Manuscripta juridica

Ius proprium Scotiae - Practicks (general digest of law, systematic) 15th - 17th centuries .

Partial copy from a volume owned by James Scougall Commissar of Aberdeen. The digest is also preserved in MS Aberdeen, UL, 558. It has 64 titles, but they are here copied in wrong order, so that the numbering of chapter headings jumps forward and backward: 27, 47-60, 37-41, 64, 13, 41 [= {i}garbled number{/i}], 24-25, 11, 61-63. Some chapters are thus not copied here: 1-10, 12, 14-25, 28-36, 42-46.

The items in the digest mainly regard judicial precedent. Dates are spread over the entire sixteenth century (and in the Aberdeen MS also the late 15th century). Furthermore, the collector inserted a few decisions of the first half of the 17th century (often in additional notes in the margin, written by the same scrivener). I browsed from pag. 1 to 53 and made some spot checks further ahead. The following dates caught my eye: 1504 (pag. 42); 1517/2/9 (pag. 53); 1519/2/5 (pag. 42); 1521/3/1 (pag. 123); 1526 (pag. 50); 1529 (pag. 47); 1532 (pag. 52); 1533 (pag. 39); 1534 (pag. 46); 1541 (twice); 1543 (pag. 37); 1544; 1547; 1552; 1555; 1557; 1561; 1561/6/25 (pag. 28); 1563 (thrice); 1564; 1566; 1567 (pag. 9); 1567; 1567/1/27 (pag. 27); 1568; 1568/7/2 (pag. 32); 1569 (twice); 1576 (pag. 36); 1583; 1590 (pag. 111); 1619 (pag. 103, main text); 1620 (pag. 32, main text); 1620, Aberdein (pag. 34, main text); 1623 (pag. 127, main text); 1631 (pag. 15, margin); 1634 (pag. 31, margin); 1636 (pag. 22, main text); 1636 (pag. 27, main text); 1636 (pag. 96, main text); 1640 (pag. 102, main text); 1641 (pag. 24, margin); 1641 (pag. 56, margin); 1642 (pag. 19, margin); 1643 (pag. 97, main text); 1644 (pag. 57 margin).

The author often referred to practicks in yet another volume which he owned. It had at least 256 folios, and the practicks therein were continuously referred to in Latin as 'capitula'. Examples of such references: 'Sie my other pratique book fol. 49 cap. 123' (pag. 23). 'Sie my uther pratiqu book' (pag. 32). 'Fol. 242 cap. 384' (pag. 23); 'fol. 248 cap. 394' (pag. 35); 'fol. 249 cap. 396' (pag. 26); 'fol. 256 cap. 407' (pag. 72 margin).

It appears that at least some of these practicks originated in the Commissary Court at Aberdeen, or at times in the Sheriff Court there (e.g. expressly pag. 34: 'Aberdein 1620').

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Author(s):

• Alexander Spalding, advocate at Aberdeen

No. of pages: Pag. 1-169r

Rubric: [{i}Title page, fol. iii recto:{/i}] Ane book containing some practiques, belonging to master James Scougall Comissar of Aberdein, and wrytin in 1682.

[{i}First chapter heading? Noted in the margin:{/i}] Of the jurisdiction and ofice of oficials and comissars.

Incipit:

• [{i}Main text:{/i}] Item the bishops of old had double jurisdiction: ane spirituall over the kirks of their dyocess, ane other civil over the hail inhabitants of their dyocess, and to that effect apoyntit oficialls who had powr to judge in all maters concerning teinds, minores, orpants and poor widous, and sicklyk had powr to confirm the testments of all that dyed within his dyocie.

  [{i}Further chapter headings:{/i}] Of testaments and letter willes, tit. 27. Off executors, tit. 27 [{i}again, same mistake as in MS Aberdeen. Thereafter the scrivener jumped to 47{/i}]. Of litiscontestation, tit. 47. Of probatione, tit. 48. The ordour of proponeing of exceptiones emergent and 'de novo ad aures', dilator and peremptor [{i}without numbering, should probably be 49{/i}]. Of essongzies and excusationes, tit. 50. Of probatione and diverse kynds thairof, whairof their is some alreadie spoken at the 48 chapdor and now followis the divisione of the rest, tit. 51. Of the aith, and first the aith de calumnia seu de malitia [C.2.58] [{i}no title number{/i}]. Of the aith of veritie, tit. 52. De juramento in litem, tit. 53. Of probatione be wreit, tit. 54. Probatione be wittnessis and of confessione of pairty, tit. 52 [{i}again, but should correctly be 55{/i}]. Probatione of the lybell be witness, tit. 56. Probatione off ane exceptione be witnesses, tit. 57. Probatione of the replye be witnesses, tit. 58. Circumductione of the terme of probatione, tit. 59. Conclusione of the causes, tit. 60 [{i}Hereafter the scrivener jumped backward to 37{/i}]. Of persewars, tit. 37. Of the defendar, tit. 38. Of procurators, tit. 39. Off lybellis and sumonds and definitione of ane lybell, tit. 40. Messers and officiares, and of thair offices, tit. 41. [{i}From here, the scrivener jumped to the last chapter heading 64{/i}]. Off the sentance, tit. 64 [{i}Successive chapter headings: 13, 41, 24-25, 11, 61-63{/i}].

  [{i}The author referred to Regiam maiestatem and other texts of the "Auld Lawis":{/i}] de exceptionibus, cap. 11, cap. 12 ex libro Sconeis (pag. 91). Sie the burrow laws, cap. 112 (pag. 126). Quoniam attachiamenta (pag. 134). [{i}Furthermore many references to statutes of Kings James I-VI and Queen Mary, and one reference to a statute by King Robert I, pag. 133{/i}].

  [{i}The author referred to the 'Form of Process' printed in 1609 after Skene's Scots translation of Regiam maiestatem:{/i}] at the 9 chap. of the Form of proces usit befor the Lords, set downe be Sir John Skein, Clerk of Registre (pag. 121).

  [{i}Further references which caught my eye:{/i}] Look the forme and process of the 27 chapdor [{i}pag. 112{/i}]. Sie the thrid book, 'Of the manse', at the 16, 17, 18 chapdors, and divers other places thairof [{i}pag. 120{/i}]