Argyll is a historic region in western Scotland, also known as Argyllshire. Its Scottish Gaelic name is Earra-Ghàidheal. Argyll stopped being used for local government in 1975, and most of it is now part of the Argyll and Bute council area.
The area has ancient roots and was once part of the kingdom of Dál Riata, except for the parts in Ireland. It was also a medieval bishopric, with its cathedral located in Lismore. During medieval times, Argyll was divided into several lordships, one of which was called Argyll. This was originally an earldom but became a dukedom in 1701 when the Duke of Argyll was created. Other lordships nearby included Cowal, Kintyre, Knapdale, and Lorn. By the 14th century, there was a Sheriff of Argyll, and by 1633, the shire included all five provinces. Over time, shires gained more importance and became known as counties. From 1890 to 1975, Argyll had its own county council. The main town was Inveraray, but from 1890, the council operated from Lochgilphead.
Argyll is sparsely populated and has many islands and sea lochs along its coast. The inland areas are mountainous. There are six towns in Argyll that had the status of burgh: Campbeltown, Dunoon, Inveraray, Lochgilphead, Oban, and Tobermory. Argyll shares borders with Inverness-shire to the north, Perthshire and Dunbartonshire to the east, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire to the southeast (across the Firth of Clyde), and the County of Bute to the south.
After 1975, Argyll was no longer used for local government. Much of it became part of the Argyll and Bute district in the Strathclyde region. This district did not include Morvern and Ardnamurchan, which were moved to the Highland region, but it added the Isle of Bute, which was not part of Argyll. In 1996, reforms merged the Strathclyde region, making Argyll and Bute a single-tier council area. These reforms also included an area around Helensburgh, which had historically been part of Dunbartonshire.
