List of burghs in Scotland facts for kids

The small town of Falkland, Fife, which became a royal burgh in 1458.

A burgh (pronounced BURR-uh) is an old Scottish word for a town or a special type of community. It's similar to the English word borough. These burghs were important places in Scotland's history, especially for local government and trade.

This article talks about the burghs in Scotland that were still active after a law called the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 came into effect in 1893. Before this, some burghs weren't really doing their job of managing the town, so they were closed down.

The burghs listed here are grouped by the county they belonged to. These county borders were used for local government from about 1890 until 1975. During this time, four of these burghs were so big and important that they were also considered their own counties, called counties of cities.

What are Counties of Cities?

These four special burghs were known as counties of cities. This meant they were completely independent from the counties around them. They handled all their own legal and local government matters.

Burgh	When it became a police burgh	Its earlier history as a burgh	How it was represented in Parliament after 1707
Aberdeen	1862	A royal burgh since 1124	Part of the Aberdeen Burghs (1708-1832) and then the Aberdeen burgh constituency (1832-1885)
Dundee	1837	A royal burgh from 1191–1195	Part of the Perth Burghs (1708-1832) and then the Dundee burgh constituency (1832-1950)
Edinburgh	1805 (by a special law)	A royal burgh since 1124–1127	The Edinburgh burgh constituency (1708-1885)
Glasgow	1800 (by a special law)	A royal burgh since 1611	Part of the Clyde Burghs (1708-1832) and then the Glasgow burgh constituency (1832-1885)

Did you know? The Royal Burgh of Aberdeen grew bigger by taking in other burghs like Old Aberdeen and Woodside in 1891.
Did you know? The Royal Burgh of Glasgow also expanded a lot, absorbing several burghs from Renfrewshire over the years, including Govan and Pollokshaws.

Types of Burghs in Scotland

Scotland had different kinds of burghs, each with its own history and rules:

Royal Burghs

These were the most important type of burgh. They were created by the King or Queen of Scotland and had special rights. They could hold markets, trade freely, and often had their own courts. Many of Scotland's biggest cities started as royal burghs.

Example: Inverurie in Aberdeenshire became a royal burgh in 1558.
Example: Arbroath in Angus was a royal burgh from 1599.
Example: Ayr in Ayrshire became a royal burgh around 1203-1206.

Burghs of Barony and Burghs of Regality

These burghs were created by a powerful lord or a church leader, not directly by the King. They had some trading rights, but usually less freedom than royal burghs.

A burgh of barony was controlled by a local lord.
A burgh of regality was controlled by a lord who had even more power, almost like a mini-king in their area.

Example: Ellon in Aberdeenshire was a burgh of barony from 1707.
Example: Kirriemuir in Angus was a burgh of barony from 1459 and later a burgh of regality from 1670.
Example: Alloa in Clackmannanshire was a burgh of regality from 1497.

Police Burghs

Over time, many towns needed better ways to manage themselves, especially as they grew. The Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 allowed towns to become "police burghs." This meant they could set up their own police force, manage local services like street lighting and sanitation, and have a more modern town council. Many older burghs (royal, barony, or regality) adopted this "police system" to improve their local government. Some towns that weren't burghs before also became police burghs.

Example: Ballater in Aberdeenshire became a police burgh in 1891, even though it wasn't a burgh before.
Example: Dunoon in Argyll became a police burgh in 1868.
Example: Ardrossan in Ayrshire adopted the police system in 1865.

How Burghs Changed Over Time

The way burghs were governed changed a lot, especially after the Acts of Union 1707 when Scotland joined with England to form Great Britain. Many burghs also had a role in sending representatives to the UK Parliament.

Some burghs, like Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, became "parliamentary burghs" in 1832, meaning they could elect their own Member of Parliament.
Over the years, many smaller burghs were absorbed by larger ones as towns grew. For example, Broughty Ferry was absorbed by Dundee in 1913.
Sometimes, several smaller burghs merged to form a new, larger burgh, like Elie and Earlsferry in Fife, which was created in 1929 from two older burghs.

Burghs in Different Counties

Here are some examples of burghs from various Scottish counties, showing when they adopted the police system and their earlier history.

Aberdeenshire

Fraserburgh burgh: Adopted police system in 1840. It was a burgh of barony from 1546.
Peterhead burgh: Adopted police system in 1860. It was a burgh of barony from 1587 and a parliamentary burgh from 1832.

Angus (also known as Forfarshire)

Brechin royal burgh: Adopted police system around 1893. Its royal burgh status was confirmed in 1641.
Carnoustie burgh: Adopted police system in 1889. It had no earlier burgh history.

Argyll

Oban burgh: Adopted police system in 1862. It was a burgh of barony from 1820 and a parliamentary burgh from 1832.

Ayrshire

Kilmarnock burgh: Adopted police system in 1847. It was a burgh of barony from 1592 and a parliamentary burgh from 1832.
Prestwick burgh: Adopted police system in 1903. It was an ancient burgh of barony dating back to the 10th century.

Banffshire

Banff royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1840. It became a royal burgh around 1203-1206.
Buckie burgh: Adopted police system in 1888. It had no earlier burgh history.

Berwickshire

Lauder royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1875. Its royal burgh status was confirmed in 1502.
Eyemouth burgh: Adopted police system in 1866. It was a burgh of barony from 1598.

Buteshire

Rothesay royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1846. It was a royal burgh from 1401.

Caithness

Wick royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1862. It was a royal burgh from 1589.

Clackmannanshire

Tillicoultry burgh: Adopted police system in 1871. It was a burgh of barony from 1634.

Dumfriesshire

Dumfries royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1833. It was a royal burgh around 1186.
Lockerbie burgh: Adopted police system in 1863. It had no earlier burgh history.

Dunbartonshire

Dumbarton royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1833. It was a royal burgh by 1532.
Clydebank burgh: Adopted police system in 1886. It had no earlier burgh history.

East Lothian (also known as Haddingtonshire)

Haddington royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1858. It became a royal burgh around 1124-1153.
Prestonpans burgh: Adopted police system in 1862. It was a burgh of barony from 1552.

Fife

Dunfermline royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1811. Its royal burgh status was restored in 1594.
Kirkcaldy royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1811. It was a royal burgh from 1644.
Cowdenbeath burgh: Adopted police system in 1890. It had no earlier burgh history.

Inverness-shire

Inverness royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1862. It became a royal burgh around 1130-1153.
Fort William burgh: Adopted police system in 1875. It was a burgh of barony from 1618.

Kincardineshire

Stonehaven burgh: Adopted police system in 1889. It was a burgh of barony from 1587.

Kinross-shire

Kinross burgh: Adopted police system in 1864. It was a burgh of barony from 1541.

Kirkcudbrightshire

Kirkcudbright royal burgh: Adopted police system around 1893. It was a royal burgh from 1445.
Castle Douglas burgh: Adopted police system in 1862. It was a burgh of barony from 1791.

Lanarkshire

Lanark royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1855. It became a royal burgh between 1153-1159.
Coatbridge burgh: Adopted police system in 1885. It was created as a burgh by a special law in 1885.

Midlothian (also known as Edinburghshire)

Musselburgh burgh: Adopted police system in 1849. It was a burgh of regality from 1562 and a parliamentary burgh from 1832.
Penicuik burgh: Adopted police system in 1866. It had no earlier burgh history.

Morayshire (also known as Elginshire)

Elgin royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1833. Its royal burgh status was confirmed in 1457.
Lossiemouth and Branderburgh burgh: Adopted police system in 1890. It had no earlier burgh history.

Nairnshire

Nairn royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1841. It regained its royal burgh status in 1476.

Orkney

Kirkwall royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1838. It was a royal burgh from 1486.

Peeblesshire

Peebles royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1864. It was a royal burgh around 1153.

Perthshire

Perth royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1865. It was a royal burgh around 1124-1127.
Crieff burgh: Adopted police system in 1864. It had no earlier burgh history.

Renfrewshire

Renfrew royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1855. Its royal burgh status dates back to 1397.
Paisley burgh: Adopted police system in 1806. It was a burgh of barony from 1488.

Ross and Cromarty

Dingwall royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1834. It was a royal burgh from 1498.
Stornoway burgh: Adopted police system in 1863. It was a burgh of barony from 1607.

Roxburghshire

Jedburgh royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1847. Its royal burgh status was restored by 1424.
Hawick burgh: Adopted police system in 1845. It was a burgh of barony from 1511.

Selkirkshire

Selkirk royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1863. It was a royal burgh by 1328.

Stirlingshire

Stirling royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1857. It became a royal burgh around 1124-1127.
Falkirk burgh: Adopted police system in 1859. It was a burgh of barony from 1600 and a parliamentary burgh from 1832.

Sutherland

Dornoch royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1891. It was a royal burgh from 1628.

West Lothian (also known as Linlithgowshire)

Linlithgow royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1866. It was a royal burgh from around 1138.
Bathgate burgh: Adopted police system in 1865. It was a burgh of barony from 1663.

Wigtownshire

Stranraer royal burgh: Adopted police system in 1848. It was a royal burgh from 1617.
Newton Stewart burgh: Adopted police system in 1861. It was a burgh of barony from 1677.

Zetland (Shetland)

Lerwick burgh: Adopted police system in 1833. It was a burgh of barony from 1818.