Maureen Watt pledged "ae full alleadgance"

Maureen Watt, of the SNP, took her oath of allegiance in the Doric dialect of Scots as well as in English, the first time a member has done so.

Also taking his oath in front of MSPs was David Petrie of the Scottish Conservatives.

The new entrants replaced two list MSPs who had to quit in order to contest the Moray by-election.

PARLIAMENTARY OATH IN DORIC I depone aat I wull be leal and bear ae full alleadgance tae her majesty Queen Elizabeth her airs an ony fa come aifter her anent the law. Sae help me God

Labour's Alasdair Morrison had previously taken the oath in Gaelic but Ms Watt, 54, broke new ground.

After the legal oath in English, she retook her vows in Doric.

The distinctive Scots dialect of the north-east has a rich history of poetry and songs, as well as being spoken across the region.

Ms Watt, a trained teacher who was brought up in Aberdeen, said beforehand: "I want to advance the cause of Doric and show there's a strong and important culture in the North East."

Ms Watt has joined the north east list to replace Richard Lochhead.