List of burghs in Scotland explained

The following list includes all effective burghs in Scotland from the coming into force of the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c. 55), in 1893.^[1] "Ineffective" burghs, which had not used legislation to adopt a "police system", take on local government duties and reform their town councils, were abolished on this date.

Burgh is the Scots term for a town or a municipality. It corresponds to the Scandinavian Borg and the English Borough.

Burghs are listed below under the name of the county to which they belonged. The county boundaries used are those effective for local government purposes from circa 1890 until 1975. During this period four burghs were also counties, or counties of cities in Scotland.

Counties of cities

See also: Cities of Scotland. These four burghs were counties of cities, being independent from the surrounding counties for all judicial and local government purposes.

Burgh	Date of adoption of police system	Earlier burghal history	Post Union parliamentary burgh status
Aberdeen royal burgh (County of a City from 1899 - previously straddled Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire)^[2] ^[3]	1862	Royal burgh from 1124	One of the Aberdeen Burghs 1708 to 1832 Aberdeen burgh constituency 1832 to 1885
Dundee royal burgh (County of a city from 1894 - previously in Forfarshire)^[4]	1837	Royal burgh from 1191–1195	One of the Perth Burghs 1708 to 1832 Dundee burgh constituency 1832 to 1950
Edinburgh royal burgh (County of a City from 13th century)^[5]	1805 (by Private Act)	Royal burgh from 1124–1127	Edinburgh burgh constituency 1708 to 1885
Glasgow royal burgh (County of a City from 1893 - previously in Lanarkshire)^[6]	1800 (by Private Act)	Royal burgh 1611	One of the Clyde Burghs 1708 to 1832 Glasgow burgh constituency 1832 to 1885

Note a: Royal Burgh of Aberdeen absorbed Aberdeenshire burghs of Old Aberdeen burgh (burgh of barony 1489, police burgh 1860), Woodside (police burgh 1860) in 1891.

Note b: Royal Burgh of Glasgow absorbed the following Renfrewshire burghs in the years shown:

1846: Gorbals (private act 1808)
1891: Crosshill (police burgh 1871), Govanhill (police burgh 1876), Hillhead (police burgh 1869), Pollokshields (police burgh 1876), Pollokshields East (police burgh 1880)^[7]
1905: Kinning Park (police burgh 1871)^[8]
1912: Govan (burgh of barony 1607, police burgh 1864), Pollokshaws (burgh of barony 1813, police burgh 1858)

Note: The royal burgh of Aberdeen was part of this county until 1899.^[2]

Burgh	Date of adoption of police system	Earlier burghal history	Post Union parliamentary burgh status
Inverurie royal burgh	1867	Royal burgh 1558	One of the Elgin Burghs 1708 to 1918
Kintore royal burgh	1873	Royal burgh 1506-7	One of the Elgin Burghs 1708 to 1918
Ballater burgh	1891	None	None
Ellon burgh	1893	Burgh of barony 1707	None
Fraserburgh burgh	1840	Burgh of barony 1546 Burgh of regality 1601	None
Huntly burgh	1834	Burgh of barony 1488 Burgh of regality 1684	None
Old Meldrum	1893	Burgh of barony 1671	None
Peterhead burgh	1860	Burgh of barony 1587 Parliamentary burgh 1832	One of the Elgin Burghs 1832 to 1918
Rattray	N/A	Royal burgh 1563	None
Rosehearty	1892	Burgh of barony 1681	None
Turriff burgh	1858	Burgh of barony 1512	None

Angus (also known as Forfarshire)

Note: The royal burgh of Dundee was part of this county until 1894.

Notes and References

1892 c.55
act. Aberdeen Corporation Act 1899. 1899. 60. 1 January 2023.
News: The County of a City of Aberdeen . 1 January 2023 . Aberdeen Weekly Journal . 22 November 1899 . 3 . The Secretary for Scotland having fixed the 15th November as the prescribed date for the creation of Aberdeen as the county of a city....
[Dundee Corporation Act 1894]
Web site: Edinburgh . 2009-03-12 . Samuel . Lewis . A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland . British History Online . 1846 .
[County of the City of Glasgow Act 1893]
[City of Glasgow Act 1891]
[Glasgow Corporation Order Confirmation Act 1905]
"Records of the Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland with Extracts from Other Records Relating to the Affairs of the Burghs of Scotland. 1295-1597," p. 10, William Paterson, Edinburgh (1866)
In 1936 Lord Lyon allowed Kelso to matriculate arms based on the seal of the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh or "Old Roxburgh" which had ceased to exist on the destruction of Roxburgh Castle in 1460. Kelso included part of the former royal burgh.Book: Urquhart, R M . Scottish Burgh and County Heraldry . 1973 . Heraldry Today . London . 0-900455-24-1 . 238–239.