# 1951 in Scotland

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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
* 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.