| Administrative History | Laurencekirk was originally the Kirkton of Conveth in the lands of the Johnston Estate. During the 1760s a Lord of Session and Sheriff of Kincardine Lord Gardenstone, also known as Francis Garden, purchased the estate and envisioned transforming the Kirkton into a new planned village.
The village of Laurencekirk was made a Burgh of Barony on 27 August 1779, whereby, through the charter this allowed them to elect a Baillie and four Councillors. The first Baillie being George Murdoch as well as the Councillors William Lyall, John Silver, John Scott and John Loikie. The Charter also granted them the right to have an annual fair and to have weekly markets.
This situation persisted within Laurencekirk for more than one-hundred and twenty years when in 1901 the burgh's powers were transferred to the Town Council which was made up of a Provost, two Baillies, six Councillors, Town Clerk and Treasurer. The first Provost of Laurencekirk was John Rae who first presided over a Town Council meeting on 10 January 1901.
In 1975 the Town Council was abolished and replaced with Grampian Regional Council as part of the reorganisation process within local government, thus no records for this collection are detailed beyond this date. |