1981 in Scotland
Appearance
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See also: | List of years in Scotland Timeline of Scottish history 1981 in: The UK • England • Wales • Elsewhere Scottish football: 1980–81 • 1981–82 1981 in Scottish television |
Events from the year 1981 in Scotland.
Incumbents
- Monarch — Elizabeth II
- Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal — George Younger
Law officers
Judiciary
- Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General — Lord Emslie
- Lord Justice Clerk — Lord Wheatley
- Chairman of the Scottish Land Court — Lord Elliott
Events
- 1 February — Decriminalisation of homosexual activity between men over 21 years of age through the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980, section 80, which enters into force on this day.
- 5 March — The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer manufactured by Timex in Dundee, is launched by Sinclair Research, going on to sell over 1.5 million units worldwide.
- May — Peugeot closes the Talbot car plant at Linwood, Renfrewshire, which was opened by the Rootes Group 18 years ago as Scotland's only car factory.
- 23 May — Scotland beat England 1-0 at Wembley.
- 21 December — George Wood (Aberdeen) Ltd cease trawler operations.
- Undated
- Last manufacture of coal gas in the U.K., at Millport, Isle of Cumbrae.[1]
- Invergordon aluminium smelter closes.
Births
- 16 February — Alison Rowatt, field hockey midfielder
- 19 February — Mark Boyle, snooker player
- 28 February — Mark Brown, footballer
- 25 March — Emily Smith, folk singer
- 11 June — Alistair McGregor, field hockey goalkeeper
- 14 June — Alastair Kellock, rugby union player
- 28 August — Kezia Dugdale, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
- 16 September — David Mitchell, field hockey defender
- Catriona Shearer, television news presenter
Deaths
- 6 January — A. J. Cronin, novelist (born 1896)
- 23 February — Nan Shepherd, novelist and poet (born 1893)
- June — Wendy Wood, nationalist campaigner (born 1892 in England)
- 22 August — Mairi Chisholm, nurse and ambulance driver in World War I, one of "The Madonnas of Pervyse" (born 1896)
- 8 September — Bill Shankly, football manager (born 1913)
- 19 October — Johnny Doyle, footballer (born 1951)
The Arts
- 30 March — Release of historical drama film Chariots of Fire that tells the story of devout Christian Eric Liddell competing in the 1924 Olympics.
- 23 April — Release of romantic comedy film Gregory's Girl.
- Alasdair Gray's first novel Lanark: A Life in Four Books is published in Edinburgh.
- Perrier Comedy Awards first presented to the best shows on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
- The Bluebells formed.
- First Fèis Bharraigh.
See also
References
- ^ "Great Cumbrae". Secret Scotland. Retrieved 6 July 2010.