Society of the United Scotsmen
Encyclopedia
The Society of the United Scotsmen was an organisation formed in Scotland
in the late 18th century and sought widespread political reform throughout the United Kingdom
. It grew out of previous radical movements such as the Friends of the People Society
, and was inspired by the events of the French
and American
revolutions. Their aims were largely the same as those of the Society of the United Irishmen
.
Societies of United Scotsmen had existed from the early 1790s, but it was only upon a delegation of United Irishmen arriving in Scotland to muster support for their cause did the United Scotsmen become more organised and more overtly revolutionary. The United Scotsmen were particularly adept at gaining support from the working class
es of Scotland who stood to gain by becoming politically enfranchised as the society sought.
The aim of the society was universal suffrage
and annually elected parliaments, with a strong streak of republicanism running through it as well. By the mid 1790s the society had around 3,000 members, which was then more than the entire electorate of Scotland. This membership continued to grow rapidly beyond that level.
Owing to its aims and activities the United Scotsmen had to remain a secret society, and organised themselves into cells of no more than 16 people which would send delegates to larger bodies on occasion. This way it meant the organisation was more difficult to penetrate, but it also meant that many members did not know other members of the organisation.
The society was further boosted when the Parliament passed the Militia Act 1797 which allowed for the conscription of young men into the army. This proved vastly unpopular with many ordinary Scots, and in August 1797 there were large protests across the country which were brutally suppressed, with many protesters killed (e.g. Massacre of Tranent
).
The United Scotsmen hoped to get support from the Dutch
as well as the French
, and there were plans for the Dutch to land in Scotland with some 50,000 troops and to take over the Scottish Central Belt
. However the Royal Navy intercepted a Dutch fleet and defeated them at the Battle of Camperdown
in October 1797. Further hopes for French assistance were ruined when a French fleet was dispatched to England
in the hope of encouraging English radicals (there was also a Society of the United Englishmen) to rise against the British government. However radical activity was not as entrenched there as in Scotland, or Ireland in particular. If they had dispatched the fleet to either of these countries then they may have met with more success.
The United Scotsmen still organised a rebellion against the Government in 1797, but despite initial successes for the insurrectionists, Government troops quickly drafted in from England soon quelled the rebellion. The United Scotsmens aims in the rebellion were to establish a new Provisional Government with Thomas Muir
as President.
Various leaders of the United Scotsmen were arrested and tried. For example, George Mealmaker
was sentenced to 14 years transportation
. Other leaders such as Robert Jaffrey, David Black
, James Paterson and William Maxwell
were all found guilty of seditious activity. The last record of a United Scotsmen member having been tried before the courts was the trial in 1802 of Thomas Wilson
. The United Scotsmen were (along with the United Irishmen) pronounced an illegal organisation and legal measures tightened up control of the press as well to halt radical activity.
However, the radical activity continued in Scotland and in 1820 there was another radical rising
(one of whose leaders, James Wilson, had himself been a member of the United Scotsmen).
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...
in the late 18th century and sought widespread political reform throughout the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. It grew out of previous radical movements such as the Friends of the People Society
Friends of the People Society
The Society of the Friends of the People was formed in Great Britain by Whigs at the end of the 18th century as part of a movement seeking radical political reform that would widen electoral enfranchisement at a time when only a wealthy minority had the vote...
, and was inspired by the events of the French
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and American
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
revolutions. Their aims were largely the same as those of the Society of the United Irishmen
Society of the United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen was founded as a liberal political organisation in eighteenth century Ireland that sought Parliamentary reform. However, it evolved into a revolutionary republican organisation, inspired by the American Revolution and allied with Revolutionary France...
.
Societies of United Scotsmen had existed from the early 1790s, but it was only upon a delegation of United Irishmen arriving in Scotland to muster support for their cause did the United Scotsmen become more organised and more overtly revolutionary. The United Scotsmen were particularly adept at gaining support from the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
es of Scotland who stood to gain by becoming politically enfranchised as the society sought.
The aim of the society was universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
and annually elected parliaments, with a strong streak of republicanism running through it as well. By the mid 1790s the society had around 3,000 members, which was then more than the entire electorate of Scotland. This membership continued to grow rapidly beyond that level.
Owing to its aims and activities the United Scotsmen had to remain a secret society, and organised themselves into cells of no more than 16 people which would send delegates to larger bodies on occasion. This way it meant the organisation was more difficult to penetrate, but it also meant that many members did not know other members of the organisation.
The society was further boosted when the Parliament passed the Militia Act 1797 which allowed for the conscription of young men into the army. This proved vastly unpopular with many ordinary Scots, and in August 1797 there were large protests across the country which were brutally suppressed, with many protesters killed (e.g. Massacre of Tranent
Massacre of Tranent
The Massacre of Tranent took place 1797 in the town of Tranent, East Lothian, Scotland.On 28 August, a proclamation was drawn up by local people to object to the enforced recruitment of Scots into the military, to be used either for controlling their own people or for deployment overseas...
).
The United Scotsmen hoped to get support from the Dutch
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
as well as the French
French First Republic
The French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
, and there were plans for the Dutch to land in Scotland with some 50,000 troops and to take over the Scottish Central Belt
Central Belt
The Central Belt of Scotland is a common term used to describe the area of highest population density within Scotland. Despite the name, it is not geographically central but is nevertheless situated at the 'waist' of Scotland on a conventional map and the term 'central' is used in many local...
. However the Royal Navy intercepted a Dutch fleet and defeated them at the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
in October 1797. Further hopes for French assistance were ruined when a French fleet was dispatched to 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...
in the hope of encouraging English radicals (there was also a Society of the United Englishmen) to rise against the British government. However radical activity was not as entrenched there as in Scotland, or Ireland in particular. If they had dispatched the fleet to either of these countries then they may have met with more success.
The United Scotsmen still organised a rebellion against the Government in 1797, but despite initial successes for the insurrectionists, Government troops quickly drafted in from England soon quelled the rebellion. The United Scotsmens aims in the rebellion were to establish a new Provisional Government with Thomas Muir
Thomas Muir (radical)
Thomas Muir was a Scottish political reformer.Muir was the son of James Muir, a hop merchant, and was educated at Glasgow Grammar School, before attending the University of Glasgow to study divinity...
as President.
Various leaders of the United Scotsmen were arrested and tried. For example, George Mealmaker
George Mealmaker
George Mealmaker was a Scottish radical organiser and writer, born in Dundee, Scotland. Like his father before him he was a weaver by trade....
was sentenced to 14 years transportation
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
. Other leaders such as Robert Jaffrey, David Black
David Black
David or Dave Black may refer to:*Dave Black , baseball player*Dave Black , American author and composer...
, James Paterson and William Maxwell
William Maxwell
William Maxwell may refer to:*William Maxwell , Irish-born American soldier from New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War*General Sir William Maxwell, 7th Baronet of Calderwood...
were all found guilty of seditious activity. The last record of a United Scotsmen member having been tried before the courts was the trial in 1802 of Thomas Wilson
Thomas Wilson
-Politicians:*Thomas Wilson of Adelaide, Australia*Thomas Wilson , US Representative from Virginia*Thomas Wilson , US Representative from Minnesota*Thomas Stokeley Wilson, judge in Iowa...
. The United Scotsmen were (along with the United Irishmen) pronounced an illegal organisation and legal measures tightened up control of the press as well to halt radical activity.
However, the radical activity continued in Scotland and in 1820 there was another radical rising
Radical War
The Radical War, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest, a culmination of Radical demands for reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which had become prominent in the early years of the French Revolution, but had then been repressed...
(one of whose leaders, James Wilson, had himself been a member of the United Scotsmen).