---
title: "Act of Union with Scotland"
year: 1707
country: "England"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1707/act-union-scotland"
slug: "act-union-scotland"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1707-04-30"
---

# Act of Union with Scotland

> Act of Union with Scotland

the English Parliament's approval on March 6, 1707, with royal assent granted shortly thereafter in March

## Summary

one by the Parliament of Scotland in January 1707, followed shortly thereafter by an equivalent act of the Parliament of England

## Key facts

- **Scottish Parliament vote**: 110 to 69 in favor, January 16, 1707
- **Treaty negotiation date**: July 22, 1706
- **English Parliament approval.**: March 6, 1707 (passage); royal assent March 19, 1707.
- **English Act of Union passage**: March 6, 1707 (passage by Parliament).
- **Effective union date**: May 1, 1707
- **Scottish MPs in new Parliament**: 45 out of 513 total
- **Scottish peers in House of Lords**: 16 out of 154 total
- **Chief negotiator for Scotland**: John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair.

## Timeline

- **1706-07-22** - Treaty of Union signed
  Commissioners from Scotland and England finalize the Treaty of Union after negotiations in London, outlining the terms for political merger.
- **1707-01-16** - Scottish Parliament approves Union
  After heated debate and public opposition, the Scottish Parliament votes 110-69 to ratify the treaty, with many viewing it as necessary for economic stability.
- **1707-03-06** - English Parliament approves Union
  The English Parliament passes its equivalent Act of Union, formally accepting Scotland into the unified state.
- **1707-05-01** - Union takes legal effect
  The Acts of Union come into force. The Kingdom of Scotland ceases to exist as an independent entity; the Kingdom of Great Britain is established with a single Parliament.
- **1707-10-23** - First Parliament of Great Britain convenes
  The unified Parliament meets for the first time at Westminster, including 45 Scottish MPs and 16 Scottish peers among its 513 members.

## Relationships

- **caused**: stockton-darlington-railway - Timeline of "Act of Union with Scotland" references "First Passenger Railway Opens (Stockton & Darlington)" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
- **caused**: first-transatlantic-telegraph-cable - Timeline of "Act of Union with Scotland" references "First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
- **caused**: irish-independence-treaty - Timeline of "Act of Union with Scotland" references "Irish Independence & Treaty (Irish Free State Established)" (3 shared tokens incl. title anchor).

## Consequences

- **1707 - Creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain**: The Acts of Union formally merged the Crown of Scotland with the Crown of England, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain under Queen Anne and establishing a single Parliament at Westminster.
- **1715 - Jacobite Rising of 1715**: Scottish Jacobite forces, opposed to the Union and supporting the deposed Stuart line, rose in rebellion against the new British state. The Earl of Mar led forces that were ultimately defeated at Sheriffmuir.
- **1750 - Scottish Enlightenment flourishing**: Access to English markets and capital, combined with institutional stability, enabled Scottish intellectual innovation. Figures like David Hume, Adam Smith, and James Watt emerged during this period of unprecedented cultural productivity.
- **1760 - Industrial Revolution in Scotland**: Union facilitated Scottish participation in imperial trade networks and colonial ventures. Coal, iron, and shipbuilding industries in the Clyde Valley transformed Scotland into an industrial powerhouse by the early 19th century.
- **1999 - Devolution and Scottish Parliament restoration**: After 292 years, a Scottish Parliament reconvened in Edinburgh following a 1997 referendum. This devolved significant powers while Scotland remained in the Union, reshaping the political architecture of Britain.

## Then vs now

- **Population of Scotland**: 1707: ~1.2 million → 2024: ~5.5 million - Includes substantial migration and natural growth
- **Number of Scottish MPs in Westminster Parliament**: 1707: 45 → 2024: 57 - Adjusted through Representation of the People Acts
- **Scottish legal system independence**: 1707: Retained separate courts and law → 2024: Still operates independently - Article XIX of Treaty of Union preserved Scottish law
- **Scottish religious establishment**: 1707: Presbyterian Church of Scotland protected → 2024: Church of Scotland remains established - Article XXV guaranteed Presbyterian governance

## Impact

The Union created a unified British state with combined military, economic, and diplomatic power that would dominate the 18th and 19th centuries. Scotland retained its legal system, church, and educational institutions while gaining access to English colonial markets and naval protection. The merger fundamentally altered European power dynamics and laid groundwork for the British Empire's expansion.

## Sources

- [Act of Union with Scotland]() - Wikipedia

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Canonical: https://recap.at/1707/act-union-scotland