The First Parliament of Great Britain Meets at Westminster

On October 23, 1707, the first Parliament of Great Britain met at Westminster in London. The gathering brought Scottish representatives together with their English parliamentary colleagues within a single legislature, following the union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland earlier that year.

From Two Kingdoms to One Parliament

The Acts of Union, passed by the separate English and Scottish parliaments, established the Kingdom of Great Britain on May 1, 1707. One of the central provisions of the agreement was that the new kingdom would be represented by a single parliament.

The October meeting therefore marked the beginning of parliamentary proceedings under this new arrangement. It was a distinct milestone from the union’s legal commencement almost six months earlier.

A New Gathering at Westminster

The union provided Scotland with 45 members in the House of Commons and 16 representative peers in the House of Lords. These representatives joined the existing parliamentary membership at Westminster.

A proclamation issued in Queen Anne’s name in June had set October 23 as the meeting date. When the session began, the incoming Scottish members received a warm welcome from their colleagues. Working together nevertheless required adjustment: parliamentary customs and styles of debate differed between Westminster and the former Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

A Milestone in Britain’s Institutional History

The first meeting gave practical expression to a central promise of the union: legislation for the new kingdom would be considered within one parliamentary institution. The familiar two-house structure of Lords and Commons now served a wider political community.

October 23, 1707, is therefore remembered as the opening of a new chapter in parliamentary history. It was the day the arrangements agreed in the union began to take shape through the shared work of representatives assembled at Westminster.