Events from the year 1797 in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Incumbents

Law officers

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate ( gd, Morair Tagraidh, sco, Laird Advocat), is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved p ...

–

Robert Dundas of Arniston Robert Dundas of Arniston (6 June 1758 – 17 June 1819) was a Scottish judge. Dundas served as Solicitor General for Scotland between 1784 and 1789 and as Lord Advocate from 1789 to 1801. He sat as Member of Parliament for was M.P. for Edinb ...

Solicitor General for Scotland , body = , insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg , insigniasize = 110px , image = File:Official Portrait of Ruth Charteris QC.png , incumbent = Ruth Charteris KC , incumbentsince = 22 June 2021 , department = Crown Office and ...

– Robert Blair

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. The L ...

– Lord Succoth *

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 ...

– The Duke of Montrose *

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...

– Lord Braxfield

Events

* 19 July – Act to Raise and Embody a

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

Force in Scotland. * 29 August –

Massacre of Tranent The Massacre of Tranent took place on 29 August 1797 in the town of Tranent, East Lothian, Scotland. Proclamation On 28 August a proclamation was drawn up by local people to object to the conscription of Scots into the British Militia, to be ...

: British troops attack protestors against enforced recruitment into the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

Tranent Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. The town lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies beside the A1 road, the A1 runs through the paris ...

in East Lothian, killing 12. * 11 October (12 October naval reckoning) – Battle of Camperdown: Royal Navy led by Dundee-born Admiral Duncan defeats the fleet of the Batavian Republic off the coast of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

. * Cloch lighthouse completed. * Johnston Press established as printers in Falkirk. *

Johnstons of Elgin Johnstons of Elgin is a woollen mill in Elgin, Moray, Elgin, Scotland. Alexander Johnston established his business in 1797 at Newmill Elgin on the banks of the River Lossie. Despite a major fire (1954) and numerous floods the Mill at Elgin contin ...

established as a

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

in Elgin, Moray. *

Keiller's marmalade Keiller's marmalade is named after its creator James and Janet Keiller (nee Mathewson, 1737-1813), and is believed to have been the first commercial brand of marmalade in Great Britain. It was made by James Keiller in Dundee, Scotland, later cr ...

first produced in Dundee. * Publication of ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Third Edition is completed in Edinburgh.

Births

* 29 April –

George Don George Don (29 April 1798 – 25 February 1856) was a Scottish botanist and plant collector. Life and career George Don was born at Doo Hillock, Forfar, Angus, Scotland on 29 April 1798 to Caroline Clementina Stuart and George Don (b.1756), p ...

, botanist (died

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...

) * 10 October –

Thomas Drummond Captain Thomas Drummond (10 October 1797 – 15 April 1840), from Edinburgh was a Scottish army officer, civil engineer and senior public official. He used the Drummond light which was employed in the trigonometrical survey of Great Britain an ...

, military surveyor and Under-Secretary for Ireland (died

1840 in Ireland Events from the year 1840 in Ireland. Events *10 January – Uniform Penny Post introduced. *1 April – Theatre Royal, Cork burns down. *19 May – foundation stone of the Roman Catholic St Mel's cathedral, Longford, is laid. *10 July – General ...

) * 14 November – Charles Lyell, geologist (died

1875 in England Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

) * 3 December – Andrew Smith, military surgeon, explorer, ethnologist and zoologist (died 1872 in England)

Deaths

* 26 March – James Hutton, geologist (born

1726 Events January–March * January 23 – (January 12 Old Style) The Conventicle Act (''Konventikelplakatet'') is adopted in Sweden, outlawing all non-Lutheran religious meetings outside of church services. * January 26 – ...

) * 30 December – David Martin, portrait painter and engraver (born

1737 Events January–March * January 5 – Spain and the Holy Roman Empire sign instruments of cession at Pontremoli in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in Italy, with the Empire receiving control of Tuscany and the Grand Duchy of Parma a ...

)

The arts

* 24 December –

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

marries Charlotte Carpenter at St Mary's Church, Carlisle, and the couple immediately move into their new home at 50 George Street, Edinburgh.Edinburgh Archive – Family.
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References

{{Year in Europe, 1797 Years of the 18th century in Scotland

1790s in Scotland