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Aberdeenshire or the County of Aberdeen (Scots: Coontie o Aiberdeen, Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) was a historic county and registration county of Scotland. The area of the county, excluding the city of Aberdeen itself, is now also a lieutenancy area. Until the disbandment of the historic counties in 1975 its neighbours were Kincardineshire, Angus and Perthshire to the south, Inverness-shire and Banffshire to the west. It was bounded by the North Sea to the north and east. The modern council area (post 1996, which excludes the City of Aberdeen) has a coastline of 65 miles (105 km) and covers an area of 6,313 square kilometres (2,437 sq mi) or 8% of Scotland's overall territory. The area is generally hilly, and from the southwest of the county, near the centre of Scotland, the Grampian Mountain Range sends out various branches, mostly to the northeast. [edit] Historic GovernanceBetween 1890 and 1975, Aberdeenshire was one of the administrative counties of Scotland, governed by a county council. In 1900, the county town of Aberdeen became a "county of a city" and governed itself independent from the administrative county. In 1975 the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 reorganised local administration in Scotland into a two-tier system of "regions" and "districts". The administrative county of Aberdeenshire, along with the City of Aberdeen, and the administrative counties of Banffshire, Kincardineshire and most of Morayshire were merged to form Grampian Region, with the area of the region being divided five districts:
In 1996 Scottish local government system was reorganized a second time to form a single tier of unitary council areas (known in England as unitary authorities). This caused further redrawing of the boundaries between the former historic counties. [edit] Economic ActivityTraditionally, Aberdeenshire was economically dependent upon the primary sector (agriculture, fishing, and forestry) and related processing industries. Over the last 40 years, the development of the oil and gas industry and associated service sector has broadened Aberdeenshire's economic base, and contributed to rapid growth in population of some 50% since 1975. [edit] History
The original natives of this part of Scotland were Picts. Their town of Devana, once supposed to be the modern Aberdeen, has been identified by John Stuart with a site in the parish of Peterculter, and another camp has been identified west of Aboyne. Roman Camps have also been discovered on the upper part of the River Ythan and the River Deveron, but evidence of effective Roman occupation is still to seek. Traces of the native inhabitants, however, occur much more frequently. Efforts to convert the Picts started with Teman in the 5th century, and continued with Columba (who founded a monastery at Old Deer) but lasting results emerged only slowly. Indeed, dissensions within the Columban church and the expulsion of the clergy from Pictland by the Pictish king Nectan in the 8th century undid most of the progress that missionaries had made. The Vikings and Danes periodically raided the coast, but after Macbeth ascended the throne of Scotland in 1040, the Orkney men, under the guidance of Thorfinn Sigurdsson, refrained from further trouble in the northeast. In 1057 Macbeth was slain at Lumphanan, a cairn on Perkhill marking the spot. The influence of the Norman conquest of England made itself felt even in Aberdeenshire. Along with numerous Anglo-Saxon exiles, there also settled in the country Flemings from present-day Belgium who introduced various industries (the surname Fleming is still quite a common one in Aberdeenshire), Saxons who brought farming, and Scandinavians who taught nautical skills. The Celts revolted more than once, but Malcolm Canmore (Malcolm III of Scotland) and his successors crushed them and confiscated their lands. In the reign of Alexander I (ruled 1107–1124) mention first appears of Aberdeen (originally called "Abordon" and, in the Norse sagas, "Apardion"), which received its charter from William the Lion in 1179, by which date its burgesses had already combined with those of Banff, Elgin, Inverness and other trans-Grampian communities to form a free Hanse, under which they enjoyed exceptional trading privileges. By this time, too, the Church had extended its organisation, establishing the bishopric of Aberdeen in 1150. In the 12th and 13th centuries some of the great Aberdeenshire families arose, including the earl of Mar (c. 1122), the Leslies, the Freskins (ancestors of the dukes of Sutherland), the Durwards, the Bysets, the Comyns and the Cheynes; significantly, in most cases their founders had immigrated to the district. The Celtic thanes and their retainers slowly fused with the settlers. They declined to take advantage of the disturbed condition of the country during the wars of the Scots independence, and made common cause with the bulk of the nation.
[edit] Burghs
Towns in Scotland are historically referred to as "burghs". Scottish burghs were urban settlements enjoying trading privileges from medieval times until 1832. They regulated their own affairs to a varying extent according to the type of burgh concerned. Smaller settlements like villages and hamlets were governed by their "parish" which also encompassed a defined rural area. Burghs produced many types of historical records. Medieval burghs started to appear in the twelfth century. They provided an environment in which merchants and craftsmen could live and work outside the feudal system. However each burgh had to pay significant sums of money to the post holder of its original creator. This could be the crown, an abbot or a bishop, or also a secular baron. All burghs were abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act of 1973. However, feudal hereditary titles formally attached to the lands have been preserved, and are still recognized by the British crown today. [edit] Royal burghThese were founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Most royal burghs were either created by the Crown, or upgraded from another status, such as "burgh of barony". Many were ports and they shared a monopoly of foreign trade. Although they were abolished in law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. [edit] Burgh of barony and burgh of regalityBurghs of barony were distinct from royal burghs, as the title was granted to a landowner who, as a tenant-in-chief, held his estates directly from the Crown. (In some cases, they might also be burghs of regality where the crown granted the leading noblemen judicial powers to try criminals for all offences except treason). They were created between 1450 and 1846, and conferred upon the landowner the right to hold weekly markets. Unlike royal burghs, they were not allowed to participate in foreign trade. In practice very few burghs of barony developed into market towns. [edit] Police burghThe Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1833 (3 & 4 Wm IV c.46) enabled existing royal burghs, burghs of regality, and burghs of barony to adopt powers of paving, lighting, cleansing, watching, supplying with water and improving their communities. The Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c.55) meant each burgh was now united as a single body corporate for police and municipal purposes. Any remaining burghs of barony or regality that had not adopted the police acts were implicitly dissolved. From 1833 inhabitants of such burghs could form a police burgh governed by elected commissioners. In some cases the existing burgh continued to exist alongside the police burgh. Remaining burghs of barony were abolished in 1893 by the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1892. Where a police burgh had been formed it absorbed the burgh of barony, in other cases the burgh was dissolved. From that date there was no practical difference between burghs of barony and other police burghs, though a distinction was still sometimes made. For instance, in 1957 Lord Lyon introduced distinctive "burghal coronets" to be displayed above the arms of burghs matriculated by his office: a "coronet suitable to a burgh of barony" was a red mural crown, whereas that for a police burgh was blue in colour. All burghs were abolished in 1975. [edit] Research Tips
This site is extremely easy to use. There are charges for parish register entries and censuses. The charges are reasonable and payable by online transfer.
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