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.
|
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 |
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 |
|