Our Scotland - www.our-scotland.org

Scott2006 · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 4:07 pm Post subject: Articles of the Act of Union 1707

ACT RATIFYING AND APPROVING TREATY OF THE TWO KINGDOMS OF SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND. January 16, 1707.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Estates of Parliament considering that articles of Union of the Kingdoms of Scotland and England were agreed on the 22nd of July 1706 years, by the commissioners nominated on behalf of this kingdom, under Her Majesty's Great Seal of Scotland, bearing date the 27th of February last past, in pursuance of the fourth Act of the third Session of this Parliament, and the commissioners nominated on behalf of the kingdom of England, under Her Majesty's Great Seal of England, bearing date at Westminster the 10th day of April last past, in pursuance of an Act of Parliament made in England the third year of Her Majesty's reign, to treat of and concerning a union of the said kingdoms; which articles were, in all humility, presented to Her Majesty upon the 23rd of the said month of July, and were recommended to this Parliament by Her Majesty's royal letter of the date the 31st day of July, 1706; and that the said Estates of Parliament have agreed to, and approven of the said Articles of Union, with some additions.

I That the two kingdoms of Scotland and England shall, upon the Ist day of May next ensuing the date hereof, and for ever after, be united into one kingdom by the name of Great Britain, and that the ensigns armorial of the said United Kingdom be such as Her Majesty shall appoint, and the crosses of St. Andrew and St. George be conjoined in such manner as Her Majesty shall think fit, and used in all flags, banners, standards and ensigns, both at sea and land.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
II That the succession to the monarchy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and of the dominions thereunto belonging, after Her Most Sacred Majesty, and in default of issue of Her Majesty, be, remain, and continue to the most Excellent Princess Sophia, Electoress and Duchess Dowager of Hanover, and the heirs of her body, being Protestants, upon whom the crown of England Is settled by an Act of Parliament made in England in the twelfth year of the reign of His late Majesty King William III., entitled, "An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown, and better securing the Rights and Liberties of the Subject :" And that all Papists, and persons marrying Papists, shall be excluded from, and for ever incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Imperial Crown of Great Britain, and the dominions thereunto belonging or any part thereof, and in every such case the Crown and Govermnent shall, from time to time, descend to, and be enjoyed by such person, being a Protestant.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
III That the United Kingdom of Great Britain be represented by one and the same Parliament, to be styled the Parliament of Great Britain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV That all the subjects of the United Kingdom of Great Britain shall, from and after the Union, have full freedom and intercourse of trade and navigation, to and from any port or place within the said United Kingdom, and the dominions and plantations thereunto belonging, and that there be a communication of all other rights, privileges, and advantages which do or may belong to the subjects of either kingdom, except where it is otherwise expressly agreed in these articles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V That all ships or vessels belonging to her Majesty's subjects of Scotland, at the time of ratifying the Treaty of Union of the two kingdoms in the Parliament of Scotland, though foreign built, be deemed and pass as ships of the build of Great Britain. The owner, or, where there are more owners, one or more of the owners, within twelve months after the 1st of May next, making oath that at the time of ratifying the Treaty of Union in the Parliament of Scotland, the same did, in whole or in part, belong to him or them, or to some other subject or subjects of Scotland, to be particularly named, with the place of their respective abodes, and that the same doth then, at the time of the said deposition, wholly belong to him or them, and that no foreigner, directly or indirectly, hath any share, part, or interest therein; which oath shall be made before the chief officer or officers of the customs, in the port next to the abode of the said owner or owners; and ....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI That all parts of the United Kingdom forever,from and after the Union, shall have the same allowances, encouragements, and drawbacks, and be under the same prohibitions, restrictions, and regulations of trade, and liable to the same customs and duties on import and export; and that the allowances, encouragements, and drawbacks, prohibitions, restrictions, and regulations of trade, and the customs and duties on import and export settled in England, when the Union commences, shall, from and after the Union, take place throughout the whole United Kingdom excepting and reserving the duties upon export and import of such particular commodities from which any persons, the subjects of either kingdom, are specially liberated and exempted by their private rights, which after the Union are to remain safe and entire to them, in all respects, as before the same; and that, from and after the Union, no Scots cattle carried into England shall be liable to .....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VII That all parts of the United Kingdom be forever from and after the Union, liable to the same excises upon all excisable liquors, excepting only that the thirty four gallons English barrel of beer or ale, amounting to twelve gallons Scots, present measure, sold in Scotland by the brewer at 9s. 6d. sterling, excluding all duties, and retailed, including duties and the retailer's profit, at 2d. the Scots pint, or eighth part of the Scots gallon, be not, after the Union, liable, on account of the present excise upon excisable liquors in England, to any higher imposition than 2s sterling upon the aforesaid thirty-four gallons English barrel, being twelve gallons the present Scots measure, and that the excise settled in England on all other liquors, when the Union commences, take place throughout the whole United Kingdom.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIII That, from and after the Union, all foreign salt which shall be imported into Scotland shall be charged, at the importation there, with the same duties as the like salt is now charged with, being imported into England, and to be levied and secured in the same manner. But in regard the duties of great quantities of foreign salt imported may be very heavy on the merchants importers, That therefore all foreign salt imported into Scotland shall be cellared and locked up under the custody of the merchant importer and the officers employed for levying the duties upon salt; and that the merchant may have what quantities thereof his occasion may require, not under a weigh of forty bushels at a time, giving security for the duty of what quantity he receives, payable in six months; but Scotland shall, for the space of seven years from the said Union, be exempted from paying in Scotland for salt made there the duty or excise now payable for salt made in England; ......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IX That whenever the sum of £ 1,997,763 8s. 4½d. shall be enacted by the Parliament of Great Britain, to be raised in that part of the United Kingdom now called England, on land and other things usually charged in Acts of Parliament there for granting an aid to the Crown by a land tax, that part of the United Kingdom now called Scotland shall be charged by the same Act with a further sum of £ 48,000 free of all charges, as the quota of Scotland to such tax, and so proportionally for any greater or lesser sum raised in England by any tax on land, and other things usually charged, together with the land; and that such quota for Scotland, in the cases aforesaid, be raised and collected in the same manner as the cess now is in Scotland but subject to such regulations in the manner of collecting as shall be made by the Parliament of Great Britain.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
X That during the continuance of the respective duties on stamped paper, vellum, and parchment, by several Acts now in force in England, Scotland shall not be charged with the same respective duties ......

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XI That during the continuance of the duties payable in England on windows and lights, which determines on the 1st day of August, 1710, Scotland shall not be charged with the same duties.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XII That during the continuance of the duties payable in England on coals, culm, and cinders, which determines the 30th day of September, 1710, Scotland shall not be charged therewith for coals, culm, and cinders consumed there, but shall be charged with the same duties as in England for all coal, culm, and cinders not consumed in Scotland.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XIII That during the continuance of the duty payable in England on malt, which determines the 4th day of June 1707, Scotland shall not be charged with that duty.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XIV That the kingdom of Scotland be not charged with any other duties laid on by the Parliament of England before the Union, except those consented to in this Treaty, in regard, it is agreed, that all necessary provisions shall be made by the Parliament of Scotland for the public charge and service of that kingdom for the year 1707, provided nevertheless, that if the Parliament of England shall think fit to lay any further impositions by way of customs or such excises, with which, by virtue of this Treaty, Scotland is to be charged equally with England, in such case Scotland shall be liable to the same customs and excises, and have an equivalent to be settled by the Parliament of Great Britain; with this further provision, that any malt to be made and consumed in that part of the United Kingdom now called Scotland shall not be charged with any imposition upon malt during this present war. And seeing it cannot be supposed that the Parliament .......

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XV Whereas by the terms of this Treaty the subjects of Scotland, for preserving an equality of trade throughout the United Kingdom, will be liable to several customs and excises now payable in England, which will be applicable towards payment of the debts of England contracted before the Union, it is agreed that Scotland shall have an equivalent for what the subjects thereof shall be so charged towards payment of the said debts of England in all particulars whatsoever in manner following, viz., that before the union of the said kingdoms the sum of £ 398,085 10s. be granted to Her Majesty by the Parliament of England for the uses after mentioned, being the equivalent to be answered to Scotland for such parts of the said customs and excises upon all excisable liquors with which that kingdom is to be charged upon the Union as will be applicable to the payment of the said debts of England, according to the proportions which the present customs in Scotland, ......

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XVI That, from and after the Union, the coin shall be of the same standard and value throughout the United Kingdom as now in England, and a Mint shall be continued in Scotland under the same rules as the Mint in England; and the present officers of the Mint continued, subject to such regulations and alterations as Her Majesty, her heirs or successors, or the Parliament of Great Britain, shall think fit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XVII That, from and after the Union, the same weights and measures shall be used throughout the United Kingdom as are now established in England, and standards of weights and measures shall be kept by those burghs in Scotland to whom the keeping the standards of weights and measures, now in use there, does of special right belong; all which standards shall be sent down to such respective burghs from the standards kept in the exchequer at Westminster, subject, nevertheless, to such regulations as the Parliament of Great Britain shall think fit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XVIII That the laws concerning regulation of trade, customs, and such excises to which Scotland is, by virtue of this Treaty, to be liable, be the same in Scotland, from and after the Union, as in England, and that all other laws in use within the kingdom of Scotland do, after the Union, and notwithstanding thereof, remain in the same force as before (except such as are contrary to or inconsistent with this Treaty), but alterable by the Parliament of Great Britain; with this difference betwixt the laws concerning public right, policy, and civil government, and those which concern private right, that the laws which concern public right, policy, and civil government may be made the same throughout the whole United Kingdom, but that no alteration be made in laws which concern private right, except for evident utility of the subjects within Scotland.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XIX That the Court of Session, or College of Justice, do, after the Union, and notwithstanding thereof, remain in all time coming within Scotland, as it is now constituted by the laws of that kingdom, and with the same authority and privileges as before the Union, subject, nevertheless, to such regulations, for the better administration of justice, as shall be made by the Parliament of Great Britain ; and that hereafter none shall be named by Her Majesty, or her royal successors, to be ordinary Lords of Session, but such who have served in the College of Justice as advocates, or principal clerks of Session, for the space of five years, or as Writers to the Signet for the space of ten years, with this provision, that no Writer to the Signet be capable to be admitted a Lord of the Session, unless he undergo a private and public trial on the civil law before the Faculty of Advocates, and be found by them qualified for the said office two years before he be name .......

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XX That all heritable offices, superiorities, heritable jurisdictions, offices for life, and jurisdictions for life, be reserved to the owners thereof, as rights of property, in the same manner as they are now enjoyed by the laws of Scotland, notwithstanding of this Treaty.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXI That the rights and privileges of the royal burghs in Scotland, as they now are, do remain entire after the Union, and notwithstanding thereof.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXII That, by virtue of this Treaty, of the Peers of Scotland at the time of the Union, sixteen shall be the number to sit and vote in the House of Lords,* and fortyfive the number of the representatives of Scotland in the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain; and that when Her Majesty, her heirs or successors, shall declare her or their pleasure for holding the first or any subsequent Parliament of Great Britain, until the Parliament of Great Britain shall make further provision therein, a writ do Issue under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, directed to the Privy Council of Scotland, commanding them to cause sixteen Peers, who are to sit in the House of Lords, to be summoned to Parliament, and forty-five members to be elected to sit in the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain, according to the agreement in this Treaty, in such manner as by a subsequent Act of this present session of the Parliament of Scotland.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXIII That the foresaid sixteen peers of Scotland, mentioned in the last preceding article, to sit in the House of Lords of the Parliament of Great Britain, shall have all privileges of Parliament which the peers of England now have, and which they or any peers of Great Britain shall have after the Union, and particularly the right of sitting upon the trials of peers; and in case of the trial of any peer in time of adjournment or prorogation of Parliament, the said sixteen peers shall be summoned in the same manner and have the same powers and privileges at such trial as any other peers of Great Britain. And that, in case any trials of peers shall hereafter happen when there is no Parliament in being, the sixteen peers of Scotland who sat in the last preceding Parliament shall be summoned in the same manner and have the same powers and privileges at such trials as any other peers of Great Britain. And that all peers of Scotland, and their successors to .......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXIV That, from and after the Union, there be one Great Seal for the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which shall be different from the Great Seal now used in either kingdom; and that the quartering the arms and the rank and precedency of the Lyon King of Arms of the kingdom of Scotland, as may best suit the Union, be left to her Majesty; anti that, in the meantime, the Great Seal of England be used as the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, and that the Great Seal of the United Kingdom be used for sealing writs to elect and summon the Parliament of Great Britain, and for sealing all treaties with foreign princes and states, and all public acts, instruments, and orders of state which concern the whole United Kingdom, and in all other matters relating to England, as the Great Seal of England is now used; and that a seal in Scotland, after the Union, be always kept, and made use of in all things relating to private rights or grants, which have usually passed ......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XXV That all laws and statutes in either kingdom, so far as they are contrary to or inconsistent with the terms of these articles, or any one of them, shall, from and after the Union cease and become void, and shall be so declared to be by the respective Parliaments of the said kingdoms.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[*] This article (XXII) probably aroused a more bitter opposition than any other. The Scots did not anticipate in consenting to a single parliament that Scotland's representation in it would be so meagre. The Scottish Commoners thought that all their peers would get seats in the British House of Lords, and that their share in the House of Commons should be 170 at least. The English at first placed the figures at 16 Lords And 30 Commoners, and for a time it seemed as though all negotiations were at an end. The compromise of 45 Commoners was finally accepted.

On this point Sir Walter Scott writes: " It was loudly urged that a kingdom resigning her ancient independence, should at least obtain in the great national council a representation bearing the same proportion the Population of Scotland did to that of England, which was one to six. If this rule, which seems the fairest that could be found, had been adopted, Scotland would have sent sixty-six members to the United Parliament. * * * The Scottish peerage were to preserve all the other privileges of their rank, but their right of sitting in parliament and acting as hereditary legislators, was to be greatly limited
Only sixteen of their number were to enjoy Seats in the British House of Lords and these were to be chosen by election from the whole body. Such peers as were amongst the number of Commissioners were induced to consent to this degradation of their order by the assurance that they themselves should be created British peers, so as to give them, personally, by charter, the right which the sixteen could only Acquire by election. "

The English view is thus stated by Hallam, in his " Constitutional History of England ":
" The ratio of population would indeed have given Scotland About one eighth of the legislative body, instead of something less than one twelfth, but no government, except the merest democracy, is settled on the sole basis of numbers; and If the comparison of wealth and of public contributions was to be admitted it may be thought that a country which stipulated for itself to pay less than one-fortieth of direct taxation, was not entitled to a much greater share of the representation than it obtained. Comparing the two ratios of population and property there seems little objection to this part of the union."

http://www.forscotland.com/aou.html

_________________
Scotland deserves a First rate Parliament for a First rate People
The Scottish Parliamentarians who voted for Treaty of Union in 1706 and signed away Independence had been voted for by less than 2% of the Scottish population

Corby Boy · Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:57 pm Post subject:

Such a parcel o' rogues, indeed!

mairead · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:41 pm Post subject: Articles of the act of union

The Scottish members of parliament were so low in number that they were completely ineffectual, and usually completely ignored.
_________________
I fear not hell, nor English strife,
For Scotland, I will give my life

Babygael · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:50 pm Post subject:

It 's just beyond belief,what were they thinking? Handing over our country to those sasannach buggers and then expecting to be treated fairly? Well DUH!

These people NEVER learn! Even today!
_________________
Ath-bheothachad

Here is where I come to water my roots.

Morph · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:33 am Post subject:

Morph · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:33 am Post subject:

SLG · Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:52 pm Post subject:

Perhaps someone could post a list of all the times the act has been broken?

RFM · Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:03 pm Post subject:

Actually Morph, at the risk and penalties of attempting 18th century statutory construction of English law, I don't think so.
You will observe the words of the Act, "provided nevertheless, that if the Parliament of England shall think fit to lay any further impositions or such excises, with which, by virtue of this Treaty, Scotland is to be charged equally with England..." is a way of saying if the English decide to lay any further impositions (that is besides those in place before the Union) with which England is also charged equally (a poll tax on England as well as Scotland) in such case Scotland shall be liable. Being liable and getting paid are two different things, so it goes on to say that Scotland will have an equivalent to be settled by the English Parliament ( I guess that meant that England collects the revenues and the charges i.e. a poll tax, would be deducted).
Lastly but not least is the issue of a remedy. Suppose that a poll tax could be deemed a breach of the treaty, what follows from that? You can't sue them, you can't force them to live up to it and worst still breach of one provision would hardly justify breaching all of the other provisions by withdrawing when almost all of them relate to trade between the two countries. A good argument could probably be made that since the government of Scotland ceased to exist after the treaty, and a treaty is an agreement between two sovereign nations, it was really more of a contract which would and possibly could be a matter to lay before the appropriate law court. But that is a question for the lawyers.

Morph · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:10 am Post subject:

Well the Poll tax was a Scottish only tax, it never appeared in England, and this could be used to break of the union under the terms of breach of contract, or at least England would have had the tax also.

The main problem with Poll tax wasnt as much the tax but more that it was a Scottish only tax
_________________
"An oppressive government is to be more feared than a tiger"

agentmancuso · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:23 pm Post subject:

Bob the Bruce · Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:37 am Post subject:

The Poll Tax besides, the Minutes of the last Parliament of Scotland do not record the institution as terminated. They simply state, 'Parliament adjourned'. The first act of the newly-styled British Parliament was the supposed ratification of the Treaty of Union by May 1st 1707. On that date, the Union became effective, and Scotland's Parliament was postponed - yet the records indicate that the new Parliament did not actually ratify the Treaty. Hence, the Union is no more than a theoretical entity, and by the standards of Scottish and International Law Scotland's Parliament was merely dormant, as against being extinct.

In practice, it could alway have been legally recalled by the people at any time, and the Union nullified.

RFM · Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject:

Hi Bob;
I suppose that the existence of the new Parliament of Great Britain was in fact, if not in law, ratification of the treaty. Article XXIV makes it clear that the new parliament is in outward legal form the parliament of England and Article XIV is a saving clause to guarantee that to some extent the laws of Scotland remain.
The problem with the use of the word adjourn" is that in addition to the notion of a recess, it can also mean gone forever, unless the assembly reconvenes in the manner established by the law of Scotland. In England for instance a parliament could only be summoned by the King's writ and it would be unlikely that Queen Elizabeth would be willing to summon the Scots Parliament. It would also seem fairly clear that no other monarch or person pretending to be the monarch of Scotland could or would do so, at least not without a repeat of Culloden and 1745. That is certainly not to say that the government of Scotland was extinguished as you point out. Since the lawyers are using the word "devolved" it would appear there is a consensuses not to make needless trouble, but to take your gifts wherever you can find them.
Probably the wiser course.

Bob the Bruce · Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 1:44 pm Post subject:

Hi RFM,

Indeed. It is also clear from English hostility to the Bill of Security and the imposition of the Alien Act, the purging of the Scots clergy, and the threat of military force, that the legality of the terms imposed on Scotland prior to and post-1707 are neither here nor there. Such objectivity however is sorely tested when reading the Declaration of Arbroath where it clearly states:

make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man, who was well able to defend us, our king

Although a failed attempt was made in 1708, the fact that neither the de jure James VIII, or indeed the Scottish people, were able to put this in practice, speaks volumes for the state of Scotland at the time.

RFM · Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject:

Hi Bob,
I am no defender of the English, but in all fairness the Scots nobility bear a major part of the blame for what happened, pre- 1707 and post-1707, which some how seems to have eluded the historians.
For instance the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge in Scotland could not have had any chance of success without the collaboration of the clan chiefs, Yet the Society was an English idea to require the teaching of the English language and the elimination of Gaelic. The whole of Scots society in the Highland was based on a tradition that did not regard the ownership of land or the accumulation of money as important. When the Scots nobility found out about the pleasures of life in London and France, they had no difficulty evicting their clansmen from land that they had farmed for generations, instituting such measures as renting to clansmen but requiring that any improvments and cattle remained the property of the Chief, not the tenant.
William Wallace as another example who was captured and delivered to the English by the Scots nobility notwithstanding his qualities as a leader and defender of Scotland.
Lastly it should not be forgotten that the bait for the Act of Union was the repayment of money that had been invested in the Dairen scheme, in London, to the Scots creditors. That was the Scots nobility, who were also the members of the Scots Parliament.

Bob the Bruce · Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 6:48 pm Post subject:

Hi RFM,

I don't disagree. I was merely pointing out the sorry state of affairs that existed in Scotland at the time, while at the same time endorsing your view that nothing would or could have prevented a Union with England in 1707. There is no question that events leading to the Union were largely down to bad judgement and poor Scottish character, but it still doesn't justify the part played by her larger neighbour in holding her to ransom, both financially and militarily, particularly while sharing a sovereign monarch.

Had nature been allowed to take its course, with the further Anglicizing of her nobility, a shared religion and monarch, a common language, increasing trade and to guarantee her security in an ever-increasing global world, with the passage of time unification with England would have happened anyway. And most probably, we wouldn't be here today currently discussing its (the Union) dismemberment.

RFM · Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:34 pm Post subject:

Hi Bob,
It was not poor Scottish character or Scottish judgment at all. When Bruce became king of Scotland he cemented in place the Norman nobility which King David brought into Scotland to help him rule. In fact by the time of Bruce, several of the nobles of Scots descent, Norse and Celtic, already owned large estates in England. Bruce's father, Annandale for one. That 'cross-breeding" had the effect of forcing union between the two countries simply in order to protect the property interests of the nobility. Given that the country had been ruled for several centuries by a largely Norman nobility, and remember these people did not even speak English themselves, it would be unfair to lay the union at the door of the Scottish people.

Bob the Bruce · Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 10:38 am Post subject:

Hi RFM,

if you read both my posts again nowhere do I lay the Union at the door of the Scottish people. Quite the contrary. The poor judgement I refer to was in acknowledgment of your previous post, and the idea to use half the country's total wealth to establish a colony half-way round the world in a tropical, disease-infested and hostile environment armed only with sheepskins and bibles. But more importantly, without the support of the English Parliament (and thus its navy), which was vital to its success. Complete folly by anyones standards. The failure of which, which you concede yourself, played a major role in securing Scotlands acquiescence to unification.

Ultimately, to avoid ambiguouty, the motion for subjugation to Westminster was carried by conspiracy, bribery, duress and browbeaten votes and less to do with the Scots nobility, her people or even David I. And if 'blame' for the debacle of 1707 is to be apportioned, in my opinion, that lies firmly at the door of the English.

The lack of character and cowardice displayed by Scotlands aristocracy, her barons and burgesses is also well documented. Less well documented however is the fact that the document bearing Parliamentary assent to unite with England was signed, not in Parliament House as is commonly believed, but in an Edinburgh cellar at the corner of North Bridge and the Royal Mile. To avoid an unruly mob who were hard on their heels, it was here that the ministers found refuge and barricaded themselves in. And where the instrument of final betrayal was duly signed. Trapped for several hours, it took a troop of soldiers to secure their release. A fitting end to their treachery not only to the memory of Wallace, Bruce and all who fought to save her from English domination, but of the Scottish people.

So with all due respect, with England as agent provocateur, I conclude that poor judgement and strength of character by Scotlands ruling classes had everything to do with her eventual subjugation.

Babygael · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:39 am Post subject:

Since the union of parliaments of Scotland and England in 1707, which incidentally was forced through by bribes and under threat of armed invasion by England. Out of the original 25 Articles of the treaty,9 have been wholly repealed by Westminster and five have been materially altered. In effect, the Treaty has become void and invalid.

This "Treaty" was not ratified by the Scots parliament, not having received a two-thirds majority of the voters present.There were major riots throughout Scotland, and in Edinburgh Daniel Defoe, an English spy, observed that "The people were one hundred to one against it"

The Union with englandshire was and always will be null and void, a travesty of justice.

Lose the English Government peeps......now!!
_________________
Ath-bheothachad

Here is where I come to water my roots.