Scottish Passport 1857 For Cuba

A Scottish Passport from 1857
While it may seem implausible, Scotland did, in fact, issue its own passports, and these documents are now rarely encountered. If at all, they will be on display or in an archive of the Scottish Museum or National Archive.

Issued by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh

to Daniel Stevens of Pilb Street, Bonnington, Edinburghshire, Scotland, British Subject, to travel peaceably and without molestation to CUBA and return. 25 November 1857. Signed by the Right Honorable Lord Provost of Edinburgh, (Sir) John Melville.

Sir John Melville

FRSE WS (1803-1860) was a Scottish lawyer and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1854 to 1859. They named Melville Drive in Edinburgh after him.

He was born in Kirkcaldy in Fife, the son of George Melville, a lawyer, and his wife, Isabella Rule of Kennoway. During his youth, the family relocated to Edinburgh, initially residing at 5 Broughton Place and later at 3 Nelson Street nearby. John studied Law at Edinburgh University.

He was apprenticed to Alexander Manners WS, based at 12 Nicolson Square. He qualified WS in 1827 and set up his partnership, Melville & Lindesay WS. In 1849, he was Chief Magistrate of Edinburgh. He had also created a town councilor in 1853. In 1857, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Melville was knighted in 1859 by Queen Victoria at the end of his period as Lord Provost. He died at home 15 Heriot Row on 5 May 1860. He is buried in Newington Cemetery in the south of the city. I did not find any information on Daniel Stevens.

The Passport

is overall in excellent condition, double folio (approx. 8″ x 13″) with several tiny bookworm holes – not disturbing. The paper of the passport bears the watermark of Whatman and the year 1856. Established in 1700, Whatman was a notable paper mill. While the document retains its red wax seal, regrettably, the inscription has nearly faded.

I suspect that the passport was folded when the wax seal was still molten, causing deformation before solidification. On the reverse side, the original text in ink read “Passport Daniel Stevens 1857.”

Thomas C. Archer Scottish Passport (from my collection and now in the National Museum of Scotland)

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