Sheriff of Kincardine
# Sheriff of Kincardine

The Sheriff of Kincardine, also known as The Mearns, was historically a royal appointment, held at pleasure, which carried the responsibility for enforcing justice in Kincardine, Scotland. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobite uprising of 1745, the hereditary sheriffs were replaced by salaried sheriff-deputes, qualified advocates who were members of the Scottish Bar.

Following a general merger of the sheriffdoms in 1870 the position became the Sheriff of Aberdeen and Kincardine.

## Sheriffs

* Osbert Olifard (c. 1160)
* John de Hastinkes, Lord of Dun (1163-1178)
* Robert de Inverkeilor (c. 1198)
* Robert Senescald (1214-1225)
* Philip de Melville, Lord of Mondynes (1222-1240)
* John Wishart (1230)
* Reginald le Chen (1263)
* Robert le Chen (1263-1266)
* Reginald le Chen (1266)
* Reginald le Chen (1290)
* Alexander de Abernethy (1305)
* Richard de Dummor (1305)
* Alexander de Stratoun, Lord of Lauriston (1328)
* Alexander Fraser (1330)
* Simon Fraser (1337)
* Robert de Keith (1348-1358)
* William de Keith (1359-1391)
   * Robert Burnard - Deputy (1391)
* Robert de Keith, Lord of Troup (1406-1407)
* William Keith (1442)
   * Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity - Deputy (1443)
   * Patrick Barclay - Deputy (1448)
* John de Melville of Glenbervie (1420)
* William Keith, 1st Earl Marischal (1470)
* William Keith, 2nd Earl Marischal (1483)
* William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal (1492)
* William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal (1525)
* William Keith, Lord Keith (1621)

### Sheriffs-Depute

* Arthur Sheppard, 1728–1748?
* Francis Garden, Lord Gardenstone, 1748–1760?
* James Burnet, 1760–1767?
* Walter Campbell of Shawfield, 1767–1777
* John Scott, 1777–1780?
* John Ramsay, 1780–1783
* Alexander Gordon, 1784–1806?
* Adam Gillies, 1806–1811
* George Douglas, 1812–1847?
* Archibald Davidson, 1847–1848 (Sheriff of Aberdeen, 1848)
* John Cowan, 1848–1851
* John Montgomerie Bell, 1852–1862
* Alexander Burns Shand, 1862–1869 (Sheriff of Haddington and Berwick, 1869-1872}
* For sheriffs after 1870 see Sheriff of Aberdeen and Kincardine.
