Permanent lieutenancies were established in 1794 by a royal warrant which ordered the development of volunteer forces for the defence of Scotland. They were county based and led by a lord lieutenant who was appointed by the monarch. The lord lieutenant in turn appointed deputies. The duties of lieutenants included provision for the protection of their counties in the event of invasion, threat or civil uprising. They directed volunteer forces and, after the 1797 Militia Act (37 Geo. III, c.103), were empowered to raise militia forces. After 1802 only a landholder who held or was heir to property worth £400 Scots was eligible to serve in the lieutenancy. The lord lieutenant was ex officio a member of the police committee and the local authority under the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Acts but the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict., c.50) abolished these functions. The role of lieutenancies gradually became largely ceremonial, but they continued to recommend justices of the peace with the help of an advisory committee