1957 in Scotland

← 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1957 in Scotland → 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in Scotland Timeline of Scottish history 1957 in: The UK • Wales • Elsewhere Scottish football: 1956–57 • 1957–58 1957 in Scottish television

Events from the year 1957 in Scotland .

Incumbents

Further information: Politics of Scotland and Order of precedence in Scotland

• Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – James Stuart until 13 January; then John Maclay

Law officers

• Lord Advocate – William Rankine Milligan
• Solicitor General for Scotland – William Grant

Judiciary

• Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Clyde
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Thomson
• Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Gibson

Events

• 6 January – fishery cruiser Vaila runs aground off the Isle of Lewis with the loss of 5 crew. ^[1]
• 5 February – trawler Robert Limbrick runs aground on the Isle of Mull with the loss of all 12 crew. ^[2]
• 29 March – the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow in Orkney is reduced to an oil depot. ^[3]
• 9 May – a major fire in Edinburgh destroys the premises and stock of William Mutrie & Sons, theatrical costumiers, at Bell's Brae. ^[4]
• 16 August – the world's first Museum of Childhood (established by optician Patrick Murray) opens in its own premises on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
• 31 August – central Scotland's independent channel, Scottish Television, goes on air.
• 18 September – the sports programme Scotsport begins airing on Scottish Television; by the time it ends in 2008 it is recognised as the world's longest running television sports magazine.
• 1 October – transfer of criminally insane prisoners from the criminal lunatic department at HM Prison Perth to the State Institution for Mental Defectives at Carstairs which becomes the State Mental Hospital. ^[5]
• 5 October – RAF Saxa Vord radar station on Unst is returned to fully operational status.
• 18 October – a Royal Air Force Gloster Meteor jet trainer aircraft crashes near Kirkcaldy with the loss of her 2 crew. ^[6]
• 1 November – a replacement "Bawbee Brig" is opened across the River Leven, Fife, to connect Leven and Methil within Levenmouth. ^[4]
• 19 November – an underground explosion at Kames Colliery near Muirkirk kills 17. ^[7]
• 14 December – an underground explosion at Lindsay Colliery in Fife kills 9. ^[8]
• Construction of a missile testing range on South Uist begins.
• First purpose-built Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Scotland completed at Riddrie, Glasgow. ^[9]
• Folklorist F. Marian McNeill begins publication of The Silver Bough.

Births

• 9 February – Gordon Strachan, international footballer and manager
• 27 March – Billy Mackenzie, singer (commits suicide 1997)
• 7 June –
  • Michael Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, soldier and politician (died 2016)
  • Iain Gray, Scottish Labour Party leader
• 16 June – Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian, Lord Justice Clerk 2016–present
• 11 July – Johann Lamont, Scottish Labour Party leader
• 23 September – Fergus Ewing, Scottish National Party minister
• 6 October – Moray Hunter, comedian
• 15 October – Michael Caton-Jones, actor, director, and producer
• 21 October – Irene Edgar, lawn bowler ^[10]
• 22 December – Ricky Ross, singer-songwriter and broadcaster
• Blair Jenkins, broadcaster
• Alan Riach, poet and academic

Deaths

• January – Harry Gordon, entertainer (born 1893)
• 21 April – John Graham Kerr, embryologist and Unionist Member of Parliament (born 1869)
• 10 June – Sir Douglas MacInnes Shaw, army officer, businessman and Unionist Member of Parliament (born 1895)
• 20 October – Jack Buchanan, actor, singer and film director (born 1891)

The arts

• Song of the Clyde (setting by Ian Gourlay of lyrics by R. Y. Bell) is published.

See also

• 1957 in Northern Ireland

References

1. "News: The loss of the 'Vaila'". Edinburgh: The National Archives of Scotland. 3 January 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
2. Johnson, Barry. "Robert Limbrick A283". Milford Trawlers. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
3. Hewison, W. S. (2005). This Great Harbour: Scapa Flow (4th ed.). Edinburgh: Birlinn. p. 336. ISBN   978-1-84341-026-3.
4. "Notable Dates in History". The Flag in the Wind. The Scots Independent. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
5. "History of the State Hospital" (PDF). NHS Scotland. January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014. The terminology used in this section, describing patients and the bodies looking after them, is no longer used today.
6. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 21359". Aviation Safety Network. 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
7. "Kames 19 November 1957". Scottish Mining Website. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
8. "Lindsay Colliery 14 December 1957". Scottish Mining Website. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
9. Adams, Gordon (1 January 2010). "Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses". East Glasgow History. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
10. "Glasgow 2014 - Irene EDGAR Profile". results.glasgow2014.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.