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Kincardineshire
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Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic A' Mhaoirne meaning "the stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of north-east Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north, and by Angus on the south-west.
The county was named after its original county town of Kincardine, near Fettercairn. The county town was moved to Stonehaven in 1600, by which time the town of Kincardine was in decline; it was subsequently abandoned. Other towns in the county include Banchory, Inverbervie and Laurencekirk.
The county was abolished as an administrative area in 1975. Since 1996, most of the pre-1975 county has formed part of the Aberdeenshire council area, with the exception of Nigg, which is in Aberdeen City. The name "Kincardine" is used in Kincardine and Mearns, a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council, although this covers a smaller area than the county.
Anciently, the area was the province of Mearns, bordered on the north by Marr, and on the south-west by Angus. The name of the province simply refers to its status; the more important provinces were administered by a great steward (mormaer), while the less important ones were governed by a mere steward (maer).
From the 12th century, sheriffs were also gradually introduced across Scotland, with responsibility for administering justice across an area known as a sheriffdom or shire. A sheriff for the area is known to have existed by the 1160s.
Court cases were initially heard in the town of Kincardine, where there was a royal castle. The sheriff was therefore known both as the Sheriff of Kincardine and the Sheriff of the Mearns. In 1296, King John Balliol wrote a letter of surrender from Kincardine Castle to Edward I of England after a short war that marked the beginning of the Wars of Scottish Independence.
A charter granted to the burgh of Kincardine in 1532 noted the town's established role in hosting the shire's courts. However, by 1600 the town was in decline. The sheriffs and visiting judges complained that the town had poor facilities for holding courts and accommodating visitors when the courts were in session, and also noted that the town was not central to the shire. An act of parliament in 1600 therefore transferred the courts to the larger and more accessible town of Stonehaven. Kincardine's decline continued after 1600; its market and fair relocated to Fettercairn, and by the mid-19th century no trace remained of the former county town.
Over time, Scotland's shires became more significant than the old provinces, with more administrative functions being given to the sheriffs. The older territory of the Mearns was therefore gradually eclipsed in legal importance by the shire of Kincardine (or Kincardineshire) which covered the same area. 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'.
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Kincardineshire AI simulator
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Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire or the County of Kincardine, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic A' Mhaoirne meaning "the stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of north-east Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north, and by Angus on the south-west.
The county was named after its original county town of Kincardine, near Fettercairn. The county town was moved to Stonehaven in 1600, by which time the town of Kincardine was in decline; it was subsequently abandoned. Other towns in the county include Banchory, Inverbervie and Laurencekirk.
The county was abolished as an administrative area in 1975. Since 1996, most of the pre-1975 county has formed part of the Aberdeenshire council area, with the exception of Nigg, which is in Aberdeen City. The name "Kincardine" is used in Kincardine and Mearns, a committee area of the Aberdeenshire Council, although this covers a smaller area than the county.
Anciently, the area was the province of Mearns, bordered on the north by Marr, and on the south-west by Angus. The name of the province simply refers to its status; the more important provinces were administered by a great steward (mormaer), while the less important ones were governed by a mere steward (maer).
From the 12th century, sheriffs were also gradually introduced across Scotland, with responsibility for administering justice across an area known as a sheriffdom or shire. A sheriff for the area is known to have existed by the 1160s.
Court cases were initially heard in the town of Kincardine, where there was a royal castle. The sheriff was therefore known both as the Sheriff of Kincardine and the Sheriff of the Mearns. In 1296, King John Balliol wrote a letter of surrender from Kincardine Castle to Edward I of England after a short war that marked the beginning of the Wars of Scottish Independence.
A charter granted to the burgh of Kincardine in 1532 noted the town's established role in hosting the shire's courts. However, by 1600 the town was in decline. The sheriffs and visiting judges complained that the town had poor facilities for holding courts and accommodating visitors when the courts were in session, and also noted that the town was not central to the shire. An act of parliament in 1600 therefore transferred the courts to the larger and more accessible town of Stonehaven. Kincardine's decline continued after 1600; its market and fair relocated to Fettercairn, and by the mid-19th century no trace remained of the former county town.
Over time, Scotland's shires became more significant than the old provinces, with more administrative functions being given to the sheriffs. The older territory of the Mearns was therefore gradually eclipsed in legal importance by the shire of Kincardine (or Kincardineshire) which covered the same area. 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'.
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