Events from the year 1709 in Scotland.
Incumbents
*
Secretary of State for Scotland
The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...
:
The Earl of Mar, until 3 February 1709; then
The Duke of Queensberry
Law officers
*
Lord Advocate –
Sir James Stewart; then
Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet
*
Solicitor General for Scotland –
William Carmichael; then
Thomas Kennedy, jointly with
Sir James Steuart, Bt.
Judiciary
*
Lord President of the Court of Session –
Lord North Berwick
*
Lord Justice General –
Lord Tarbat
*
Lord Justice Clerk –
Lord Ormiston
Events
* 1 or 2 February – marooned
Lower Largo-born privateer
Alexander Selkirk, the original ''
Robinson Crusoe'', is rescued after four years living on the
Juan Fernández Islands and begins his return to civilisation.
* 26 April – Act of the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the provision of public libraries in presbyteries.
* 3 May – Elspeth Rule becomes the last person in Scotland to be tried before the
High Court of Justiciary for
witchcraft; the judge, sitting at
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
, orders her to be burned on the cheek and banished from Scotland for life.
* 1 July –
Treason Act 1708
The Treason Act 1708 (7 Ann c 21) is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which harmonised the law of high treason between the former kingdoms of England and Scotland following their union as Great Britain in 1707.
This Act is partly st ...
comes into force, harmonising the law of
high treason in Scotland with that of England.
* Summer – bad weather causes a poor harvest with consequent distress.
* 5 October – last
Scottish coinage
From until 1709 the coinage of Scotland was unique, and minted locally. A wide variety of coins, such as the plack, bodle, bawbee, dollar and ryal were produced over that time. For trading purposes coins of Northumbria and various other places ha ...
issued by a
mint in Scotland, at Edinburgh.
*
Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge established by royal charter.
[
* Appointment of the first Chair of Oriental Languages in the University of Glasgow, Charles Morthland.
* First clout archery competition for the ]Edinburgh Arrow
The Edinburgh Arrow is an annual clout archery competition held by the Royal Company of Archers, an archery club who act as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland. The Edinburgh Arrow is the longest-running annual archery competition in the recorde ...
held by the Royal Company of Archers and won by David Drummond, advocate.
Births
Date unknown
* John Armstrong, physician and poet (died 1779
Events
January–March
* January 11 – British troops surrender to the Marathas in Wadgaon, India, and are forced to return all territories acquired since 1773.
* January 11 – Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manip ...
)
Deaths
* 24 June – Robert Lauder of Beilmouth, lawyer and Clerk of Exchequer
See also
* 1709 in Great Britain
Events from the year 1709 in Great Britain.
Incumbents
* Monarch – Anne
* Parliament – 2nd
Events
* January to March – unusually cold weather (the Great Frost of 1709) brings floating ice into the North Sea.
* 10 January – Abraham Darb ...
References
{{Years in Scotland , state=collapsed
Years of the 18th century in Scotland
1700s in Scotland