The Sheriff of Argyll was historically a royal officer charged with enforcing the king's rights in

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

; in Scotland, the concept of ''sheriff'' gradually evolved into a judicial position. Originally, the region of Argyll was served by the

sheriff of Perth The Sheriff of Perth was historically a royal official, appointed for life, who was responsible for enforcing justice in Perth, Scotland. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobite upri ...

, however in 1326, king Robert I appointed his step-nephew-in-law, Dougal Campbell, to the newly created position of sheriff of Argyll; Dougall was the son of Neil Campbell, whose second wife was Robert's sister,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. The traditional stronghold of the Campbells was in the centre of the Argyll region, and Robert had wished to reward the Campbells for their service in his successful usurpation of king

John Balliol John Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as ''Toom Tabard'' (meaning "empty coat" – coat of arms), was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296. Little is known of his early life. After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered an ...

. Though named ''sheriff of Argyll'' the position was initially limited to Lorn, but expanded in later centuries. In 1633, the sheriff of Argyll newly acquired authority over

Kintyre Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...

and

Knapdale Knapdale ( gd, Cnapadal, IPA: �kraʰpət̪əɫ̪ forms a rural district of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, adjoining Kintyre to the south, and divided from the rest of Argyll to the north by the Crinan Canal. It includes two parishes, ...

, which had previously been under the

sheriff of Tarbert The Sheriff of Tarbert was the sheriff principal of Tarbertshire Tarbertshire, or the sheriffdom of Tarbert, was a shire of Scotland until 1633, when it was annexed to Argyllshire.RPS, 1633/6/91 It comprised the mainland peninsula formed by K ...

. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobite uprising of 1745, the hereditary sheriffs were replaced by salaried sheriff-deputes, qualified advocates who were members of the Scottish Bar. The post of sheriff of Argyll continued in existence until 1948, when it was amalgamated with the sheriffdom of Renfrew to form the position of Sheriff of Renfrew and Argyll.

Sheriffs of Argyll

* Dugal Campbell (12??– ) * Alasdair MacDubhgaill,

Lord of Lorne ''For the Child ballad, see The Lord of Lorn and the False Steward.'' Lord of Lorne is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that has been created twice. ;First Creation The title was first created for Robert Stewart of Durisdeer (died 1403), son ...

, 1293–???? * Dugal Campbell (1326) * Gillespie Campbell (1373) * Eóin MacDubhgaill (???) *

Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll (c. 1433 – 10 May 1493) was a medieval Scottish nobleman, peer, and politician. He was the son of Archibald Campbell, Master of Campbell and Elizabeth Somerville, daughter of John Somerville, 3rd Lord S ...

(1468) * George Campbell 1636-1655 *

Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (26 February 1629 – 30 June 1685) was a Scottish peer and soldier. The hereditary chief of Clan Campbell, and a prominent figure in Scottish politics, he was a Royalist supporter during the latter stage ...

(died 1685) * James Stuart 1686– * Colin Campbell, 1691-1710 * Archibald Campbell of Danna, 1714-1748 based on above referenced Clan Campbell entries. * John Campbell of Danna, 1748-???? son of Archibald, as referenced in above Clan Campbell entries. ;Sheriffs-Depute * Charles Stewart, 1746-1757? Bonnie Prince Charlie's purse bearer at Battle of Culloden. * Archibald Campbell of Stonefield, –1776 * Robert Campbell of Asknish, 1776– >1808 * Donald MacLachlan, –1817 * Sir Humphrey Trafford Campbell, 1817–1818 * Robert Bruce, 1818–>1843 * George Campbell,

Duke of Argyll Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerfu ...

, 1847–???? * Edward Francis Maitland, 1851–1855 * Thomas Cleghorn, 1855–1874 *

Alexander Forbes Irvine Alexander Forbes Irvine, 20th Laird of Drum FRSE JP DL LLD (1818–1892) was a Scottish landowner, advocate, philosopher and amateur astronomer. He was a prominent member of Clan Irvine and held the family seat of Drum Castle until his death. Li ...

, 1874–1891 * D. Mackechnie, 1892–1898 * James Ferguson, 1898–1905 * Alexander Logan M'Clure, 1905–1920 ( Sheriff of Aberdeen, 1920–1932) * Andrew Henderson Briggs Constable, KC, 1920–1920 * John Lean Wark, 1920–1933 * John Robert Dickson, KC, 1933–1937 * Charles Mackintosh, KC, 1937–1942 ( Sheriff of Inverness, Elgin & Nairn, 1942) * James Frederick Strachan, KC, 1942–1945 ( Sheriff of Perth and Angus, 1945) * Thomas Murray-Taylor, KC, 1945–1946 ( Sheriff of Renfrew and Argyll, 1946–1948) *''For sheriffs after 1946 see Sheriff of Renfrew and Argyll''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheriff Of Argyll

Argyll and Bute 14th-century establishments in Scotland 1948 disestablishments in Scotland

Sheriffs of Argyll

See also

References