Stewartry was a

local government district Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

from 1975 until 1996 within the

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the no ...

region in south-west Scotland. Under the name the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright the area of the former district is still used as a

lieutenancy area Lieutenancy areas (), officially counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, are the separate areas of the United Kingdom that are appointed to a lord-lieutenant – a representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have s ...

Dumfries and Galloway Council Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the ...

has a Stewartry

area committee Many large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees or area boards, which involve local people and organisations in decisions affecting council spending within their area. They cover a geographical are ...

which approximately covers the same area, subject to some adjustments where ward boundaries no longer follow the pre-1996 district boundary. The Stewartry covers the majority of the historic county of

Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbrightshire ( ) or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the Counties of Scotland, historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an ...

, and derives its name from the county's alternative name of "The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright".

History

Stewartry district was created on 16 May 1975 under the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament (UK), act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government of Scotland, local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975. The act followed and largely impleme ...

, which established a two-tier structure of local government across Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Stewartry district was one of four districts created within the region of

. The district covered the majority of the former administrative county of Kirkcudbrightshire, excluding the

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Kirkmabreck and Minnigaff on the western edge of the county, which went to Wigtown district, and the parishes of Kirkbean, Kirkpatrick Irongray,

New Abbey New Abbey () is a village in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is south of Dumfries. The summit of the prominent hill Criffel is to the south. History The village has a wealth of history incl ...

Terregles Terregles () is a village and civil parish near Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the former county of Kirkcudbrightshire. The name Terregles, recorded as ''Travereglis'' in 1359, is from Cumbric ''*trev-ïr-eglẹ:s''. '' ...

, and Troqueer on the eastern edge of the county, which went to

Nithsdale Nithsdale (), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale (landform), dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost their administrat ...

. The district's name was derived from the alternative name for Kirkcudbrightshire as the "Stewartry of Kirkcudbright", referencing the fact that the area had previously been administered by a steward rather than a sheriff. The district's legal name was just "Stewartry", but in common usage the area is generally referred to as "the Stewartry". For lieutenancy purposes, the last

lord-lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility o ...

of the county of Kirkcudbrightshire was made lord-lieutenant for the new Stewartry district when it came into effect in 1975. Further local government reform in 1996 under the

Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the current Local government in Scotland, local government structure of 32 Unitary authority, unitary authori ...

saw the four districts of Dumfries and Galloway abolished, with Dumfries and Galloway Council taking over their functions. The council continues to use the former Stewartry district as the basis of an

, alongside committees for the other three abolished districts of

Annandale and Eskdale Annandale and Eskdale is a committee area in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It covers the areas of Annandale and Eskdale, the straths of the River Annan and the River Esk respectively. From 1975 until 1996 it was a local government distr ...

, and Wigtown, subject to some adjustments of boundaries where ward boundaries no longer follow the pre-1996 district boundaries. The area of the former district also continues to be used for lieutenancy purposes as the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright lieutenancy area.

Political control

The first election to the district council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Throughout the council's existence a majority of the seats were held by independents:

Premises

Stewartry District Council was based at the former headquarters of the abolished Kirkcudbrightshire County Council, being a converted pair of late 18th century houses called the County Buildings at 121–123 High Street in

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; ) is a town at the mouth of the River Dee, Galloway, River Dee in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, southwest of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie. A former royal burgh, it is the traditional county town of Kirkcudbrightshire. His ...

, with a large extension built in 1952 to the rear facing Daar Road. Since the district council's abolition in 1996 the building has been an area office of Dumfries and Galloway Council.

References

External links

Community website
listing community events in the Stewartry Region
Website about Dalbeattie, a town in the Stewartry
{{Dumfries and Galloway elections Districts of Scotland Lieutenancy areas of Scotland Committee areas of Dumfries and Galloway 1975 establishments in Scotland 1996 disestablishments in Scotland States and territories established in 1975 States and territories disestablished in 1996

History

Political control

Premises

See also

References

External links