Sheriff of Ross, Cromarty and Sutherland explained

The Sheriff of Ross, Cromarty and Sutherland was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Ross-shire, Cromarty and Sutherland, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice.

Original known as the office of the Sheriff of Cromarty it became known, following mergers of the Scottish sheriffdoms, as the Sheriff of Ross & Cromarty in 1747 and the Sheriff of Ross, Cromarty & Sutherland in 1870. Following a further merger in 1946 it became the Sheriff of Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty.

Sheriffs of Cromarty

The position of the sheriff of Cromarty was a heritable position.

• William de Monte Alto (1266)
• William de Monte Alto (1296-1304), (1305-?)
• William III, Earl of Ross (c. 1345)
• Adam Urquhart (1365)
• William Urquhart (c.1470)
• Alexander Urquhart (1497)

Sheriffs of Ross

• 1493: Hugh Ross of Balnagowan
• 1499: David Ross of Balnagowan
• 1706–1722: Hugh Rose of Kilravock ^[1]
• 1725–1729: Sir Robert Munro of Foulis ^[2]
• 1729–1732: Hugh Rose, 15th of Kilravock^[1]
• 1732–1734: Hugh Rose, Master of Kilravock^[2]

Sheriffs of Ross and Cromarty (1747)

• 1747–1772: Hugh Rose of Geddes
• 1773–1774: William Mackenzie of Balmaduthy
• 1774–1833: Donald Macleod of Geanies
• 1835–1850: John Jardine ^[3]
• 1850–1851: George Deas
• 1851–1855: Thomas Mackenzie^[4]
• 1855–1859: George Moir
• 1859–1869: Alexander Shank Cook
• 1869–1870: Alexander Moncrieff

Sheriffs of Ross, Cromarty and Sutherland (1870)

• 1870–1874: George Dingwall Fordyce ^[5]
• 1875–1876: John Macdonald^[6]
• 1877–1881: John Pettigrew Wilson ^[5]
• 1881–1886: William Mackintosh ^[5]
• 1886–1889: John Cheyne, KC ^[7]
• 1889–1890: Alexander Low^[7]
• 1890–1891: Andrew Jameson, Lord Ardwall ^[8] (Sheriff of Perth, 1891)
• 1891–1898: Henry Johnston ^[8] (Sheriff of Angus, 1898–1905)
• 1898–1900: William Charles Smith, KC ^[9]
• 1900-1907: Charles John Guthrie, KC ^[9]
• 1907–1912: John Alexander Reid, KC
• 1912–1940: James Mackintosh, KC
• 1946: Ross and Cromarty merged into the new sheriffdom of Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty. Sutherland merged into Sheriffdom of Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & Zetland

See also

• Historical development of Scottish sheriffdoms

Notes and References

1. Web site: ROSE, Hugh I (1663-1732), of Kilravock, Nairn.. History of Parliament Trust. 21 June 2019.
2. Book: Rose, Hugh. A Genealogical Deduction of the Family of Rose of Kilravock. 408.
3. Book: Commons, House of . ACCOUNTS AND PAPERS-Volume 33. 216.
4. Web site: Moray Register. 10 April 2018.
5. Web site: Sheriffs of Ross, Cromarty and Sutherland. Dornoch Historylinks. 25 October 2017.
6. News: Biographies of Candidates: Scotland . . London . 30 June 1886 . 8 . The Times Digital Archive . 8 June 2016.
7. Book: Sheriff Courts. The Scottish law review and Sheriff Court reports, Volume 22. 11.
8. Book: Sheriff Courts. The Scottish law review and Sheriff Court reports, Volume 22. 13.
9. Book: SCOTTISH LAW REVIEW AND SHERIFF COURT REPORTS. VOL. XXIL— 1906. 39.