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Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has formed part of Dumfries and Galloway for local government purposes. Wigtownshire continues to be used as a territory for land registration, being a registration county. The historic county is all within the slightly larger Wigtown Area, which is one of the lieutenancy areas of Scotland and was used in local government as the Wigtown District from 1975 to 1996. Wigtownshire forms the western part of the medieval lordship of Galloway, which retained a degree of autonomy until it was fully absorbed by Scotland in the 13th century. In 1369, the part of Galloway east of the River Cree was placed under the control of a steward and so became known as the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. The rest of Galloway remained under the authority of a sheriff, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shires Of Scotland
The counties or shires of Scotland () were historic subdivisions of Scotland. The shires were originally established in the Middle Ages for judicial purposes, being territories over which a Sheriff principal, sheriff had jurisdiction. They were distinct from the various older mormaerdoms, earldoms and other territories into which Scotland was also divided, which are collectively termed the provinces of Scotland by modern historians. The provinces gradually lost their functions, whereas the shires gradually gained functions. From the 16th century, the shires served as county constituency, constituencies, electing shire commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland. From 1667 each shire had Commissioners of Supply, commissioners of supply responsible for collecting local taxes; the commissioners of supply were subsequently given various local government functions as well. From 1797, the shires also served as areas for organising the militia, which was the responsibility of a lord-li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
County Town
In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in England in 1889, the headquarters of the new councils were usually established in the county town of each county; however, the concept of a county town pre-dates these councils. The concept of a county town is ill-defined and unofficial. Some counties in Great Britain have their administrative bodies housed elsewhere. For example, Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, but the county council is in Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Owing to the creation of Unitary authorities of England, unitary authorities, some county towns in Great Britain are administratively separate from the county. For example, Nottingham is separated from the rest of Nottinghamshire, and Brighton and Hove is separate from East Sussex. On a ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wigtown County Buildings
Wigtown County Buildings, also known as Wigtown County Buildings and Town Hall, is a municipal building in The Square, Wigtown, Scotland. The structure primarily served as the meeting place and town hall for Wigtown Burgh Council, but was also used for some meetings of Wigtownshire, Wigtownshire County Council. It is a Category B listed building. History The first municipal building in Wigtown was a tolbooth which was completed in the 16th century. Two covenanters, Margaret Maclauchlan and Margaret Wilson (Scottish martyr), Margaret Wilson, were held in a cell in the tolbooth before being executed by Scottish Scottish Episcopal Church, Episcopalians in 1685 by tying them to stakes on the town's mudflats and allowing them to drown with the rising tide: they are remembered as the Wigtown Martyrs. The tolbooth was replaced by a new town hall which was completed in 1756. In the early 1860s, burgh officials decided to demolish the 18th century town hall and to erect a structure more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 ( 52 & 53 Vict. c. 50) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland. In this it followed the pattern introduced in England and Wales by the Local Government Act 1888 ( 51 & 52 Vict. c. 41). County councils The act provided that a county council should be established in each county, consisting of elected councillors. The term "county" was defined as excluding any royal burgh or parliamentary burgh, but with provisions that the county council would have powers over such burghs which met certain criteria, principally being those burghs which had fewer than 7,000 people at the time of the 1881 census. The burghs which remained independent of county council control were not listed in the act, but it was subsequently determined that there were 26 such burghs: *Aberdeen * Airdrie *Arbroath * Ayr *Brechin *Dumbarton *Dumfries ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wigtown Town Hall - Geograph
Wigtown ( (both used locally); ) is a town and former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, of which it is the county town, within the Dumfries and Galloway region in Scotland. It lies east of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart. It is known as "Scotland's National Book town, Book Town" with a high concentration of second-hand book shops and an annual Wigtown Book Festival, book festival. Wigtown is part of the Machars peninsula. History Name origins W. F. H. Nicolaisen, W.F.H. Nicolaisen offered two explanations for the place-name Wigtown. One theory was that it meant 'dwelling place', from the Old English 'wic-ton'; however, if it is the same as Wigton in Cumbria, which was 'Wiggeton' in 1162 and 'Wigeton' in 1262, it may be 'Wigca's farm'. Other sources have suggested a Old Norse language, Norse root with 'Vik' meaning 'bay', giving the origin as a translation of 'The town on the bay'. Neolithic Age The surrounding area (the Machars peninsula) is rich in Prehistory, prehistori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire ( ) or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the Counties of Scotland, historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an counties of Scotland, administrative county used for local government in Scotland, local government. Since 1975, the area has formed part of Dumfries and Galloway for local government purposes. Kirkcudbrightshire continues to be used as a registration county for land registration. A lower-tier districts of Scotland, district called Stewartry covered the majority of the historic county from 1975 to 1996. The area of Stewartry district is still used as a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. Dumfries and Galloway Council also has a Stewartry area committee. Kirkcudbrightshire forms the eastern part of the medieval lordship of Galloway, which retained a degree of autonomy until it was fully absorbed by Scotland in the 13th century. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earl Of Douglas
This page is concerned with the holders of the forfeit title Earl of Douglas and the preceding Scottish feudal barony, feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, son of Archibald Douglas (died 1333), Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of Scotland. The Earldom was forfeited by James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, in 1455. Origins Mythic beginnings The Earls of Douglas, chiefs of Clan Douglas, and their successors claimed descent from Sholto Douglas, a mythical figure dated by Godscroft to 767 AD. However, it is more likely that they were descendants of Flemish people, Flemish immigrants to Scotland, during the reign of David I of Scotland, David I. Through the marriage of William Douglas the Hardy, William the Hardy, grandfather of the 1st Earl, to Eleanor de Lovaine, the Earls of Douglas could trace their ancestry to the Dukes of Brabant, Landgraves of Brabant. In the story of Shol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archibald The Grim
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Douglas and Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Douglas and Bothwell (c. 1330 – c. 24 December 1400), called Archibald the Grim or Black Archibald, was a late medieval Scottish nobleman. Archibald was the illegitimate son of Sir James "the Black" Douglas, Robert the Bruce's trusted lieutenant, and an unknown mother. A first cousin of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, he inherited the earldom of Douglas and its entailed estates as the third earl following the death without legitimate issue of James, 2nd Earl of Douglas at the Battle of Otterburn. Early life He was probably not yet born when his father went on crusade and was killed at the Battle of Teba whilst fighting the Moors. According to Walter Bower, possibly an insult regarding his illegitimacy, ''"He was dark and ugly more like a coco ook-boythan a Noble."'' Jean Froissart in his chronicle describes Douglas, as an adult, as a large man capable of wielding a huge sword. It has been suggested t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Of Galloway
Alan of Galloway (before 1199 – 1234) was a leading thirteenth-century Scottish magnate. As the hereditary Lord of Galloway and Constable of Scotland, he was one of the most influential men in the Kingdom of Scotland and Irish Sea zone. Alan first appears in courtly circles in about 1200, about the time he inherited his father's possessions and offices. After he secured his mother's inheritance almost two decades later, Alan became one of the most powerful magnates in the Scottish realm. Alan also held lands in the Kingdom of England, and was an advisor of John, King of England concerning Magna Carta. Alan later played a considerable part in Alexander II, King of Scotland's northern English ambitions during the violent aftermath of John's rejection of Magna Carta. Alan participated in the English colonisation of Ulster, receiving a massive grant in the region from the English king, and simultaneously aided the Scottish crown against rebel claimants in the western and norther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lordship Of Galloway
The lords of Galloway consisted of a dynasty of heirs who were lords (or kings) and ladies who ruled over Galloway in southwest Scotland, mainly during the High Middle Ages. Many regions of Scotland, including Galloway and Moray, periodically had kings or subkings, similar to those in Ireland during the Middle Ages. The Scottish monarch was seen as being similar to a high king (''Ard-Righ'' in Gaelic). The lords of Galloway would have either paid tribute to the Scottish monarch, or at other times ignored him. The Lords of Galloway are fairly well recorded in the 12th and 13th centuries, but the records are incomplete or conflicting at other times. Later on, the kings were known as "lords" at the Scottish court, and "kings" at home, finally becoming "lords" in both arenas. The boundaries of the Kingdom of Galloway were ill-defined, and varied over time. During many periods Galloway was much larger than it is today, and took in parts of southern Ayrshire, such as Carrick, Upper D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isle Of Man
The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the Isle of Man's military defence and represents it abroad, but the Isle of Man still has a separate international identity. Humans have lived on the island since before 6500 BC. Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century AD, when Irish missionaries following the teaching of St Patrick began settling the island, and the Manx language, a branch of the Goidelic languages, emerged. In 627, King Edwin of Northumbria conquered the Isle of Man along with most of Mercia. In the 9th century, Norsemen established the thalassocratic Kingdom of the Isles, which included the Hebrides and the Northern Isles, along with the Isle of Man as the southernmost island. Magnus Bar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of The Rhinns
Na Renna, or the Kingdom of the Rhinns, was a Norse-Gaelic lordship which appears in 11th century records. The Rhinns () was a province in Medieval Scotland, and comprised, along with Farines, the later Wigtownshire. The ''Martyrology of Óengus'' gives some idea of the kingdom's domain in the 11th century, as (Dunragit) and (Whithorn) are said to lie in the kingdom, implying that it embraced the whole of later Wigtownshire. List of known rulers Three rulers are explicitly stated in the sources to have ruled this kingdom: See also * Diocese of Galloway * Lord of Galloway * Mull of Galloway * Rhins of Galloway * Stranraer References * Byrne, Francis J., "Na Renna", Peritia, vol. 1 (1982), p. 267 * Russell, Paul (ed.), ''Vita Griffini Filii Conani: The Medieval Latin Life of Gruffudd ap Cynan'', (Cardiff, 2005) * Stokes, Whitley, ''Félire Óengusso Célí Dé: The Martyrology of Oengus the Culdee'', (London, 1905; reprinted, Dublin, 1984) {{Medieval Scotland Hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
