Thanks to Gavin for an interesting account Ray > > From: Sharon <ssusmol@yahoo.ca> > Date: 2005/05/19 Thu AM 03:49:05 GMT+12:00 > To: MORAY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re:[MORAY] Banffshire > > Yes, I remember we already had this discussion about > Banffshire, and Moray concerning my rellie, Charles > Middleton, who was born in Banff, Banffshire, 1797. I > still haven't found him. > > Sharon > --- Gavin Bell <g.bell@which.net> wrote: > > > > Banffshire has long been something of a Cinderella > > among counties, > > always in danger of being swallowed by its bigger > > neighbours. > > > > In ecclesiastical terms, the county never really > > existed. The Kirk of > > Scotland divided the country up into administrative > > districts called > > Synods (being a gouping of Presbyteries, which in > > turn were a grouping > > of Parishes), and while they had different > > boundaries from the counties, > > these did broadly coincide. So Aberdeenshire > > covered much of the same > > ground as the Synod of Aberdeen, and the county of > > Angus largely > > coincided with the Synod of Angus and Mearns. But > > Banffshire never made > > it to Synod status, being divided between the Synods > > of Moray and Aberdeen. > > > > As a civil county (for the administration of > > justice, and other purposes > > connected with the Crown), Banffshire did exist for > > a number of > > centuries, but with very untidy boundaries: until > > 1891, when there was > > a grand tidy-up, some parishes were in more than one > > county, and some > > parts of the county actually existed as islands > > within other counties. > > I have documented these oddities, and their likely > > implications for > > genealogy, on the Banffshire pages of GENUKI > > (www.abdn.net/genuki/BAN). > > > > More recently, Banffshire has, along with all > > Scottish counties, been > > subject to two major reorganisations: in 1974, the > > old counties were > > replaced by a system of "Regions". Banffshire > > (together with > > Aberdeenshire, Kincardine, Moray and the City of > > Aberdeen) was absorbed > > into Grampian Region. 20 years later, the doctine > > of "Big is Beautiful" > > had gone out of fashion, and the Regions were split > > up again. However, > > we did not go back to where we were before. > > Instead, the territory of > > Grampian Region was split into 3: Aberdeen City, > > Aberdeenshire and > > Moray, but "Aberdeenshire" now includes all of > > Kincardine, and the > > eastern half of Banffshire. Similarly, "Moray" has > > absorbed the western > > parts of Banffshire. > > > > As a result of all these changes, finding the > > archives which might > > contain information on one's ancestors is, to say > > the least, complicated. > > ______________________________________________________________________ > Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca > > > ==== MORAY Mailing List ==== > " Reply All " ........Please, please, please, when replying to a posted message make sure that the reply is sent to the list and not just the sender of the message. This is done by clicking " Reply All " Thank you ;-) > > ============================== > New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your ancestors at the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn more: http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targetid=5429 > >