List of Scottish towns
Guide to Scotland's administrative units (past and present)
Counties
Counties were administrative units in Scotland from later medieval times until 1975. They began as judicial and administrative areas (sheriffdoms). Local justice and some civil administration in each sheriffdom was the responsibility a local judge and crown official known as a sheriff. By the mid-nineteenth century the boundaries of some counties and sheriffdoms diverged. In 1891, two separate counties, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire were combined to make the county of Ross and Cromarty. Counties were abolished in 1975 and replaced by the two-tiered region and district system and three island council areas. In 1996, this system was replaced by the local council areas of today. Some counties have been known by different names at different times.
The main alternative names to bear in mind are:
- Angus = Forfarshire = the County of Forfar
- East Lothian = Haddingtonshire = the County of Haddington
- Kincardineshire = Mearns = the County of Kincardine
- Midlothian = Edinburghshire = the County of Edinburgh
- Moray = Morayshire = Elginshire = the County of Elgin
- Peeblesshire = The County of Peebles = Tweeddale
- Selkirkshire = the County of Selkirk = Ettrick Forest
- Shetland = Zetland
- West Lothian = Linlithgowshire = the County of Linlithgow
In 1929 the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee were made counties of cities, meaning that these four cities were treated as both burghs and counties for adnministrative purposes.
