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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 

LP's
DateLord Provost

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

LP's
DateLord Provost

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

LP's
DateLord Provost

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

LP's
DateLord Provost

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

 

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Last modified on 20 March 2024

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