East India patronage and the British state : the Scottish elite and politics in the eighteenth century /George K. McGilvary.

The author explores the role of patronage in the East India Company from the 1720s to the 1770s, focusing on the appointment of Scots to key positions within the Company and its shipping. As a result, the author seeks to demonstrate the extent to which the Company contributed to the political, economic and social development of Scotland and as a result ensured political stability and support for the Union of the Scottish and English Parliaments which had taken place in 1707. An appendix includes a select list of Scottish providers and recipients of patronage between 1720 and 1779 organised by name and showing brief details of their role.