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Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain facts for kids

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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.

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).

Legal background to the composition of the 1st Parliament

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)

Name Birth Death Former constituency Party
Abercromby, AlexanderAlexander Abercromby 1678 1729 Banffshire Court
Dalrymple, DavidThe Hon. Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Bt c. 1665 1721 Culross Court
Dalrymple, WilliamThe Hon. William Dalrymple 1678 1744 Ayrshire Court
Kerr, 3rd Bt, Sir WilliamSir William Kerr, 3rd Bt 1716 Roxburghshire Squadrone
MackenzieThe Hon. Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Bt c. 1658 1728 Cromartyshire Court
Rose, HughHugh Rose 1663 1732 Nairnshire Court
Scott, JamesJames Scott 1671 1732 Montrose Court
Maitland, The Hon. AlexanderThe Hon. Alexander Maitland 1721 Inverbervie Court
Seton of Pitmedden, 2nd Bt, WilliamWilliam Seton of Pitmedden, 2nd Bt 1673 1744 Aberdeenshire Court (Squadrone?)
Allardice of Allardice, Sir GeorgeSir George Allardice of Allardice 1672 1709 Kintore Court
Douglas, AlexanderSir Alexander Douglas 1718 Orkney and Shetland Court
Moncreiff, PatrickPatrick Moncreiff c. 1674 1709 Kinghorn Court
Smollett, Sir JamesSir James Smollett c. 1648 1731 Dumbarton Court
Baillie, GeorgeGeorge Baillie 1664 1738 Lanarkshire Squadrone
Douglas, ArchibaldArchibald Douglas c. 1667 1741 Roxburghshire Court
Montgomerie, FrancisThe Hon. Francis Montgomerie by 1729 Ayrshire Court
Stewart, The Hon. JohnThe Hon. John Stewart after 1670 1748 Wigtownshire Court
Bennet, 2nd Bt, Sir WilliamSir William Bennet, 2nd Bt 1729 Roxburghshire Court
Graham, MungoMungo Graham 1670 1754 Perthshire Squadrone
Montgomerie, 6th Bt, Sir HughSir Hugh Montgomerie, 6th Bt c. 1663 1735 Glasgow Court (Anti-Union)
Swinton, Sir JohnSir John Swinton before 1662 1723 Berwickshire Court
Bruce, JohnJohn Bruce 1711 Kinross-shire Squadrone
Grant, AlexanderAlexander Grant after 1673 1719 Inverness-shire Court
Morison, WilliamWilliam Morison 1663 1739 Peeblesshire Court
Burnett, 3rd Bt, Sir ThomasSir Thomas Burnett, 3rd Bt after 1656 1714 Kincardineshire Court
Haldane, 11th Laird of Gleneagles, Sir JohnSir John Haldane, 11th Laird of Gleneagles 1660 1721 Perthshire Squadrone
Murray, JohnJohn Murray c. 1667 1714 Selkirkshire Court
Campbell, DanielDaniel Campbell c. 1672 1753 Inveraray Court
Halkett, 1st Bt, Sir PeterSir Peter Halkett, 1st Bt c. 1660 1746 Dunfermline Squadrone
Nisbet, WilliamWilliam Nisbet c. 1666 1724 Haddingtonshire Squadrone
Campbell, JamesSir James Campbell, 5th Bt c. 1679 1756 Argyllshire Court
Halyburton, JamesJames Halyburton by 1755 Forfarshire Squadrone
Ogilvy, The Hon. PatrickThe Hon. Patrick Ogilvy 1665 1737 Cullen Court
Campbell, JamesJames Campbell c. 1666 1752 Argyllshire Court
Hume (Lord Kimmerghame), The Hon. Sir AndrewThe Hon. Sir Andrew Hume (Lord Kimmerghame) 1676 1730 Kirkcudbright Squadrone
Pollock, 1st Bt, Sir RobertSir Robert Pollock, 1st Bt c. 1665 1735 Renfrewshire Court
Campbell, JohnThe Hon. John Campbell c. 1660 1729 Argyllshire Court
Johnstone, JohnSir John Johnstone, 1st Bt 1711 Dumfriesshire Court
Pringle, JohnJohn Pringle c. 1674 1754 Selkirkshire Court
Clerk, JohnJohn Clerk 1676 1755 Whithorn Court
Johnstone, Sir PatrickSir Patrick Johnstone 1736 Edinburgh Court
Ramsay, 4th Bt, Sir DavidSir David Ramsay, 4th Bt after 1673 1710 Kincardineshire Independent (Anti-Union)
Cockburn, JohnJohn Cockburn c. 1679 1758 Haddingtonshire Squadrone
Erskine, 3rd Bt, Sir JohnSir John Erskine, 3rd Bt 1672 1739 Burntisland Squadrone
Erskine, JohnJohn Erskine 1660 1733 Stirling Court

See also

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