Tender of Union
Encyclopedia
The Tender of Union was a declaration of the Parliament of England
during the Interregnum
following the War of the Three Kingdoms stating that Scotland
would cease to have an independent parliament
and would join England
in its emerging Commonwealth
republic.
The English parliament passed the declaration on 28 October 1651 and after a number of interim steps an Act of Union was passed on 26 June 1657. The proclaiming of the Tender Union in Scotland on 4 February 1652 regularised the de facto
annexation of Scotland by England at the end of the Third English Civil War
. Under the terms of the Tender of Union and the final enactment, the Scottish Parliament was permanently dissolved and Scotland was given 30 seats in the Westminster Parliament. This act like all the others passed during the Interregnum was repealed by both Scottish and English parliaments upon the Restoration of monarchy
under Charles II
.
, Sir Henry Vane
, Richard Salwey
, George Fenwick
, John Lambert
, Richard Deane
, Robert Tichborne
, and George Monck, to further the matter. The English parliamentary commissioners travelled to Scotland and at Mercat Cross
in Edinburgh on 4 February 1652, proclaimed that the Tender of Union was in force in Scotland. By 30 April 1652 the representatives of the shires and Royal burghs of Scotland had agreed to the terms which included an oath that Scotland and England be subsumed into one Commonwealth. On the 13 April 1652—between the proclamation and the last of the shires to agree to the terms—a bill for an Act for incorporating Scotland into one Commonwealth with England was given a first and a second reading in Rump Parliament
but it failed to return from its committee stage before the Rump was dissolved. A similar act was introduced into the Barebones Parliament
but it too failed to be enacted before that parliament was dissolved.
Oliver Cromwell
and proclaimed in Scotland by the military governor of Scotland, General George Monck. The Ordinance did not become an Act of Union until it was approved by the Second Protectorate Parliament
on 26 June, 1657 in an act that enabled several bills.
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
during the Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
following the War of the Three Kingdoms stating that Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
would cease to have an independent parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
and would join England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in its emerging Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
republic.
The English parliament passed the declaration on 28 October 1651 and after a number of interim steps an Act of Union was passed on 26 June 1657. The proclaiming of the Tender Union in Scotland on 4 February 1652 regularised the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
annexation of Scotland by England at the end of the Third English Civil War
Third English Civil War
The Third English Civil War was the last of the English Civil Wars , a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists....
. Under the terms of the Tender of Union and the final enactment, the Scottish Parliament was permanently dissolved and Scotland was given 30 seats in the Westminster Parliament. This act like all the others passed during the Interregnum was repealed by both Scottish and English parliaments upon the Restoration of monarchy
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
under Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.
Declaration and reaction
In 28 October 1651 the English Parliament issued The Declaration of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England, concerning the Settlement of Scotland, in which it was stated that "Scotland shall, and may be incorporated into, and become one Common-wealth with this England". Eight English commissioners were appointed, Oliver St JohnOliver St John
Sir Oliver St John , was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1653. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.- Early life :...
, Sir Henry Vane
Henry Vane
Henry Vane may refer to:*Sir Henry Vane the Elder , English courtier, father of Henry Vane the Younger*Sir Henry Vane the Younger , statesman, Puritan, son of Henry Vane the Elder*Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington PC Henry Vane may refer to:*Sir Henry Vane the Elder (1589–1655), English...
, Richard Salwey
Richard Salwey
Richard Salwey was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1645 and 1659. He was a republican in politics and fought on the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War.-Life:...
, George Fenwick
George Fenwick
Sir George Fenwick was a New Zealand newspaper proprietor and editor.Born in Sunderland, England, his family emigrated to Australia in 1852, and subsequently to Otago, New Zealand four years later...
, John Lambert
John Lambert
John Lambert may refer to:*John Lambert , English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII*John Lambert , Parliamentary general in the English Civil War...
, Richard Deane
Richard Deane
Richard Deane , English general-at-sea, major-general and regicide, was a younger son of Edward Deane of Temple Guiting or Guyting in Gloucestershire, where he was born, his baptism taking place on 8 July 1610...
, Robert Tichborne
Robert Tichborne
Sir Robert Tichborne , was an English soldier who fought in the English Civil War and a regicide of Charles I.Before the war he was a linen-draper by trade. In 1643 he was a captain in the London trained bands. He was lieutenant of the Tower of London in 1647. He was an extreme republican and...
, and George Monck, to further the matter. The English parliamentary commissioners travelled to Scotland and at Mercat Cross
Mercat cross
A mercat cross is a market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life. It was originally a place where merchants would gather, and later became the focal point of many town events such as executions, announcements and proclamations...
in Edinburgh on 4 February 1652, proclaimed that the Tender of Union was in force in Scotland. By 30 April 1652 the representatives of the shires and Royal burghs of Scotland had agreed to the terms which included an oath that Scotland and England be subsumed into one Commonwealth. On the 13 April 1652—between the proclamation and the last of the shires to agree to the terms—a bill for an Act for incorporating Scotland into one Commonwealth with England was given a first and a second reading in Rump Parliament
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
but it failed to return from its committee stage before the Rump was dissolved. A similar act was introduced into the Barebones Parliament
Barebones Parliament
Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector...
but it too failed to be enacted before that parliament was dissolved.
Approval by the Lord Protector and Parliament
On 12 April 1654, the Ordinance for uniting Scotland into one Commonwealth with England issued by the Lord ProtectorLord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
and proclaimed in Scotland by the military governor of Scotland, General George Monck. The Ordinance did not become an Act of Union until it was approved by the Second Protectorate Parliament
Second Protectorate Parliament
The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...
on 26 June, 1657 in an act that enabled several bills.
Further reading
- Timeline: 1640 to 1660, Undiscovered Scotland
- Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh EditionEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh EditionThe Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time...
article "GREAT REBELLION", section 59. "The Crowning Mercy" - Staff, Scotland and the Commonwealth: 1651-1660 Military Occupation and Early Attempts of Unification, archontology.org