| Description | Town Clerk, 1657-1975, including Burgh Court Books and Town Council Minutes, 1657-1975; Burgh Court, 1657-1785; Registers of Deeds and Protests, 1672-1849; Burgh Chartularies, 1659-1974; Dean of Guild, 1890-1975; Licensing Court, 1947-1964;
Town Chamberlain, 1867-1975 including Abstracts of Accounts, 1901-1975; Valuation Rolls, 1867-1975; Assessment Rolls, 1960-1975 |
| Administrative History | The settlement and seaport of Invernairn, in the parish of Nairn, was erected a royal burgh by William the Lion (1165-1214). A charter of Alexander II (1214-1249) dated between 1215 and 1226 notes that William had set aside lands for a castle and burgh of Invernairn. The burgh was still normally known as Invernairn more than a hundred years after its foundation, but after the reign of Robert I (1306-1329) the shortened form 'Nairn' came to be preferred. By grant of Robert I in 1312 Nairn passed into the hands of the earls of Moray, perhaps remaining under their superiority until the forfeiture of the Douglas earl of Moray in 1455. Later on it was held by the earl of Ross, but Nairn appears to have reverted to the crown with the confiscation of the earldom in 1475. It may have recovered its status as a royal burgh soon afterwards, although there is no sign that it was represented in parliament before 1567. In 1589 a charter of James VI (1567-1625) confirmed Nairn's re-erection as a royal burgh. Fishing, especially herring fishing, was the town's main industry.
By 1841 the population had reached 2,318. In the following year Nairn became a police burgh under the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1833 (3 & 4 Will. IV c.46), although it never adopted all parts of this legislation. Nairn's householders rejected the Police of Towns (Scotland) Act 1850 (13 & 14 Vict. c.33), but the burgh did go on to adopt the whole of the General Police and Improvement (Scotland) Act 1862 (25 & 26 Vict. c 101) in 1863, being governed thereafter by seventeen town councillors serving also as police commissioners. Adoption of the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 (55 &56 Vict., c.55) effected a separation between the functions of council and police commission, whereafter Nairn was governed by a provost, a dean of guild, a treasurer, three bailies, and eleven councillors, along with nine commissioners of police. At this time it united with Inverness, Forres and Fortrose in sending one MP to the UK parliament. Police commissioners were abolished by the Town Councils (Scotland) Act 1900 (63 & 64 Vict., c.50), which replaced them and burgh councils with a single town council. In 1930 Nairn became a small burgh under the terms of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo. V, c.25). It retained this status until 1975, when its town council was abolished in accordance with the terms of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65). The council's powers were assumed by Highland Regional Council and Nairn District Council. |