Baillie
Encyclopedia
A baillie or bailie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland
. The position arose in the burgh
s, where baillies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman
or magistrate
(see bailiff
). Modern bailies exist in Scottish local councils, with the position being a courtesy title and appointees often requested to provide support to the Lord Provost
or Provost
- the ceremonial and civic head of the council - in his various engagements.
and formerly was synonymous with Provost
, with several officials holding this role often at the appointment of the Church.
The jurisdiction
of a bailie is called a bailiary (alt. bailiery).
The office of bailie was eliminated in law in Scotland in 1975 and today the position of bailie is a courtesy title.
Local government of Scotland
Local government in Scotland is organised through 32 unitary authorities designated as Councils which consist of councillors elected every four years by registered voters in each of the council areas....
. The position arose in the 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...
s, where baillies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
or magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
(see bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
). Modern bailies exist in Scottish local councils, with the position being a courtesy title and appointees often requested to provide support to the 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...
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:...
- the ceremonial and civic head of the council - in his various engagements.
History
The name derives from Old FrenchOld French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
and formerly was synonymous with Provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
, with several officials holding this role often at the appointment of the Church.
The jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
of a bailie is called a bailiary (alt. bailiery).
The office of bailie was eliminated in law in Scotland in 1975 and today the position of bailie is a courtesy title.
Use
- Aberdeen City CouncilAberdeen City CouncilAberdeen City Council represents the Aberdeen City council area of Scotland.The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. Act 1994...
- appoints five bailies. - Dundee City Council - appoints five bailies. The position was reintroduced in 2003.
- Edinburgh City Council - appoints six bailies. The position was reintroduced in the 2000s following the title falling into disuse after the 1975 reform of local government.
- Glasgow City Council - appoints seventeen bailies.
Notable Scottish baillies
- Alasdair MacMhaighstir AlasdairAlasdair MacMhaighstir AlasdairAlasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair was a Scottish poet, lexicographer, political writer and memoirist, respected as perhaps the finest Gaelic language poet of the 18th century...
, Bailie of CannaCanna, ScotlandCanna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is long and wide... - Mary BarbourMary BarbourMary Barbour was a Scottish political activist, local councillor and magistrate who was closely associated with the Red Clydeside movement in the early 20th century....
, Glasgow Corporation's first woman Baillie (1924-1927) - Alexander Comyn, Earl of BuchanAlexander Comyn, Earl of BuchanAlexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan was a Scoto-Norman magnate who was one of the most important figures in the 13th century Kingdom of Scotland. He was the son of William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, and Marjory, Countess of Buchan, the heiress of the last native Scottish Mormaer of Buchan,...
, Bailie of InverieInverieInverie is the only village in Knoydart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is linked by ferry to Mallaig, but there is no road access to thearea from the rest of Scotland. The village is home to the remotest public house in mainland Great Britain, 'The Old Forge'.Inverie lies on the north side of...
, Knoydart - Sir John Lauder, 1st BaronetSir John Lauder, 1st BaronetSir John Lauder, 1st Baronet, of Newington and Fountainhall was a notable Scottish baillie and Treasurer of the City of Edinburgh, who was raised to a Nova Scotia baronetcy in 1688.-Antecedents:...
, Bailie of EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh 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... - Thomas Watt, Bailie to the Baron of CartsburnBaron of CartsburnThe Barony of Cartsburn in the Baronage of Scotland was created for Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn in 1669, when the lands of Cartsburn in the Parish of Easter Greenock in the Shire of Renfrew were erected in liberam baronium, as a free Barony held of the Prince and Great Steward of Scotland...
, grandfather of James WattJames WattJames Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the... - Bailie William Landale, winner of the silver cup at the first open championship held at St Andrews Old Course in 1754, see Timeline of golf history (1353-1850)Timeline of golf history (1353-1850)The following is a partial timeline of the history of golf:*1421 - A Scottish regiment aiding the French against the English at the Siege of Bauge is introduced to the game of chole...
- "Baillie Vass" - a provincial newspaper, the Aberdeen Evening Express accidentally used a picture of Sir Alec Douglas-Home over a caption referring to a baillie called Vass. Private EyePrivate EyePrivate Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
then affected to believe that Home was an imposter.
See also
- Burgess (title)
- Deacon, the old Scots equivalent of councillorCouncillorA councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
- Bailie of Holyroodhouse
- Glasgow Bailie, a type of salted herringHerringHerring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
, which is also sometimes known as a "Glasgow Magistrate" - Bailie Nicol JarvieBailie Nicol JarvieBailie Nicol Jarvie is a brand of whisky distilled and sold by Glenmorangie plc in Scotland. It is named after a character in Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy....
, a brand of whisky named after a fictional character in Sir Walter ScottWalter ScottSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's novel Rob Roy - Bailie Marie Barclay, famous lady of the night in the 1920s