1951 in Scotland

Events from the year 1951 in Scotland.

Incumbents

 * Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – Hector McNeil until 26 October; then James Stuart

Law officers

 * Lord Advocate – John Thomas Wheatley until November; then James Latham Clyde
 * Solicitor General for Scotland – Douglas Johnston until November; then William Rankine Milligan

Judiciary

 * Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Cooper
 * Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Thomson
 * Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Gibson

Events

 * 11 April – The Stone of Scone is located in Arbroath Abbey having been stolen by Scottish nationalists.
 * 12 May – Remains of Gunnister Man found in a peat bog in Shetland.
 * 18–26 May – Festival of Britain: Festival Ship Campania on view in Dundee (King George V Dock).
 * 25 May–8 September – Festival of Britain: Living Traditions exhibition presented at the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, by the Council of Industrial Design.
 * 28 May–18 August – Festival of Britain: Exhibition of Industrial Power in Glasgow (opened by The Princess Elizabeth).
 * 18 September–6 October – Festival of Britain: Festival Ship Campania on view in Glasgow (Springfield Dock).
 * 26 October – 1951 United Kingdom general election: The Conservative Party and allies narrowly defeat Labour in Scotland and across the UK; this is the last election in which the Conservatives do better in Scotland than in England.
 * 30 October – James Stuart is appointed Secretary of State for Scotland; he will hold office until January 1957.
 * November – Ecurie Ecosse motor racing team founded by Edinburgh businessman and racing driver David Murray and mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson.
 * 7 November – first floodlit Association football match in Scotland, a Stenhousemuir v. Hibernian F.C. friendly at the former's Ochilview Park.
 * 24 November – Beinn Eighe becomes Britain's first national nature reserve.
 * Publication of The Third Statistical Account of Scotland commences with the volume for Ayrshire.

Births

 * 2 February – Ken Bruce, radio broadcaster
 * 7 February – Eddie Kelly, footballer
 * 20 February – Gordon Brown, Labour politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 2007–10
 * 4 March – Kenny Dalglish, international footballer and manager
 * 25 April – Ian McCartney, Labour politician
 * 6 May – Davey Johnstone, rock guitarist
 * 9 August – James Naughtie, print and radio journalist
 * 22 August – Alex Neil, Scottish National Party MSP and government minister
 * 16 September – Judith Miller, antiques expert (died 2023)
 * 23 September – Andrew Greig, author
 * 26 September – Stuart Tosh, born Stuart MacIntosh, rock musician
 * 28 September – Jim Diamond, singer-songwriter (died 2015)
 * 17 November – Jack Vettriano, born Jack Hoggan, painter
 * 19 November – Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, Labour politician and Lord Chancellor
 * 15 December – Joe Jordan, international footballer and manager
 * 20 December – Peter May, fiction writer
 * 22 December – Jim McColl, entrepreneur
 * Michael Scott Rohan, fantasy writer

Deaths

 * 3 January – Peter McBride, footballer (born 1877)
 * 29 January – James Bridie (O. H. Mavor), playwright (born 1888)
 * 3 May – Sir Thomas Henderson, Liberal politician (born 1874)
 * 16 May – James Greenlees, rugby union footballer, educationalist and soldier (born 1878)
 * 9 September – Andrew Blain Baird, engineer and aviation pioneer (born 1862)
 * 1 October – Peter McWilliam, international footballer and manager (born 1879)
 * 11 October – Donald Cameron, 25th Lochiel, chief of Clan Cameron (born 1876)

The arts

 * 19 May – Pitlochry Festival Theatre opens in a tent with the British première of Maxwell Anderson’s Mary of Scotland.
 * School of Scottish Studies founded.