55°07′59″N3°43′59″W / 55.133°N 3.733°W /55.133; -3.733
| Nithsdale | |
|---|---|
| District | |
 | |
| History | |
| • Created | 16 May 1975 |
| • Abolished | 31 March 1996 |
| • Succeeded by | Dumfries and Galloway |
| • HQ | Dumfries |
| Contained within | |
| • Region | Dumfries and Galloway |
Nithsdale (Scottish Gaelic:Srath Nid), also known asStrathnith,Stranith orStranit, is thestrath ordale of theRiver Nith in southernScotland. Nithsdale was one of the medievalprovinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost their administrative importance to theshires created from the twelfth century, with Nithsdale forming part ofDumfriesshire. A Nithsdaledistrict covering a similar area to the medieval province was created in 1975, based in the area's main town ofDumfries. The district was abolished in 1996, since when the area has been directly administered byDumfries and Galloway Council.
The nameStrath Nid may represent theCumbricYstrad Nidd; Cumbric (a variety ofCommon Brittonic) was the dominant language in this area from before Roman times until the 11th or 12th century, whereas Gaelic influence here was late and transient. The River Nith flows north to south through theSouthern Uplands in south-west Scotland, separating theLowther Hills from theScaur Hills. Nithsdale was historically a strategically important area, lying on some of the main routes from England to the south into the rest of Scotland. These routes were important for trade, but were also of military importance during theWars of Scottish Independence andAnglo-Scottish Wars.
The province of Nithsdale borderedAnnandale to the east,Clydesdale to the north,Kyle to the north-west andGalloway to the west. By 1305 the area was part of theshire of Dumfries. Thesheriff of Dumfries also had nominal jurisdiction over neighbouringAnnandale andEskdale, but those two areas retained a large degree of independence with their own hereditary rulers, such that Nithsdale was the main area where the authority of the sheriff of Dumfries practically applied.[2] The titleEarl of Nithsdale was created in 1620 forRobert Maxwell ofCaerlaverock Castle, but the title was forfeited in 1716 following the involvement ofWilliam Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale, in theJacobite rising of 1715.
Gradually the shire became the more significant unit of local government than the provinces.Commissioners of Supply were created for each shire in 1667, and many of the old provinces (including Annandale and Eskdale) lost their hereditary rulers under theHeritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746. The custom continued of describing Dumfriesshire as comprising three divisions called Annandale, Nithsdale and Eskdale.[3] Dumfriesshire County Council was established in 1890 under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1889.
A local government district called Nithsdale was created on 16 May 1975 under theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure of local government across Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Nithsdale district was one of four districts created within the region ofDumfries and Galloway. The district covered the western part of Dumfriesshire, and also included theparishes ofKirkbean, Kirkpatrick Irongray,New Abbey,Terregles, andTroqueer, which had formerly been inKirkcudbrightshire.
In terms of pre-1975 districts, Nithsdale district covered parts of seven former districts, which were all abolished at the same time. The Eastern District had been in Kirkcudbrightshire prior to the reforms, whereas all the other districts had been part of Dumfriesshire.[4]
Forlieutenancy purposes, the lastlord-lieutenant of the county of Dumfriesshire was made lord-lieutenant for the combined area of Nithsdale and the neighbouring district ofAnnandale and Eskdale when the reforms came into effect in 1975.[5]
Further local government reform in 1996 under theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the four districts of Dumfries and Galloway abolished, with Dumfries and Galloway Council taking over their functions. The council continues to use the former Nithsdale district as the basis of anarea committee, alongside committees for the other three abolished districts ofAnnandale and Eskdale,Stewartry andWigtown, subject to some adjustments of boundaries where ward boundaries no longer follow the pre-1996 district boundaries.[6] The Dumfrieslieutenancy area continues to cover the combined area of the pre-1996 Nithsdale and Annandale and Eskdale districts.[7]
The first election to the district council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Political control of the council from 1975 was as follows:[8]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1975–1984 | |
| No overall control | 1984–1996 | |
Nithsdale District Council was based at theMunicipal Buildings on Buccleuch Street in Dumfries, the district's largest town. The building had been built in 1932 as the headquarters of the former Dumfries Burgh Council.[9]
Local government areas ofScotland, in use 1975 to 1996 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Borders |  | |
| Central | ||
| Dumfries and Galloway | ||
| Fife | ||
| Grampian | ||
| Highland | ||
| Lothian | ||
| Strathclyde | ||
| Tayside | ||
| Island areas1 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
