Sheriff of Dumfries and Galloway

The Sheriff of Dumfries and Galloway, was historically the royal official responsible for enforcing law and order in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobite uprising of 1745, the hereditary sheriffs were replaced by salaried sheriff-deputes, qualified advocates who were members of the Scottish Bar.
The Sheriff of Dumfries had been retitled the Sheriff of Dumfries and Galloway in 1874 after the sheriffdom of Wigton and Kirkcudbright had been joined with the sheriffdom of Dumfries. The combined sheriffdom was replaced in 1975 by the current sheriffdom of South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway.