• Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – James Stuart until 13 January; then John Maclay

Law officers edit

• Lord Advocate – William Rankine Milligan
• Solicitor General for Scotland – William Grant

Judiciary edit

• Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Clyde
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Thomson
• Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Gibson

• 6 January – fishery cruiser Vaila runs aground off the Isle of Lewis with the loss of 5 crew.^[1]
• 5 February – trawler Robert Limbrick runs aground on the Isle of Mull with the loss of all 12 crew.^[2]
• 29 March – the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow in Orkney is reduced to an oil depot.^[3]
• 9 May – a major fire in Edinburgh destroys the premises and stock of William Mutrie & Sons, theatrical costumiers, at Bell's Brae.^[4]
• 16 August – the world's first Museum of Childhood (established by optician Patrick Murray) opens in its own premises on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
• 31 August – central Scotland's independent channel, Scottish Television, goes on air.
• 18 September – the sports programme Scotsport begins airing on Scottish Television; by the time it ends in 2008 it is recognised as the world's longest running television sports magazine.
• 1 October – transfer of criminally insane prisoners from the criminal lunatic department at HM Prison Perth to the State Institution for Mental Defectives at Carstairs which becomes the State Mental Hospital.^[5]
• 5 October – RAF Saxa Vord radar station on Unst is returned to fully operational status.
• 18 October – a Royal Air Force Gloster Meteor jet trainer aircraft crashes near Kirkcaldy with the loss of her 2 crew.^[6]
• 1 November – a replacement "Bawbee Brig" is opened across the River Leven, Fife, to connect Leven and Methil within Levenmouth.^[4]
• 19 November – an underground explosion at Kames Colliery near Muirkirk kills 17.^[7]
• 14 December – an underground explosion at Lindsay Colliery in Fife kills 9.^[8]
• Construction of a missile testing range on South Uist begins.
• First purpose-built Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Scotland completed at Riddrie, Glasgow.^[9]
• Folklorist F. Marian McNeill begins publication of The Silver Bough.

• 9 February – Gordon Strachan, international footballer and manager
• 27 March – Billy Mackenzie, singer (commits suicide 1997)
• 7 June –
  • Michael Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, soldier and politician (died 2016)
  • Iain Gray, Scottish Labour Party leader
• 16 June – Leeona Dorrian, Lady Dorrian, Lord Justice Clerk 2016–present
• 11 July – Johann Lamont, Scottish Labour Party leader
• 23 September – Fergus Ewing, Scottish National Party minister
• 6 October – Moray Hunter, comedian
• 15 October – Michael Caton-Jones, actor, director, and producer
• 21 October – Irene Edgar, lawn bowler^[10]
• 22 December – Ricky Ross, singer-songwriter and broadcaster
• Blair Jenkins, broadcaster
• Alan Riach, poet and academic

• January – Harry Gordon, entertainer (born 1893)
• 21 April – John Graham Kerr, embryologist and Unionist Member of Parliament (born 1869)
• 10 June – Sir Douglas MacInnes Shaw, army officer, businessman and Unionist Member of Parliament (born 1895)
• 20 October – Jack Buchanan, actor, singer and film director (born 1891)

• Song of the Clyde (setting by Ian Gourlay of lyrics by R. Y. Bell) is published.

• 1957 in Northern Ireland