Scottish Militia Bill 1708

E96455

The Scottish Militia Bill 1708 was a proposed early 18th-century British law to establish a militia in Scotland that became historically notable as the last bill in the United Kingdom to be refused Royal Assent.


Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf militia bill
proposed Act of Parliament
aftermath no further use of Royal Assent refusal in the United Kingdom
appliesToJurisdiction Scotland
chronologyWithinTopic early example of post-Union Scottish legislation
constitutionalSignificance last use of the British monarch’s veto on legislation
country Kingdom of Great Britain
follows Acts of Union 1707
hasCategory 1708 in British law
1708 in Scotland
Constitutional laws of the United Kingdom
Military history of Scotland
Proposed laws of the United Kingdom
hasConsequence became a reference point in later debates on royal prerogative
highlighted limits of Scottish self-defence under the new Union
hasHistoricalPeriod early 18th century
hasLanguage English
hasLegalForm public bill
hasLegalStatus did not become law
hasPurpose to establish a militia in Scotland
hasRoyalAssentStatus refused
intendedEffect to organize and arm Scottish men for local defence
isPartOf history of Scottish–English relations
history of the British monarchy
history of the Parliament of Great Britain
legislativeBody Parliament of Great Britain NERFINISHED
legislativeProcessStage passed by Parliament
withheld from Royal Assent
location London, England
surface form: London

Scotland
monarchAtTimeOfRefusal Anne, Queen of Great Britain
surface form: Queen Anne
notableFor being the last bill in the United Kingdom to be refused Royal Assent
pointInTime 1708
politicalContext concern over loyalty of Scottish population after the Union
fear of French invasion
tensions between Whigs and Tories
precededBy earlier English militia legislation
reasonForRefusal security concerns about arming Scots during a period of Jacobite threat
relatedTo British constitutional history
Jacobite rising of 1708
Jacobite risings
surface form: Jacobitism

Royal Assent
veto power of the British monarch
subjectHasRole internal security in Scotland
regulation of armed forces
temporalRelation introduced shortly after the 1707 Acts of Union

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Royal Assent lastRefusedBillInUK Scottish Militia Bill 1708