, Kincardine & Banff Berwickshire - Haddington & Berwick (1856)United in June 1856: upon the death of William Horne, Sheriff of East Lothian Robert Bell, Sheriff of Berwickshire became Sheriff of Haddington & Berwick. Roxburgh, Berwick & Selkirk (1872)Alexander Burns Shand, Sheriff of Berwick & Haddington was appointed a Lord of Session in December 1872, and on the office becoming vacant Berwickshire was joined with Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire and Haddingtonshire to Midlothian. Roxburgh, Berwick & Selkirk Buteshire Argyll & Bute (disunited 1776) Dumbarton & Bute (1854) Renfrew & Bute (1871) Ayr & Bute (1946) Ayr & ButeCaithness Caithness & SutherlandDisunited in 1806. Sutherland & Caithness (1857)United under Hugh Lumsden, Sheriff of Sutherland on death of Robert Thomson, Sheriff of Caithness on 26 May 1857. Lumsden resigned in June 1857 and George Dingwall Fordyce was appointed Sheriff of Sutherland and Caithness on 14 August 1857 Caithness, Orkney & Shetland (1870)The counties of Sutherland and Caithness were disunited, with Caithness combined with Orkney and Shetland and Sutherland joined with Ross and Cromarty. Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & Zetland (1946) Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & Zetland Clackmannanshire Stirling & Clackmannan (disunited 1807)Clackmannan & Kinross (after 1807) Linlithgow, Clackmannan & Kinross (1865) Stirling, Dumbarton & Clackmannan (1881) Stirling, Dumbarton & Clackmannan Dumbartonshire - Dumbarton & Bute (1854)On the resignation of John Campbell Colquhoun, Sheriff of Dumbartonshire in 1854, Robert Hunter, Sheriff of Bute became Sheriff of Dumbarton & Bute Stirling & Dumbarton (1871)On the death of Robert Hunter, Sheriff of Dumbarton & Bute on 25 December 1871 Bute was joined with Renfrewshire and Dumbarton was joined with Stirlingshire. Stirling, Dumbarton & Clackmannan 1881) Stirling, Dumbarton & Clackmannan Dumfriesshire - Dumfries & Galloway (1874) Dumfries & Galloway Edinburgh/Midlothian - Midlothian and Haddington (1872)The Lothians (1881)The Lothians & Peebles (1883)On the death of George Napier, Sheriff of Peebles, on 29 August 1883 Peebles-shire was added to the Lothians. The Lothians & Peebles Elgin/Moray Elgin and Nairn Banff, Elgin & Nairn (1854) Inverness, Elgin & Nairn (1882) Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty (1946) Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty Forfarshire/Angus - Perth & Angus (1934)Perth & Angus Haddingtonshire (East Lothian) - Haddington & Berwick (1856)Midlothian and Haddington (1872)The Lothians (1881)The Lothians and Peebles (1883) The Lothians & Peebles Fife Fife & Kinross (disunited 1807) - Fife & Kinross (1881) Fife & Kinross Inverness - Inverness, Elgin & Nairn (1882) Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty (1946) Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty Kincardineshire - Aberdeen & Kincardine (1870) Aberdeen, Kincardine & Banff (1882) Aberdeen, Kincardine & Banff Kinross Fife & Kinross (disunited 1807)Clackmannan & Kinross (after 1807) Linlithgow, Clackmannan & Kinross (1865) Fife & Kinross (1881)On the resignation of George Monro, Sheriff of Linlithgow, Clackmannan and Kinross in August 1881 the three counties in the sheriffdom were disunited: Clackmannanshire was joined to Stirlingshire, Kinross-shire was joined to Fife and Linlithgow was joined to Midlothian and Haddington Fife & Kinross Stewartry of Kirkcudbright - Wigton & Kirkcudbright (1860)United on death of Adam Urquhart, Sheriif of Wigton, on 24 November 1860. Erskine Douglas Sandford, Sheriff and Steward of Kirkcudbright became Sheriff of Wigton & Kirkcudbright. Dumfries & Galloway (1874) Dumfries & Galloway Lanarkshire - Lanarkshire Linlithgow/West Lothian - Linlithgow, Clackmannan & Kinross (1865)On death of Sheriff of Linlithgow, John Cay in 1865 the sheriffdom was united under John Tait, formerly Sheriff of Clackmannan & Kinross The Lothians (1881)The Lothians & Peebles (1883) The Lothians & Peebles Nairn Elgin and Nairn Banff, Elgin & Nairn (1854) Inverness, Elgin & Nairn (1882) Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty (1946) Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty Orkney & Shetland/Zetland Orkney and Shetland Caithness, Orkney & Shetland (1870) Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & Zetland (1946) Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & Zetland Peebles - The Lothians & Peebles (1883) The Lothians & Peebles Perthshire - Perth & Angus (1934)Sheriffdoms of Perth and Angus Order 1934 S.I. 1934/1299 (S.70) Sheriffdom of Perth having been vacant (due to death) since 11 November 1933, the counties of Perth and Forfar (commonly called Angus) united as the Sheriffdom of Perth & Angus from 24 November 1934. Perth & Angus Renfrewshire - Renfrew & Bute (1871) Renfrew & Argyll (1946) Renfrew & Argyll Ross, Cromarty Ross & Cromarty Ross, Cromarty & Sutherland (1870) Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty (1946) Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty Roxburghshire - Roxburgh & Selkirk (1868)United in 1868: on the resignation of William Oliver Rutherford, Sheriff of Roxburghshire, George Handasyde Pattison, Sheriff of Selkirkshire, became Sheriff of Roxburgh & Selkirk.Roxburgh, Berwick & Selkirk (1872) Roxburgh, Berwick & Selkirk Selkirkshire - Roxburgh & Selkirk (1868) Roxburgh, Berwick & Selkirk (1872) Roxburgh, Berwick & Selkirk StirlingStirling & Clackmannan (disunited 1807) - Stirling & Dumbarton (1871)Stirling, Dumbarton & Clackmannan (1881) Stirling, Dumbarton & Clackmannan Sutherland Caithness & SutherlandDisunited in 1806.James Traill, sitting Sheriff Depute of Caithness and Sutherland was appointed Sheriff Depute of Caithness and George Cranstoun was appointed Sheriff Depute of Sutherland on 13 September 1806. Sutherland & Caithness (1857) Ross, Cromarty & Sutherland (1870) Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & Zetland (1946)Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & ZetlandWigtownshire/Wigton - Wigton & Kirkcudbright (1860) Dumfries & Galloway (1874)David Hector, Sheriff of Wigton & Kirkcudbright, died on 23 December 1874. The two counties were thereon joined with Dumfriesshire, with the Sheriff of that county, Mark Napier, becoming Sheriff of Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries & Galloway
Since 1975
Since 1 January 1975 there have been six sheriffdoms, originally defined in reference to regions, districts and islands areas which were then to be created on 16 May 1975.The Sheriffdoms Reorganisation Order 1974 S. I. 1974/2087 (S.191)
The sheriffdoms of Glasgow & Strathkelvin and South Strathclyde, Dumfries & Galloway were redefined with effect from 1 April 1996, when new local government areas were created.The Sheriffdoms (Alteration of Boundaries) Order 1996 S. I. 1996/1006 (S.109)
The six current sheriffdoms are (with Sheriffs Courts in brackets):
Glasgow and Strathkelvin - (Glasgow) Grampian, Highland and Islands - (Aberdeen - Banff - Elgin - Fort William - Inverness - Kirkwall - Lerwick - Lochmaddy - Peterhead - Portree - Stornoway - Tain - Wick) Lothian and Borders - ( Edinburgh - Jedburgh - Livingston - Selkirk) North Strathclyde - ( Campbeltown - Dumbarton - Dunoon - Greenock - Kilmarnock - Oban - Paisley) South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway - (Airdrie - Ayr - Dumfries - Hamilton - Lanark - Stranraer) Tayside, Central and Fife - ( Alloa - Dundee - Dunfermline - Falkirk - Forfar - Kirkcaldy - Perth - Stirling)
References
See also Shires of Scotland Sheriffdom