From the 16th century, the second estate of the nobility was reorganised by the selection of
shire commissioners from the lower nobility: this has been argued to have created a
fourth estate. Each shire, stewartry or constabulary sent two shire commissioners to parliament, with the exception of the small shires of
Clackmannan and
Kinross which only sent one. However, each shire had only one vote, meaning that the two commissioners had to cooperate and compromise with each other. They appear to have possessed
plena potestas, and were not necessarily required to consult their electorates. Early shire commissioners were
lesser barons, with the earliest recorded shire election being on 31 January 1596, in
Aberdeenshire. The powers of the shire commissioners greatly expanded over time, especially with the long-term decline in power of the prelates. In 1640, the
Covenanters abolished the
episcopates, and each shire commissioner was given their own vote. This arrangement continued upon the
Restoration of the Episcopates in 1662. ==See also==