THE LORDSHIP & BARONY OF KILMARNOCK
THE CONVENTION OF THE BARONAGE OF SCOTLAND
The present day Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh, was established in 1999 by the Scotland Act, 1998 (the result of the 1997 referendum) and is a unicameral devolved legislature (a single chamber, unlike the English Parliament).
When Scotland was an independent kingdom the legislature from the 13th century was the Parliament of Scotland known as 'The Estates of Scotland' until it was abolished by the Act of Union of 1707.
There were three estates of the realm: the nobility, the clergy, and the commoners (some realms exchanged the first two), and this feudalistic assembly broadly represented the divisions of society.
The late 14th century gave rise to the General Council, a sister institution to Parliament with limited judicial capacity. This ceased by the reign of James IV, and by the early 16th century it was replaced by the Conventions of Estates of Scotland.
The Convention of the Baronage of Scotland is an Honourable Body which represents the first Estate of Scotland. Among its objectives it takes every expedient step to preserve the Titles, Insignia, Rights, and Duties of the Baronage of Scotland. It is represented at services in St Giles' Cathedral each year - St Andrew's Day, and the opening of the General Assembly.
ON-LINE BOOK INFORMATION
1) The full text of the book 'The Scottish Parliament: Its Constitution and Procedure, 1603-1707' by Charles Sanford Terry, M.A., 1905, can be read HERE or downloaded as a 42Mb .pdf document HERE.
