Chnptor VII Dingwall Burgh Politics in the T i1ghtoonth Contury, I. I 29+ Chapter VTT Din l, tir in the ra . ;h olitica f'il hto nth Centum, T. Apart from the pioneer torIc of the ft rritto, which draw in bold outline the main toaturos of tho burcjhal electoral system, littlo has been written on Scots burgh politics in the 18th, l ccntury. As an introduction to the aubjeet their work is good and still of service, but it can in no sense be retarded as definitive, or cne thing, it is open to the oerious objection that it ekes not afford a detailed analysis or political life in any specific burgh or Group of bureho, and this ; oneralised treat- ment has given rice to quite a few ninapprobonoions. In particu- lar, through drawing mainly on family pa-ero illustrating the part played by burgh patrons, the lorritta tend to overenphaciso that gart and in consequouco to c inioo the role of the town councils. "he s=o criticism applies to the references to burgh politics in 2 Holden Furbcr'a study of henry Dundas. That the genoral picture thus drawn ass open to exception was de onstrated by rrofesmor W. L. turn, then, again ior'ý: ing mainly from the pa}era of the burgh i. E. and A. Ibrritt, "The stormed I. ouno of Co. ono", 1903, vol. II, especially ch. UXXVII2, pß. 115--142, rannim . 2, : cldon Türbar "Henry Pundan, Firat Viscount Volvillc, 1742-13110t 1931, pp"175-285, vi r. 295 ma. agorot he chovc3 that in the parli=ontary election of 1761 3 at Ayr the to= ccuncil ran by no me=n a negligible factor. The purpose of tho rollovina chz ptern is to cxaino in Como detail the burgh politico of Dingwall in Roca-shire and to oluci- d.ato, as far an poooibio, the nothoda praotiacd in various ccunoil ©lcctionc. rrimarily it rill be a study of the municipal politics which, in the royal burghs of ßcotland, underlay parliamentary election procoduro. 'To a larrro extent tho ovidonco is dra - from a courco proviouolq, and rather unaccountably, overlooLod by otudento of the subject - namely tho recorac of the procecnao that arooc fron tiao to tiro ovar dioputed clecticnsg and particularly fron tho Sosoion xhporu which contain the plcadiuL of the advo- catca bcforo the Court of Secoion. The rocord. s of the Justiciary Court alto furnish come materials excellent as illustratizir, the ckv11ducScry cido of elections but neither as rich nor an full an tho Sccuioa F°aporo. These local courcos two all the Hore valuable in that the thrco main treatises on the electoral law of Oootlan1 in tho Ißtho cantury (that is to c ay botwecn 1707 and 1832) tue 4 noticeably alight on burgh nattoro. Dincviall, inpovoric he lil the r,= all and . o most of northorn 3. 7. L. D=o "Tho Conoral cction of 1761 at Ayr", in E lirah I intomical Rovio%r, 1937, pp. 103 of coo. 4. Alc=ndor night, "Rise and Froaross of 1arliscont, cda. 1734 and 1806; Robert roll, "Treatico on the Election Um "s 1812t Arthur Connell$ "Troatico on the Election Tact of Scotland", 1827. 296 Injr&a of 3cot1and, a min like them never cooaa to have been £rco of patron.. Indeed, z the Poport of the Co ioaioaore on the 3cota burl or 1835 =de clear they wero underpopulated as rcZ; ards inhabitants and ovrrpopulcttca in respect of councilloro$ not all of whom f: ero residents. Icpulotion fi; urea are harr& to come by but accordinc to 'cbatcr Dan all pariah in 1755 ==bored 1, c30 oou1o. ' As to proapcrity the burgh enjoyed little. In 1691 when the Convention of Poytzl rurgho undertook an invo tiCmtion of the ta, ccono .c circa acca of its cc tituento Ding-mall appeara as avin no trodo, thou h trop of dobt for no rood roaoon. '.rho place ram co nicora'bly poor that no ono vas tvU1in to oxtonil. 7 credit. Fron the burrh'o records it is clear that the 18th. century did little to alter this picturo. The anciont and royal burCh that fiSuro will . co much in the follo rin pa; oa was, in truth, rnothin] core than a poverty stricken vilinCo. Such a aituntiOn demanded the cnpitulination of every available ascot and not 1cant of these rac its fra The burgh. parliamentary nobtuo. therefore, co3.icitoi larrocc, nor ould it be too much to claim rrittc, op, cit. $ vol. 2l, pp. 119-1204 Ü. Alexander Webster, "1 cottich Population Statistics", od. J. G. ýýyd, r. 61, O. H. S. 1952. 7"R©port in "i icco11zt y of the Ccottioh 23zr c, ecord Society", 1aa1, pp. 1' 9-150. Sco too W. U. V` ckcnzio, "The Scottish rureha'", x949, vp"155-G, citin ; ate in R. C. B., vol. IV, pp. 129-13O. 297 that for DinScall a ce ie oui patron an cconozie nocec3ity, a claim voll nlaportod by tho printed extracts from tho cOUnoil 8 rocorib. At the boGinninS of the 18the century the Cro artig T»cion-º wies, then at the hoitht of their brief spell of power, hold in the burGh. Their influence was of the 17th. century typo,. poroonal rather than vonai, and unfortunately for than the spoils system arose coon after the Union precisely at the tine they were doclininc in"wca. lth, precti t and political connections. All tha oa=a fron 1707 until 1716 they maintained their hold. In 1703,, for c p1o, lord °.acleod, eldest son of the 1arl of Crocartio, van Provost ant hin brother, Sir James ! ackenzia of oycton, was 9 elected comiiocionor to the Convention of Royal DurGha. uzt that the nor electoral arran, -emont introduced in 1707 overtaxed the otronGth of the ßackon: ieo was proved in 17CO then Sir James stood 10 for the vic2: burghs and was defcated. ! Tor did t successful p tition a, ainct the elected member, ii hiam lord. "trathnaver, on the ercund that an eldest con of a Scots poor he could neither in "Din Extracts from 1703 printed %oroan .ciao, a11'c Thousand Years", 1923, pp. 203 at seq. 9. MacRae, op. cit., p, 203. 10. Din all, 'gain, Dornoch, Tick and Kirkwall ccnotituted the slorthora or Pick, occasionally Y,,irk a11, district of burCh i. For elect or be oloctcd, nocuro the return of Sir Jaiec. "' one thing, vain v doziaatcd by Lord Roca, a bitter enemy of the ackouziea and a ceaseless coureo of annoyance to them. Again the high äor politics, of the 'ackon=ico found little renponco in the Northern I IrC and in 1710, Pobert 'anro your er of 'oriio tao returned-by them to the rouse of Co.ono whore he roprecented the cons üitucn cy tithout intcx i: pion until 1741.12 Ac her important factor in the politics of 18th, century I in a nano constant one t the Lackenzico of Crc- -Mall, and nartle, ~ao the noighbou in. a fanny of Mayne of Alloch. clo rely related to the tackenzieo, this f &ly altapo had a ctron , thouChh by no Acan: dominant, irLfluenco in the burgh, and Its goodwill of Crcat importance to the parrlio«raontary politicizes. tr: cca 17C8 and 1701 the foflot7inC instance could be multiplied mang tines over; on 26th, April 1709 Zenneth Tayne of : ulloch an appointed dole ato to roprooent the burgh at a parliamentary 13 in fact the election meotin, . The ta. yneo of iilloch tore hont 119rouoo of comaeno Journals, vol, ZVI, 1703.1711,25 ! ovr. 1703 p. 18. Tor coma intorootinC cidolighto on this election, see SIX illian T'raoor, "Pirla of C on.artio", vol. 11, pp. 76 et ooq. 126ior Colonel Sir fobort t!unro of rorliu, coo A1o der Lnokon- but zic, "rI tort' of tho !' xroo of Favrlio", pp. 117--3, a poor ri adequate for t, oiic purposO; B. B. B. ; and most intoreottnL of all the tnClich dicacntini ministers Dr. Doddrid o, Mori o", 1303, vol. IV, pp. 123-144, "Account of tho !'unro es or For-lia4 ,a cont - for bin p3r1ia-c att y caroor, brief notice In porary culory; 260. Joseph Footer, "V embers of rcrlic : ent, 3cotlanl", p. 13' acDmo, "Din*~ antra boucand Yo=o", D, 2c». 299 ror=tnont Lixt''ez in tho politics of the burgh in the period imilor rovie i, Yot another important factor, the sott or constitution of the bur l;%., which p1ayo a lama part in clectio both mmicipl cd p x'1ia1ontar7, tit crvant acno in 1710. ore this year. tho r bcr of councilor:; tai un1ofinoa aß.1 ofton an high a 21, I- but by Act ctt 1710 entered in the recordz an of ap ovc . =d of the Convention of Royal MwZhs the number via limited to 15.14' tiler this ncz Bott tho on=al cloction van to tako place on the 29th. Cote ber hon that day haj poned to bo a Tuesday, and that fa± 1ini; the " uerda, Sall .. iah. e cxis ti; co=oil s ould- than moat at 10 a. m. and choose the now council of 15 m bor , rho uuat bo merchants trado "rencia t" in tho bur-,, h. Of this bor or . icn . the Old council would then choose a Provost, t ao 1aitioa, Doan of Guild and `: c+oaourcr. 1oaoat, Doan of Guild and usurer zoro not to ccftinue in office for z oro than three yearn t i*hout chenZo. Ca 4cnittin Office, the o, with the ai1toc were to continuo in the fifteen of ceuncilt lie ono could bear office an a maristrato until he had nerved trio rears on tho counei1.14` It al=st a cl atcA3, i itanco of Golf-pcrpotuation except that "the: o shall bo two at least of the Council cb od 14" %r tho zovined sott of the burgh coot "iiucoll xny of the V'cottiab Thr,? i 'ecord.