| Description | This collection consists of:
AS/Aphd/1: Council Minutes, 1833 - 1972
AS/Aphd/2: Records of the Police Commissioners, 1820 - 1898
AS/Aphd/3: Records of the Local Authority, 1874 - 1898
AS/Aphd/4: Committee Minute Books, 1889 - 1975
AS/Aphd/5: Records of the Dean of Guild, 1907 - 1965
AS/Aphd/6: Records of Peterhead Police Court, 1895 - 1975
AS/Aphd/7: Records of Peterhead Licensing Court, 1906 - 1975
AS/Aphd/8: Abstracts of Accounts, 1931 - 1974
AS/Aphd/9: Registers
AS/Aphd/10: Peterhead Harbour Trustees
AS/Aphd/11: Register of Voters, 1832 - 1838
AS/Aphd/12: Assessment Rolls, 1936 - 1975
AS/Aphd/13: War Memorial Fund
AS/Aphd/14: Bye-Laws, 1934 - 1954
AS/Aphd/15: Letter Books, 1916 - 1961
AS/Aphd/16: Material relating to WW2
AS/Aphd/17: Sanitary Inspector's Records
AS/Aphd/18: Old Age Pension Committee
AS/Aphd/19: Town Clerk's Files
AS/Aphd/20: Gas Department
AS/Aphd/21: Miscellaneous
AS/Aphd/22: Burgh Surveyor's Records |
| Administrative History | On the 29th of July 1587 James VI erected the lands of Peterhead into a burgh of barony in order to preserve the succession to these lands for the House of Keith. In 1590 George Keith 5th Earl Marischal became the first feudal baron of Peterhead and on 1st June 1593 he granted a feu contract to certain feuars of the town whereby for certain personal services and obligations, they were given rights of pasturage and commonty and became responsible for the government and administration of the town and harbour. Immediately the town came under the patronage of a powerful baron, the population increased, harbours were constructed, trade developed, and by the beginning of the 18th Century the town was a thriving industrious community. In 1715 George Keith 9th Earl Marischal was attainted for his part in the Jacobite rebellion and his estates were forfeited. The lands of Peterhead were sold by the Crown and ultimately purchased by the Merchant Maiden Hospital of Edinburgh, latterly the Merchant Company Education Board of Edinburgh.
The Peterhead Water Supply etc Act 1820 (1 Geo IV, ch. lxxxvii) instituted the election of commissioners to oversee the burgh administration in conjunction with the Hospital representatives. By the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1833 (2 & 3 Will. IV, c.65) Peterhead and five other burghs were combined within the Elgin District of Burghs to elect an MP. As a consequence of that, the passage of the Parliamentary Burghs (Scotland) Act 1833 (3 & 4 Will. IV, c.77) permitted the burgh to elect 12 Councillors including a Provost who would administer the town's affairs. In 1862 the burgh adopted 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. The main industries in the town were whale and seal fishing, and later herring and white fish, before the discovery of North Sea oil. Under the Town Councils (Scotland) Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., c.49) the police commissioners were replaced by Peterhead Town Council in January 1901.
Peterhead Town Council was abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65). Its powers were assumed by Grampian Regional Council and Banff and Buchan District Council. These in turn were replaced by Aberdeenshire Council in 1996 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39).
List of Provosts
1833-34 George Arbuthnot of Invernettie
1834-1843 Thomas Arbuthnot of Meethill, afterwards of Nether Kinmundy
1843-1857 Roderick Gray, Writer in Peterhead
1857-60 Alexander Anderson, Shipowner
1860-84 William Alexander, Solicitor and Bank Agent
1885-88 John Henderson Will, Fish Curer
1888-99 John Smith, Manufacturer
1899-1918 William Hutchison Leask, Commission Agent
1918-27 James Hutchison Catto, Commission Agent
1927-30 James Milne, Coal Merchant
1930-36 John B. Dickie, Timber Merchant
1936-1940 Max J.L. Schultze, Herring Exporter
1940-46 Robert Simpson Dingwall, gentleman's outfitter
1946–1950: William McD. Gordon, cabinet maker
1950–56: John A. Dickie, timber merchant
1956–1965: Robert Forman, company director, boat owner
1965–1971: Edward A. Duncan, grocer
1971–75: Thomas L. Smith, headmaster |