| Under the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1889 many changes were made in the county boundaries, detached portions of Nairn, Perth, Selkirk & etc. being annexed to the counties surrounding them; whilst Orkney and Shetland, united for parliamentary purposes, were separated.
Thus there were 33 counties after 1889: |
| Counties of Scotland until 1890 |
| Roxburgh
Selkirk Shetland Stirling Sutherland Wigtown |
| Aberdeen
Argyll Ayr Banff Berwick Bute Caithness Clackmannan Dumbarton |
| Kirkcudbright
Lanark Linlithgow Nairn Orkney Peebles Perth Renfrew Ross and Cromarty |
| Dumfries
Edinburgh Elgin Fife Forfar Haddington Inverness Kincardine Kinross |
| Counties of Scotland from 1890 to 1974 |
| Like the period after 1889, there were 33 counties prior to 1974, although many had different names and boundaries from these earlier counties. |
| Selkirkshire
Shetland Stirlingshire Sutherland West Lothian (Linlithgow in 1889) Wigtownshire |
| Aberdeenshire
Angus (Forfar in 1889) Argyll Ayrshire Banffshire Berwickshire Bute Caithness Clackmannanshire |
| Mid-Lothian (Edinburgh in 1889) Moray (Elgin in 1889) Nairn Orkney Peebleshire Perthshire Renfrewshire Ross and Cromarty Roxburghshire |
| Dumbartonshire
Dumfriesshire East Lothian (Haddington in 1889) Fife Invernesshire Kincardineshire Kinrosshire Kirkcudbrightshire Lanarkshire |
| Counties of Scotland from 1974 to 1995 |
| Tayside Region (based in Dundee) Angus District Council Dundee District Council Perth and Kinross District Council Island Authorities Orkney Islands Council (based in Kirkwall) Shetland Islands Council (based in Lerwick) Western Isles Council (based in Stornoway) |
| Borders Region (based in Newton St. Boswells) Berwickshire District Council Ettrick and Lauderdale District Council Roxburgh District Council Tweeddale District Council Central Region (based in Stirling) Clackmannan District Council Falkirk District Council Stirling District Council Dumfries and Galloway Region (based in Dumfries) Annandale and Eskdale District Council Nithsdale District Council Stewartry District Council Wigtown District Council Fife Region (based in Glenrothes) Dunfermline District Council Kirkcaldy District Council North-East Fife District Council Grampian Region (based in Aberdeen) Aberdeen District Council Banff and Buchan District Council Gordon District Council Kincardine and Deeside District Council Moray District Council |
| Highland Region (based in Inverness) Badenoch and Strathspey District Council Caithness District Council Inverness District Council Lochaber District Council Nairn District Council Ross and Cromarty District Council Skye and Lochalsh District Council Sutherland District Council Lothian Region (based in Edinburgh) East Lothian District Council Edinburgh District Council Midlothian District Council West Lothian District Council Strathclyde Region (based in Glasgow) Argyll and Bute District Council Bearsden and Milngavie District Council Clydebank District Council Clydesdale District Council Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council Cumnock and Doone Valley District Council Cunninghame District Council Dumbarton District Council East Kilbride District Council Eastwood District Council Glasgow District Council Hamilton District Council Inverclyde District Council Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council Kyle and Carrick District Council Monklands District Council Motherwell District Council Renfrew District Council Strathkelvin District Council |
| Following the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1974 a two-tier system of local authorities was enacted, which operated until 1995. There were 9 Regional Authorities (broken down into 53 District Councils) and 3 unitary Island Councils.
In both cases, a body of councillors, who are elected every four years, ran these local government institutions. Each Regional Council is listed with each of its component District Councils. |
| Counties of Scotland from 1996 |
| The regions and districts were abolished on April 1, 1996 and replaced with the current unitary council areas of Scotland. In 1996 some regions became unitary council areas. Various regions were broken up into many council areas and various districts became unitary council areas.
In addition to the regions and districts, there were three island council areas, covering Shetland, Orkney, and the Western Isles (Outer Hebrides). These areas may be seen as regions consisting of just one district and, in retrospect, as early examples of Scottish unitary council areas. |
| Tayside Region (based in Dundee) Angus District Council Dundee District Council Perth and Kinross District Council Island Authorities Orkney Islands Council (based in Kirkwall) Shetland Islands Council (based in Lerwick) Western Isles Council (based in Stornoway) |
| Borders Region (based in Newton St. Boswells) Berwickshire District Council Ettrick and Lauderdale District Council Roxburgh District Council Tweeddale District Council Central Region (based in Stirling) Clackmannan District Council Falkirk District Council Stirling District Council Dumfries and Galloway Region (based in Dumfries) Annandale and Eskdale District Council Nithsdale District Council Stewartry District Council Wigtown District Council Fife Region (based in Glenrothes) Dunfermline District Council Kirkcaldy District Council North-East Fife District Council Grampian Region (based in Aberdeen) Aberdeen District Council Banff and Buchan District Council Gordon District Council Kincardine and Deeside District Council Moray District Council |
| Highland Region (based in Inverness) Badenoch and Strathspey District Council Caithness District Council Inverness District Council Lochaber District Council Nairn District Council Ross and Cromarty District Council Skye and Lochalsh District Council Sutherland District Council Lothian Region (based in Edinburgh) East Lothian District Council Edinburgh District Council Midlothian District Council West Lothian District Council Strathclyde Region (based in Glasgow) Argyll District Council Bearsden and Milngavie District Council Clydebank District Council Clydesdale District Council Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council Cumnock and Doone Valley District Council Cunninghame District Council Dumbarton District Council East Kilbride District Council Eastwood District Council Glasgow District Council Hamilton District Council Inverclyde District Council Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council Kyle and Carrick District Council Monklands District Council Motherwell District Council Renfrew District Council Strathkelvin District Council |
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