Clackmannanshire

Clackmannanshire (/klækˈmænənˌʃɪər/ or /-ʃər/  listen ) is a historic county and council area in Scotland, bordering the council areas of Stirling, Fife and Perth & Kinross.

The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn meaning "Stone of Manau". As Britain's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed "The Wee County". When written, Clackmannanshire is commonly abbreviated to Clacks.

Administrative history

The County of Clackmannan is one of Scotland's 33 historic local government counties, bordering on Perthshire, Kinross-shire, Stirlingshire and Fife. The county town was originally Clackmannan, but by 1822 neighbouring Alloa had outgrown Clackmannan and replaced it as the county town. Some rationalisation of the county boundaries was undertaken in 1889-1890, and in 1971 the Muckhart and Glendevon areas, formerly in Perthshire, were transferred to Clackmannanshire.

In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the 33 historic counties lost their administrative status, and a new hierarchy of regions and districts was created. Clackmannanshire became part of the Central Region, under the name Clackmannan District, together with Stirling District and Falkirk District.

Clackmannanshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Clackmannanshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 until 1800, and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832.

The constituency

Clackmannanshire was Scotland's smallest county, and was paired as an alternating constituency with neighbouring Kinross-shire. The freeholders of Clackmannanshire elected one Member of Parliament to one Parliament, while those of Kinross-shire elected a Member to the next.

Abolition

The Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832 abolished the alternating constituencies. Clackmannanshire was merged with Kinross-shire into the single constituency of Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, electing one Member between them to each Parliament.

Members of Parliament

References

Clackmannanshire (Parliament of Scotland constituency)

Before the Act of Union 1707, the barons of the shire of Clackmannan elected commissioners to represent them in the unicameral Parliament of Scotland and in the Convention of Estates. After 1708, Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire alternated in returning one member the House of Commons of Great Britain and later to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

List of shire commissioners