1951 in Scotland

Events from the year 1951 in Scotland.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – Hector McNeil until 26 October; then James Stuart

Law officers

• Lord Advocate – John Thomas Wheatley until November; then James Latham Clyde
• Solicitor General for Scotland – Douglas Johnston until November; then William Rankine Milligan

Judiciary

• Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Cooper
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Thomson
• Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Gibson

Events

• 11 April – The Stone of Scone is located in Arbroath Abbey having been stolen by Scottish nationalists.
• 12 May – Remains of Gunnister Man found in a peat bog in Shetland.
• 18–26 May – Festival of Britain: Festival Ship Campania on view in Dundee (King George V Dock).
• 25 May–8 September – Festival of Britain: Living Traditions exhibition presented at the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, by the Council of Industrial Design.
• 28 May–18 August – Festival of Britain: Exhibition of Industrial Power in Glasgow (opened by The Princess Elizabeth).
• 18 September–6 October – Festival of Britain: Festival Ship Campania on view in Glasgow (Springfield Dock).
• 26 October – 1951 United Kingdom general election: The Conservative Party and allies narrowly defeat Labour in Scotland and across the UK; this is the last election in which the Conservatives do better in Scotland than in England.
• 30 October – James Stuart is appointed Secretary of State for Scotland; he will hold office until January 1957.
• November – Ecurie Ecosse motor racing team founded by Edinburgh businessman and racing driver David Murray and mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson.
• 7 November – first floodlit Association football match in Scotland, a Stenhousemuir v. Hibernian F.C. friendly at the former's Ochilview Park.
• 24 November – Beinn Eighe becomes Britain's first national nature reserve.
• Publication of The Third Statistical Account of Scotland commences with the volume for Ayrshire.

Births

• 2 February – Ken Bruce, radio broadcaster
• 7 February – Eddie Kelly, footballer
• 20 February – Gordon Brown, Labour politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 2007–10
• 4 March – Kenny Dalglish, international footballer and manager
• 25 April – Ian McCartney, Labour politician
• 6 May – Davey Johnstone, rock guitarist
• 9 August – James Naughtie, print and radio journalist
• 22 August – Alex Neil, Scottish National Party MSP and government minister
• 16 September – Judith Miller, antiques expert (died 2023)
• 23 September – Andrew Greig, author
• 26 September – Stuart Tosh, born Stuart MacIntosh, rock musician
• 28 September – Jim Diamond, singer-songwriter (died 2015)
• 17 November – Jack Vettriano, born Jack Hoggan, painter (died 2025 in France)
• 19 November – Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, Labour politician and Lord Chancellor
• 15 December – Joe Jordan, international footballer and manager
• 20 December – Peter May, fiction writer
• 22 December – Jim McColl, entrepreneur
• Michael Scott Rohan, fantasy writer

Deaths

• 3 January – Peter McBride, footballer (born 1877)
• 29 January – James Bridie (O. H. Mavor), playwright (born 1888)
• 3 May – Sir Thomas Henderson, Liberal politician (born 1874)
• 16 May – James Greenlees, rugby union footballer, educationalist and soldier (born 1878)
• 9 September – Andrew Blain Baird, engineer and aviation pioneer (born 1862)
• 1 October – Peter McWilliam, international footballer and manager (born 1879)
• 11 October – Donald Cameron, 25th Lochiel, chief of Clan Cameron (born 1876)

The arts

• 19 May – Pitlochry Festival Theatre opens in a tent with the British première of Maxwell Anderson’s Mary of Scotland.
• School of Scottish Studies founded.

See also

• 1951 in Northern Ireland

References