The Sheriff of Orkney and Shetland, also known as the Sheriff of Orkney and Zetland, was historically the royal official responsible for enforcing law and order in Orkney and Shetland, Scotland. The office was combined with the role of the "foud" and the "foudry". The sheriffdom of Orkney and Shetland was created in the 16th century upon the ceding of the islands to Scotland for non-payment of the dowry of Margaret's marriage to King James III of Scotland by King Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. 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 position was merged in 1870 with that of the Sheriff of Caithness to create the new position of Sheriff of Caithness, Orkney & Shetland. Sheriffs of Orkney and Shetland Robert Stewart (1564) Laurence Bruce (1571) John Dishington (1581-1610) Lt-Col. Patrick Blair 1663, 1669–1672 Sheriffs-Depute Robert Craigie, 1786–1791 (Sheriff of Dumfries, 1791–1811) Charles Hope, 1792–1801 William Rae, 1801–1809 (Sheriff of Edinburgh, 1809) William Erskine, 1809–?1822 (died 1822) James Allan Maconochie, 1822–?1845 (died 1845) Charles Neaves, 1845–1852 William Edmondstoune Aytoun, 1852–1865 Adam Gifford, 1865–1870 For sheriffs after 1870 see Sheriff of Caithness, Orkney and Shetland See also Historical development of Scottish sheriffdoms References Orkney Sheriff