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Motion · S5M-20468 · 15 Jan 2020

700th Anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath

Lodged by Bruce Crawford Members' Business Motion 29 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament celebrates the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish declaration of independence sent to Pope John XXII and dated 6 April 1320; notes that the Declaration followed the First Scots’ War of Independence and sought to confirm the Scottish nation’s status as an independent, sovereign state; understands that the document is believed to have been sent from Arbroath Abbey by the Chancellor of Scotland and Abbott of Arbroath, Bernard of Kilwinning, and was signed and sealed by 51 magnates and nobles; notes that the surviving letter, the Declaration of Arbroath itself, is one of three written to the Pope at the time, with one other letter from King Robert the Bruce, and one from four Scottish Bishops supporting Scotland’s independence; commends the Declaration being placed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2016; notes that the Declaration is considered by many to have influenced the drafting of the American Declaration of Independence as recognised by the Senate having designated 6 April as Tartan Day; welcomes the work of the Arbroath 2020 Group and its six-month festival starting in April 2020 and running until September, celebrating Arbroath’s future and its history, and notes the view that it is vital that the memory and legacy of the Declaration of Arbroath is carried through to future generations as a defining moment in Scottish history and culture.

Supporters (29)

Source: the Scottish Parliament motions and amendments record.