2003 in Scotland
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| See also: | List of years in Scotland Timeline of Scottish history 2003 in: The UK • England • Wales • Elsewhere Scottish football: 2002–03 • 2003–04 2003 in Scottish television | ||||
Events from the year 2003 in Scotland.
Incumbents
[edit]- First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal – Jack McConnell
- Secretary of State for Scotland – Helen Liddell until 13 June; then Alistair Darling
Law officers
[edit]- Lord Advocate – Lord Boyd of Duncansby
- Solicitor General for Scotland – Elish Angiolini
- Advocate General for Scotland – Lynda Clark
Judiciary
[edit]- Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Cullen of Whitekirk
- Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Gill
- Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord McGhie
Events
[edit]- 29 January – Nat Fraser is found guilty of murdering his wife, Arlene, who went missing almost five years earlier, and is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation to serve a minimum of 25 years behind bars.[1]
- 15 February – Up to 100,000 people march in Glasgow to protest against the looming Iraq War.
- 25 February – The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 receives royal assent.
- 3 May – 2003 Scottish Parliament election: the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition led by First Minister Jack McConnell win a majority of seats and are re-elected. The Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Socialist Party significantly increase their representation and the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party gains one seat.
- 9 August – Temperatures at Greycrook in the Scottish Borders reach 32.9 °C, the highest recorded in Scotland until 2022.
- 25 August – Glasgow Zoo closes.[2]
- 1 September – Cairngorms National Park created, Scotland's second national park.
- 21 October – Keith O'Brien is proclaimed a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II.[3]
- 24 November – The high court in Glasgow imposes a minimum sentence of 27 years for Al Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the Libyan national convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988.
- Ownership of the Barra Estate is passed by the owner, Ian MacNeil, to the Scottish Government.
Deaths
[edit]- 26 January – George Younger, Conservative politician, former Secretary of State for Scotland (born 1931)
- 14 February – Dolly, cloned sheep (born 1996)
- 30 July – Steve Hislop, motorcycle racer, killed in helicopter accident (born 1962)
- 25 September – Alastair Borthwick, broadcaster and mountaineer (born 1913)
The arts
[edit]- 7 April – James Robertson's historical novel Joseph Knight is published.
- 27 August – Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Yarnwinder is stolen from the Duke of Buccleuch collection at Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire.[4] It is recovered in 2007.
- 22 November – Two Lochs Radio begins broadcasting.
- Lin Anderson's first "Tartan Noir" novel Driftnet is published.
- Anne Donovan's first full-length novel Buddha Da is published.
- The folk band Harem Scarem is formed.
- Scottish hip hop duo Silibil N' Brains begin performing in the guise of California rappers (in London).[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Husband guilty of Arlene murder". BBC News. 29 January 2003. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Cash crisis closes zoo". BBC News. 25 August 2003. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Cardinal O'Brien". www.catholic-pages.com. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ Seenan, Gerard (29 December 2003). "Thieves steal priceless art 'for status, not profit'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ Seymour, Tom (19 August 2013). "Meet The Two Scottish Rappers Who Conned The World". Vice. Retrieved 7 October 2022.