Convention of Royal Burghs facts for kids
The Convention of Royal Burghs was like a special club for Scotland's main trading towns, called royal burghs. From the mid-1500s until the late 1900s, this group worked to protect the towns' rights and help their businesses. It was a place where representatives from these towns, called "commissioners," could meet. They talked about important issues and decided on common actions, especially before and during meetings of the Parliament of Scotland.
This Convention was mainly for merchants. It acted almost like a mini-parliament for the towns, setting rules for them. Over time, smaller towns also joined. By the 1500s, the Convention became very powerful. Even the government listened to its advice. Although it was still known as the "convention of royal burghs," it later called itself simply the "convention of burghs." This was because its members included all types of towns, not just royal burghs.
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How It Started
The idea for the Convention began way back in the 1200s with the Court of the Four Burghs. This group included representatives from Berwick, Edinburgh, Roxburgh, and Stirling. Later, in 1369, Lanark and Linlithgow took the place of Berwick and Roxburgh when those towns came under English control.
These town representatives met before Parliament sessions. They talked to the king or queen through the Court or through the Chamberlain. The Chamberlain was the king's main money officer and led these meetings. This Court, sometimes called the Parliament of the Four Burghs, made laws for the towns. It also settled arguments between towns and heard appeals from their local courts. The first record of their discussions is from 1292. The Court used the same rules for all royal burghs, and its decisions had to be followed.
It took a long time for towns to get their own representatives in the Parliament of Scotland. Many old records were lost, so it's hard to know the exact timeline.
Towns were very important because they were the main source of money for the kingdom. So, kings often asked them to meet when Parliament was sitting. The first time towns are thought to have been present was in 1326. King Robert I needed money to fix damage from the Scottish Wars of Independence. It's not clear if the town representatives sat with the bishops and nobles in Parliament at this time.
In 1357, towns were asked for help again. This time, money was needed to pay a ransom to free King David II from being held captive by the English. This event is seen as a key moment. It's when town representatives became a clear political group within Parliament. This was also the first time the term "three estates" was used to describe Parliament's members.
The towns were consulted again in 1405 in Stirling. They needed to raise a large sum of money for King James I's expenses while he was imprisoned in England. For this meeting, it was decided that two or three representatives from every town south of the Spey River should attend. They would "discuss, order, and decide on all things concerning the good of all the King’s towns." Because of this, historians often say 1405 was the real start of the Convention. It met at every Parliament session from then on.
The "Court of Four" continued until 1529. The head of the town where the meeting was held acted as president. The Chamberlain also still attended, though his official role ended in 1532.
King James III's Time
The Convention became more and more important during the reign of King James III (1460-1488). During this time, towns paid one-fifth of all the taxes collected by Parliament. From 1455 onwards, about 16 towns usually attended Parliament. This number grew to 22 in 1469, 23 in 1471, and 33 by 1488. More towns from different areas also joined. Meetings became more frequent.
In 1487, a law was passed saying that representatives from all towns, both north and south of the Spey River, should meet once a year. They were to gather in the town of Inverkeithing the day after Saint James's Day. Their job was to discuss trade, good rules for towns, and how to fix problems. If a town didn't send its representatives, it had to pay a fine of five pounds to cover the costs of those who did attend.
The 1500s
By the mid-1500s (around 1552), the Convention met regularly as a separate group. It decided on common policies that would then be adopted by Parliament. Records show the Convention was called by the king in 1529, 1530–31, 1539, and 1556. During the time of Mary of Guise, the towns themselves started setting the dates and places for their meetings. This was later made official by law in 1581.
In 1563, the Convention gained the right to be asked about "peace and war." From 1567, they were consulted on all "weighty affairs" of the kingdom. In 1578, King James VI allowed them to meet "four times a year for matters concerning their Estate, and in whatever Burgh it shall be thought expedient." The Convention's yearly records begin in that year.
Sir James Marwick, who edited the Convention's records, explained its many jobs: The Convention looked after almost everything that affected Scotland's towns. This included their local rules and their trade at home and abroad. It set the rights and duties of towns. It controlled trade, goods, and shipping. It also oversaw Scottish merchants in other countries like France and Flanders. The Convention sent representatives to foreign powers and made trade agreements. It even chose the official who protected Scottish trade in Flanders. It also helped pay for ambassadors from Scotland to other countries when it concerned towns or the country's well-being.
The Convention also divided taxes among all the towns. It decided which towns could join and be added to its list. It also checked weights and measures. For example, the official "stone weight" was based on Lanark, the "pint" on Stirling, the "dry measure of meal" on Linlithgow, and the "length of cloth" on Edinburgh.
The 1600s
On August 21, 1604, the Convention agreed on rules for Scottish representatives. These representatives were negotiating the Union of the Crowns with England. The first rule was to protect Scots Law. It said that people in Scotland should be governed by Scottish laws only. The second rule asked that nothing in the Union agreement should harm the old freedoms, rights, and laws made for the towns.
The Convention was very important in the 1600s. George Mackenzie, a top lawyer, said that Scottish towns had the right to meet during Parliament. They could suggest ideas for trade as a separate group. No other group in Parliament could meet outside of Parliament. This special right was given to them to help trade.
In 1672, towns that were not royal burghs were allowed to take part in foreign trade. But to keep the royal burghs important, a law in 1690 said that these smaller towns had to pay money. This helped reduce the tax burden on the royal burghs. By 1689, 70 towns were members of the Convention. However, royal burghs still had the most power.
Later Years
Some historians say that the Convention made the townspeople the most organized group in the Scottish Parliament. It also made town governments in Scotland more similar than in England. However, this also led to some corruption among town leaders.
In the early 1800s, the Convention mainly tried to stop changes. The Municipal Reform Act of 1834 greatly reduced its power. For a while, people thought about getting rid of it completely. But when other types of towns were allowed to join in 1879 and 1895, it got a new chance, though it didn't gain much more power.
In the late 1800s, politicians in Westminster (the British Parliament) saw the Convention as a good way to understand public opinion in Scotland. In 1899, it had 103 towns and 207 representatives. A Scottish government minister called it "the oldest existing representative body in Europe." However, despite its many records, its actual importance was quite small.
The Convention was finally ended in 1975. This happened when local government in Scotland was reorganized. It was replaced by the modern-day Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
See also
Images for kids
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An 18th-century drawing of the Scottish Parliament opening. Town representatives are shown in the procession.
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King James III, who reigned from 1460 to 1488.
