Banffshire


Banffshire 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.
The area also includes the ruins of several medieval castles and the 12th century kirk of Gamrie.
Banffshire's origins as a shire are obscure. There is some evidence that it was a shire from the time of David I, but the earliest documented Sheriff of Banff was in the 13th century.
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 along the Spey into the Grampian Mountains.
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.
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'.
Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government Act 1889, taking most of the functions of the commissioners. Banffshire County Council held its first meeting on 22 May 1890 at Banff Sheriff Court, the county's main courthouse which also served as the meeting place for the commissioners.
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.
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.
In 1975 the Local Government 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.
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.
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. The pre-1975 county of Banffshire also serves as a lieutenancy area.

Geography

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

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:
  • Aberlour
  • Alvah
  • Banff
  • Boharm
  • Botriphnie
  • Boyndie
  • Cabrach
  • Cullen
  • Deskford
  • Fordyce
  • Forglen
  • Gamrie
  • Grange
  • Inveravon
  • Inverkeithny
  • Keith
  • Kirkmichael
  • Marnoch
  • Mortlach
  • Ordiquhill
  • Rathven
  • Rothiemay

    Settlements

  • Aberchirder
  • Banff
  • Boyndie
  • Buckie
  • Charlestown of Aberlour
  • Cornhill
  • Craigellachie
  • Cullen
  • Dufftown
  • Findochty
  • Fordyce
  • Gardenstown
  • Glenlivet
  • Ianstown
  • Keith
  • Macduff
  • Marypark
  • Milltown of Rothiemay
  • Newmill
  • Portessie
  • Portgordon
  • Portknockie
  • Portsoy
  • Rathven
  • Sandend
  • Spey Bay
  • Tomintoul
  • Upper Dallachy
  • Whitehills

    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 Vol. I. by the Rev. John Marius Wilson lists the following :
  • Auchintoul
  • Auchlunkart House
  • Balveny Castle or Balvenie Castle
  • Cairfield House
  • Cullen House
  • Duff House
  • Edingight House
  • Forglen House and Birkenbog
  • Gordon Castle
  • Letterfourie
  • Mayen House
  • Mount-coffer House
  • Park House
  • Rothiemay

    Castles in Banffshire

  • Auchindune Auchindoun Castle
  • Balveny or Balvenie
  • Banff
  • Cullen
  • Deskford
  • Edinglassie
  • Findochty
  • Galval or Gouldwell Castle
  • Grange
  • Inchdrewer, Banff Parish
  • Park
  • Scuth

    Flag

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.

Notable residents