Provosts of Gourock and Port Glasgow

In 1694 a burgh of barony was erected at Gourock in favour of Sir William Stewart of Castlemilk. By the middle of the nineteenth century it had grown in size and become a Police Burgh in 1858. The Police Burgh of Gourock had an elected town council which was responsible for local services such as policing, paving, lighting and cleansing. Under the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929 Gourock was re-classified as a Small Burgh. In 1975 local government reforms resulted in the abolition of the Burgh of Gourock; it became merged into Inverclyde District Council and eventually Inverclyde Council.

In 1668 a burgh of barony was erected at Port Glasgow in favour of Glasgow, primarily acting as a port for Glasgow. In 1803 Port Glasgow became a Police Burgh and in 1832 it became a Parliamentary Burgh which resulted in the creation of an elected Town Council. In 1930 it was changed into a Large Burgh. In 1975 the Burgh of Port Glasgow was abolished, merging, like Gourock, into Inverclyde District Council and eventually part of Inverclyde Council.

The text and images on this page are the copyright of the McLean Museum and Art Gallery. For enquiries about this collection please contact us at wattinstitution@inverclyde.gov.uk.