Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. The county town was historically Wigtown, with the administrative centre moving to Stranraer—the largest town—on the creation of a county council in 1890.
There are 2 Councillors for Stranraer and North Rhins, 2 for Wigtown West, and 3 for Mid Galloway. These Councillors / Members details and surgeries are at
As Wigtown, the county forms the lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Wigtown (Wigtownshire).
There is a Wigtownshire Chamber of Commerce, the Wigtown Agricultural Society and the Scottish Women's Rural Institute - Wigtownshire.
Wigtownshire borders the Irish Sea to the west, Ayrshire to the north, and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright to the east. Together The Stewartry and Wigtownshire are referred to as Galloway.
The western area is known as Rhinns of Galloway and the eastern area is knows as Machars. Wigtownshire includes the southernmost point in Scotland, the Mull of Galloway, the Machars and the Rhins of Galloway peninsula.
The ex-King of Dublin and Man or Mann, Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, had the title Rex Innarenn King of the Rhinns Kingdom of the Rhinns attributed to him on his death in AD1065. The western sections of Galloway had been firmly aligned with the Isle of Man, and Norse and Gaelic-Norse settlement names from the 10th and 11th centuries are spread all along the coastal lands of south-western Scotland.
The Castle of St. John, known as Stranraer Castle, in Rhinns of Galloway is a Visitor Centre and museum.
Major road links to the area comprise the A77 to the north, and A75 to the east.
The European route E18 starts in Northern Ireland and runs from Craigavon (M1) – Belfast (M2, A8) – Larne, then to Scotland: Stranraer, Wigtownshire (A75) – Gretna (M6) – Carlisle (A69) to Newcastle. It then re-joins at Norway, goes through Sweden, Finland and ends at Saint Petersburg, Russia. Like all European routes, it is not signposted as such in the United Kingdom.
The European Union is partly financing "The Stranraer and Loch Ryan Waterfront Project", Inch, Wigtownshire for now and future generations.
Read more about Wigtownshire: University of Glasgow's Community Archaeology Project in Inch, Lord Lieutenant For Wigtownshire, Torehousekie Stone Circle, The Sorbie Neolithic Polished Axe-head, The 2300-2000BC Gold Lunula, Place of Significant Interest, The Henge, Wigtownshire Parishes, Areas, Castles and Ruins (see Scottish Feudal Barony ), Royal Burghs, Towns and Villages