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Banffshire

Coordinates: 57°30′N 3°05′W / 57.500°N 3.083°W / 57.500; -3.083
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See also: Banffshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Banffshire
Historic county
Flag of Banffshire
Flag
CountryScotland
County townBanff
Area
 • Total
641 sq mi (1,660 km2)
 Ranked 13th of 34
Chapman code
BAN
Websitewww.lordlieutenantbanffshire.co.uk

Banffshire (/ˈbænfʃər/; Template:Lang-sco; Template:Lang-gd) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been split between the Aberdeenshire and Moray council areas. The historic county boundaries of Banffshire are still used for certain functions, being a registration county and lieutenancy area.

It borders the Moray Firth to the north, Moray and Inverness-shire to the west, and Aberdeenshire to the east and south.

History

Considerable evidence of prehistoric human habitation exists in the area, particularly near the coast. Examples include the cairn at Longman Hill and Cairn Lee, near the Burn of Myrehouse.[1][2]

Cullen House

The area also includes the ruins of several medieval castles and the 12th century kirk of Gamrie.

Banffshire's origins as a shire (the area administered by a sheriff) are obscure. There is some evidence that it was a shire from the time of David I (reigned 1124–1153), but the earliest documented Sheriff of Banff was in the 13th century.[3]

The sheriff's jurisdiction covered a number of provincial lordships which then existed between the larger provinces of Moray to the west and Buchan to the east. The lordships included Boyne and Enzie on the coast, plus the inland areas of Strathisla and several small lordships along the eastern side of the strath of the River Spey and its tributaries, including Glenlivet, Strathavon and Glenfiddich. The shire was long and thin; the main towns were generally in the wider part to the north near the coast, but the shire had a long, more sparsely populated, tail extending some 50 miles (80 km) along the Spey into the Grampian Mountains.[4]

The boundaries of the older provinces were not always firmly defined, and some of the smaller provincial lordships were sometimes deemed to be subordinate to a larger province. Banffshire was sometimes said to include parts of the provinces of Moray and Buchan.[5][6]

Over time, Scotland's shires became more significant than the old provinces, with more administrative functions being given to the sheriffs. In 1667 Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890. Following the Acts of Union in 1707, the English term 'county' came to be used interchangeably with the older term 'shire'.[7]

Banff Sheriff Court: Meeting place of Banffshire County Council 1890–1975

Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, taking most of the functions of the commissioners (which were eventually abolished in 1930). Banffshire County Council held its first meeting on 22 May 1890 at Banff Sheriff Court, the county's main courthouse (built 1871) which also served as the meeting place for the commissioners.[8][9]

The 1889 Act also led to a review of boundaries, with exclaves being transferred to a county they actually bordered, and parish and county boundaries being adjusted to eliminate cases where parishes straddled county boundaries. There were several such changes affecting the boundaries of Banffshire. Prior to these boundary changes Banffshire included four detached parts surrounded by Aberdeenshire, the largest of which was the parish of St Fergus, and several parishes straddled the county boundaries. The boundary changes all took effect on 15 May 1891.[10][11]

The county council initially established its offices at 8 Low Street, opposite the sheriff court. In 1934 it bought St Leonard's House on Sandyhill Road in Banff, converting that to be its main offices instead. Council meetings continued to be held at the sheriff court.[12][13]

In 1975 the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 reorganised local government in Scotland into a two-tier system of regions and districts. Banffshire was all included within the Grampian region, but the old county was split between two of the lower-tier districts. The north-east of Banffshire, including the town of Banff, went to the Banff and Buchan district. The west and south of Banffshire went to the new Moray district.[14]

In 1996 the Scottish local government system was reorganised again, this time into single-tier council areas. The Moray district became one of the new council areas, whilst the Banff and Buchan district merged with Gordon and Kincardine and Deeside to become the new Aberdeenshire council area. The modern council areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire therefore cover different areas to the historic counties after which they are named.[15]

The boundaries of the pre-1975 county of Banffshire are still used for some limited official purposes connected with land registration, being a registration county.[16] The pre-1975 county of Banffshire also serves as a lieutenancy area.[17][18]

Geography

Ben Rinnes

Banffshire consists of a 30-mile stretch of coast along the Moray Firth from Spey Bay to Cullykhan Bay, the immediate hinterland, plus a long, tapering 'tail' stretching inland some 55 or so miles, thus giving the county an elongated shape.

Civil parishes

Further information: List of civil parishes in Scotland
Banffshire civil parish map c. 1854

Civil parishes are still used for some statistical purposes, and separate census figures are published for them. As their areas have been largely unchanged since the 19th century this allows for comparison of population figures over an extended period of time.

From 1845 to 1930, parishes formed part of the local government system of Scotland, having parochial boards from 1845 to 1894 and parish councils from 1894 to 1930. Following the boundary changes of 1891, there were 21 parishes in Banffshire:[19]

Settlements

Banff
Buckie
Dufftown
Gardenstown

Transport

The Aberdeen–Inverness railway line runs through the town of Keith in the north of the county.

Architecture

Principal mansions

Principal mansions in Banffshire c. 1854 The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland (1854) Vol. I. by the Rev. John Marius Wilson[20] lists the following :

  • Auchintoul
  • Auchlunkart House (A. Steuart)
  • Balveny Castle or Balvenie Castle
  • Cairfield House (John Gordon)
  • Cullen House (Earl of Seafield)
  • Duff House
  • Edingight House (Major A.F. Innes Taylor)
  • Forglen House and Birkenbog (Sir Robert Abercrombie)
  • Gordon Castle (Duke of Richmond)
  • Letterfourie (Sir William Gordon)
  • Mayen House (William Duff)
  • Mount-coffer House (Earl of Fife)
  • Park House (Colonel Thomas Gordon)
  • Rothiemay

Castles in Banffshire

Fordyce Castle, Banffshire
  • Auchindune Auchindoun Castle
  • Balveny or Balvenie
  • Banff
  • Cullen (near Cullen) [21]
  • Deskford
  • Edinglassie
  • Findochty
  • Galval or Gouldwell Castle (Boharm Civil Parish)
  • Grange
  • Inchdrewer, Banff Parish
  • Park
  • Scuth

Flag

Main article: Flag of Banffshire

In 2023, the Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire organised a competition to design a flag for the county. The winning design is gold, white and blue, and represents rivers, bridges, whisky barrels and the sunset.[22][23]

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ^ United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map 1:50,000 (2004)
  2. ^ "Longman Hill (Long Barrow) | UK". The Modern Antiquarian.com. 24 December 1924. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  3. ^ Cramond, William (1893). The Annals of Banff, Volume 2 (PDF). Aberdeen: New Spalding Club. p. 329. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  4. ^ Chalmers, George (1894). Caledonia. Paisley: Alexander Gardner. pp. 237–240. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  5. ^ Shaw, Lachlan (1882). The History of the Province of Moray: Volume 1. London and Glasgow: Hamilton, Adams & Co / Thomas D. Morrison. p. 47. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  6. ^ Chalmers, George (1894). Caledonia: Volume 7. Paisley: Alexander Gardner. p. 214. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  7. ^ Brown, Keith. "Act of the convention of estates of the kingdom of Scotland etc. for a new and voluntary offer to his majesty of £72,000 monthly for the space of twelve months, 23 January 1667". Records of the Parliament of Scotland. University of St Andrews. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Banffshire County Council". Banffshire Advertiser. Buckie. 29 May 1890. p. 3. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  9. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Banff Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, including boundary walls and railings, Low Street, Banff (LB22039)". Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  10. ^ Shennan, Hay (1892). Boundaries of counties and parishes in Scotland as settled by the Boundary Commissioners under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. Edinburgh: W. Green. p. 159. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  11. ^ "St Fergus through time | Census tables with data for the Scottish Parish". Visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  12. ^ "County Offices for Banffshire". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 13 November 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  13. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Banff, Sandyhill Road, St Leonard's House (172722)". Canmore. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 17 April 2023
  15. ^ "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 39, retrieved 17 April 2023
  16. ^ "Land Mass Coverage Report" (PDF). Registers of Scotland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  17. ^ "The Lord-Lieutenants (Scotland) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1996/731, retrieved 3 August 2024
  18. ^ "The Lieutenancy of Banffshire". Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Quarter-inch Administrative Areas Maps: Scotland, sheet 5, 1969". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  20. ^ The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland (1854). Vol I. by Rev. John Marius Wilson p.130
  21. ^ "History of Deskford Castle by Cullen & Deskford Church of Scotland". Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  22. ^ "We want you to vote on Banffshire flag designs". The Northern Scot. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  23. ^ "The Banffshire Flag Competition". The Lieutenancy of Banffshire. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  24. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
  25. ^ Parry, Gordon. "Francis George Cumming". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  26. ^ "Library and Archive Catalog". The Royal Society. Retrieved 21 July 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
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