Banffshire

Banffshire (Coontie o Banffshire; Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray Firth to the north, Morayshire and Inverness-shire to the west, and Aberdeenshire to the east and south.

Local government council
Between 1890 and 1975 the County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, had its own county council. Banffshire County Council was based at the Sheriff Court and County Hall.

In 1975 Banffshire was abolished for the purpose of local government and its territory divided between the local government districts of Moray and Banff and Buchan, which lay within the Grampian region. In 1996, the Grampian region was abolished, and the area now lies within the council areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire (note that both these polities have different boundaries to the historic counties of the same names).

Geography
Banffshire consists of a 30-mile stretch of coast along the Moray Firth from Spey Bay to Cullaykhan Bay, the immediate hinterland, plus a long, tapering 'tail' stretching inland some 55 or so miles, thus giving the county an elongated shape.

History
Considerable evidence of prehistoric human habitation exists particularly near the coastal area. For example, the Longman Hill cairn and Cairn Lee are situated in the northern portion of Banffshire in the vicinity of the Burn of Myrehouse.

Located in the area are the ruins of several medieval castles and the 12th century kirk of Gamrie.

Until 1891 the county contained various exclaves which were locally situated in Aberdeenshire, the biggest being the parish and village of St. Fergus.

Civil parishes
Civil parishes are still used for some statistical purposes, and separate census figures are published for them. As their areas have been largely unchanged since the 19th century this allows for comparison of population figures over an extended period of time.

From 1845 to 1930, parishes formed part of the local government system of Scotland, having parochial boards from 1845 to 1894.


 * 1) Aberlour
 * 2) Alvah
 * 3) Banff
 * 4) Bellie (probably now all in Moray)
 * 5) Boharm
 * 6) Botriphnie Drummuir
 * 7) Boyndie
 * 8) Cabrach
 * 9) Cullen
 * 10) Deskford
 * 11) Fordyce
 * 12) Forglen
 * 13) Gamrie
 * 14) Glass
 * 15) Grange
 * 16) Inveraven or Inveravon
 * 17) Inverkeithny
 * 18) Keith
 * 19) Kirkmichael (possibly all in Banffshire)
 * 20) Marlach or Marnoch
 * 21) Mortlach   (Mortlach distillery)
 * 22) Rathven
 * 23) Rothiemay Milltown of Rothiemay
 * 24) Rothnie
 * 25) Ontiquhill or Ordiquhill

Settlements

 * Aberchirder
 * Banff
 * Bogmuir
 * Buckie
 * Charlestown of Aberlour
 * Cornhill
 * Craigellachie
 * Cullen
 * Dufftown
 * Findochty
 * Fordyce
 * Gardenstown
 * Glenlivet
 * Ianstown
 * Keith
 * Kirktown of Alvah
 * Kirktown of Mortlach
 * Ladysbridge
 * Lintmill
 * Macduff
 * Marypark
 * Milltown of Rothiemay
 * Newmill
 * Portessie
 * Portgordon
 * Portknockie
 * Portsoy
 * Rathven
 * Sandend
 * Spey Bay
 * Tomintoul
 * Upper Dallachy
 * Whitehills

Transport
The Aberdeen–Inverness railway line runs through the town of Keith in the north of the county.

Principal mansions
Principal mansions in Banffshire c. 1854 The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland (1854) Vol. I. by the Rev. John Marius Wilson lists the following :


 * Auchintoul
 * Auchlunkart House (A. Steuart)
 * Balveny Castle or Balvenie Castle
 * Cairfield House (John Gordon)
 * Cullen House (Earl of Seafield)
 * Duff House
 * Edingight House (Major A.F. Innes Taylor)
 * Forglen House and Birkenbog (Sir Robert Abercrombie)
 * Gordon Castle (Duke of Richmond)
 * Letterfourie (Sir William Gordon)
 * Mayen House (William Duff)
 * Mount-coffer House (Earl of Fife)
 * Park House (Colonel Thomas Gordon)
 * Rothiemay

Castles in Banffshire

 * Auchindune Auchindoun Castle
 * Balveny or Balvenie
 * Banff
 * Cullen (near Cullen)
 * Deskford
 * Edinglassie
 * Findochty
 * Galval or Gouldwell Castle (Boharm Civil Parish)
 * Grange
 * Inchdrewer, Banff Parish
 * Park
 * Scuth

Notable residents

 * James Abercromby, (1706–1781), born in Glassaugh, British general in the French and Indian War
 * Francis George Cumming (1861–1941), salvation army officer, chaplain, social worker and probation officer
 * Captain George Duff RN (c. 1 February 1764 – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, who was killed by a cannonball at the Battle of Trafalgar. Born in Banff
 * James Ferguson, FRS (1710–1776), born Rothiemay, astronomer and instrument maker
 * George Gauld (surveyor)
 * James Grant (1706–1778) Roman Catholic priest who served as an underground missionary on the Isle of Barra and later as the vicar apostolic of the Lowland District of Scotland
 * Saint John Ogilvie, (1579–1615), born in Keith was a Scottish Catholic martyr.
 * George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, 1829–1921, Canadian railway executive who named Banff, Alberta, after his birthplace; Banff National Park and Banff Springs Hotel are linked to Stephen back to Banffshire.

Surnames
Most common surnames in Banffshire at the time of the United Kingdom Census of 1881:


 * 1) Smith
 * 2) Grant
 * 3) Wilson
 * 4) Reid
 * 5) Watt
 * 6) Stuart
 * 7) Morrison
 * 8) Murray
 * 9) Cowie
 * 10) McDonald