Tarbertshire facts for kids

Tarbertshire was a special area in Scotland, a bit like a county, that existed a long time ago. It was also called the sheriffdom of Tarbert. This area was around until the year 1633. After that, it became part of a bigger area called Argyllshire.

Tarbertshire included the land that forms the Knapdale and Kintyre peninsulas. These are pieces of land almost surrounded by water. It also included some islands to the west, which are part of the southern Inner Hebrides.

What Was Tarbertshire?

Tarbertshire was a "shire," which was a way Scotland divided its land. Each shire had a "sheriff" who was in charge of keeping order. Think of it like a local government area.

Its History and Location

Some people think that Robert the Bruce, a famous Scottish king, might have started Tarbertshire. He made Tarbert Castle bigger, which was an important place in the area. However, the first time Tarbertshire is mentioned in records is in 1481.

In 1481, a part of Scotland called Knapdale joined Tarbertshire. Before that, Knapdale was part of Perthshire. The main town for Tarbertshire was Tarbert. But later on, the main court for the area was in Inveraray, which was in Argyllshire.

Who Governed Tarbertshire?

The powerful Clan Campbell family, especially the Earl of Argyll, often held important jobs in Tarbertshire. They frequently served as the Sheriff of Tarbert. They also held other official positions in both Argyll and Tarbert.

Tarbertshire in Parliament

From 1590, shires in Scotland could send a "commissioner" to the Parliament of Scotland. A commissioner was a person who represented their area. They would go to Parliament to speak for the people of their shire.

The Last Representative

Tarbertshire is only known to have sent one commissioner to Parliament. This happened during the Parliament of King Charles I, between 1628 and 1633. The commissioner was a man named Sir Lachlan Maclean from Morvern.

Sir Lachlan Maclean was the last commissioner for Tarbertshire. This is because the very Parliament he attended was the one that decided to end Tarbertshire. In 1630, another person, Sir Coll Lamont, was said to represent "Argyll and Tarbert" together.