365:83 If you want to get a head, get a hat

On this day:

1603 – James VI of Scotland also became James I of England, upon the death of Elizabeth I.

and

1707 – The Acts of Union 1707 was signed, officially uniting the Kingdoms of England and Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Although described as a Union of Crowns, until 1707 there were in fact two separate Crowns resting on the same head (as opposed to the implied creation of a single Crown and a single Kingdom, exemplified by the later Kingdom of Great Britain). There had been three attempts in 1606, 1667, and 1689 to unite the two countries by Acts of Parliament, but it was not until the early 18th century that both political establishments came to support the idea, albeit for different reasons.

The Acts took effect on 1 May 1707. On this date, the Scottish Parliament and the English Parliament united to form the Parliament of Great Britain, based in the Palace of Westminster in London, the home of the English Parliament.[3] Hence, the Acts are referred to as the Union of the Parliaments.

The oncoming lights of the referendum train are currently visible in the tunnel. This post does not form a comment on the past, present, or future states. It's just a Blip, you know?

I didn't have a pair of crowns handy but I did manage to find a spare head and a couple of hats.

Despite the current state of affairs, I am not given to wearing both hats at the same time. I am very partial to the Harris Tweed one however and when for a time this morning I believed it to be lost, I was distraught. Make of that, what you will.