1832 in Scotland

Incumbents

• Monarch – William IV

  Law officers

• Lord Advocate – Francis Jeffrey
• Solicitor General for Scotland – Henry Cockburn

  Judiciary

• Lord President of the Court of Session – Lord Granton
• Lord Justice General – The Duke of Montrose
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Boyle

  Events

• 21 January – The Marquis of Lothian's Waggonway is opened.
• 4 June – the Scottish Reform Act, reforming the Scottish Westminster constituencies and enlarging the electorate from 5,000 to 60,000, is passed in Parliament contemporaneously with similar legislation for other constituents of the U.K., becoming law from 17 July. On 11 August around 50,000 gather on the Links in Edinburgh to celebrate the event.
• 2 June – passengers are first carried over the Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway, between St Leonards and North Esk by horse-drawn carriage.
• 16 July – "The Bad Day": 31 sixareens are lost in a storm with 105 crew.
• September – a Jewish burial ground is established on part of the site that will shortly become Glasgow Necropolis.
• Edinburgh City Mission is established by David Nasmith.
• Glen Scotia distillery is established in Campbeltown.
• Elie Golf Club, North Berwick Golf Club and The Grange Club are established.
• John Thomson's The Atlas of Scotland is published in Edinburgh.
• George IV Bridge in Edinburgh is completed to the design of Thomas Hamilton.
• Stirling New Bridge is completed to the design of Robert Stevenson.
• Craignish Castle is rebuilt around this date.
• Agriculturalist William McCombie forms his herd of black Angus cattle.

  Births

• 26 February – Thomas Anderson, botanist
• 20 May – Charles Umpherston Aitchison, colonial governor
• 12 August – Hely Hutchinson Almond, rugby player and educationalist
• 19 December – John Kirk, physician, naturalist, companion to explorer David Livingstone and British administrator in Zanzibar
• James Burgess, archaeologist active in India
• George Anderson Lawson, sculptor
• Frederick Thomas Pilkington, architect
• J. B. Selkirk, poet and essayist

  Deaths

• 27 January – Andrew Bell, educationist and minister of religion
• 13 May – Andrew Duncan, physician
• 30 May – John Clerk, Lord Eldin, judge and art collector
• 23 June – Sir James Hall, geologist
• 21 September – Sir Walter Scott, historical novelist and poet
• 3 November – Sir John Leslie, physicist
• 24 December – Thomas Morton, shipbuilder

  The arts

• 4 February – Chambers's Edinburgh Journal is established by William Chambers.
• 14 August – première of Felix Mendelssohn's concert overture The Hebrides in London.
• 21 September – historical novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott dies aged 61 at his home, Abbotsford House, leaving his novel The Siege of Malta unfinished; he is buried in the grounds of Dryburgh Abbey with Presbyterian and Episcopalian ministers in attendance. His novels Count Robert of Paris and Castle Dangerous are published this year.
• Tait's Edinburgh Magazine is established by William Tait.
• John Donald Carrick edits the poetry anthology Whistle Binkie.
• James Hogg, writing as "The Ettrick Shepherd", publishes the poems Altrive Tales.
• William Motherwell publishes his Poems, narrative and lyrical in Glasgow.