The Act of Union (1707)

There had already been several schemes for the uniting of Scotland and England during the 17th century, these occurred in 1606, 1667, 1670 and 1689 but on every occasion they failed. From the English point of view there was little to be gained in a union and the Scots did not wish to become the minor partner who would probably be swallowed up by the much larger England. In fact it was the English who had a change of heart first. They were at war with France, yet again, and Louis XIV recognised the Catholic James VIII, 'the Young Pretender', as the rightful heir to both the English and Scottish thrones. The English would not have this. By the Act of Settlement it was decided that if Queen Anne should die childless, her only son had died in 1701, then the crown would pass to Sophia of Hanover, a cousin of Charles I. The Scots refused to agree to this and passed a series of acts that were hostile to England. The most important of these was the Act of Security in which the Scottish Parliament would have the power to nominate a successor to Anne within 20 days of her death and that the successor did not necessarily have to be from the House of Hanover. This raised the possibility of a separate Scottish monarchy, and also it raised the spectre of the Auld Alliance again, this worried England greatly. Scottish soldiers were important in the army and the English were embroiled in the War of Spanish Succession. Anne did not immediately sign the Act of Security and the Scottish Parliament withheld the supply of Scottish soldiers until she backed down.

The Treaty of Union is presented to Queen Anne

By 1704 Scotland was moving towards more independence rather than union while Anne and her English government were trying to bring the two countries closer together. The English moved first by putting pressure on Scotland with the Alien Act of 1705. In this Act the Scots were given until Christmas Day to accept the Hanoverian succession or they were to appoint commissioners to negotiate a union. If neither action was taken Scots would be treated as aliens in England, threatening property held by Scots there, and trade with England and her colonies would be destroyed. Money suddenly became available to Scottish MP's to support union. In a poorly attended Scottish Parliament it was decided to appoint the commissioners to negotiate a union. The discussions began in April 1706 and were largely completed by July. Although there were huge protests when the terms of the union were published it was passed by a large majority by the Scottish Parliament on 16th January 1707. By the terms of the Act Scotland and England were to become one country. Anne became Queen of Great Britain and the throne passed to the House of Hanover on her death. There was also economic union with free trade on both sides of the border. Scotland was given only 45 seats in the House of Commons and 16 seats in the House of Lords. What can only be described as a bribe of £398,085-10s English pounds was paid by England as compensation for Scotland now taking on part of England's national debt. It was also intended to repay those who had lost money investing in the Darien scheme, which failed partly due to English interference. Scotland was to keep its legal system and Kirk.

On 28th April 1707 the last Scottish Parliament (until 1999) was dissolved by the last Scottish monarch.

Already in 1708 the agreements of the union were beginning to be broken by the English. The Scottish Privy Council was abolished which left Scotland with little in the way of national administration. Following this other Acts were introduced which fed Scottish fears that their country was becoming a poor northern cousin of powerful England. The same treason laws were introduced in both countries, this was an obvious interference in the Scottish legal system. In 1712 the Toleration Act was introduced allowing greater freedom to Scottish Episcopalians. The Patronage Act was also introduced in 1712 which reversed the abolition of patrongae which had occured in 1690. By this Act the selection of ministers to the Church was decided by the nobles and the Crown, in practice this Act caused a great deal of friction between the Church and the Crown. The Board of Trustees for Fisheries and Manufactures was set up in 1727 and included gentlemen, lawyers and merchants. It was given a budget of £6000 a year with which it was to promote growth in the Scottish economy, the budget was tiny and the Board overextended itself from the beginning. By 1724 and 1736 there were anti-English riots in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

History Books on the Eighteenth Century and the events leading to, and after, the Union:

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now From:
Brown, K. M.	Kingdom or Province?: Scotland and the Regal Union, 1603-1715	1992	£14.50	Amazon.co.uk
Devine & Young	Eighteenth Century Scotland		£16.99	Amazon.co.uk
Based on a two-year seminar series at the Research Centre in Scottish History at the University of Strathclyde, this text aims to illuminate the part played by 18th century history in the creation of modern Scotland. It contains original research and historiographical overviews and commentaries.
Ferguson, W.	Scotland's Relations with England: A Survey to 1707	1994	£12.99	Amazon.co.uk
Harvie,	Scotland & Nationalism 3rd Edition	1997	£15.99 or $26.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
This new edition brings Scotland and Nationalism entirely up-to-date (1997). In particular the lead up to and implications of the 1997 referendum are analysed, together with the development of nationalist feeling in a wider context.

History Books on this time period

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now From:
Cooke, A. (ed.)	Modern Scottish History: 1707 to the Present	1998	£14.99	Amazon.co.uk
Part of a distance-learning history of Scotland course running from January 1998. The successful completion of the course gives students the equivalent to Junior Honours/OU Level 3 and carries 60 SCOTCAT points. This second volume covers the period 1850 to the present.
Devine, T. M.	The Scottish Nation 1700 - 2000	2000	£9.99 or $20.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
A paperback edition of one of the best-received books to be published about Scottish history for many years, written by one our most prestigious historians. A look at the factors which have shaped and defined modern Scotland.
Ferguson, W.	Scotland: 1689 - Present	1968	£15.99	Amazon.co.uk
The four-volume Edinburgh History of Scotland is the most important project in Scottish historical writing for more than half a century; each volume is written by an expert on the period who brings to his work the direct acquaintance with original sources on which authoritative historical writing can alone be based. This, the fourth volume, originally covered the history of Scotland from the Revolution of 1689 to 1967. The paperback edition was updated to include a brief review of the ten years to 1977. Political, ecclesiastical, economic, social and cultural developments all receive consideration, and the interaction of these factors is stressed throughout. But the treatment varies. For the 18th century, separate chapters are devoted to specific themes, thus enabling the reader to appreciate the background to ecclesiastical, social and economic movements. Then, on the ground so established, after 1832 the various factors at work in any given period are synthesised in a unified narrative. The result is the most comprehensive and substantial volume on modern Scotland. It incorporates the findings of recent research, including the author's own work, and challenges many accepted verdicts. The book is fully referenced and, as a guide to further reading, has a detailed critical bibliography.v
Mitchison, R.	Lordship to Patronage: Scotland 1603-1745	1990	£9.95 or $20.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Drawing on political, constitutional, religious, economic and social studies, Professor Mitchison outlines the growing bonds between England and Scotland, beginning with James VI's succession and culminating in the Act of Union in 1707. She argues that the union of the two states has had a distorting effect on Scottish history, constantly prompting comparisons of the constitutions and achievements of the two countries, rather than placing Scotland in a European context. This book attempts to redress the balance. First published as part of the New History of Scotland series this is a highly readable and straightforward introduction to early modern Scotland.
Lenman, B.	Integration, Enlightenment and Industrialization: Scotland 1746-1832	1993	£9.95 or $20.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
This is a study of Scottish politics and society from the defeat of the last Jacobite rebellion at Culloden in 1746 to the passing into law of the Scottish Reform Bill in July 1832. It is a period when the Scottish Enlightenment reached and perhaps passed its peak, but if the earlier decades saw the rise of some of the most influential thinkers of the contemporary world, the latter part of of the period saw a flourishing of imaginative literature. Economically, the period saw quite unprecedented changes in the lowlands. In the Highlands the transformation produced by integration with more advanced areas of the British Isles proved incompatible with an ancient culture and way of life. First published in 1981 as part of The New History of Scotland series, Bruce P. Lenman's highly readable account catches the hey-day of the Ancien Regime in Scotland.
Whatley, Christopher A.	Bought and Sold for English Gold? : Explaining the Union of 1707	2001	£7.99 or $12.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Bought and Sold for English Gold? is a new, revised edition of this invaluable guide to the background to and causes of the Union of 1707 which, outside Parliament, was deeply unpopular in Scotland. Extended and rewritten in the light of the re-establishment of a Scottish Parliament in 1999, the book takes the reader through the maze of competing arguments about why Scots gave up their Parliament in the first place. Christopher Whatley's account is dispassionate but also lucid, highly readable and frank in its assessments. Importantly, the book views the Union not only from the Scottish perspective, but also from that of England. It also considers the context of Europe, where political unions were by no means unusual by the early eighteenth century.