The Sheriff of Ayr was historically (from 1221) the royal official responsible for enforcing
law and order
In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...
in
Ayr
Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...
, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice.
Sundrum Castle
Sundrum Castle is a Scottish medieval castle located north of Coylton, South Ayrshire, by the Water of Coyle river. It was built in the 14th century for Sir Duncan Wallace, Sheriff of Ayr. The castle was inherited by Sir Alan de Cathcart, who w ...
was used by the sheriff from the 14th century, and
Loudoun Castle from the 16th century. 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.
In 1946 Bute was added to form the new sheriffdom of Ayr and Bute, which was in turn abolished in 1975 and replaced by the current sheriffdom of South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway .
Sheriffs of Ayr
*John of Moray (c.1170)
*Reginald Crawford, (1221 – died 1226/1229)
*Malcolm of Moray (1236)
*
Hugh Crawford (died 1265), Chief of Clan Crawford, Lord of Loudon Castle)
*
Walter Stewart, 1264
*
William Comyn (1263-1265)
*Andrew Moray (1288)
[.]
*
James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland
James Stewart (c. 1260 - 16 July 1309) was the 5th Hereditary High Steward of Scotland and a Guardian of Scotland during the List of monarchs of Scotland#First Interregnum 1290-1292, First Interregnum.
Origins
He was the eldest surviving son of ...
(1288)
*
Reginald Crawford (1296)
*
Patrick IV, Earl of March
Patrick IV, 8th Earl of Dunbar and Earl of March (124210 October 1308), sometimes called Patrick de Dunbar "8th" Earl of March, was the most important magnate in the border regions of Scotland. He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scot ...
(1301)
*
Robert de Brus
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...
(1303)
**Magnus de Stratherne - 1303 - Deputy
**Nicholas de Benhathe - 1303 - Deputy
*Godfrey de Ros (1305–)
*Robert of Laybourn (1306)
*Robert Wallace (1342)
*Duncan Wallace (1359)
*John Wallace of Craigie
*Andrew Campbell of Loudoun (died 1368)
*William Cunningham, Earl of Carrick (died between December 1396 and July 1399) (1374)
*William de Cunningham
[ (1406)
*Hugh Campbell of Loudoun
*George Campbell of Loudoun (1450–1491)
*Hugh Campbell (died 1508)
* Hugh Campbell of Loudoun (1503–1561) ][
*Matthew Campbell of Loudoun (1561–1574) ][
*Mathew Baird, (1573)
*Hugh Campbell of Loudoun (1574–15 Dec 1622) 1st Lord of Loudoun
*]William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn
William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn ( gd, Uilleam Coineagan) (1610–1664), was a Scottish nobleman, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and a cavalier. He was also the chief of Clan Cunningham.
The eldest son of William Cunningham, 8th Earl of ...
(1661-1664)
* John Drummond, 1st Duke of Melfort (1686–1690) [
*Hugh, Earl of Loudoun (1699–1707) ][
*Robert Wallace c.1723
*John, Lord Loudon (1747-1748) ][
;Sheriffs-Depute (1748)
*William Duff, 1747–1775 ][
*William Wallace, 1775–1786
* William Craig, Lord Craig, 1787–1792
*Edward McCormick, 1793–1814
* Archibald Bell, 1815–>1852 (died 1854)
*John Christison, <1861–1862 ][
*Neil Colquhoun Campbell of Barnhill, 1862–1883
*John Comrie Thomson, 1883–1885 ][
*Sir David Brand, 1885–1908 ][
*John Campbell Lorimer, 1908–1911]
Sheriffs of Ayr and Bute (1946)
*Arthur Paterson Duffes, KC, 1946–1948 Sheriff of Perth
The Sheriff of Perth was historically a royal official, appointed for life, who was responsible for enforcing justice in Perth, Scotland. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobite upri ...
and Angus, 1954–)
* Charles James Dalrymple Shaw, QC, 1954–1957 Sheriff of Perth
The Sheriff of Perth was historically a royal official, appointed for life, who was responsible for enforcing justice in Perth, Scotland. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobite upri ...
and Angus, 1957–)
*John Oswald Mair Hunter, QC, 1957–1961 [ (]Sheriff of Perth and Angus
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, 1966)
*Robert Howat McDonald, QC, 1966–1972 [
*Robert Reid, 1973–1975 ]
See also
* Historical development of Scottish sheriffdoms
A sheriffdom is a judicial district of Scotland. Originally identical to the Shires of Scotland, from the eighteenth century many counties were grouped to form "sheriffdoms".
By 1975 there were 12 sheriffdoms, with only Lanarkshire not groupe ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheriff Of Ayr
*
Ayrshire