1969 in Scotland

Events from the year 1969 in Scotland.

Incumbents

Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – Willie Ross

Law officers

Judiciary

Events

6 January – closure of the Waverley Line and The St. Andrews Railway.
8 February – unusual aurora borealis seen over Scotland.
17 March – the Longhope life-boat in Orkney is lost; the entire crew of 8 dies.
27 March – first ordination of a woman in the Church of Scotland, Catherine McConnachie by the Presbytery of Aberdeen.
28 April – Gordon Gray, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, is elevated to cardinal of the Catholic Church; the first resident cardinal in Scotland for almost 400 years.
9 May – formation in Glasgow of the Scottish Minorities Group to campaign for the decriminalisation of gay sexual practices in Scotland.
17 May – Scotland beats Cyprus 8–0 in a World Cup Qualifier at Hampden Park.
May – Ross Pit at Brora is closed by a fire.
1 July – John Lennon, Yoko Ono and their children are hospitalised at Golspie following a car accident while on holiday.
September – the Royal Commission on Local Government in Scotland reports, recommending a major reorganisation of local government in Scotland substantially as carried out in 1975 under terms of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
9 October – Backwater Reservoir opened to supply the Dundee area.
30 October – Glasgow Gorbals by-election: Labour retains the seat but the SNP takes second place from the Conservatives.
30 December – the Linwood bank robbery occurs in Linwood, Renfrewshire and three police officers are shot in the aftermath, two fatally.
The policies of Culzean Castle become Scotland's first country park.

Births

1 January
* Paul Lawrie, golfer and journalist
* Tom Urie, actor
13 January – Stephen Hendry, snooker player
6 March – Neil Findlay, Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament
28 March – Laurie Brett, actress
April – Kenny Alexander, businessman
24 April
* Donna Robertson, judoka and wrestler
* Fiona Robertson, judoka and wrestler
* Eilidh Whiteford, Scottish National Party Member of Parliament
11 August – Ashley Jensen, actress
25 August – Catriona Matthew, golfer
28 September – Angus Robertson, Scottish National Party Member of Parliament
13 November – Gerard Butler, actor
5 December – Lynne Ramsay film director, writer, producer, and cinematographer best known for the films Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar and We Need to Talk about Kevin
7 December – James Murray, boxer
18 December – Irvin Duguid, keyboard player
24 December – Mark Millar, comic book writer
31 December – Dominik Diamond, presenter and newspaper columnist

Deaths

8 May – Sir Sydney Smith, forensic pathologist
10 May – John Bannerman, Baron Bannerman of Kildonan, international rugby player and Liberal politician
7 September – Gavin Maxwell, naturalist and author
6 December – Florence Horsbrugh, Baroness Horsbrugh, Scottish Unionist Party and Conservative Party politician

The arts

George Mackay Brown's short stories A Time to Keep and collected writings An Orkney Tapestry are published.
Jenny Gilbertson's documentary film Shetland Pony is made.
Tom Leonard's Six Glasgow Poems are published.
The cultural magazine New Edinburgh Review begins publication.
Antonia Fraser's biography Mary Queen of Scots is published.