Manuscripta juridica

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

The entire volume was written by only one scribe on one type of paper only. The same scribe has also supplied additional material in the margin.

The digest contains extracts from the "Auld Lawis", acts of Parliament, and decisions from the late fifteenth century onward (e.g. 1491/2/27 in title 35 Of courts, 1505/4/23 in title 5 Of tearce). I found no systematic arrangement of propositions of law within the chapters - neither by kind of source, nor by chronology. Extracts from the same collection are preserved in MS Glasgow, Royal Faculty of Procurators, 18.3.5. See the description of that latter MS.

The author had a style book and refers to it: 'Sie my styles book fol. 78 cap. 118' [{i}old fol. 101v, title 56 'Probatione of the lybell be witness{/i}'].

The author refers quite frequently to legal practice at Aberdeen - for instance in chapter 47 Of litiscontestatione: 'This act of litiscontistation is called ane interloquitor befor inferior judges, as in Aberdeine, and in effect is set doune in proces befor the Lords fol. 114 cap. 11. But the Commissar of Aberdeine uses not to assigne ane particular day to the persewar for proveing of his lybell, if he hes nothing to prove but his lybell, but assignes him literatorie to prove anie day he pleiss, conforme to the reules of probatione. But if ther be ane replye to prove sith the lybell whilk takes away ane exceptione, he assignes fyfteine frie dayes to prove the samen, and right so in proveing of exceptiones.' [{i}The text passage corresponds to the MS at Glasgow{/i}].

The latest date which caught my eye was 1644/1/10 - in a text passage referring to legal practice at Aberdeen: 'Nobill contra [{i}free space{/i}] 1618, Mr. Johne Leith Commissar 12 Julie or therby 1621, Johne Reid contra Issobell Forbes relict of umquhill James Donoldsone and his bairnes, Mr. James Sandilands Commissar lyckwayes in causa Setoune Ladie Rollock and her spous contra Mr. Robert Farquhar' [{i}old fol. 85v, title 49 Ordour of proponeing exceptiones{/i}].

I take it that the author used Balfour's Practicks. Several series of chapter headings correspond to parallel series in Balfour, and I also found parallel references, mentioned below.

I collected some early quotations of judicial precedent, for spot checks:

[{i}Old fol. 5r, title 'Of tearce':{/i}] Iff ane dispones lands, reservand his wiffes terce, schee aught to have the saids terce lands mailles and dueties therof frae the dait of her husbands deceis. 1488 [{i}parties not named, and no day or month given. Not found in Balfour{/i}].

[{i}Old fol. 5v, title 4 'Of tearce':{/i}] Recognoscit lands be the superior for selling of the greatest pairt ... [{i}parties not named, 1505/4/23, Balfour p. 113 cap. 31: King c. Margaret Blair{/i}].

[{i}Old fol. 41r, title 28 'Of airs':{/i}] Item ane airis male us of waird lands: may not enter therto whill he be tuentie ane yeires ... The King and Alexander Ramsay of Dalhowsie [{i}1504/3/15, Balfour p. 228{/i}].

[{i}Old fol. 41r, title 28 'Of airs':{/i}] Item he who haldis land be service of waird and releiff and lyes out ... and whill he be laufullie enterid therto as said is [{i}1495/2/18{/i}]. The King contra the Earle of Crawford [{i}Balfour p. 228{/i}].

[{i}Old fol. 56r, title 35 'Of courts':{/i}] Item ane officiar of court may not poynd nor distreinzie any mans goodes ... Patrick Murray contra Alexander Tolleis [{i}1491/2/27, Balfour p. 274{/i}].

[{i}Yet, the author must also have used other collections. For instance, the following reference to a case 1588/2/29 long after Balfour's death cannot originate from Balfour:{/i}] The Laird of Drumquhassill contra the Laird of Glenegis [{i}old fol. 91v, title 52 'Of the aith of veritie'{/i}].

Furthermore, I sampled the following four quotations from chapter 47 'Of litiscontestatione':

[{i}1541/2/10{/i}] 'Tennents off [{i}free space{/i}] contra the burg of Selkirk'{/i} [{i}corresponds to MS Glasgow, and to Balfour p. 342{/i}].

[{i}1543/2/11{/i}] '{i}William Rutherford contra the Earle of Bothwell'{/i} [{i}corresponds to MS Glasgow, and to Balfour p. 316{/i}].

'cap. 15, fol. 191 cap. 278'{/i} [{i}corresponds to MS Glasgow{/i}].

'practised befor the Lords and now in anno 1631, sie fol. 191 cap. 278'{/i} [{i}corresponds to MS Glasgow{/i}].

Arrangement of the digest:marriage (1-5), orphans (6-7), feudal land holding (8-20), speedy remedies of procedure (21-22), charters (23), law of obligations (24-26), law of succession (27-29) and consequences in feudal law (30-34), procedural law: competence of courts (35-36), parties (37-38), their representatives (39), summons (40), court officials executing the summons (41), complications at the start of proceedings (42-46, {i}end of first part{/i}). Further course of proceedings from litiscontestation to judgment (47-64).

[{i}Title page:{/i}] Heir beginnes the first pairt of this Booke of Practiqus, contayning 46 titles [!{i}obviously some words skipped{/i}], and ends at the 110 page. And thairafter followis the second pairt, begining at the 110 page and first figure, and so to the ende, of divers good practiques, gathered, nottit and collectit befor the Lords and uther famous Judicatories. By Alexander Spalding advocat in Aberdeine, and wreiten be Patrik Whyt, notar publict, who entered thairto 16 December 1673

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Author(s):

• Alexander Spalding, advocate at Aberdeen

No. of pages: Fol. 87r-191v (old numbering 0-109v):

Incipit:

• Of the husband and the wife, tit. 1. Ane maried husband may persew and defend for his wiff in all courts and in all actiones to (vur?)neing wrong and violens, and if his wiff doe any injurie to her nighbour, and shee anser ... 131 chapdor of the burrow lawes

Explicit:

• and 36 chapders therof, wher the samen is set doune in perfyit ordour.

  [{i}Chapter headings:{/i}] Of the husband and the wyfe, tit. 1. Of mariadge, tit. 2. Of tocher good, tit. 3. Of conjunctfie, tit. 4. Of tearce, tit. 5. Of tutors, tit. 6. Of curators, tit. 7. Of superiors, tit. 8. Of vassalls, tit. 9. Of teynds, tit. 10. Of prescriptione, tit. 11. Of possessione, tit. 12. Of obligatione, tit. 13. Of payment and dischairge, tit 14. Of alienatione and infeftment, tit. 15. Of fraudfull and double dispositions and assignations, tit. 16 (with addition in lighter ink: lege Stellionatus puniuntur [D.47.20; C.9.34]). Of fewis, tit. 17. Of taylie, tit. 18. Of pertinentis of lands, tit. 19. Of seasings, tit. 20. Of restitutione of minors in integrum, tit. 21. Of interdictione and inhibitione, tit. 22. Of the properties and vices of chartouris and evidents, etc., tit. 23. Of pactione, borrowing, lending, and of pledges and cautioners, tit. 24. Of goods and geire and uther thinges given in keeping, tit. 25. Of taks and assedationes, tit. 26. Of testaments and letter willes, tit. 27. Of executors, tit. 27 [{i}again{/i}]. Of airs and successors, tit. 28. Moveable airshipe pertayneing to male or female - the burrow lawis cap. 125, Ja. 3, Par. 7 cap. 53 [{i}no title number, six pages long{/i}]. Of bastards, tit. 29. Of homage and fealtie, tit. 30. Of the mariadge of aires, tit. 31. Of ward and keeping of airs, tit. 32. Releife of aires, tit. 33. Of non-entres of aires, tit. 34. Of courts, judges and uther members of court, tit. 35. Of regalitie, tit. 36. Of persewars, tit. 37. Of the defendar, tit. 38. Of procurators, tit. 39. Of lybellis and sumonds and definitione of ane lybell, tit. 40. Of messingers and officiares, and of ther offices, tit. 41. Of warrand, tit. 42. Of minors and privileges granted to them, tit. 43. Of the sustentatione and keeping of minors, tit. 44. Of replegeatione, tit. 45. Of advocationes, tit. 46. Of litiscontestatione, 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, eleven pages long{/i}]. Of essongzeis and excusationes, tit. 50. Of probatione and diverse kynds therof, wherof ther is some alreadie spokine 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}not numbered{/i}]. Of the aith of veritie, tit. 52. De juramento in litem, tit. 53. Of probatione be wreit, tit. 54. Of probatione be witnessis, and of confessione off pairty, tit. 55. Probatione of the lybell be witness, tit. 56. Probatione of 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. Improbatione of wreits produced for probatione, tit. 61. The direct maner of improbatione, tit. 62. The indirect maner of improbatione, tit. 63. Of the sentance, tit. 64