Sheriff of Wigtown explained

The Sheriff of Wigtown was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Wigtown, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobite uprising of 1745, the hereditary sheriffs were replaced by salaried sheriff-deputes, qualified advocates who were members of the Scottish Bar.

It became known as the Sheriff of Wigton & Kirkcudbright in 1860^[1] and was dissolved and incorporated into the sheriffdom of Dumfries & Galloway in 1874.

The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright was created in 1369, when the area between the Rivers Nith and Cree was granted to Archibald the Grim. A steward was appointed by to administer the area which was known the "Stewartry".

Sheriffs of Wigtown

• Robert FitzTrute (c.1200)
• Alexander Comyn (1263-1266)
• John Comyn, Master of Buchan (1288)
• Walter of Twynham (1296)
• Domhnall mac Cailein c.1298
• John Comyn, Earl of Buchan (1300)
• Thomas McCulloch (1305)
• William Douglas of Leawalt (1424)
• Andrew Agnew (1456)
• Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran (1468)
• Andrew Agnew (1468)
• John Graham (1648)
• Andrew Agnew (?-1747)

Sheriffs-Depute

• Alexander Boswell, 1748–1750 ^[2]
• Andrew Pringle, 1750–1751 ^[3] (Sheriff of Selkirk, 1751)
• Thomas Dundas, 1751– ^[4]
• Alexander Spalding Gordon, –1794 ^[5]
• John Busby Maitland, 1794–1818 ^[6]
• James Walker, 1818–c.1840 ^[7]
• Adam Urquhart 1843–1860 ^[8]

Stewards of Kirkcudbright

• Donald Maclellen of Gelston, 1456
• William Edmonstoune of Duntreath, 1462
• John Kennedy of Blairquhan, 1463
• Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran, 1468
• Humphrey Colquhoun, 1468
• Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell, 1489
• Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell, 1526

Sheriffs of Kirkcudbright

• Thomas Miller, Lord Glenlee, 1748–1755
• David Ross, 1756–1763
• Alexander Gordon, Lord Rockville, 1764–1784 ^[9]
• Sir Alexander Gordon, 1784–1830
• Alexander Wood of Woodcote, 1830–1841
• Erskine Douglas Sandford, 1841–1860 ^[10]

Sheriffs of Wigton & Kirkcudbright (1860)

• Erskine Douglas Sandford, 1860–61
• David Hector, 1861-1874 ^[11]
• For sheriffs after 1874 see Sheriff of Dumfries and Galloway

See also

• Historical development of Scottish sheriffdoms

Notes and References

1. News: Births, Deaths, Marriages and Obituaries. Morning Post. 29 November 1860. 8.
2. Web site: Guide to the Boswell Collection . Yale University. 17 April 2018.
3. Book: Brunton, George. An Historical Account of the Senators of the College of Justice. 515.
4. Book: The Scots Magazine, Volume 13. 109.
5. Book: Mackenzie, William . The history of Galloway: from the earliest period to the present time. 433.
6. Book: The Edinburgh Magazine and Literary Miscellany, Volume 82. 286.
7. Book: Parliamentary Papers, Volume 19. 128.
8. Web site: Moray Register. 10 April 2018.
9. Web site: Scottish Court of Session Records. University of Virginia. 10 April 2018.
10. Book: Bulletins and Other State Intelligence. 765.
11. Web site: Catalog Search. National Records of Scotland. 25 February 2021.