It has been suggested that
Robert the Bruce, who extended
Tarbert Castle, created or intended a sheriffdom there; however, the first reference to Tarbertshire is in 1481, when Knapdale (back then including the lands between
Loch Awe and
Loch Fyne) was transferred to it from
Perthshire. The
shire town was
Tarbert, but the
sheriff court was latterly at
Inveraray in Argyllshire. Since this was the Parliament that abolished Tarbertshire, Maclean was its last commissioner. (In the 1630 session roll, Sir Coll Lamont,
laird of Lamont, is said to represent "Argyll and Tarbert".) ==References==