List of Provosts of Peterhead
Encyclopedia
The Provost of Peterhead was the head of the Peterhead
burgh
council in Scotland
. Provosts were elected by the council and served not only as the chairman of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire town. They were equivalent in many ways to the institution of mayor
. The council was abolished in 1975.
Each of the 32 Scottish local authorities elects a convener or provost
, but it is only the four main cities, Glasgow
, Edinburgh
, Aberdeen
and Dundee
that have a Lord Provost
. This is enshrined in the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
.
The Provost of Peterhead painted by Edward Burton after Sir John Watson-Gordon
, is of Roderick Grey, the portrait now being in the Scottish National Gallery.
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
council in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Provosts were elected by the council and served not only as the chairman of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire town. They were equivalent in many ways to the institution of mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. The council was abolished in 1975.
Each of the 32 Scottish local authorities elects a convener or provost
Provost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
, but it is only the four main cities, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
that have a Lord Provost
Lord Provost
A Lord Provost is the figurative and ceremonial head of one of the principal cities of Scotland. Four cities, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, have the right to appoint a Lord Provost instead of a provost...
. This is enshrined in the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....
.
The Provost of Peterhead painted by Edward Burton after Sir John Watson-Gordon
John Watson Gordon
Sir John Watson Gordon was a Scottish portrait painter and a president of the Royal Scottish Academy.-Life and work:He was born John Watson in Edinburgh, the eldest son of Captain Watson, R.N., a cadet of the family of Watson of Overmains, in the county of Berwick. He was educated specially with a...
, is of Roderick Grey, the portrait now being in the Scottish National Gallery.
Provosts
- 1833-1834: George Arbuthnot of Invernettie, cotton manufacturer
- 1834-1843: Thomas Arbuthnot of Meethill, shipowner
- 1843-1857: Roderick Grey, WS, solicitor
- 1857-1860: Alexander Anderson, shipowner
- 1860-1885: William Alexander of Whitehill, solicitor/bank agent
- 1885-1888: John Henderson Will of Downiehills, fish curer
- 1888-1899: John Smith, manufacturer
- 1899-1918: William Hutchison Leask, commission agent and drifter owner
- 1918-1927: James Hutchison Catto, commission agent and herring exporter
- 1927-1930: James Milne, coal merchant
- 1930-1936: John B Dickie, timber merchant
- 1936-1940: Max J. L. Schultze, herring exporter
- 1940-1946: Robert S. Dingwall, gents utfitter
- 1946-1950: William McD. GordonWilliam McD. GordonWilliam McDougall Gordon MBE was born in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of William Gordon and Margaret McDougall.William was a cabinet maker and prior to taking up the post of Provost, William Gordon was the Town Treasurer for Peterhead. he served as Provost of Peterhead from 1946 to...
, cabinet maker - 1950-1956: John A. Dickie, timber erchant
- 1956-1965: Robert Forman, company director, boat owner
- 1965-1971: Edward A. Duncan, grocer
- 1971-1975: Thomas L. Smith, headmaster