The 1669 Act of Annexation was a

Parliamentary Act Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliament be ...

passed by the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

to establish

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

and

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

's status as Crown Dependencies following a legal dispute with

William Douglas, 9th Earl of Morton William Douglas, Earl of Morton (died before 1 November 1681) was a Scottish nobleman and Earl of Morton. He was the son of Robert Douglas, 8th Earl of Morton, and Anne Villiers. He succeeded as the 9th Earl of Morton on 12 November 1649. Willi ...

, who held the estates of Orkney and Shetland. Titled "Act for Annexation of Orknay and Zetland to the Crown", the legislation was passed on 27 December 1669 (17 December old style) and was the last law passed by the Parliament before its adjournment six days later. The Act made Orkney and Shetland exempt from any "''dissolution of His Majesty’s lands''". In 1742 a further Act of Parliament returned the estates to a later Earl of Morton, however, the original act of Parliament specifically proscribes this, stating that any such change is to be "''considered null, void and of no effect''". The 1669 Act specifically removed Orkney and Shetland from the jurisdiction of the Scottish Parliament and places it firmly in the care of the Crown, restoring the situation as it was 200 years prior at the time of the pawning of the islands by King

Christian I of Denmark Christian I (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he was also duke of Schleswig (within Den ...

/Norway to Scotland's James III.

References

External links

Scottish Legislation: 1669 Act for annexation of Orkney and Shetland to the Crown
- Full text in modern English

- Full text in original English (Shetland & Orkney Udal Law group) {{Scotland topics Act For Annexation Of Orkney And Shetland To The Crown, 1669 Act For Annexation Of Orkney And Shetland To The Crown, 1669 Acts of the Parliament of Scotland Treaties of Scotland Northern Isles Act for annexation

See also

References

External links