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Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the historic county of Aberdeenshire, which had substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area includes all of the areas of the historic counties of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire except the area making up Aberdeen City Council area, as well as part of Banffshire. The historic county boundaries are still officially used for a few purposes, namely land registration and lieutenancy. Land Register Counties & Operational Dates
Aberdeenshire Council is headquartered at Woodhill House in Aberdeen, making it the only Scottish council whose headquarters are located outside its jurisdiction. Aberdeen itself forms a different council area (Aberdeen City). Aberdeenshire borders onto Angus and Perth and Kinross to the south, Highland and Moray to the west and Aberdeen City to the east.
Traditionally, it has depended economically on the primary sector (agriculture, fishing, and forestry) and related processing industries. Over the last 40 years, the development of the oil and gas industry and associated service sector has broadened Aberdeenshire's economic base, and contributed to a rapid population growth of some 50% since 1975. Its land represents 8% of Scotland's overall territory. It covers an area of .
Around the 1st century AD, the Taexali people, who left little history, were believed to have resided along the coast. The Picts were the next documented inhabitants of the area and were no later than 800–900 AD. The Roman Empire also were in the area during this period, as they left signs at Kintore. Christianity influenced the inhabitants early on, and there were Celts monasteries at Old Deer and Monymusk.
Since medieval times, there have been many traditional paths that crossed the Mounth (a spur of mountainous land that extends from the higher inland range to the North Sea slightly north of Stonehaven) through present-day Aberdeenshire from the Scottish Lowlands to the Highlands. Some of the most well known and historically important are the Causey Mounth and Elsick Mounth.W. Douglas Simpson, "The Early Castles of Mar", Proceedings of the Society, 102, 10 December 1928
Aberdeenshire played an important role in the fighting between the Scottish dynasties. Macbeth fell at Lumphanan in 1057. During the Anglo-Normans penetration, other families arrive, such as House of Balliol, Clan Bruce, and Clan Cumming (Comyn). During the Scottish Wars of Independence, the King of England Edward I travelled across the area twice with his invading army, in 1296 and 1303. In 1307, Robert the Bruce was victorious near Inverurie.
These new families set the stage for the upcoming rivalries during the 14th and 15th centuries. This rivalry grew worse during and after the Protestant Reformation when religion was another reason for conflict between the clans. The Gordon family adhered to Catholicism and the Clan Forbes to Protestantism. Aberdeenshire was the historic seat of the clan Dempster. Geni - William Leslie The New Statistical Account of Scotland Three universities were founded in the area prior to the 17th century, King's College in Old Aberdeen (1494), Marischal College in Aberdeen (1593), and the University of Fraserburgh (1592).
During the 17th century, Aberdeenshire was the location of more fighting, centred on the Marquess of Montrose and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. This period also saw increased wealth due to the increase in trade with Germany, Poland, and the Low Countries.
After the end of the Revolution of 1688, an extended peaceful period was interrupted only by fleeting events such as the Rising of 1715 and the Rising of 1745. The latter resulted in the end of the ascendancy of Episcopalianism and the feudal power of landowners. An era began of increased agricultural and industrial progress.
The present council area is named after the historic county of Aberdeenshire, which has different boundaries and ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The pre-1975 territory of Aberdeenshire was then split between four of the five new districts in the Grampian region: Banff and Buchan (which also included eastern parts of Banffshire, including its county town of Banff), Gordon, Kincardine and Deeside (which also included most of Kincardineshire), and Aberdeen City. Local government functions were shared between the two levels.
The modern council area was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. It covers the combined area of the Banff and Buchan, Gordon, and Kincardine and Deeside districts that had been created in 1975. The present Aberdeenshire Council area therefore consists of all of the historic counties of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire (except the area of those two counties making up Aberdeen City), as well as the north-east portions of Banffshire.
Aberdeenshire is one of the most homogeneous/indigenous regions of the UK. In 2011, 82.2% of residents identified as 'White Scottish', followed by 12.3% who are 'White British', whilst ethnic minorities constitute only 0.9% of the population. The largest ethnic minority group is Asian Scottish/British at 0.8%. In addition to the English language, 48.8% of residents reported being able to speak and understand the Scots language.
A significant proportion of Aberdeenshire's working residents commute to Aberdeen City for work, varying from 11.5% from Fraserburgh to 65% from Westhill.
Average Gross Weekly Earnings (for full-time employees employed in workplaces in Aberdeenshire in 2011) are £572.60. This is lower than the Scottish average by £2.10 and a fall of 2.6% on the 2010 figure. The average gross weekly pay of people resident in Aberdeenshire is much higher, at £741.90, as many people commute out
of Aberdeenshire, principally into Aberdeen City.
Total employment (excluding farm data) in Aberdeenshire is estimated at 93,700 employees (Business Register and
Employment Survey 2009). The majority of employees work within the service sector, predominantly in public administration, education and health. Almost 19% of employment is within the public sector. Aberdeenshire's economy remains closely linked to Aberdeen City's and the North Sea oil industry, with many employees in oil-related jobs.
The average monthly unemployment (claimant count) rate for Aberdeenshire in 2011 was 1.5%. This is lower than the average rate of Aberdeen City (2.3%), Scotland (4.2%) and the UK (3.8%).
Aberdeenshire is in the rain shadow of the Grampians, therefore it has a generally dry climate for a maritime region, with portions of the coast receiving of moisture annually. Summers are mild, and winters are typically cold in Aberdeenshire; Coastal temperatures are moderated by the North Sea such that coastal areas are typically cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than inland locations. Coastal areas are also subject to haar, or coastal fog.
Demographics
The population of the council area has risen over 50% since 1971 to approximately in , representing 4.7% of Scotland's total. Aberdeenshire's population has increased by 9.1% since 2001, while Scotland's total population grew by 3.8%.
The census lists a relatively high proportion of under 16s and slightly fewer working-age people compared with the Scottish average.
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! rowspan="2" Ethnic Group
! colspan="2" 2001
! colspan="2" 2011
! colspan="2" 2022 Alternative URL 'Search data by location' > 'Local Authority (CA2019)' > 'Aberdeenshire' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Ethnic Group' White: Scottish people 194,169 85.59% 207,936 82.20% 210,537 79.83% White: White British 26,945 11.88% 31,158 12.32% 32,508 12.33% White: Irish Briton 976 0.43% 1,162 0.46% 1,493 0.57% White: Irish Traveller – – 175 0.07% 169 0.06% White: White Polish – – 3,020 1.19% 3,998 1.52% White: Other 3,153 1.39% 5,661 2.24% 7,312 2.77% Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: British Indian 166 0.07% 473 0.19% 783 0.30% Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Pakistani 69 – 253 0.10% 343 0.13% Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Bangladeshi 29 – 138 0.05% 106 – Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: British Chinese 277 0.12% 424 0.17% 575 0.22% Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: British Asian 104 0.05% 749 0.30% 1,135 0.43% African: Black people, African Scottish or Black British – – 487 0.19% 88 – African: Black British – – 3 – 1,224 0.46% Caribbean 82 – 159 0.06% 100 0.04% Black British – – 76 – 16 – Caribbean or Black: Other Black – – 34 – 137 0.05% Other: British Arabs – – 131 0.05% 436 0.17% Other: Any other ethnic group – – 163 0.06% 682 0.26%
Settlements
The largest settlements in Aberdeenshire are:
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!rowspan=2 Settlement
!colspan=2 style="background:#eaecf0ff; text-align: center;" Population Peterhead 17,790 Inverurie 11,590 Fraserburgh 12,540 Westhill 11,220 Stonehaven 10,820 Ellon 9,910 Portlethen 7,130 Banchory 7,030 Kintore 4,180 Turriff 5,020 Huntly 4,570 Banff 3,720 Kemnay 3,710 Macduff 3,910 Laurencekirk 2,650 Oldmeldrum 2,990 Blackburn 2,720 Newtonhill 3,080 Aboyne 2,440 Mintlaw 2,610
Economy
Aberdeenshire's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated at £3,496M (2011), representing 5.2% of the Scottish total. Aberdeenshire's economy is closely linked to Aberdeen City's (GDP £7,906M), and in 2011, the region as a whole was calculated to contribute 16.8% of Scotland's GDP. Between 2012 and 2014, the combined Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City economic forecast GDP growth rate is 8.6%, the highest growth rate of any local council area in the UK and above the Scottish rate of 4.8%.
Major industries
Governance
Notable features
The following significant structures or places are within Aberdeenshire:
Hydrology and climate
There are numerous rivers and burns in Aberdeenshire, including Cowie Water, Carron Water, Burn of Muchalls, River Dee, River Don, River Ury, River Ythan, Water of Feugh, Burn of Myrehouse, Laeca Burn and Luther Water. Numerous bays and estuaries are found along the seacoast of Aberdeenshire, including Banff Bay, Ythan Estuary, Stonehaven Bay and Thornyhive Bay. Aberdeenshire has a Oceanic climate on the Köppen climate classification.
Notable residents
Notes
External links
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