William Gillies (Scottish politician)

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William Gillies (1865–1932) was a Scottish socialist and nationalist who helped shape the movement for Scottish independence. He was born in Galloway, Scotland, and grew up in London. From a young age he loved Scottish history and became friends with John Murdoch, the editor of The Highlander.

Gillies supported crofters’ rights in the Highlands and initially favored some form of home rule for Scotland within the United Kingdom, but he eventually backed full Scottish independence. He learned Gaelic, wrote plays in the language, and served as secretary of the Gaelic Society of London (1904–1905), stepping down after the society refused his proposal to make Gaelic Scotland’s national language.

Inspired by Irish politics, Gillies became a strong supporter of Sinn Féin and worked with Irish nationalists such as Art O'Brien. He supported the Easter Rising of 1916 and criticized socialists and Gaelic revivalists who did not join the cause. He befriended Ruairidh Erskine of Mar and wrote for Guth na Bliadhna and Alba.

In 1920 the Scots National League (SNL) was formed, with Gillies and Erskine as its leaders. He wanted the SNL to pursue the revolutionary aims seen in Ireland and to lead Scotland to independence while reviving Gaelic. He edited the SNL’s publication Liberty, which was partly funded by Sinn Féin.

Gillies helped establish Fianna na hAlba, a volunteer force for Scottish independence, but the plan was abandoned after advice from Irish leaders. Michael Collins later said the group was weaker than the Irish forces.

In 1926 Gillies became the first editor of The Scots Independent, the SNL’s newspaper. In 1928 the SNL joined with others to form the National Party of Scotland (NPS), which was more moderate. Some SNL members left because of the change. The NPS eventually became the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Gillies died in 1932. His friend Angus Clark remembered him as a devoted and noble patriot. His granddaughter, Anne Lorne Gillies, later pursued politics and stood for the SNP in the 1999 European Parliament elections.