Provosts of Glasgow

Who are the previous Provosts of Glasgow?

The medieval burgh of Glasgow was administered on behalf of the bishops of Glasgow by two, or sometimes three officials, usually known as 'bailies', sometimes as 'provosts'. The creation of the office of provost in the modern sense of a single chief magistrate was not until the early 1450s (certainly by December 1453, probably not before August 1450). Thereafter the sequence of office holders is incomplete until the beginning of the council records in 1574 and occasionally even thereafter. Until 1833 the provost and other officials were normally chosen in late September or October, after that date the election was in November. Thus the reference to 1800, below, means the official year beginning in October 1800.

1450 - 1650

1450x1453 - 1479 or later	John Stewart
c1480	possibly Sir Thomas Stewart of Minto
c1485-c1489	Robert Stewart
c1491	Andrew Otterburn
c1497	Matthew, Earl of Lennox
c1498	Sir Patrick Blacader of Tulliallan
c1498-1499 or later	John Stewart
1502 or earlier - 1505	Alan Stewart of Cardonald
1505-1507	Patrick Colquhoun of Glen
1507-1509	Sir John Stewart of Minto
1509-1513(?)	Matthew, Earl of Lennox
1513 or earlier - 1514	John Shaw
1514-1526	George Colquhoun of Glen
1526-1536 or 1537	Sir Robert Stewart of Minto
1537-1539 or later	Archibald Dunbar of Baldoon
1543-1544 or 1545	Sir John Stewart of Minto
1544 or 1545-1549(?)	Andrew Hamilton of Medop
1549(?)-1550 or 1551	James Hamilton of Torrance
1550 or 1551 - 1559 or 1560	Andrew Hamilton of Cochno
1559 or 1560 - 1562 or later	Robert Lindsay of Dunrod
1565-1573	Sir John Stewart of Minto
1573-1576	Robert, Lord Boyd
1577	Thomas Crawford of Jordanhill
1578-1579	Robert, Earl of Lennox
1580	Esme, Earl of Lennox
1581-1582	Sir Matthew Stewart of Minto
1583	John, Earl of Montrose
1584-1585	Sir William Livingstone of Kilsyth
1586-1587
1588-1589	Sir Matthew Stewart of Minto
1590-1593
1594-1597	Sir Matthew Stewart of Minto
1598
1599	Sir Matthew Stewart of Minto
1600-1601	Sir George Elphinstone of Blythswood
1602-1603
1604-1605	Sir George Elphinstone of Blythswood
1606	(no provost elected this year by order of James VI)
1607-1608	John Houston of Houston
1609-1612	James Inglis
1613	James Stewart (I)
1614-1616	James Hamilton
1617-1618	James Stewart (I)
1619-1620	James Inglis
1621-1622	James Hamilton
1623-1624	Gabriel Cunningham
1625-1626	James Inglis
1627-1628	James Hamilton
1629-1632	Gabriel Cunningham
1633	William Stewart
1634-1635	Patrick Bell
1636	Colin Campbell (I)
1637	James Stewart (II)
1638	Patrick Bell
1639	Gabriel Cunningham
1640	James Stewart (II)
1641-1642	William Stewart
1643-1644	James Bell
1645-1646	George Porterfield
1647	James Stewart (deposed by parliament June 1648)
1648	Colin Campbell (II) (June-October only)
1648-1649	George Porterfield
1650	John Grham

1651 - 1850

1651	George Porterfield
1652	Daniel Wallace (March-October)
1652	Daniel Wallace
1653-1654
1655-1656	John Anderson (I)
1657	(election postponed on instructions from the government)
1658	John Anderson (II) (March/October)
1658-1659	Sir John Bell
1660-1661	Colin Campbell (II)
1662-1663	Sir John Bell
1664-1666	WilliamAnderson
1667	John Anderson (II)
1668	William Anderson
1669	James Campbell
1670-1673	William Anderson
1674-1675	Sir John Bell
1676-1677	James Campbell
1678-1681	Sir John Bell
1682-1683	John Barns
1684-1685	John Johnston
1686-1687	John Barns (from June 1686)
1688	Walter Gibson (from January 1688)
1689-1690	John Anderson (III)
1691-1692	James Peadie (I)
1693-1694	William Napier
1695-1696	John Anderson (III)
1697-1698	James Peadie
1699-1700	John Anderson (III)
1701-1703	Sir Hugh Montgomery
1703-1705	John Anderson (III)
1705-1707	John Aird Jnr
1707-1709	Rober Rodger
1709-1711	John Aird Jnr
1711-1713	Robert Rodger
1713-1715	John Aird Jnr
1715-1717	John Bowman (I)
1717-1719	John Aird Jnr
1719-1721	John Bowman (I)
1721-1723	John Aird Jnr
1723-1725	Charles Miller
1725-1727	John Stark
1727-1728	James Peadie (II)
1728-1730	John Stirling
1730-1732	Peter Murdoch
1732-1734	Hugh Rodger
1734-1736	Andrew Ramsay
1736-1738	John Coulter
1738-1740	Andrew Aiton
1740-1742	Andrew Buchanan
1742-1744	Lawrence Dinwiddie
1744-1746	Andrew Cochrane
1746-1748	John Murdoch
1748-1750	Andrew Cochrane
1750-1752	John Murdoch
1752-1754	John Brown
1754-1756	George Murdoch
1756-1758	Robert Christie
1758-1760	John Murdoch
1760-1762	Andrew Cochrane
1762-1764	Archibald Ingram
1764-1766	John Bowman (II)
1766-1768	George Murdoch
1768-1770	James Buchanan
1770-1772	Colin Dunlop
1772-1774	Arthur Connell
1774-1776	James Buchanan
1776-1778	Robert Donald
1778-1780	William French
1780	James Coats Campbell (elected but refused to serve)
1780-1782	Hugh Wyllie
1782-1784	Patrick Colquhoun (from Feb 1782 after the death of Wyllie)
1784-1786	John Coats Campbell
1786-1788	John Riddell
1788-1790	John Campbell
1790-1792	James McDowall
1792-1794	Gilbert Hamilton
1794-1796	John Dunlop
1796-1798	James McDowall
1798-1800	Lawrence Craigie
1800-1802	John Hamilton
1802-1804	Lawrence Craigie
1804-1806	John Hamilton
1806-1808	James McKenzie
1808-1810	James Black
1810-1812	John Hamilton
1812-1814	Kirkman Finlay
1814-1816	Henry Monteith
1816-1818	James Black
1818 (April/Oct)	Kirkman Finlay
1818-1820	Henry Monteith
1820-1822	John Thomas Alston
1822-1824	William Smith
1824-1826	Mungo Nutter Campbell
1826-1828	William Hamilton
1828-1830	Alexander Garden
1830-1832	Robert Dalglish
1832-1833	James Ewing
1833-1834	Robert Grahame
1834-1837	William Mills
1837-1840	Henry Dunlop
1840-1843	Sir James Campbell
1843-1846	James Lumsden
1846-1848	Alexander Hastie
1848-1851	Sir James Anderson

1851 - 1950

1851-1854	Robert Stewart
1854-1857	Sir Andrew Orr
1857-1860	Andrew Galbraith
1860-1863	Peter Clouston
1863-1866	John Blackie
1866-1869	Sir James Lumsden
1869-1871	William Rae Arthur
1871-1874	Sir James Watson
1874-1877	Sir James Bain
1877-1880	Sir William Collins
1880-1883	John Ure
1883-1886	Sir William McOnie
1886-1889	Sir James King Bt
1889-1892	Sir John Muir Bt
1892-1896	Sir James Bell Bt
1896-1899	Sir David Richmond
1899-1902	Sir Samuel Chisholm Bt
1902-1905	Sir John Ure Primrose Bt
1905-1908	Sir William Bilsland Bt
1908-1911	Sir Archibald McInnes Shaw
1911-1914	Sir Daniel M Stevenson Bt
1914-1917	Sir Thomas Dunlop Bt
1917-1920	Sir James W Stewart Bt
1920-1923	Sir Thomas Paxton Bt
1923-1926	Sir Matthew Montgomery
1926-1929	Sir David Mason
1929-1932	Sir Thomas Kelly
1932-1935	Sir Alexander B Swan
1935-1938	Sir John Stewart
1938-1941	Sir Patrick Joseph Dollan
1941-1943	John M Biggar
1943-1945	James Welsh
1945-1949	Sir Hector McNeill
1949-1952	Sir Victor Warren

1951 - Present

1952-1955	Thomas A Kerr
1955-1958	Andrew Hood
1958-1960	Sir Myer Galpern
1960-1963	Dame Jean Roberts
1963-1965	Sir Peter Meldrum
1965-1969	John Johnston
1969-1972	Sir Donald R Liddle
1972 (May/July)	John Mains
1972-1975	Sir William Gray
1975-1977	Peter T McCann
1977-1980	David Hodge
1980-1984	Michael Kelly
1984-1988	Robert Gray
1988-1992	Susan Baird
1992-1994	Robert Innes
1994-1995	James Shields
1995-1996	Tommy Dingwall (10.2.95 - 31.3.96)
1996-1999	Pat Lally
1999-2003	Alex Mosson
2003-2007	Liz Cameron
2007 - 2012	Robert Winter
2012 - 2017	Sadie Docherty
2017 - 2019	Eva Bolander
2020 - 2022	Philip Braat
2022	Jacqueline McLaren