The Lord High Admiral of Scotland was one of the

Great Officers of State Government in medieval monarchies generally comprised the king's companions, later becoming the Royal Household, from which the officers of state arose, initially having household and government duties. Later some of these officers became ...

of the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a l ...

before the Union with England in 1707. The office was one of considerable power, also known as ''Royal Scottish Admiralty'', including command of the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ti ...

's ships and sailors (see Royal Scottish Navy) and inspection of all sea ports, harbours, and sea coasts. The Admiral appointed judges to decide causes relating to maritime affairs, including both civil and criminal jurisdiction, and jurisdiction over creeks, fresh and navigable waterways. The duties were exercised through Vice-Admirals and Admirals-Depute, later called Judge Admirals. The office seems to have originated in the early 15th century and was once held by Sir Robert Logan of Grugar, later also of

Restalrig Restalrig () is a small residential suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland (historically, an estate and independent parish). It is located east of the city centre, west of Craigentinny and to the east of Lochend, both of which it overlaps. Restal ...

and the

Earls of Bothwell Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...

and the

Dukes of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Len ...

. It was one of the heritable offices that Charles II gave to his illegitimate son Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox. The earliest surviving records of the Scottish High Court of Admiralty date from 1557, convened under the authority of the Earl of Bothwell, in Edinburgh or Leith. Although all maritime causes in Scotland below a river's first bridge were in its view, it was inferior to the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...

, and its authority was contested by the Court of Justiciary in criminal matters. The Court was formally to be held, ''fenced'', within the sea-flood and wherever it was actually held the Admiral would declare that to be the case. The judges were Bothwell's two vice-admirals, men otherwise unknown who were almost certainly professional lawyers rather than mariners. By the

Act of Union 1707 The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the t ...

all admiralty jurisdictions were placed under the Lord High Admiral of Great Britain or Commissioners of the Admiralty. Nevertheless, the Vice-Admiral of Scotland who received his commission from the Crown continued to appoint the Judge Admiral (until 1782) and Admirals-depute and to rank as an Officer of the Crown. The Public Offices (Scotland) Act 1817 provided that no person thereafter appointed as Vice Admiral should receive a salary. The

Admiralty Court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

was abolished in 1830 and the Court of Session granted

subject-matter jurisdiction Subject-matter jurisdiction (also called jurisdiction ''ratione materiae')'' is the authority of a court to hear cases of a particular type or cases relating to a specific subject matter. For instance, bankruptcy court only has the authority ...

List of Lord High Admirals

* The 1st Earl of Orkney * George, 1st Earl of Caithness (Third Creation) * William, 1st Earl of Caithness (Fourth Creation) * The 1st Duke of Montrose * The 1st Duke of Albany * Sir Robert Logan of Grugar, later also of Restalrig 1400 * The 1st Earl of Crawford before 1403 * The 1st Earl of Bothwell appointed 1488. * The 1st Earl of Arran sailed with royal fleet 1502, 1504–5, 1513 * The 5th Earl of Angus * The 5th Lord Maxwell * The 2nd Earl of Bothwell appointed 1508 in succession to his father. * The 3rd Earl of Bothwell appointed 1513, duties performed by Patrick Hepburn, Prior of St. Andrews. * The 4th Earl of Bothwell appointed 1556. * The 4th Earl of Morton appointed 1568. * The 1st Earl of Bothwell (Second Creation) appointed 1581, confirmed 1587. * The 2nd Duke of Lennox appointed 1591. * The 4th Duke of Lennox 1626 * The 2nd Earl of Kincardine 1668 * James, Duke of York and Albany 1673 * The Duke of Hamilton 1692 * Charles, 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox 1694 * The 1st Duke of Montrose 1702 * The 4th Earl of Wemyss 1706–1707, thereafter Vice-Admiral

List of Vice Admirals

* 1708 The 4th Earl of Wemyss * 1714 The 9th Earl of Rothes * 1727 The 3rd Duke of Queensberry * 1729 The 2nd Earl of Stair * 1733 The 13th Earl of Morton * 1738 The 5th Earl of Findlater * 1764 The 3rd Earl of Hyndford * 1767 The 4th Duke of Queensberry * 1776 The 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland * 1782

Lord William Gordon Lord William Gordon (1744–1823) was a Scottish nobleman. Background He was the second son of Cosmo Gordon, 3rd Duke of Gordon (1720–1752) and his wife Lady Catherine Gordon Lady Catherine Gordon (–October 1537) was a Scottish noblewom ...

, son of The 3rd Duke of Gordon * The 1st Earl Cathcart

References

* Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia of the Laws of Scotland {{Vice-Admiralties of the Coast Lord High Admiral Royal Scots Navy Lists of admirals