Banffshire

Banffshire
Banffshire
Historic county
	Flag
Country	Scotland
County town	Banff
Area
• Total	641 sq mi (1,660 km2)
	Ranked 13th of 34
Chapman code	BAN
Website	https://www.lordlieutenantbanffshire.co.uk/

Banffshire (/ˈbænfʃər/; Template:Lang-sco; Template:Lang-gd) is a historic county, registration county^[1] and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray Firth to the north, Morayshire and Inverness-shire to the west, and Aberdeenshire to the east and south.

Local government council

Between 1890 and 1975 the County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, had its own county council. Banffshire County Council was based at the Sheriff Court and County Hall.^[2]

In 1975 Banffshire was abolished for the purpose of local government and its territory divided between the local government districts of Moray and Banff and Buchan, which lay within the Grampian region. In 1996, the Grampian region was abolished, and the area now lies within the council areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire (note that both these polities have different boundaries to the historic counties of the same names).

Geography

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

History

Considerable evidence of prehistoric human habitation exists particularly near the coastal area. For example, the Longman Hill cairn^[3] and Cairn Lee are situated in the northern portion of Banffshire in the vicinity of the Burn of Myrehouse.^[4]

Located in the area are the ruins of several medieval castles and the 12th century kirk of Gamrie.

Until 1891 the county contained various exclaves which were locally situated in Aberdeenshire, the biggest being the parish and village of St. Fergus.^[5]

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.

Aberlour
Alvah
Banff
Bellie (probably now all in Moray)
Boharm
Botriphnie Drummuir
Boyndie
Cabrach
Cullen
Deskford
Fordyce
Forglen
Gamrie
Glass^[6]
Grange
Inveraven or Inveravon
Inverkeithny
Keith
Kirkmichael (possibly all in Banffshire)^{[clarification needed]}
Marlach or Marnoch
Mortlach (Mortlach distillery)
Rathven
Rothiemay Milltown of Rothiemay
Rothnie
Ontiquhill or Ordiquhill

Settlements

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^[7] 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

Auchindune Auchindoun Castle
Balveny or Balvenie
Banff
Cullen (near Cullen) ^[8]
Deskford
Edinglassie
Findochty
Galval or Gouldwell Castle (Boharm Civil Parish)
Grange
Inchdrewer, Banff Parish
Park
Scuth

Notable residents

James Abercromby, (1706–1781), born in Glassaugh, British general in the French and Indian War^[9]
Francis George Cumming (1861–1941), salvation army officer, chaplain, social worker and probation officer^[10]
Captain George Duff RN (c. 1 February 1764 – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, who was killed by a cannonball at the Battle of Trafalgar. Born in Banff
James Ferguson, FRS (1710–1776), born Rothiemay, astronomer and instrument maker^[11]
George Gauld (surveyor)
James Grant (1706–1778) Roman Catholic priest who served as an underground missionary on the Isle of Barra and later as the vicar apostolic of the Lowland District of Scotland
Saint John Ogilvie, (1579–1615), born in Keith was a Scottish Catholic martyr.
George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, 1829–1921, Canadian railway executive who named Banff, Alberta, after his birthplace; Banff National Park and Banff Springs Hotel are linked to Stephen back to Banffshire.

Surnames

Most common surnames in Banffshire at the time of the United Kingdom Census of 1881:^[12]

References

^ Registers of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties Archived 7 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Banff Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, Low Street, Banff, Including Boundary Walls and Railings (LB22039)". Retrieved 18 July 2021.
^ "Longman Hill (Long Barrow) | UK". The Modern Antiquarian.com. 24 December 1924. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
^ United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map 1:50,000 (2004)
^ "St Fergus through time | Census tables with data for the Scottish Parish". Visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
^ The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland (1854) of Scotland (1854) by Rev. John Marius Wilson https://archive.org/stream/imperialgazettee01wils#page/791/mode/1up
^ The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland (1854). Vol I. by Rev. John Marius Wilson p.130
^ "History of Deskford Castle by Cullen & Deskford Church of Scotland". Retrieved 4 February 2017.
^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
^ Parry, Gordon. "Francis George Cumming". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
^ "Library and Archive Catalog". The Royal Society. Retrieved 21 July 2010.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "Banffshire Genealogy Resources & Parish Registers". Retrieved 4 February 2017.

External links

"Banffshire" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1911.

57°30′N 3°05′W / 57.500°N 3.083°W / 57.500; -3.083

[1] Registers of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties Archived 7 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine.

[2] Historic Environment Scotland. "Banff Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, Low Street, Banff, Including Boundary Walls and Railings (LB22039)". Retrieved 18 July 2021.

[3] "Longman Hill (Long Barrow) | UK". The Modern Antiquarian.com. 24 December 1924. Retrieved 12 November 2012.

[4] United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map 1:50,000 (2004)

[5] "St Fergus through time | Census tables with data for the Scottish Parish". Visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2012.

[6] The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland (1854) of Scotland (1854) by Rev. John Marius Wilson https://archive.org/stream/imperialgazettee01wils#page/791/mode/1up

[Scotland_1854_p.130-7] The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland (1854). Vol I. by Rev. John Marius Wilson p.130

[8] "History of Deskford Castle by Cullen & Deskford Church of Scotland". Retrieved 4 February 2017.

[Marquis_1607-1896-9] Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.

[DNZB_Cumming-10] Parry, Gordon. "Francis George Cumming". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.

[11] "Library and Archive Catalog". The Royal Society. Retrieved 21 July 2010.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[banffshire1881-12] "Banffshire Genealogy Resources & Parish Registers". Retrieved 4 February 2017.

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