[3] The sheriff's jurisdiction covered a number of provincial lordships which then existed between the larger provinces of Moray to the west and Buchan to the east.

In 1667 Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890.

[7] Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, taking most of the functions of the commissioners (which were eventually abolished in 1930).

[10][11] The county council initially established its offices at 8 Low Street, opposite the sheriff court.

In 1934 it bought St Leonard's House on Sandyhill Road in Banff, converting that to be its main offices instead.

As their areas have been largely unchanged since the 19th century this allows for comparison of population figures over an extended period of time.

Following the boundary changes of 1891, there were 21 parishes in Banffshire:[19] The Aberdeen–Inverness railway line runs through the town of Keith in the north of the county.

John Marius Wilson[20] lists the following : In 2023, the Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire organised a competition to design a flag for the county.

The winning design is gold, white and blue, and represents rivers, bridges, whisky barrels and the sunset.