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**Court closed in 1975**
It is recorded that Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan, was sheriff of Wigtown in 1263.
On the abolition of heritable jurisdictions the Crown appointed sheriffs-depute of Dumfries and Wigtown and a Steward of the Stewardry of Kirkcudbright. In 1860 the Steward of Kirkcudbright became sheriff of Wigtown and Kirkcudbright under the Sheriff Court Act of 1853. On the death of the sheriff of Wigtown and Kirkcudbright in 1874 the sheriffdom was united with that of Dumfries, becoming known as the sheriffdom of Dumfries and Galloway, the union being effected under the Sheriffs Act of 1870. Under the Sheriff Courts (Sheriffdom of Dumfries and Galloway) Order, 1925, made under the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1907, the post of resident sheriff-substitute at Kirkcudbright was abolished. The Eastern District of the Stewartry, comprising the parishes of Colvend, Dalbeattie, Irongray and Terregles, Kirkbean and New Abbey, Kirkgunzeon and Lochrutton, Kirkpatrick-Durham, Maxwelltown, Troqueer and Urr, was placed under the sheriff-substitute at Dumfries, while a sheriff-substitute at Newton-Stewart held courts at Wigtown, Stranraer and Kirkcudbright for Wigtownshire and the other parishes of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright.
The sheriff court at Wigtown was discontinued from 16 May 1975 under the Sheriff Court District Reorganisation Order, 1975 (Statutory Instrument no. 637 of 1975). After Stranraer became a separate sheriff court district the Wigtown district included the parishes of Wigtown, Kirkinnes, Mochrum, Sorbie, Whithorn, Glasserton, Penninghame and Kirkcowan.
Sheriffs of Wigtown
1837 James Walker
1847 A Urquhart
1857 A Urquhart
1867 David Hector
1877 Mark Napier, sheriff-depute
1887 Norman MacPherson, sheriff depute
1897 James Wallace |