1949 in Scotland

Incumbents

• Monarch – George VI
• Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – Arthur Woodburn

  Law officers

• Lord Advocate – John Thomas Wheatley
• Solicitor General for Scotland – Douglas Johnston

  Judiciary

• Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Cooper
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Thomson
• Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Gibson

  Events

• 3 April – trolleybuses in Glasgow introduced
• 1 May – Scottish Gas Board established
• 4 May – fire at Grafton's fashion store in Argyle Street, Glasgow, kills 13 young women
• 24 July – people of Alyth march on Alyth Hill to assert their right of commonty over the land
• October – the Scottish Covenant, calling for the establishment of a legislative parliament within the United Kingdom, is drawn up by John MacCormick

  Undated

• Wendy Wood founds the nationalist group, the Scottish Patriots
• The Law Society of Scotland is established
• John Boyd Orr receives the Nobel Peace Prize

  Births

• 15 January – Craig Pritchett, chess International Master
• 19 January – Lindsay Roy, educator and politician
• 23 January – Tom Forsyth, international footballer
• 25 January – Chris Lowe, BBC News presenter
• 2 February – Duncan Bannatyne, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author
• 9 February – Bernard Gallacher, golfer
• 26 February – Lynda Clark, judge and politician
• 6 March – Martin Buchan, international footballer
• 7 March – Malcolm Chisholm, Labour MSP
• 13 March – Trevor Sorbie, hairdresser
• 8 April – Alex Fergusson, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011
• 25 April – Alexis Jay, social worker
• 21 May – Andrew Neil, print and television journalist
• 4 June – Lou Macari, international footballer and manager
• 4 July – Alex Miller, footballer and manager
• 6 August – Erich Schaedler, footballer
• 11 August – Ian Charleson, actor
• 20 August – Stewart Houston, international footballer and manager
• 9 September – John Reid, music manager
• 18 September – Alastair Campbell, Lord Bracadale, judge
• 22 September – Jimmy Bone, footballer and manager
• 29 September – Adrian Elrick, international footballer representing New Zealand
• 8 October – Hamish Stuart, guitarist, bassist, singer, composer and record producer
• 28 December – Hilton McRae, actor

  Deaths

• 2 January – Sir Victor Fortune, British Army officer
• 12 April – John Wallace, Liberal MP
• 3 August – Jessie M. King, illustrator and designer
• 6 August – David Taylor, footballer and manager
• 22 October – Alex McDonald, footballer
• Joseph Lee, poet and journalist

  Sport

• Summer – The Ba game of Duns revived.