What is "selkirkshire"

Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Berwickshire to the north-east, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. It derives its name from its county town, the Royal burgh of Selkirk.

Until 1975 it was one of the thirty-three administrative counties of Scotland, with a county council formed by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. Under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 the use of counties as local government areas was abolished across Scotland, with its area becoming part of the Ettrick and Lauderdale district of the Borders Region. Unlike many counties, Selkirkshire has not continued to exist as a lieutenancy area, but has become part of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale for these purposes.

Selkirkshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1868, when it was combined with Peeblesshire to form Peebles and Selkirk. The county town of Selkirk was represented separately as part of the Lanark Burghs constituency until 1832 when it was combined with Selkirkshire.

Before the Acts of Union 1707, the barons of the shire of Selkirk (also called Ettrick Forest) elected commissioners to represent them in the unicameral Parliament of Scotland and in the Convention of the Estates.

From 1708 Selkirkshire was represented by one Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Great Britain.