Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
Encyclopedia
Scottish
representatives to the House of Commons
of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
were not elected but co-opted in 1707 from the Commissioners of the last Parliament of Scotland
.
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.
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.
Of the 45 Members returned to the Parliament of Great Britain, 30 were Shire Commissioners and 15 were Burgh Commissioners.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
representatives to the House of Commons
House of Commons of Great Britain
The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the Parliament of Scotland, as one of the most significant...
of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
1st Parliament of Great Britain
The first Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain was established in 1707, after the merger of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. No fresh elections were held in England, and the existing members of the House of Commons of England sat as members of the new House of Commons of...
were not elected but co-opted in 1707 from the Commissioners of the last Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
.
Legal background to the composition of the 1st Parliament
Under the Treaty of UnionTreaty of Union
The Treaty of Union is the name given to the agreement that led to the creation of the united kingdom of Great Britain, the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, which took effect on 1 May 1707...
of the Two Kingdoms of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
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
Privy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs 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
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
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
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
came into existence on 1 May 1707.
Dates of the Parliament
Election: The members of the last House of Commons of EnglandHouse of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
had been elected between 7 May 1705 and 6 June 1705. The last general election in pre-Union Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
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
1st Parliament of Great Britain
The first Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain was established in 1707, after the merger of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. No fresh elections were held in England, and the existing members of the House of Commons of England sat as members of the new House of Commons of...
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)
| Name | Birth | Death | Former constituency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1678 | 1729 | Banffshire Banffshire (Parliament of Scotland constituency) Banffshire was a constituency represented in the Parliament of Scotland until 1707.-Members of Parliament:... |
|
| 1721 | Culross | ||
| 1678 | 1744 | Ayrshire | |
| 1716 | Roxburghshire | ||
| 1728 | Cromartyshire | ||
| 1663 | 1732 | Nairnshire | |
| 1671 | 1732 | Montrose | |
| 1721 | Inverbervie | ||
| 1673 | 1744 | Aberdeenshire | |
| 1672 | 1709 | Kintore | |
| 1718 | Orkney and Shetland | ||
| 1709 | Kinghorn | ||
| 1731 | Dumbarton | ||
| 1664 | 1738 | Lanarkshire | |
| 1741 | Roxburghshire | ||
| Ayrshire | |||
| 1748 | Wigtownshire Wigtownshire (Parliament of Scotland constituency) Wigtownshire was a constituency represented in the Parliament of Scotland until 1707.-Members of Parliament:*1644, 1647, 1665, 1667 and 1669 Sir Andrew Agnew*1685, 1689–1702 Sir Andrew Agnew... |
||
| 1729 | Roxburghshire | ||
| 1670 | 1754 | Perthshire | |
| 1735 | Glasgow | ||
| 1723 | Berwickshire | ||
| 1711 | Kinross-shire | ||
| 1719 | Inverness-shire | ||
| 1663 | 1739 | Peeblesshire | |
| 1714 | Kincardineshire Kincardineshire (Parliament of Scotland constituency) Kincardineshire was a constituency represented in the Parliament of Scotland until 1707.-Members of Parliament:*1667 Sir David Carnegie*1669–1674 Sir David Carnegie*1689–1707 Sir Thomas Burnett... |
||
| 1660 | 1721 | Perthshire | |
| 1714 | Selkirkshire | ||
| 1753 | Inverary | ||
| 1746 | Dunfermline | ||
| 1724 | Haddingtonshire | ||
| 1756 | Argyllshire | ||
| Forfarshire | |||
| 1665 | 1737 | Cullen | |
| 1752 | Argyllshire | ||
| 1676 | 1730 | Kirkcudbright | |
| 1735 | Renfrewshire | ||
| 1729 | Argyllshire | ||
| 1711 | Dumfriesshire | ||
| 1754 | Selkirkshire | ||
| 1676 | 1755 | Whithorn | |
| 1736 | Edinburgh | ||
| 1710 | Kincardineshire Kincardineshire (Parliament of Scotland constituency) Kincardineshire was a constituency represented in the Parliament of Scotland until 1707.-Members of Parliament:*1667 Sir David Carnegie*1669–1674 Sir David Carnegie*1689–1707 Sir Thomas Burnett... |
||
| 1758 | Haddingtonshire | ||
| 1672 | 1739 | Burntisland | |
| 1660 | 1733 | Stirling |