Events from the year 1716 in Scotland.

Incumbents

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...

: The Duke of Roxburghe

Law officers

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (), is the principal legal adviser of both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolution, devolved powers of the Scottish P ...

– Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet * Solicitor General for Scotland – Sir James Stewart, Bt jointly with John Carnegie of Boyseck

Judiciary

Lord President of the Court of Session The Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General () is the most senior judge in Scotland, the head of the judiciary, and the presiding judge of the College of Justice, the Court of Session, and the High Court of Justiciary. ...

– Lord North Berwick *

Lord Justice General Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

– Lord Ilay *

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Lord Beckett, who was appointed to the position on 4 February 2025, succeeding Lady Dorr ...

– Lord Grange

Events

* January **

Crieff Crieff (; , meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth, Scotland, Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 road, A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy, Scotland, Aberfeldy. The A822 road, A822 joins ...

is burned to the ground by Jacobites returning from the

Battle of Sheriffmuir The Battle of Sheriffmuir (, ) was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rising of 1715, Jacobite rising in Scotland. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Histor ...

. ** The Duke of Argyll disperses the remainder of the Jacobite troops. * 5–10 February – The pretender

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...

flees from Montrose to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He dismisses Lord Bolingbroke as his secretary of state. * 24 February – execution of the Jacobite leaders

James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater (26 June 1689 – 24 February 1716) was an English peer who participated in the Jacobite rising of 1715 and was executed for treason. Life Radclyffe was the son of Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Derwen ...

, and

William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure William Gordon, 6th Viscount of Kenmure and Lord Lochinvar (c. 167224 February 1716) was a Scottish Jacobite. William Gordon was the only son of Alexander Gordon, 5th Viscount of Kenmure of Kenmure Castle and succeeded his father on his death ...

in London. * 4 August – George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton, under sentence of death for his part in the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Francis Edward Stuart, James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland ...

, escapes from the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

and flees into exile on the continent. * 1 November – Disarming Act, passed by the

Parliament of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union 1707, Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a ...

, comes into effect, intended to prevent clansmen in the Highlands from having weapons. * 13 December – John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe, is appointed

. * The Jacobite John Erskine, Earl of Mar, is attainted for treason by the Parliament of Great Britain. * The post of Professor of Ecclesiastical History in the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

is established by King

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. ...

Sport

* Kilsyth Curling Club established, possibly the world's oldest.

Births

* 2 February – David Graeme, British Army officer (died 1797) * 4 October –

James Lind James Lind (4 October 1716 – 13 July 1794) was a Scottish physician. He was a pioneer of naval hygiene in the Royal Navy. By conducting one of the first ever clinical trials, he developed the theory that citrus fruits cured scurvy. Lind ...

, pioneer of naval hygiene in the Royal Navy (died

1794 Events January–March * January 1 – The Stibo Group is founded by Niels Lund as a printing company in Aarhus (Denmark). * January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United St ...

) Date unknown * Sir James Carnegie, 3rd Baronet, soldier and politician (died

1765 Events January–March * January 23 – Prince Joseph of Austria marries Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria in Vienna. * January 29 – One week before his death, Mir Jafar, who had been enthroned as the Nawab of Bengal and ...

)

Deaths

* March – Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet, clan chief (born 1670) * 11 May –

James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth, Order of the Thistle, KT, Privy Council of England, PC (164811 May 1716) was a Scottish peer and politician. Lyle, Kathleen (2019), ''The Jacobites in Perth 1715-16'', Tippermuir Books Ltd., Perth, p. 162, Fa ...

, Jacobite (born 1648; died at

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the department of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' Musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nationa ...

) * 21 May – Robert Fleming the younger, Presbyterian minister (born c.

1660 Events January–March * January 1 ** At daybreak, English Army Colonel George Monck, with two brigades of troops from his Scottish occupational force, fords the River Tweed at Coldstream in Scotland to cross the Anglo-Scottish ...

; died in London) * 24 July –

Agnes Campbell Lady Agnes Campbell (1526 – in or after 1590) was a Scottish noblewoman and queen consort of Tír Eoghain. She was the mother of Iníon Dubh and the maternal grandmother of Red Hugh O'Donnell. Campbell was a skilled diplomat and political lead ...

, printer (born 1637) * 15 September – Andrew Fletcher, politician and writer (born 1653; died in London) * 22 September – Robert Douglas former bishop of Dunblane (born c. 1624) * 17 October – Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton (born 1631 in London) * 7 December – George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon (born 1643) Date unknown * Patrick Abercromby, royal physician, antiquary and translator (born 1656)

References

{{Years in Scotland , state=collapsed Years of the 18th century in Scotland

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

1710s in Scotland