County of Nairn

The area that would become Nairnshire was anciently part of the Province of Moray, ruled by the Earls or Mormaers of Moray, sometimes as a vassal of the Scottish crown, and at other times as a separate kingdom. The province was finally absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland during the 12th century. In order to secure the Scottish crown's authority over the area, it was divided into shires, being areas administered by a sheriff. The old province of Moray was broadly split into the three shires of Elginshire, Nairnshire, and the mainland parts of Inverness-shire. It is not known exactly when the shire of Nairn, administered by the Sheriff of Nairn, was created; there is some evidence that the…