Sheriff of Kincardine

The Sheriff of Kincardine, also known as The Mearns, was historically a royal appointment, held at pleasure, which carried the responsibility for enforcing justice in Kincardine, Scotland. 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.

Following a general merger of the sheriffdoms in 1870 the position became the Sheriff of Aberdeen and Kincardine.

Sheriffs

 * Osbert Olifard (c. 1160)
 * John de Hastinkes, Lord of Dun (1163-1178)
 * Robert de Inverkeilor (c. 1198)
 * Robert Senescald (1214-1225)
 * Philip de Melville, Lord of Mondynes (1222-1240)
 * John Wishart (1230)
 * Reginald le Chen (1263)
 * Robert le Chen (1263-1266)
 * Reginald le Chen (1266)
 * Reginald le Chen (1290)
 * Alexander de Abernethy (1305)
 * Richard de Dummor (1305)
 * Alexander de Stratoun, Lord of Lauriston (1328)
 * Alexander Fraser (1330)
 * Simon Fraser (1337)
 * Robert de Keith (1348-1358)
 * William de Keith (1359-1391)
 * Robert Burnard - Deputy (1391)
 * Robert de Keith, Lord of Troup (1406-1407)
 * William Keith (1442)
 * Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity - Deputy (1443)
 * Patrick Barclay - Deputy (1448)
 * John de Melville of Glenbervie (1420)
 * William Keith, 1st Earl Marischal (1470)
 * William Keith, 2nd Earl Marischal (1483)
 * William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal (1492)
 * William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal (1525)
 * William Keith, Lord Keith (1621)


 * Sheriffs-Depute


 * Arthur Sheppard, 1728–1748?
 * Francis Garden, Lord Gardenstone, 1748–1760?
 * James Burnet, 1760–1767?
 * Walter Campbell of Shawfield, 1767–1777
 * John Scott, 1777–1780?
 * John Ramsay, 1780–1783
 * Alexander Gordon, 1784–1806?
 * Adam Gillies, 1806–1811
 * George Douglas, 1812–1847?
 * Archibald Davidson, 1847–1848 (Sheriff of Aberdeen, 1848)
 * John Cowan, 1848–1851
 * John Montgomerie Bell, 1852–1862
 * Alexander Burns Shand, 1862–1869 (Sheriff of Haddington and Berwick, 1869-1872}


 * For sheriffs after 1870 see Sheriff of Aberdeen and Kincardine.