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Single Person record details
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Back
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Person Code
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NA20788
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Corporate Name
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Largs burgh
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Dates
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1876-1975
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Activity
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Largs is a seaside resort on the north Ayrshire coast, whose chief historical association is with the defeat of a Norwegian army under Haakon II in 1263. It had developed sufficiently by the late 16th century for the Brisbane family of Bishopton to obtain a grant of a burgh of barony (as Newton of Gogo, 1595). Neither this nor a later grant in favour of the Alexander family of Menstrie (as Largs, 1629) took much effect, but a third grant in 1631, again to the Brisbanes, seems to have been successful. Apart from some fishing and retail trade, however, Largs had little vitality until it began to be feued out as a new town in the early 19th century, much of it for villa development. A private company built a pier in 1834. Population expanded until the middle of the century, when it stabilised at around 3000. This had more than doubled (to 8606) by 1951, but without industry having been attracted to the town, and without much change to its residential character or its main function, the provision of holiday accommodation.In 1876 Largs became a police burgh under the 1862 Police Act (General Police and Improvement (Scotland) Act 1862, 25 & 26 Vict., c.101). Burgh administration thereafter was carried out by a provost, bailies and six police commissioners, the commissioners being replaced by a town council in January 1901 (Town Councils (Scotland) Act 1900, 63 & 64 Vict., c.49). The town council was abolished in 1975 and its powers transferred to Strathclyde Regional Council and Cunninghame District Council (Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, c.65).
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Notes
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See also J R D Campbell, ?Largs through the Centuries? (Largs and District Historical Society, 1995).
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Associated records
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