1881 in Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Events from the year 1881 in Scotland.
See also:List of years in Scotland
Timeline of Scottish history
1881 in: The UK ⢠Wales ⢠Elsewhere
Scottish football: 1880â81 ⢠1881â82
Timeline of Scottish history
1881 in: The UK ⢠Wales ⢠Elsewhere
Scottish football: 1880â81 ⢠1881â82
Incumbents
Law officers
- Lord Advocate â John McLaren until August; then John Blair Balfour
- Solicitor General for Scotland â John Blair Balfour; then Alexander Asher
Judiciary
Events
- 1 March â the Cunard Line's SS Servia, the first steel transatlantic liner, is launched at J. & G. Thomson's shipyard at Clydebank.[1][dubious â discuss]
- 1 July â formation, under the Childers Reforms of the British Army, of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Gordon Highlanders, Highland Light Infantry and Seaforth Highlanders.
- 20/21 July â 58 men, the crews of ten fishing boats (mostly sixareens) from Yell, Shetland, are drowned in a sudden storm.
- 25 August â Edinburgh Royal Review of Volunteers ("The Wet Review"): Large numbers of Volunteer Forces from all over Scotland parade before Queen Victoria in Holyrood Park on a day of prolonged heavy rainfall.
- 14 October â the Eyemouth disaster ("Black Friday"): a severe storm strikes the Berwickshire coast; 189 fishermen die.[2]
- 21 December â the Aberdeen Line's SS Aberdeen, the first oceangoing ship successfully powered by a triple expansion steam engine, designed by Alexander Carnegie Kirk, is launched at Robert Napier and Sons' yard at Govan.
- The remains of Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (died 1880), are stolen from the family crypt on the Dunecht estate.[3]
- Memorial cairn erected at the site of the Battle of Culloden (1746).
- Bruichladdich distillery established on the Rinns of Islay.
- Clydebank Co-operative Society formed.
- Inverness Museum and Art Gallery originally opened.
- Fettesian-Lorettonian Club established as a joint sporting club of the two named Edinburgh public schools, primarily for the playing of rugby union.
Births
- 29 March â Charles Jarvis, soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (died 1948)
- 6 August â Alexander Fleming, biologist, pharmacologist and botanist (died 1955 in England)[4]
- 2 November â Tom Johnston, socialist politician (died 1965)
- 6 November â Alfred David McAlpine, civil engineering contractor (died 1944)
- 1 December â Alastair Denniston, cryptanalyst (died 1961 in England)
- 25 December â Willie Gallacher, trade unionist and communist MP (died 1965)
Deaths
- 22 August â John Hill Burton, advocate, historian and economist (born 1809)
- 30 October â William Brodie, sculptor (born 1815)
- 31 October â Alexander Macdonald, miner, trade unionist and LibâLab MP (born 1821)