1974 in Scotland

Events from the year 1974 in Scotland.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – Gordon Campbell until 4 March; then Willie Ross

Law officers

• Lord Advocate – Norman Wylie; then Ronald King Murray
• Solicitor General for Scotland – William Stewart until March; then John McCluskey

Judiciary

• Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Emslie
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Wheatley
• Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Birsay

Events

• 27 January – capsizes in the Firth of Clyde.
• 31 January – Ninewells Hospital at Dundee admits its first patients.
• 28 February – The February general election results in the first hung parliament in the UK since 1929, though Labour does win a majority of seats in Scotland. The Scottish National Party make a breakthrough winning 7 MPs.
• March
• Brora Coalfield is abandoned.
• Last permanent inhabitants of Swona leave.
• 6 May – Inauguration of full electric service on British Rail's West Coast Main Line through to Glasgow Central railway station.
• 10 October – The second general election of the year results in a narrow victory for Prime Minister Harold Wilson, giving Labour a slim majority of three seats. Labour also wins a majority of seats in Scotland for a second time in the year; whilst the Scottish National Party secures its highest-ever Westminster representation up to this date with 11 seats. It would be 41 years before the SNP would not only beat their own record result; but also replace Labour as the largest political party in Scotland.
• 31 December – Idi Amin, President of Uganda, issues a proclamation in support of Scottish independence.
• Calum MacLeod (of Raasay) completes a 10-year self-imposed task of personally constructing "Calum's Road", a nearly 2 mile (3 km) track at the north end of the island.
• Last permanent inhabitants of Taransay leave.

Births

• 15 January – Edith Bowman, DJ
• 17 January – Danny Bhoy, born Danni Chaudhry, comedian
• 9 August – Lesley McKenna, snowboarder
• 23 August – Ray Park, actor
• 20 October – Limmy, born Brian Limond, comedian and social media personality
• 30 October – Kerry McGregor, singer-songwriter and actress
• 9 December – Fiona MacDonald, curler
• 31 December – Kathryn Joseph, born Kathryn Sawers, singer-songwriter

Deaths

• 24 January – Andrew Dewar Gibb, lawyer and Scottish National Party politician (born 1888)
• 29 May – James MacTaggart, television producer (born 1928)

The arts

• 6 June – a television version of The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black Black Oil is broadcast by the BBC as part of the Play for Today series.

See also

• 1974 in Northern Ireland

References