Provost (civil)

However, in the cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, the title is specified in law as Lord Provost, who also performs the role of lord-lieutenant for the area.

The title of provost is derived from the French term prévôt, which has origins in the Roman Empire.

A provost was the chief magistrate or convenor of a burgh council, the equivalent of a mayor in other parts of the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland.

[3] A provost or convenor of a local authority is paid a salary greater than the basic pay received by a councillor.

In 2019 the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council reintroduced the title of Provost for its chairman when performing ceremonial and ambassadorial duties, in anticipation of the marking in 2020 of the 400th Anniversary of the granting of Royal Burgh status by King James VI & I in 1620.

Traditionally, provosts have chains of office, which are often valuable items of jewellery bearing an authority's coat of arms.

[8] In The Cadfael Chronicles series of historical detective novels by Ellis Peters, which take place in 12th-century Shrewsbury, England, an important role is played by the town's Provost, a prominent shoemaker.