Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain

Last updated

The Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain, serving from 1 May 1707 to 26 May 1708, were not elected like their colleagues from England and Wales, but rather hand-picked.

Contents

The forty five men sent to London in 1707, to the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain, were co-opted from the Commissioners of the newly adjourned Parliament of Scotland (see List of constituencies in the Parliament of Scotland at the time of the Union).

Under the Treaty of Union of the Two Kingdoms of England and Scotland it was provided:

"III. THAT the United Kingdom of Great Britain be Represented by one and the same Parliament to be stiled the Parliament of Great Britain.

...

XXII. THAT ... A Writ do issue ... Directed to the Privy Council of Scotland, Commanding them to Cause ... forty five Members to be elected to sit in the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain ... in such manner as by a subsequent Act of the present session of the Parliament of Scotland shall be settled ... And that ... the members of the House of Commons of the said Parliament of England and the forty five Members for Scotland ... shall be ... the first Parliament of Great Britain ..."

The Parliament of Scotland duly passed an Act settling the manner of electing the sixteen peers and forty five commoners to represent Scotland in the initial Parliament of Great Britain. A special provision for the 1st Parliament of Great Britain was "that the Sixteen Peers and Forty five Commissioners for Shires and Burghs shall be chosen by the Peers, Barrons and Burghs respectively in this present session of Parliament and out of the members thereof in the same manner that Committees of Parliament are usually now chosen shall be the members of the respective Houses of the said first Parliament of Great Britain for and on the part of Scotland ..."

The Kingdom of Great Britain came into existence on 1 May 1707.

Dates of the Parliament

Election: The members of the last House of Commons of England had been elected between 7 May 1705 and 6 June 1705. The last general election in pre-Union Scotland was in 1703.

First meeting and maximum legal term: Parliament first met on 23 October 1707. The Parliament was due to expire, if not sooner dissolved, at the end of the term of three years from the first meeting of the last Parliament of England, which would have been on 14 June 1708.

Dissolution: The 1st Parliament of Great Britain was dissolved on 3 April 1708.

Selection of members from Scotland

Scotland was entitled to 45 members in the new House of Commons. The Scottish legislation prescribed the constituencies from which the members of the Commons from Scotland were in future to be elected. These constituencies were first used in the election of 1708 to the 2nd Parliament.

Of the 45 members returned to the Parliament of Great Britain, 30 were Shire Commissioners and 15 were Burgh Commissioners.

Members of Parliament returned for Scotland (1707–1708)

NameBirthDeath Former constituency Party
Alexander Abercromby 16781729 Banffshire Court
The Hon. Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Bt c. 16651721 Culross Court
The Hon. William Dalrymple 16781744 Ayrshire Court
Sir William Kerr, 3rd Bt 1716 Roxburghshire Squadrone
The Hon. Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Bt c. 16581728 Cromartyshire Court
Hugh Rose 16631732 Nairnshire Court
James Scott 16711732 Montrose Court
The Hon. Alexander Maitland 1721 Inverbervie Court
William Seton of Pitmedden, 2nd Bt 16731744 Aberdeenshire Court (Squadrone?)
Sir George Allardice of Allardice 16721709 Kintore Court
Sir Alexander Douglas 1718 Orkney and Shetland Court
Patrick Moncreiff c. 16741709 Kinghorn Court
Sir James Smollett c. 16481731 Dumbarton Court
George Baillie 16641738 Lanarkshire Squadrone
Archibald Douglas c. 16671741 Roxburghshire Court
The Hon. Francis Montgomerie by 1729 Ayrshire Court
The Hon. John Stewart after 16701748 Wigtownshire Court
Sir William Bennet, 2nd Bt 1729 Roxburghshire Court
Mungo Graham 16701754 Perthshire Squadrone
Sir Hugh Montgomerie, 6th Bt c. 16631735 Glasgow Court (Anti-Union)
Sir John Swinton before 16621723 Berwickshire Court
John Bruce 1711 Kinross-shire Squadrone
Alexander Grant after 16731719 Inverness-shire Court
William Morison 16631739 Peeblesshire Court
Sir Thomas Burnett, 3rd Bt after 16561714 Kincardineshire Court
Sir John Haldane, 11th Laird of Gleneagles 16601721 Perthshire Squadrone
John Murray c. 16671714 Selkirkshire Court
Daniel Campbell c. 16721753 Inveraray Court
Sir Peter Halkett, 1st Bt c. 16601746 Dunfermline Squadrone
William Nisbet c. 16661724 Haddingtonshire Squadrone
Sir James Campbell, 5th Bt c. 16791756 Argyllshire Court
James Halyburton by 1755 Forfarshire Squadrone
The Hon. Patrick Ogilvy 16651737 Cullen Court
James Campbell c. 16661752 Argyllshire Court
The Hon. Sir Andrew Hume (Lord Kimmerghame) 16761730 Kirkcudbright Squadrone
Sir Robert Pollock, 1st Bt c. 16651735 Renfrewshire Court
The Hon. John Campbell c. 16601729 Argyllshire Court
Sir John Johnstone, 1st Bt 1711 Dumfriesshire Court
John Pringle c. 16741754 Selkirkshire Court
John Clerk 16761755 Whithorn Court
Sir Patrick Johnstone 1736 Edinburgh Court
Sir David Ramsay, 4th Bt after 16731710 Kincardineshire Independent (Anti-Union)
John Cockburn c. 16791758 Haddingtonshire Squadrone
Sir John Erskine, 3rd Bt 16721739 Burntisland Squadrone
John Erskine 16601733 Stirling Court

References

See also