() is a
Royal Burgh in central
Scotland . Sitting on the banks of the
River Tay , it is the administrative headquarters of
Perth And Kinross Council Area . Perth was a
Large Burgh prior to 1975, and the
County Town of the former
County of
Perthshire .
The name
Perth has hence been used for
A Number Of Other Settlements Around The World . The most notable of these is
Perth, Western Australia - named such at the wish of
Sir George Murray ,
Secretary Of State For War And The Colonies , who was born in Perth. Perth is popularly referred to as the , although it is no longer a city due to a recent redefinition of
City Status In The United Kingdom (see
Below ).
The name ''Perth'' derives from a
Pictish word for ''wood'' or ''copse'', and links the town to the
Picts described by the Romans, who subsequently joined with the
Scots to form the kingdom of
Alba which later became known as Scotland. During much of the medieval period the town was known colloquially as "St. John's Toun" because the church at the centre of the parish was dedicated to St. John. The name is still preserved in the town's
Football club called St. Johnstone.
