1650s in Scotland

Centuries:	15th; 16th; 17th; 18th; 19th;
Decades:	1630s; 1640s; 1650s; 1660s; 1670s;
See also:	List of years in Scotland; Timeline of Scottish history; 1650 in: England • Elsewhere

Events from the 1650s in the Kingdom of Scotland.

Incumbents

Monarch – Charles II (until his disposition in 1651)^[1]
Commonwealth of England from 1651 until the Restoration in 1660 which reinstates Charles II.^[1]

Events

1650:
- 21 May – James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose executed in Edinburgh after his defeat at the Battle of Carbisdale.^[2]
- 29 June – "the Lord General Cromwell went out of London towards the North: and the news of him marching Northward much startled the Scots".^[3] Oliver Cromwell leads the New Model Army to Edinburgh.^[4]
- 3 September – Battle of Dunbar takes place between Cromwell's Army and the Scottish Covenanters. Cromwell's army wins and the battle results in southern Scotland surrendering to England;^[4] it is administered from Dalkeith.
1651:
- 1 January – Charles II crowned King of Scotland at Scone Palace.^[5]
- 20 July – Battle of Inverkeithing: The English Parliamentarian New Model Army, under Major-General John Lambert, defeats a Scottish Covenanter army acting on behalf of Charles II, led by Sir John Brown of Fordell.
- 1 September – Siege of Dundee ends with the English Parliamentarian army, under General Monck, decisively defeating Covenanters in the last battle of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in Scotland.^[6]
- 3 September – Battle of Worcester takes place after Charles II has raised an army (largely from Scotland) and invaded England. It results in his defeat by Cromwell and the king escaping abroad.^[5]
1652: 17 June – A large fire breaks out in Glasgow, which destroys around a third of the city and leaves approximately 1,000 families homeless.^[7]
1653: 16 December – Cromwell is made Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.^[8]
1654:
- 12 April – Cromwell creates a union between England and Scotland, with Scottish representation in the Parliament of England.^[9]
- 5 May – Cromwell's Act of Grace, which pardons the people of Scotland for any crimes they may have committed during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, is proclaimed in Edinburgh.
1658: 3 September – Cromwell dies and the title of Lord Protector passes to his son, Richard Cromwell.^[8]
1659:
- 25 May – Richard Cromwell forced to resign as Lord Protector.^[8]
- Heriot's Hospital opens in Edinburgh.^[10]

Publications

1655 – History of the Church and State of Scotland by John Spottiswoode.^[11]

Births

1650:
- Sir James Dalrymple, 1st Baronet, writer and Principal Clerk of Session (d. 1719)^[12]
- George Brown, inventor and arithmetician (d. 1730)^[13]
- Henry Erskine, 3rd Lord Cardross, Covenanter (d. 1693)^[14]
1654: 23 November – George Watson, accountant (d. 1733)^[15]
1658: 11 April – James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, nobleman (d. 1712)^[16]
1659
- 1 January – Margaret Wemyss, 3rd Countess of Wemyss, noble (d. 1705)^[17]
- 3 June – David Gregory, mathematician and astronomer (d. 1708 in England)^[18]
- 13 September – Claud Hamilton, 4th Earl of Abercorn, Scottish and Irish peer (d. 1691)^[19]

Deaths

1650:
- 21 May – James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (b. 1612)^[2]
- 29 October – David Calderwood, divine and historian (b. 1575)^[20]
1654: Alexander Ross, writer (b. c.1590)^[21]

References

^ ^a ^b "Charles II - king of Great Britain and Ireland". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
^ ^a ^b "James Graham, 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Montrose". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
^ Thomas Carlyle quoting Bulstrode Whitelocke in "Oliver Cromwells Letters and speeches" Vol 2, J.M.Dent, 1908, page 146.
^ ^a ^b "Battle of Dunbar". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b "British History Timeline". BBC History. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
^ "Siege and Sacking of Dundee from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
^ "The Great Fire of Glasgow – tragic blaze which destroyed the city 368 years ago". Glasgow Live. 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "What kind of ruler was Oliver Cromwell". The National Archives. Archived from the original on 30 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
^ Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.
^ "Heriot's Hospital, Edinburgh". National Galleries of Scotland. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
^ Taylor, Alan (2016). Glagow:The Autobiography. Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited. p. 13. ISBN 9781780273532.
^ Whitley, Laurence A. B. (2013). A Great Grievance: Ecclesiastical Lay Patronage in Scotland until 1750. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 9781621896449.
^ "George Brown". National Portrait Gallery. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
^ "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
^ "History of George Watson's College". George Watson College. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
^ "A Young Man in Blue, called Lord Arran (probably Lieutenant-General James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, later 4th Duke of Hamilton KT [1658-1712]) 266921 | National Trust Collections". www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
^ Fraser, Sir William (1888). Memorials of the Family of Wemyss of Wemyss. p. 411.
^ Petkovi_, Miodrag (2 September 2009). Famous Puzzles of Great Mathematicians. American Mathematical Soc. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-8218-4814-2.
^ Cokayne, George Edward (1892). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, Or Dormant. G. Bell & sons. p. 153.
^ "David Calderwood - Scottish clergyman". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
^ Delisle, Jean; Woodsworth, Judith (2012). Translators through History: Revised edition. John Benjamins Publishing. p. 174. ISBN 978-9027273819.

[Britannica-1] "Charles II - king of Great Britain and Ireland". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2018.

[graham-2] "James Graham, 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Montrose". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[3] Thomas Carlyle quoting Bulstrode Whitelocke in "Oliver Cromwells Letters and speeches" Vol 2, J.M.Dent, 1908, page 146.

[dunbar-4] "Battle of Dunbar". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[BBC-5] "British History Timeline". BBC History. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[6] "Siege and Sacking of Dundee from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2021.

[7] "The Great Fire of Glasgow – tragic blaze which destroyed the city 368 years ago". Glasgow Live. 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2024.

[TNA-8] "What kind of ruler was Oliver Cromwell". The National Archives. Archived from the original on 30 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[Cassell's_Chronology-9] Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.

[10] "Heriot's Hospital, Edinburgh". National Galleries of Scotland. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.

[11] Taylor, Alan (2016). Glagow:The Autobiography. Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited. p. 13. ISBN 9781780273532.

[12] Whitley, Laurence A. B. (2013). A Great Grievance: Ecclesiastical Lay Patronage in Scotland until 1750. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 9781621896449.

[13] "George Brown". National Portrait Gallery. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2017.

[14] "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2017.

[15] "History of George Watson's College". George Watson College. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2017.

[16] "A Young Man in Blue, called Lord Arran (probably Lieutenant-General James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, later 4th Duke of Hamilton KT [1658-1712]) 266921 | National Trust Collections". www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2017.

[17] Fraser, Sir William (1888). Memorials of the Family of Wemyss of Wemyss. p. 411.

[18] Petkovi_, Miodrag (2 September 2009). Famous Puzzles of Great Mathematicians. American Mathematical Soc. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-8218-4814-2.

[19] Cokayne, George Edward (1892). Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, Or Dormant. G. Bell & sons. p. 153.

[20] "David Calderwood - Scottish clergyman". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2017.

[21] Delisle, Jean; Woodsworth, Judith (2012). Translators through History: Revised edition. John Benjamins Publishing. p. 174. ISBN 978-9027273819.

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