Burgh of barony
Encyclopedia
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town (burgh
).
They were distinct from royal burgh
s as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown. (In distinction, burghs of regality
were granted to "lords of regality", leading noblemen, and had wider civil and criminal law powers). They were created between 1450 and 1846, and conferred upon the landowner varying trading rights (for example the right to hold weekly markets or to trade overseas). In practice very few burghs of barony developed into market towns.
Over 300 burghs of barony and regality were created: the last was Ardrossan
in 1846. From 1833 inhabitants of such burghs could form a police burgh
governed by elected commissioners. In some cases the existing burgh continued to exist alongside the police burgh. Remaining burghs of barony and regality were abolished in 1893 by the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1892. Where a police burgh had been formed it absorbed the burgh of barony, in other cases the burgh was dissolved. From that date there was no practical difference between burghs of barony and other police burghs, though a distinction was still sometimes made. For instance, in 1957 Lord Lyon introduced distinctive "burghal coronets" to be displayed above the arms of burghs matriculated by his office: a "coronet suitable to a burgh of barony" was a red mural crown
, whereas that for a police burgh was blue in colour.
All burghs were abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
. However, hereditary feudal titles formally attached to the lands have been preserved, and are still recognized by the British crown today.
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
).
They were distinct from royal burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
s as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown. (In distinction, burghs of regality
Burgh of regality
A burgh of regality is a type of Scottish town.They were distinct from royal burghs as they were granted to "lords of regality", leading noblemen....
were granted to "lords of regality", leading noblemen, and had wider civil and criminal law powers). They were created between 1450 and 1846, and conferred upon the landowner varying trading rights (for example the right to hold weekly markets or to trade overseas). In practice very few burghs of barony developed into market towns.
Over 300 burghs of barony and regality were created: the last was Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
in 1846. From 1833 inhabitants of such burghs could form a police burgh
Police burgh
A police burgh was a Scottish burgh which had adopted a “police system” for governing the town. They existed from 1833 to 1975.-The 1833 act:The first police burghs were created under the Burgh Police Act, 1833...
governed by elected commissioners. In some cases the existing burgh continued to exist alongside the police burgh. Remaining burghs of barony and regality were abolished in 1893 by the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1892. Where a police burgh had been formed it absorbed the burgh of barony, in other cases the burgh was dissolved. From that date there was no practical difference between burghs of barony and other police burghs, though a distinction was still sometimes made. For instance, in 1957 Lord Lyon introduced distinctive "burghal coronets" to be displayed above the arms of burghs matriculated by his office: a "coronet suitable to a burgh of barony" was a red mural crown
Mural crown
-Usage in ancient times:In Hellenistic culture, a mural crown identified the goddess Tyche, the embodiment of the fortune of a city, familiar to Romans as Fortuna...
, whereas that for a police burgh was blue in colour.
All burghs were abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
. However, hereditary feudal titles formally attached to the lands have been preserved, and are still recognized by the British crown today.