Events from the year 2010 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

First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...

and Keeper of the Great Seal –

Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader ...

* Secretary of State –

Jim Murphy James Francis Murphy (born 23 August 1967) is a Scottish former politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2014 to 2015 and Secretary of State for Scotland from 2008 to 2010. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for East Re ...

(to 11 May 2010),

Danny Alexander Sir Daniel Grian Alexander (born 15 May 1972) is a former politician who was Chief Secretary to the Treasury between 2010 and 2015. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency from 2005 u ...

(12 May 2010 – 29 May 2010), Michael Moore (from 29 May).

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 ...

–

Elish Angiolini Lady Elish Frances Angiolini (''née'' McPhilomy; born 24 June 1960"Angiolini, Elish Frances" in ''Who's Who'', A & C Black.) is a Scottish lawyer. She was the Lord Advocate of Scotland from 2006 until 2011, having previously been Solicitor Ge ...

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 ...

– Frank Mulholland * Advocate General for Scotland – Lord Davidson of Glen Clova; then Lord Wallace of Tankerness

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 ...

and

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 ...

– Lord Hamilton *

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 Gill * Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord McGhie

Events

January

* 5 January – Scotland as well as most of the UK is deluged by some of the heaviest

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

in thirty years, causing widespread transport problems and school closures.

April

20 April Events Pre-1600 *1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII. 1601–1900 *1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament. *1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroys a ...

– To correspond with the first ever televised leader's debates in the UK, leaders of the main political parties in Scotland including the Scottish Labour Party,

Scottish Conservative Party The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...

, the

Scottish Liberal Democrats The Scottish Liberal Democrats ( gd, Pàrtaidh Libearal Deamocratach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Leeberal Democrats) is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, a part of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats. The party currently holds 4 o ...

and the Scottish National Party will hold a televised debate, broadcast on

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...

May

* 4 May – An ash cloud emitted from the Icelandic volcano

Eyjafjallajökull Eyjafjallajökull (; ), sometimes referred to by the numeronym E15, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The volcan ...

causes most Scottish and Northern European airports to be closed until further notice. * 6 May –

United Kingdom general election This is a list of United Kingdom general elections (elections for the UK House of Commons) since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the former Parliament of Great Britain and Parliament of Ireland ...

: with no Scottish seats changing hands, Labour maintains a stronghold in Scotland holding 41 out of 59 Scottish

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

seats. The Liberal Democrats have 11 seats, the Scottish National Party 6 seats and the Conservative Party maintain their single Scottish seat * 15 May – **Newly appointed

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

David Cameron travels to Scotland for talks with

. Both later agree that the talks were "productive" and it is agreed that Cameron would address the Scottish Parliament once every year and in return, MSP's could address Commons' committees in

. **

Dundee United F.C. Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in ...

win the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Ross County at Hampden Park. * 29 May – Following the resignation of the Chief Secretary of the Treasury

David Laws David Anthony Laws (born 30 November 1965) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Yeovil (UK Parliament constituency), Yeovil from 2001 United Kingdom general election, 200 ...

, the incumbent

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

Scottish Secretary 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 in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ...

, assumes his position and the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Michael Moore, becomes the new Scottish secretary.

June

* 8 June – Eight people injured after a train derails in

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

. * 10 June – A man dies after being shot outside his home in

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...

July

* 2 July – Supporters of Stirling Albion F.C. become the first in the UK to take over ownership of their club.

September

* 16 September –

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

begins his four-day UK visit, starting in Scotland.

November

15 November Events Pre-1600 * 655 – Battle of the Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. * 1315 – Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle of Mo ...

– City of Glasgow College officially launched by merger (agreed during 2009) of Central College, Glasgow Metropolitan College and

Glasgow College of Nautical Studies Glasgow College of Nautical Studies was a further education college of nautical and maritime studies, and a provider of marine and offshore training courses. On 26 March 2009, it was announced that the college would merge with the Central Colle ...

. * 18 November – Hugh Henry MSP wins

Scottish Politician of the Year Scottish Politician of the Year is an annual award established in 1999. It is held by '' The Herald'' newspaper in Prestonfield House, Edinburgh. Although the awards ceremony has been held once at the Royal Museum, Prestonfield House Hotel is c ...

award.

December

* 11 December – Scottish Transport Minister

Stewart Stevenson James Alexander Stewart Stevenson (''Gaelic: Seamus Alasdair Stiùbhart MacSteafain''; born 15 October 1946) is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change from 2007 to 2010 and Minister for Env ...

resigns amid criticism of his handling of transport chaos brought on by recent heavy snow in Scotland. * 12 December – Keith Brown is appointed as Scottish Transport Minister following yesterday's resignation of Stewart Stevenson. * 13 December – Major supermarkets and online stores stop taking orders in Scotland in the run up to Christmas, because of a backlog of deliveries caused by the adverse weather conditions. * 16 December – The Scottish Government rules out re-introducing

tuition fees Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...

for Scottish university students, but students from other parts of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

attending university in Scotland may face fees of £6,000. *

23 December Events Pre-1600 * 484 – The Arian Vandal Kingdom ceases its persecution of Nicene Christianity. * 558 – Chlothar I is crowned King of the Franks. * 583 – Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque. * 962 – ...

– ''

HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan ''Her Majesty's Advocate v Thomas Sheridan and Gail Sheridan'' was the 2010 criminal prosecution of Tommy Sheridan, a former Member of the Scottish Parliament and his wife Gail Sheridan for perjury in relation to the earlier civil case ''Sheridan ...

'': former MSP

Tommy Sheridan Tommy Sheridan (born 7 March 1966) is a Scottish politician who served as convenor of Solidarity from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) from 1998 to 2004 and as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2 ...

is convicted of perjury following a twelve-week trial; his wife is acquitted.

Undated

* Star Wheel Press, a Scottish indie/folk/pop band from

Aberfeldy, Scotland Aberfeldy ( gd, Obar Pheallaidh) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the River Tay. A small market town, Aberfeldy is located in Highland Perthshire. It was mentioned by Robert Burns in the poem ''The Birks Of Aberfeldy''. Etymolog ...

is formed. * W3G Marine engineering company is founded in Aberdeen.

Deaths

* 2 January – David R. Ross, historian (born 1958) *

7 January Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. * 1325 – Alfonso IV ...

–

Alex Parker Alexander Hershaw Parker (2 August 1935 – 7 January 2010) was a Scottish football player and manager. Parker played for Falkirk, Everton and Scotland, amongst others. Parker was named in Falkirk's ''Team of the Millennium'' and Everton's H ...

, football player and manager (born 1935) * 19 January –

Bill McLaren William Pollock McLaren (16 October 1923 – 19 January 2010) was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Known as 'the voice of rugby', he retired from commentating in 2002. Renowned throughout th ...

, rugby union commentator (born 1923) *

25 January Events Pre-1600 * 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate. * 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty. ...

– Bill Ritchie, cartoonist (born 1931) *

28 January Events Pre-1600 * 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany. * 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession of ...

– Alistair Hulett, acoustic folk singer (born 1951) * 13 February – Jock Ferguson, Australian politician (born 1946) * 22 February – Bobby Smith, footballer (born 1953) * 28 February – Adam Blacklaw, footballer (born 1937) *

4 March Events Pre-1600 *AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth). * 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia. * 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a stat ...

– Ronnie Fraser, agricultural journalist and Liberal politician (born 1929) *

11 March Events Pre-1600 * 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander. * 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the venerati ...

– Willie MacFarlane, football player and manager (born 1930) *

12 March Events Pre-1600 * 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. *1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cath ...

– Hugh Robertson, footballer (born 1939) * 18 March –

William Wolfe William Cuthbertson Wolfe (22 February 1924 – 18 March 2010) was a Scottish accountant, manufacturer and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He was the National Convenor (leader) of the SNP from 1969 to 1979, playing a central role in ...

, chairman of Scottish National Party (1969–1979) (born 1924) * 22 March –

James W. Black Sir James Whyte Black (14 June 1924 – 22 March 2010) was a Scottish physician and pharmacologist. Together with Gertrude B. Elion and George H. Hitchings, he shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988 for pioneering strategies for rational d ...

, pharmacologist, winner of 1988

Nobel prize in medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according ...

(born 1924) * 28 March –

David Carnegie, 14th Earl of Northesk David John MacRae Carnegie, 14th Earl of Northesk (3 November 1954 – 28 March 2010), styled Lord Rosehill between 1975 and 1994, was a British hereditary peer, landowner and member of the House of Lords. Background David Carnegie was the second ...

, member of the House of Lords (born 1954) *

1 April Events Pre-1600 * 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held. * 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. * 1081 – Alexios I Ko ...

–

Morag Beaton Morag Beaton (2 July 19261 April 2010) was a Scottish-Australian dramatic soprano who established her reputation as Turandot, a role she sang in Australia more than any other soprano to date. She also sang Tatiana (''Eugene Onegin''), Venus (''T ...

, operatic soprano (born 1926; died in Australia) * 8 April – James Quinn, Jesuit priest, theologian and hymnodist (born 1919) * 9 April – Kenneth McKellar, tenor (born 1927) * 19 April – Tom Fleming, actor (born 1927) *

21 April Events Pre-1600 *753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date). *43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered s ...

–

Sammy Baird Stuart Samuel Baird (13 May 1930 – 21 April 2010) was a Scottish football player and manager. Career During his playing career he played for Clyde, Preston North End, Rangers, Hibernian, Third Lanark and Stirling Albion. He won three Scot ...

, footballer (born 1930) * 1 June –

John Hagart John Hagart (19 November 1937 – 1 June 2010) was a Scottish football player and manager. He bossed Scottish sides Hearts and Falkirk during the later 1970s and early 1980s. Hagart had a modest playing career, making only five senior league a ...

, football player and manager (born 1937) * 21 June –

Tam White Tam White (12 July 1942 – 21 June 2010) was a Scottish musician, stonemason and actor. Biography Born Thomas Bennett Sim White in Edinburgh, Scotland, White was primarily known as a blues vocalist with a trademark gravelly voice. In the 19 ...

, musician and actor (born 1942) *

10 August Events Pre-1600 * 654 – Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I. * 955 – Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor defeats the Magyars, ending 50 years of Magyar invasion of the West. * 991 – Battle of Maldon: Th ...

–

Jimmy Reid James Reid (9 July 1932 – 10 August 2010) was a Scottish trade union activist, orator, politician and journalist born in Govan, Glasgow. His role as spokesman and one of the leaders in the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in between June 1971 ...

, trade union activist (born 1932) * 16 August –

Bobby Thomson Robert Brown Thomson (October 25, 1923 – August 16, 2010) was a Scottish-born American professional baseball player, nicknamed the "Staten Island Scot". He was an outfielder and right-handed batter for the New York Giants (1946–53, 1957), M ...

, American baseball player (born 1923 in Scotland) *17 August **

Bill Millin William Millin (July 14, 1922 – August 18, 2010), ...

, British Army soldier and piper during WWII (born 1922) ** Edwin Morgan (poet), Edwin Morgan, poet (born 1920) * 3 September – Annie Turnbull, supercentenarian, oldest person in U.K. at date of death (born 1898) * 28 October – Gerard Kelly, actor (born 1959) * 25 December – Iain Noble, banker and Gaelic activist (born 1935 in Germany) * 30 December – Jenny Wood-Allen, world record marathon runner (born 1911)

The arts and literature

* 19 September – Emma's Imagination wins the television talent show ''Must be the Music''. * James Robertson (novelist), James Robertson's novel ''And the Land Lay Still'' is published.

References

{{Years in Scotland , state=collapsed 2010 in Scotland, Years of the 21st century in Scotland 2010s in Scotland 2010 in the United Kingdom, *Scotland