Lord High Admiral of Scotland
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The Lord High Admiral of Scotland was one of the Great Offices of State of Scotland before the Union with England in 1707.
The office was one of considerable power, including command of the King's ships and sailors (see Royal Scottish Navy), inspection of all sea ports, harbours, sea coasts. The Admiral appointed judges to decided causes relating to maritime affairs, including both civil and criminal jurisdiction, and juridsiction over creeks, fresh and navigable waterways. The dutes were exercised through Vice-Admirals and Admirals-Depute, later called Judge Admirals.
Apart from occasional earlier references, the office seems to have originated in the early 15th century, and was held by the Earls of Bothwell, and the Dukes of Lennox. It was one of the heritable offices that Charles II gave to his illegitimate son Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox.
By the Act of Union 1707 all admiralty jurisdictions were placed under the Lord High Admiral of Great Britain or Commissioners of the Admiralty. Nevertheless the Vice-Admiral of Scotland who received his commission from the Crown continued to appoint the Judge Admiral (until 1782) and Admirals-depute and to rank as an Officer of the Crown.
The Admiralty Court in Edinburgh was abolished in 1830.
[edit] Lords High Admiral
- Henry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney - to Robert III
- George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness - to James II
- William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness and 3rd Earl of Orkney - to James II
- 1476 David Lindsay, 5th Earl of Crawford, later Duke of Montrose
- 1482 Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany
- 1502 Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell
- James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran
- Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
- Robert Maxwell, 4th Lord Maxwell
- 1511 Adam Hepburn, 2nd Earl of Bothwell heritably
- 1544 Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell, attainted
- 1567 James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, beheaded
- 1578 Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell attainted
- 1626 James Stewart, 4th Duke of Lennox heritably
- John Earl of Linlithgow, during minority of Duke of Lennox
- 1633 James Duke of Lennox and Gordon (d 1672)
- 1668 Alexander Bruce, 3rd Earl of Kincardine (vice admiral)
- 1673 James, Duke of York later James VII
[edit] Vice Admirals
- 1708 David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss
- 1714 John Hamilton-Leslie, 9th Earl of Rothes
- 1722 Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry
- 1729 John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair
- 1733 George Douglas, 13th Earl of Morton
- 1738 James Ogilvy, 5th Earl of Findlater
- 1764 John Carmichael, 3rd Earl of Hyndford
- 1767 William Douglas, 3rd Earl of March, later Duke of Queensberry
- 1776 John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland
- 1782 Lord William Gordon, brother of Duke of Gordon
- 1795 William, Lord Cathcart (died 16 Jun 1843)
office not filled
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