Search for a place
Search for a place
| Type: | Scottish County |
| Identifier: | SCO_CNTY |
| Number of units in system: | |
| Geographical Level: | 7 (County) |
| ADL Feature Type: | countries, 2nd order divisions |
| May have as parts: | Scottish Poor Law Combination , Local Govt. Ward , 1841 Occupation reporting area , Scottish Burgh/District , Scottish Parish , New Town |
| May have preceded: | District/Unitary Authority |
| Possible status values: | Scottish County of City (ScoCofC) |
Counties were administrative areas in Scotland from later medieval times until 1975. Initially the unit was a judicial one, the sheriffdom. Sheriffs were local judges and crown officials appointed from the 12th century until the present day. A sheriffdom consisted of a group of parishes over which the sheriff had jurisdiction. In the mid-nineteenth century the boundaries of some counties and sheriffdoms were to diverge. Many important series of records in Scotland are arranged by county (SCAN).