High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Sheriffdoms are judicial and administrative areas in Scotland presided over by a sheriff. Originally identical to the shires or counties of Scotland, from the eighteenth century many counties were grouped to form sheriffdoms. By 1975 there were 12 sheriffdoms, with only Lanarkshire not grouped with another county. Following the abolition of the counties and formation of new local government areas in 1975 and 1996 the number of sheriffdoms has been reduced to six.