Nairn (Parliament of Scotland constituency)

Last updated

Nairn was a burgh constituency that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Nairn town in Northern Scotland

Nairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around 17 miles (27 km) east of Inverness. It is the traditional county town of the county of Nairn, also known as Nairnshire.

A burgh constituency is a type of parliamentary constituency in Scotland. It is a constituency which is predominantly urban, and on this basis has been designated as a burgh constituency. They are the successors of the historic parliamentary burghs of the Parliament of Scotland.

Parliament of Scotland legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland

The Parliament of Scotland was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The parliament, like other such institutions, evolved during the Middle Ages from the king's council of bishops and earls. It is first identifiable as a parliament in 1235, during the reign of Alexander II, when it was described as a "colloquium" and already possessed a political and judicial role. By the early fourteenth century, the attendance of knights and freeholders had become important, and from 1326 commissioners from the burghs attended. Consisting of the "three estates" of clergy, nobility and the burghs sitting in a single chamber, the parliament gave consent for the raising of taxation and played an important role in the administration of justice, foreign policy, war, and all manner of other legislation. Parliamentary business was also carried out by "sister" institutions, such as General Councils or Convention of Estates. These could carry out much business also dealt with by parliament – taxation, legislation and policy-making – but lacked the ultimate authority of a full parliament.

Contents

After the Acts of Union 1707, Nairn, Forres, Fortrose and Inverness formed the Inverness district of burghs, returning one member between them to the House of Commons of Great Britain.

Acts of Union 1707 Acts of Parliament creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain

The Acts of Union were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union that had been agreed on 22 July 1706, following negotiation between commissioners representing the parliaments of the two countries. By the two Acts, the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland—which at the time were separate states with separate legislatures, but with the same monarch—were, in the words of the Treaty, "United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain".

Forres in Elginshire was a burgh constituency that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Fortrose in Ross-shire was a burgh constituency that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

List of burgh commissioners

Colin Falconer (1623–1686) was a 17th-century Scottish minister and bishop. Born in 1623, he was the son of Beatrix Falconer née Dunbar and her husband William Falconer of Dunduff. He graduated in the liberal arts at St Leonard's College, University of St Andrews, and moved on to become a clergyman. His first charge, Essil parish church in the diocese of Moray, was held until he was translated to Forres parish.

Convention of Estates (1689)

The 1689 Convention of Estates sat between 16 March 1689 and 5 June 1689 to determine the settlement of the Scottish throne, following the deposition of James VII in the 1688 Glorious Revolution. Unlike its English counterpart, the Scottish Convention was also a contest for control of the Church of Scotland or kirk.

Related Research Articles

Stirling in Stirlingshire was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Kintore in Aberdeenshire was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Nairnshire was a constituency of the Parliament of Scotland before the Union with England in 1707. The barons of the shire or sheriffdom of Nairn elected two commissioners to represent them in the Parliament and in the Convention of Estates.

Inverness was a burgh constituency that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Banff was a burgh constituency that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Aberdeen was a burgh constituency that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Montrose in Forfarshire was a burgh constituency that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Inverbervie in Kincardineshire was a royal burgh that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Dundee in Forfarshire was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Dingwall in Ross-shire was a burgh constituency that elected one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Before the Act of Union 1707, the barons of the sheriffdom or shire of Berwick elected commissioners to represent them in the unicameral Parliament of Scotland and in the Convention of Estates. The number of commissioners was increased from two to four in 1690.

Glasgow in Lanarkshire was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Renfrew was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Sanquhar in Dumfriesshire was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Ayr was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Irvine in Ayrshire was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

Before the Acts of Union 1707, the barons of the shire of Inverness elected commissioners to represent them in the unicameral Parliament of Scotland and in the Convention of the Estates.

Before the Acts of Union 1707, the barons of the shire of Dumbarton elected commissioners to represent them in the unicameral Parliament of Scotland and in the Convention of the Estates.

References

Joseph Foster was an English genealogist whose transcriptions of records held by the Inns of Court and the University of Oxford are still important historical resources.

  1. ↑ Margaret D. Young, The Parliaments of Scotland: Burgh and Shire Commissioners, 1993. Volume 2, p. 783.
  2. ↑ Foster, p. 108.
  3. ↑ Young, Parliaments of Scotland. Volume 2, p. 701.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Foster, p. 298.
  5. ↑ Parliamentary Papers, Volume 62, Part 2. p. 574.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Foster, p. 299.
  7. ↑ Foster, p. 131.

See also


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.