Administrative History | The Royal Burgh of Kintore was possibly erected by King William the Lion between 1187 and 1200, but its early history is unclear until its re-erection as a Royal Burgh by King James IV in 1506-1507. It is believed that the town once possessed extensive lands but that these were transferred to the Earls Marischal in the 16th century. The Earl of Kintore exercised considerable control in the burgh up to the mid 19th century: there was no guildry and no incorporated trade, and the Earl built the jail and oversaw the town sergeant. By the census of 1831, there were eighty-six houses in the burgh. By the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1833 (2 & 3 Will. IV, c.65) it and five other burghs were combined within the Elgin District of Burghs to elect an MP.
Kintore was created a police burgh under the General Police and Improvement (Scotland) Act 1862 (25 & 26 Vict., c. 101). Burgh administration was carried out by police commissioners who were responsible for the cleansing, lighting, policing and public health of the burgh. Under the Town Councils (Scotland) Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., c. 49) the police commissioners were replaced by Kintore Town Council in January 1901. Kintore Town Council was abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65). Its powers were assumed by Grampian Regional Council and Gordon District Council. These in turn were replaced by Aberdeenshire Council in 1996 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39).
The records of this collection cover the later period of the burgh from 1747 until its incorporation into the Grampian Regional Council in 1975. |