The office was created in 1681, and was in abeyance from 1709 until 1763 when it was revived for Principal William Robertson of the University of Edinburgh.
The post, which now has no formal responsibilities or salary, is appointed by the Sovereign by Letters Patent passed under the Great Seal of Scotland.
[1] The current office-holder is Christopher Smout, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of St Andrews.
This article related to government in Scotland is a stub.
You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.This Scottish history-related article is a stub.