| Administrative History | Aberdeen harbour's history can be traced back to a charter granted by King David I in 1136. James VI granted a further charter to the City in 1596, which allowed the Burgh to raise a levy on all ships and their cargoes at the harbour.
The harbour was controlled by the Council and its Magistrates until reform under the 1829 Aberdeen Harbour Act, which expanded the membership of the Harbour Trustees to include five Burgesses of Guild and one member of Incorporated Trades. The Harbour was then overseen by a Committee made up of nine councillors and six outside members, to ensure representation of Harbour users.
The 1843 Aberdeen Harbour Act vested the property of the harbour in a new Commission consisting of magistrates, councillors, nine Burgess of Guild and three members of Incorporated Trades.
The Aberdeen Harbour Act of 1868 modified the constitution of the Commission: 12 elected Commissioners were introduced, who acted with the Lord Provost, 6 Baillies, the Dean of Guild and 11 Councillors.
A Port Emergency Committee was set up 1936 and operated throughout the Second World War.
In 1960 the Aberdeen Harbour Confirmation Act modernised the constitution, replacing the Commission with a smaller Board: the Board was made up of two members of the Chamber of Commerce, two from the Scottish Trade Union Congress, four from Aberdeen Corporation and seven elected by Harbour users, burgesses and Incorporated Trades. |