Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act for taking away and abolishing the Heretable Jurisdictions in Scotland; and for making Satisfaction to the Proprietors thereof; and for restoring such Jurisdictions to the Crown; and for making more effectual Provision for the Administration of Justice throughout that Part of the United Kingdom, by the King’s Courts and Judges there; ...and for rendering the Union of the Two Kingdoms more complete. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 20 Geo. 2. c. 43 |
| Territorial extent | Great Britain |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 17 June 1747 |
| Commencement | 25 March 1748 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | |
| Relates to | |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
| Text of the Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746 (20 Geo. 2. c. 43) or the Sheriffs Act 1747 is an act of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in the aftermath of the Jacobite rising of 1745 abolishing judicial rights held by Scots heritors. These were a significant source of power, especially for clan chiefs since it gave them a large measure of control over their tenants. As of 2025, the act is partly force in Scotland.
The act was one of a number of measures taken after the defeat of the 1745 rising to weaken the traditional rights held by clan chiefs, including the Act of Proscription 1746 (19 Geo. 2. c. 39). There had been a number of previous attempts to either eliminate or weaken them; for example, the 1692 Church of Scotland Settlement removed the right of heritors to nominate church ministers for their own parishes.
The act gave the Crown control over the appointment of Sheriffs, with the role of Justiciar transferred to the High Court of Justiciary. Since these were recognised as private property under Article XX of the 1707 Act of Union, their owners were compensated, although Jacobites were excluded. George II praised the act as measures for "better securing the liberties of the people there". The Prime Minister Henry Pelham considered it the most important measure in dealing with Jacobitism in Scotland.