he concept of the Burgess oath belongs - Aberdeen City Council

The Dean in full regaliamaintains a ceremonialtraditionThe title Dean of Guild, denoting thesenior official representing the Guild, orGuildry of Burgesses, came into beingonly in 1427, centuries after Burgesseshad been instituted as a collective groupcharged with upholding the laws andcustoms of the burgh.In the earlier days Burgesses wereheaded by the burgh Alderman, whoseposition was later that of Provost, and itwas he who took charge of the Guildwhen it came into being about 1222.From 1427 until 1833 the Dean’sposition was that of an official of theTown Council and he was appointed assuch but, with the introduction inScottish burghs of the Reform Act in1833, Deans of Guild were madeconstituent members of their TownCouncils, appointed by their Guilds andnot by electoral vote.In the early days the Dean would havebeen very much the town’s man,enforcing burgh regulations relating totrade and responsible for the upkeep ofcouncil property. His name, it wasclaimed, became a terror to evil-doers.If any attempt was made to encroach onthe liberties of the burgh, the Deanwould have been instructed to put a stopto the proceedings.Towards the end of the 16th Century,some Norwegian ships arrived atNewburgh, a few miles north ofAberdeen, and began to unload. ButNewburgh was not a free port as far asforeign trade was concerned and wasunder Aberdeen jurisdiction. The act ofunloading at the little port at the mouthof the Ythan was, therefore, aninfringement of Aberdeen’s rights, so theDean of the day was dispatched with anarmed officer and men to arrest theships and take their sails from themasts.Part of the Dean’s duties also includedsupervision of the loading of shipsbound for foreign ports to ensure thattheir bills of lading were in order. It waslaw then that a ship without a proper billof lading was a pirate and could beattacked without redress.