1781 in Scotland
# 1781 in Scotland

Events from the year 1781 in Scotland.

## Incumbents

### Law officers

* Lord Advocate – Henry Dundas;
* Solicitor General for Scotland – Alexander Murray

### Judiciary

* Lord President of the Court of Session – Lord Arniston, the younger
* Lord Justice General – The Viscount Stormont
* Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Barskimming

## Events

* Construction of The Mound in Edinburgh begins.
* Montrose Lunatic Asylum, Infirmary & Dispensary, predecessor of Sunnyside Royal Hospital, founded by Susan Carnegie.
* John Howie begins publication of the 2nd edition of his Biographia Scoticana (Scots Worthies): A Brief Historical Account of the Lives, Characters, and Memorable Transactions of the Most Eminent Scots Worthies.

## Births

* March (probable) – John Burnet, engraver and painter (died 1868)
* 16 March – William Mitchell, entrepreneur (died 1854)
* 19 March – John Henry Wishart, surgeon (died 1834)
* 12 June (probable) – Christian Isobel Johnstone, journalist and novelist (died 1857)
* 12 September – John Grieve, poet (died 1836)
* 14 September – James Walker, civil engineer (died 1862)
* 18 September – Allan Burns, surgeon (died 1813)
* 30 November – Alexander Berry, adventurer and Australian pioneer (died 1873 in Australia)
* 11 December – David Brewster, physicist (died 1868)

## Deaths

* 31 March – Robert Watson, historian (born c. 1730)
* 2 July – John Maule, MP (born 1706)

## The arts

* 4 July – Robert Burns joins the Freemasons at Tarbolton.
* 12 October – first bagpipes competition in the Masonic Arms, Falkirk.
