November 4, 1706

Acts of Union 1707

Scottish Parliament conditionally approves Article I of Union

The famous 116–83 vote came with an escape clause: if the remaining articles were not settled, approval of Article I would have no effect.

4 November 1706: Article I carries in Edinburgh

At Edinburgh on 4 November 1706, the Parliament of Scotland approved the first Article of Union, which set out the principle that Scotland and England would become one kingdom named Great Britain.

The division carried by 116 votes to 83, a majority of 33. The official record lists members by name as approvers and opponents, preserving the political roll call of the day.

Approval with a condition attached

The approval was explicitly conditional: if Parliament did not adjust the remaining articles, its approval of Article I would have no effect.

The same motion promised what Parliament would take up next — not trade or taxation, but legislation securing the doctrine, discipline, worship and government of the established Church of Scotland.

A kingdom scheduled, not created

Article I named 1 May as the future date on which the two kingdoms would be united. Nothing merged on 4 November.

Parliament proceeded to secure the Church of Scotland, then went on debating and amending the other articles for more than two months. The 116–83 tally belongs to Article I and is not the final ratification vote.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 6 sources 2 audit passes

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet, rewritten from that sheet, then audited against it by a different model. How the pipeline works →

What the sources leave uncertain

The 116–83 tally is the well-attested division on Article I, not the final vote on the complete Treaty and ratifying act.
Official educational sources differ over whether the final 16 January division should be summarized as 110–67 or 110–69, apparently because of counting conventions. That later discrepancy does not affect the 116–83 vote on this event.