This Day in September
Here is a snapshot of historical events which took place in the month of September, with links to pages with further information, where available on the Web.
September 1 714
Death of St Giles, patron saint of Edinburgh (and Elgin).September 1 1644
Battle of Tippermuir, in which Marquis of Montrose defeated Covenanters .September 1 1719
Marriage ceremony of Prince James Francis Edward Stewart (the Old Pretender) and Princess Maria Clementina Sobieska. The Polish Princess had been kidnapped on her way to the original wedding, escaped and had married James by proxy earlier in 1719.September 1 1971
Sole remaining gas street lamp in Glasgow was lit for the last time, bringing to an end the age of the "leeries", the lamplighters which started in 1718 with oil lamps.September 1 1985
Freuchie in Fife won the Village Cricket Cup at Lord's Cricket Ground, the first time a Scottish club side had played on such hallowed ground.September 2 1834
Death of engineer, road, bridge and canal builder Thomas Telford. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.September 3 1571
Earl of Lennox, Regent of Scotland, murdered. Earl of Mar appointed Regent but he died in October 1572.September 3 1650
Cromwell defeated Scots at Battle of Dunbar.September 3 1745
Prince Charles Edward Stuart proclaimed his father as King James VIII of Scotland at Perth.September 3 1752
With the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, September 3 1752 became 14 September. Crowds flocked the streets demanding "Give us back our 11 days."September 3 1787
Glasgow weavers riot after their wages are cut. Bricks were thrown at magistrates and soldiers then opened fire on the rioters, resulting in six being killed.September 4 1241
King Alexander III born at Roxburgh.September 4 1962
Last tramcar run in Glasgow (to Auchenshuggle).September 4 1964
Forth Road Bridge opened by the Queen. At 6,156 feet long and a centre span of 3300 feet, it was the longest in Europe at that time.September 5 1750
Poet Robert Fergusson born in Edinburgh.September 6 1715
The Earl of Mar unfurled the standard of the "Old Pretender" in Braemar at the start of the first Jacobite Uprising.September 7 1306
Sir Simon Fraser, the "Scottish Patriot", who fought alongside Wallace and Robert the Bruce, was executed by the English and his head displayed in London alongside that of Wallace.September 7 1736
A mob broke into the Tolbooth jail and removed Captain Porteous, reprieved for the killing of Edinburgh citizens during a riot on April 14. He was then hanged from a dyer's pole.September 7 1842
Queen Victoria's first visit to Edinburgh.September 9 1513
James IV and the flower of Scotland's nobility were killed in battle at Flodden Field, near Branxton, in the English county of Northumberland.September 9 1543
Mary Queen of Scots crowned at Stirling Castle.September 9 1758
Birth of painter Alexander Naysmyth in Edinburgh.September 9 1935
Benny Lynch won the World Flyweight boxing title, defeating Jackie Brown in 2 rounds.September 9 1963
Jim Clark became the (then) world's youngest F1 motor racing champion.September 9 1978
Poet and Nationalist C M Grieve (Hugh MacDiarmid) died.September 10 1547
English defeated Scots at Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, near Edinburgh. The battle was sparked by English demands that Edward VI of England (aged 10) should marry Mary Queen of Scots (aged 5) - an event known as the "Rough Wooing". It is estimated that 15,000 Scots were killed, 1500 captured and English losses amounted to only 500.September 10 1771
Birth of Mungo Park at Foulshiels, near Selkirk. He became an explorer and doctor who charted the course of the River Niger.September 10 1897
HRH Duke of York opened the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.September 11 1297
Battle of Stirling Bridge, Wallace (as famously portrayed by Mel Gibson in "Braveheart") defeats Edward I.September 11 1700
James Thomson, Scots author of "Rule Britannia", born.September 11 1945
The Citizens Theatre on Glasgow moved from its original location in Buchanan Street to the heart of the Gorbals, one of the most run-down parts of the city.September 11 1997
Referendum on Devolution which approved the creation of a new Scottish Parliament by a substantial majority.September 12 1715
Jacobites defeated government forces at Battle of Sheriffmuir.September 12 1848
Death of William McNab, curator of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He was responsible for "greening" Scotland in the 19th century. He moved 4,000 plant species, including trees from a site on Leith Walk, to the present garden at Inverleith.September 12 1315
Thomas Dun, a privateer from Scotland, sailed into Holyhead, captured an English ship and over-ran Anglesay.September 13 1644
Battle of Aberdeen, in which the Marquis of Montrose captured the city.September 13 1645
Royalist troops under Marquis of Montrose defeated by Covenanters led by David Leslie at Battle of Philiphaugh.September 13 1913
Sir Robert Lorimer, architect and exponent of the Scottish Vernacular Revival, died.September 13 1938
John Smith, politician and leader of the Labour Party, born at Dalmally, Argyll.September 14 1402
Scots led by 4th Earl of Douglas defeated at the Battle of Homildon Hill by English army led by Percy 'Hotspur'.September 14 1580
Birth of Robert Gordon of Straloch, Aberdeen, cartographer and rescuer of Thomas Port's original maps.September 14 1745
Bonnie Prince Charlie, Charles Edward Stuart, occupied Edinburgh.September 14 1507
Edinburgh merchants granted exclusive privilege of running a printing press.14 September 1990
Inflation reached 10.6%, the highest level for eight years.September 15
St Mirren Day (patron saint of Paisley).September 15 1595
City Baillie shot when Edinburgh High School pupils rioted when refused a holiday.September 15 1773
The "Hector" from Loch Broom, near Ullapool, arrives at Pictou, Nova Scotia, carrying emigrants escaping from the "Clearances".September 15 1931
12,000 Royal Navy sailors on 15 ships went on strike at Invergordon over cuts in their pay.September 16 1859
David Livingstone discovered Lake Nyasa.September 17 1745
Prince Charles Edward Stuart took up residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh.September 17 1854
David Dunbar Buick was born at 26 Green Street, Arbroath. He emigrated to the USA with his parents at the age of two. Although he founded the Buick Manufacturing Company which later became General Motors, it was William C. Durant who grew the company.September 18 1818
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, became the first theatre in Britain to be lit by gas.September 18 1944
Birth of Lord Roger of Earlsferry, Lord Justice General.September 18 1959
47 miners were killed at Auchengeich Colliery, Lanarkshire when the bogies carrying them to work ran into smoke 1,000 feet below ground.September 19 1854
The Great North of Scotland Railway opened, running from Aberdeen to Huntly.September 20 1746
Prince Charles Edward Stuart escaped capture by sailing to France aborad the French ship "L'Heureux."September 20 1842
Sir James Dewar, inventor of the vacuum flask, born in Kincardine-on-Forth.September 20 1967
Liner "Queen Elizabeth II" launched at John Brown's shipyard at Clydebank.September 20 1972
Paul McCartney, one of the "Beatles", was arrested for possession of marijuana at his farm in the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland.September 21 1327
King Edward II of England died , succeeded by Edward III.September 21 1513
King James V crowned at Stirling Castle.September 21 1722
Minister, historian, playwright and tutor to the Prince of Wales, John Home born. After the first performance of his play "Douglas", people asked "Whaur's yer Wully Shakespeare noo?"September 21 1745
Charles Edward Stuart victorious at Battle of Prestonpans. The Jacobite army of just over 3,000 under Bonnie Prince Charlie heavily defeated the English Royal forces led by Sir John Cope.September 21 1756
Road builder John McAdam born in Ayr.September 21 1832
Novelist (notably "Ivanhoe" and "Talisman") and poet Sir Walter Scott died aged 61.September 22 1931
Birth of politician, Secretary of State for Scotland, Minister for Defence, Viscount Younger of Leckie (George Younger). Later became Chairman of The Royal Bank of Scotland plc.September 23 704
Death of St Adamnan, biographer of St Columba.September 23 1678
The Earl of Mar was commissioned to raise a regiment nicknamed "Earl of Mar's Gray Breeks" which later became the Royal Scots Fusiliers.September 23 1779
Battle of Flamborough Head in which Scots-born John Paul Jones fought an engagement against the British navy. His ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard sank but he boarded and captured HMS Serapis.September 24 1332
Edward Balliol, son of John Balliol, crowned at Scone. He was deposed by supporters of David II in December 1332, restored in 1333, deposed again in 1334, restored in 1335 and finally deposed in 1341.September 24 1962
Birth of Scotland international footballer and later TV personality Ally McCoist.September 25 1875
John Hughes Bennett, pioneer microscopist, died.September 25 1956
The first telephone cable connecting the UK and North America "went live". 2,240 miles long, the cable ran from Gallanach Bay, near Oban in Argyll and Bute, to Clarenville, Canada.September 26 1290
Queen Margaret, Maid of Norway ("Eiriksdotter") died, en route from Norway to Scotland.September 26 1860
First Open Golf Championship held at Prestwick. There were eight entrants and the championship was won by Willie Park of Musselburgh.September 26 1934
Liner Queen Mary launched at John Brown's shipyard, Clydebank. She went on to break the Atlantic record (the "Blue Riband") four times.September 27 1831
Scotland's first passenger railway opened (between Glasgow and Garnkirk).September 27 1938
The 80,000-ton liner Queen Elizabeth, then the largest passenger ship ever built, launched at John Brown's shipyard, Clydebank.September 27 1948
Singer Barbara Dickson, born.September 28 1396
"Battle of the Clans" between clans Chattan and Kay on the North Inch, Perth, in front of King Robert III.September 28 1581
George Buchan, humanist, poet, historian and tutor of King James VI, died.September 28 1932
TV mogul Jeremy Isaacs born.September 29 1621
Charter granted to Sir William Alexander of Menstrie to colonise the "Baronetcy of Nova Scotia".September 29 1952
John Cobb made an attempt at the world water-speed record on Loch Ness which ended in tragedy as the boat crashed and Cobb was killed.September 30 1813
Birth in Orkney of John Rae, explorer and surveyor of Canada's northern coastline.September 30 1921
Hollywood film star Deborah Kerr ("From Here to Eternity" and "The King and I") born in Helensburgh.September 30 1928
Announcement of the discovery of penicillin by Ayrshire-born Sir Alexander Fleming.
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