Royal Burgh
A royal burgh was a Scottish fortified parish, often under the protection of a castle , which was either incorporated or subsequently received under a royal charter . Although it was legally abolished in 1975, the name is still used today by previous Royal Burghs .
Most Royal Burghs were either founded by the Scottish Crown or were promoted from other personal statuses such as the Burgh of Barony . As independent forms of burghs - originally they differed from regular burghs only by their location on royal land - the royal burghs received a monopoly on international trade.
The privileges granted to the Burgh were laid down in a charter and were thus comparable to city rights . Every Royal Burgh (with the exception of four inactive Burghs ) was represented in the Scottish Parliament and was able to appoint bailies with civil and criminal jurisdiction. In 1707 there were 70 Royal Burghs.
With the Royal Burghs Act 1833, the election of the city council was reformed. The active right to vote granted by the Reform Act 1832 now also entitles the city council to vote.
origin
Before the reign of David I (1124–1153) there were no cities in Scotland. The larger inhabited areas around monasteries such as Dunkeld or St Andrews or locally significant fortifications resembled the present-day understanding of cities most closely . At least outside of Lothian there were scattered hamlets and the settlements could not be compared with continental European towns. David I founded the first Burghs in Scotland, but initially only in the Central English-speaking area around Lothian. The earliest castle foundations were Berwick and Roxburgh ; both were founded in 1124. As early as 1130 there were Burghs in Gaelic circles ( Stirling , Dunfermline , Perth and Scone ) and in Edinburgh . The conquest of Moray in the same year led to the establishment of Burghs in Elgin and Forres . By 1210 there were 40 burghs in the Scottish kingdom alone. More burghs emerged during the Scottish Wars of Independence .
Burghs were then inhabited more by foreigners than by Scots or Lothians. In addition to the predominant Flemish people , there were English, French and Germans. The vocabulary was made up of German or French roots. The councilors, for example, were known as lie doussane , which was a term for a dozen.
In the 20th century, for example, Auchterarder (1951), Elie and Earlsferry (1930) or Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester were named Royal Burgh.
Abolition and status since 1975
The rights of the Royal Burghs were confirmed, if not guaranteed, by Article XXI of the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England of 1707 .
The Royal Burghs were officially abolished in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 . The cities are now sometimes referred to as former royal burghs , for example by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland .
After various debates in the House of Commons since the 1970s, several local councils have made "Royal Burgh" part of their city's name. Lord Lyon has assured various Royal Burghs to use the corresponding coat of arms .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Select Committee on Privileges Second Report, September 1999
- ↑ George S Pryde, The Burghs of Scotland: A Critical List , Oxford, 1965. The four inactive burghs were Auchtermuchty, Earlsferry, Falkland and Newburgh
- ↑ Union with England Act 1707 (original text)
- ↑ for example Annan , Arbroath , Cupar , Elgin , Haddington and County, Jedburgh , Kirkcudbright and County, Lanark , Peebles and County, St Andrews and Wick .
- ^ RM Urquhart, Scottish Civic Heraldry 2 , Hamilton, 2001
literature
- GWS Barrow , Kingship and Unity: Scotland, 1000-1306 , (Edinburgh, 1981)
- Donaldson, Gordon & Morpeth, Robert S., A Dictionary of Scottish History , Edinburgh, 1977; page 31 re monopoly of foreign trade
- Lynch, Michael, Scotland: A New History , Pimlico 1992; page 62 re origin of burgh charters
- McNeill, Peter GB & MacQueen, Hector L. (eds), Atlas of Scottish History to 1707 , (Edinburgh, 1996)