| Administrative History | Portsoy was created a burgh of barony in 1550 by Mary, Queen of Scots (1542 - 1567), in favour of Sir Walter Ogilvy of Boyne. A burgh of barony was presided over by a feudal superior who had authority from the Crown to administer justice and to hold barony courts dealing with crimes and matters of good neighbourhood up to 1747 and thereafter solely matters of good neighbourhood.
Portsoy was created a police burgh in 1889 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.
The main industries in the town were fishing and the production of Portsoy Marble, a green and pink serpentine stone, though in later years tourism took over from fishing. Under the Town Councils (Scotland) Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., c. 49) the police commissioners were replaced by Portsoy Town Council in January 1901. Portsoy 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).
The records of this collection mostly cover the Police Burgh period through to 1975, when it was incorporated into Grampian Regional Council. |