Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland

The keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Neach-gleidhidh Seula Mòr na h-Alba) is one of the great officers of state in Scotland held concurrently with the post of first minister of Scotland. The office holder is the keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, the seal used by the sitting monarch to sign acts of the Scottish Parliament and permits the keeper to make decisions on behalf of the monarch.

Under the terms of a royal warrant of 1818, the Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, the Lord Clerk Register, the Lord Advocate, and the Lord Justice Clerk are ex-officio Commissioners for the Keeping of the Regalia. Since 1996, the commissioners have also been empowered by another royal warrant for the safekeeping of the Stone of Scone and for the arrangement of its return to Westminster Abbey for the next British coronation.

Whilst Scotland was an independent sovereign country as the Kingdom of Scotland, the post was formerly known as keeper of the Seal of the Kingdom of Scotland. The Keeper of the Registers of Scotland is the Deputy Keeper of the Great Seal, and ultimately responsible for its use. The Register of the Great Seal is the oldest national record in Scotland. The first recorded office holder was Sir Alexander de Cockburn in 1389. The Act of Union passed in 1707 to create the Kingdom of Great Britain, resulting in both the Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England relinquishing their independence, abolished the Great Seal of Scotland. Following this, a different seal was created in order to be used in relation to documents that had, up until the Act of Union 1707, usually passed the Great Seal. The replacement seal is commonly referred to as the Great Seal, or the Scottish Seal, today.

The first Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland post Treaty of Union in 1707 was Hugh Campbell, 3rd Earl of Loudoun (1708–1713).

Appointment and functions

First Minister

Until the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland was usually the Secretary of State for Scotland until the responsibility passed to the First Minister of Scotland. In April 2023, First Minister Humza Yousaf, in his capacity as the Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, oversaw the departure of the Stone of Scone, an ancient symbol of Scotland's nationhood, for Westminster Abbey for usage in the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla on 6 May.

All incumbent First Ministers assume the role of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. As Deputy Keeper of the Great Seal, the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland is required to attend the ceremonial appointment of the first minister to the position of the Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, and to ensure that the Seal of Scotland is present during the ceremonial appointment. Once appointed as Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, the office holder has the authority to make decisions on behalf of the monarch which allows the first minister as Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland to lead the country with the support of the Scottish Parliament in the name of the incumbent Monarch.

Appointment

thumb|right|[[John Swinney being sworn in as First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal at the Court of Session]]

The ceremonial appointing of the Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland takes place at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, witnessed by senior judges with the Seal of Scotland being present. During the ceremonial appointment, the first minister, as the nominee to the position, signs a parchment and takes an oath of allegiance, as set out in the Promissory Oaths Act 1868, and promises to serve the monarch during their tenure as both First Minister and Keeper of the Scottish Seal.

Upon appointment as keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, the office holder commands authority to make decisions on behalf of the reigning monarch in the name of the crown. As such, as the keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland is also the incumbent first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish Government, they can make decisions regarding the country with the backing of the Scottish Parliament and the monarch whilst serving as keeper of the Great Seal.

Storage and usage of the seal

When not being used for ceremonial purposes, the Great Seal of Scotland is kept at Meadowbank House in Edinburgh. The Great Seal of Scotland is applied to documents as authorised by the Monarch. The Great Seal of Scotland is used to cast a wax seal, which is applied to official documents and acts of law as part of their authentication and approval by the Monarch. The Great Seal of Scotland features the reigning monarch on one side, while the other side shows the Royal Arms as used by the Monarch in Scotland.

The Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland has complete autonomy to make decision in Scotland on behalf of the crown, and means that the First Minister (as Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland), has complete ability to lead the Scottish Government for as long as they have the support of the Scottish Parliament. It is applied to each document which has been authorised by the monarch and received royal assent. Notable documents which are granted the Great Seal of Scotland include Acts of the Scottish Parliament. Applying the Great Seal of Scotland to each document is part of the authentication process, and each side of the Great Seal of Scotland features the reigning monarch on one side, while the other side depicts the Royal Arms as used in Scotland. Within the Treason Act 1708, Section 12 makes it an act of treason in Scotland to counterfeit the seal.

Date unknown (c. 1473): Alexander de Cockburn
1474–1483 John Laing Bishop of Glasgow
1514: Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld
1525: Gavin Dunbar, Bishop of Aberdeen
Date unknown: James Beaton (1473–1539)
Date Unknown: John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis (c. 1521–1558)
1558: John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis
1561: George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
1562–1567: Sir Richard Maitland
1567–1635: Office holders unknown
1635–1638: John Spottiswoode, Archbishop of St. Andrews
1638–1641: James, Marquis of Hamilton
1641–1660: John Campbell, 1st Earl of Loudoun
1827: George William Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll
1828: George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon
1830: George William Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll
1840: John Hamilton Dalrymple, 8th Earl of Stair
1841: John Douglas Edward Henry Campbell, 7th Duke of Argyll
1846: John Hamilton Dalrymple, 8th Earl of Stair
1852: Dunbar James Douglas, 6th Earl of Selkirk
1853: Cospatrick Alexander Home, 11th Earl of Home
1858: Dunbar James Douglas, 6th Earl of Selkirk

Secretary of State for Scotland

The following are keepers of the Great Seal who served as secretaries for Scotland (1885–1926).

1885: Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond
1886: George Otto Trevelyan
1886: John William Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie
1886: Arthur Balfour
1887: Schomberg Henry Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian
1892: George Otto Trevelyan
1895: Alexander Hugh Bruce, 6th Lord Balfour of Burleigh
1903: Andrew Murray, 1st Viscount Dunedin
1905: John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow
1905: John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland
1912: Thomas McKinnon Wood
1916: Harold Tennant
1916: Robert Munro, 1st Baron Alness
1922: Ronald Munro Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar
1924: William Adamson
1926: Sir John Gilmour

The following are keepers of the Great Seal who served as secretaries of state for Scotland (1926–1999).

1926: Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet
1929: William Adamson
1931: Sir Archibald Sinclair
1932: Sir Godfrey Collins
1936: Walter Elliot
1938: John Colville
1940: Ernest Brown
1941: Thomas Johnston
1945: Harry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery
1945: Joseph Westwood
1947: Arthur Woodburn
1950: Hector McNeil
1951: James Stuart
1957: John Maclay
1962: Michael Noble
1964: William Ross
1970: Gordon Campbell
1974: William Ross
1976: Bruce Millan
1979: George Younger
1986: Malcolm Rifkind
1990: Ian Lang
1995: Michael Forsyth
1997: Donald Dewar

First Minister of Scotland

The office of the Keeper of the Great Seal was transferred on 6 May 1999, to the First Minister, in accordance with the terms of section 45(7) of the Scotland Act 1998.

thumb|right|The Great Seal of Scotland during the [[Premiership of Nicola Sturgeon (2014–2023) under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II]]

1999: Donald Dewar
2000: Henry McLeish
2001: Jack McConnell
2007: Alex Salmond
2014: Nicola Sturgeon
2023: Humza Yousaf
2024: John Swinney