1987 in Scotland

Incumbents

• Monarch – Elizabeth II
• Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – Malcolm Rifkind

  Law officers

• Lord Advocate – Lord Cameron of Lochbroom
• Solicitor General for Scotland – Peter Fraser

  Judiciary

• Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Emslie
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Ross
• Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Elliott

  Events

• 20 May – The Abolition of Domestic Rates Etc. Act 1987 and the Criminal Justice Act 1987 both receive Royal Assent.
• 11 June – UK general election: the Conservatives win just 10 of the 72 seats in Scotland, but are re-elected for a third term in office due to the scale of their election victory in England. Amongst the new MPs elected in Scotland is future Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who gains Banff and Buchan for the Scottish National Party from the Conservatives.
• 3 July – Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand become the first people to complete a transatlantic flight in a hot air balloon aboard the balloon Virgin Atlantic Flyer, ditching a mile off the Mull of Kintyre.
• 27 August – Robert Maclennan, MP for Caithness and Sutherland, replaces David Owen as Leader of the SDP.
• 23 November – First McDonald's hamburger fast food restaurant in Scotland opens in Dundee.
• December – First UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Scotland designated: the Antonine Wall as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire; and St Kilda for its natural habitats.
• Summerlee Heritage Park opened in Coatbridge.

  Births

• 9 February – Rose Leslie, actress
• 20 March
• *Patrick Boyle, footballer
• *Kevin Smith, footballer
• May – Krysty Wilson-Cairns, screenwriter
• 15 May – Andy Murray, tennis player
• 6 June – Kyle Falconer, singer and guitarist
• 20 July – Nicola Benedetti, classical violinist
• 6 August – Leanne Crichton, footballer
• 25 August – Amy Macdonald, singer-songwriter
• 7 October – Lauren Mayberry, singer-songwriter
• 8 October – Frankie Brown, footballer
• 13 December – Ryan McHenry, film director and social media personality

  Deaths

• 3 January – Alex Campbell, folk singer
• 5 May – Sir Hugh Fraser, 2nd Baronet, retailer
• 6 June – Fulton Mackay, actor

  The arts

• 1 May – Glasgow band Deacon Blue release their debut album Raintown.
• 10 August – Liz Lochhead's play Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off premières at the Edinburgh Festival.
• Edinburgh band Swamptrash form.
• Publication of William Boyd's novel The New Confessions.
• Publication of Ian Rankin's Knots and Crosses, first of the Inspector Rebus detective novels, set around Edinburgh.
• First staging of Tony Roper's play The Steamie, in Glasgow.