Manuscripta juridica

Ius proprium Scotiae - Practicks (general digest of law, alphabetical) 'Abbas' - 'Universities' .

Arranged alphabetically. Much of the text is written in Latin. Refers to Corpus iuris canonici; Corpus iuris civilis; Craig, 'Jus feudale' (very often quoted at length); Acts of Parliament; Acts of Sederunt; "Auld Lawis"; decisions (always announced by a letter 'd') - usually taken from the years 1624-1642 (see fol. 83r). No decision of earlier date caught my eye, but there are also some decisions 1661-1665, although very rare, e.g. on fol. 191v. A note in the margin of fol. 3r, by another hand, quotes Vinnius, Selectarum juris quaestionum libri.

[{i}An addition by another contemporary hand characterises the work:{/i}].

In this collection of my Lord Craigies he hes remarked but very few practiques and decisions of the Lords since the kings restoration and sitting doune of the Session in 1661. All that he hes observed will be found in the following leiffs: imprimis, 2 decisions since that tyme at folio third, item on folio 11, 108, 127 in calce, 68, 134, 143, 160 [{i}latest dates mentioned in these folios: 1664/6 fol. 160r; 1665/2 fol. 108v and 127v{/i}].

In sundry places he gives his opinion against decisions he relates out of Dury's Practiques, with the Lords their wavering and contrarieties: see foliis 77, 157 et passim. At folio 159 he praeferis the decision in Isobell Barons case to that in the Three Aikman sisters, as they are recorded by Craig in his Books Feudorum: vide supra, folio 172, 176 et sequens 177, wheir he interposes his oune judgement in some cases. See folio 180 wheir the rescissorie Act of Parliament in 1661 is cited, as also it's again repeated folio 182.

[{i}The references in the characterisation above obviously point to the following texts:{/i}].

(Fol. 77v, 'Holden as confest':) A defender to whose oath the lybell is referred being sonder hazard of caption, the Lords will not hold him as confest but will grant commission to take his oath privatly. This seems to be a dangerous preparative: d. 8 Junii 1624.

(Fol. 157v, 'Subscription':) The subscription of a writte which is null cannot be referred to the subscryvers oath, thereby to make the writte valide, unlesse also the verity of the debt and what is resting thereof be referred thereto also: d. 19 Feb. 1633. Sed vide 'Probation', 9 Feb. 1631, where the contrary is found, and it is our opinion lykewise that the parties confession of the subscription will obleidge him, but his alledgeance of payment will not exoner him, unlesse he can prove the payment aliunde.

(Fol. 157v, 'Substitution':) A band being granted to one person principally and to another substitute person, failzieing of the first be deceis, the first surviving the terme of payment, the band falls under his testament and belongs not to the substitute person: d. 22 Februarii 1623. But the contrare is found, and the band decerned to belong to the substitute person: d. 15 Januarii 1625 - which last decision is just, and - as we conceave - ought to be followed in such caices.

(Fol. 159r, 'Succession', criticism against Craig, 'Jus feudale', liber 2, diegesis 232:) Nos putamus decisionem Issobellae Baron bene judicatam esse. Nam si pater tenementum conquestum extraneo disposuisset, haeres ejus obligaretur ad implementum dictae obligationis de conquestu. Sed decisio inter Aickmannas non adeo placet. Nam procul dubio ultima resignatio jus totius feudi trahebat, quum pater semper in feudo et facultate disponendi remanebat, non obstantibus prioribus resignationibus, et filia tertii matrimonii succedebat jure provisionis in resignatione contentae.

(Fol. 176v, 'Trust':) Ane assignation being granted be husband and wife to their oun son, upon trust, after the the death of both father and son the trust may be proven be the witnesses insert, albeit their be no adminicle in writte: d. 24 Julii 1624. Nota, these decisions seem to be of a dangerous preparative, and therfor in our opinion the presumptions and circumstances should be very cleare.

(Fol. 177r, 'Tutor':) Ane tutor is lyable to his pupill for the rents of all lands quhair in his father dyed infeft and in possession, albeit the tutor intromett not therwith, and albeit the pupill be not infeft there intill - both which omissions are the tutors own faults. Item if a tutor dative find not caution de fideli administratione, he cannot persew active, neither can his aires be persewed be the pupill passive: d. 26 Januarii 1628. This seemes hard, seing he ought either not to take a gift of tutory, or otherwise to find caution in communi forma. The neglect whereof ought neither to prejudge the pupill nor profite the tutor.

(Fol. 180v, 'Warda':) Quedam sunt quae custodiam impediunt: primo, si vassallus habens feudum militare illud aliis valvasoribus disposuerit in emphiteusin pro annuo canone retornato fructui aequali vel majori. Et eo casu dominus durante warda accipiet tantum istum annuum canonem cum maritagio vassalli, et valvasor interea possidebit. Sed jam res devenit in alium casum, nam omnia acta Parliamenti ejusmodi emphiteuses approbantia et permittentia reducuntur recenti acto Parliamenti 1661. Ideoque tales emphiteuses feudi militaris recognitionem inducunt, neque wardam excludunt.

[{i}Title, written by a later hand, saec. XVII ex. or XVIII in.:{/i}] This law repertorie and collection ordine alphabetico is thought to have bein done by Sir Thomas Wallace of Craigie, lately on of the Lords of Session, and compiled by him for his readier use when he was ane advocat

---

Author(s):

• Thomas Wallace of Craigie

No. of pages: Fol. 1r-191v

Incipit:

• [{i}First entries:{/i}] Abbas is est qui monachali conventui preest, et non semper ex clericis olim erat, sed saepe etiam ex laicis. In jure civili abbas, archimonachus, abbatissa monacharum, antistita, are words of the same significatione. Praefici autem isti muneri nemo debet nisi sexagenaria virgo, etc.

  Absents, being laufullie sumoned, they are sundrie wayes wnlawed according to the diversitie of courts. Malcolm 2, cap. 8.

  Absentia variis modis sumitur in jure, vell enim sumitur pro absentia a sana mente, et sic fatuus, furiosus et pupillus 'absentes' dicuntur: lex Diem proferre, § Coram, ff. de receptis arbit. [D.4.8.27.5].

  [{i}Last entries:{/i}] Usus. A craftsman conducing loomes for exercing his trade is lyable in a yeirlie dewtie to the owner for the use thereof: d. 19 Merch 1630.

  Ususfructus: vide 'lyfrent', supra.

  Universities. The universities have fyfty pound out of every thousand merks of the rents of bishops and fourty pounds out of the thousand marks of ministers stipends yeirly

Explicit:

• for four yeirs, beginning in anno 1664: Act 23 November 1663. Finis.

  Fol. 193ra-195rb: Index to Fol. 1r-191v. [{i}Title, in handwriting saec. XVIII:{/i}] The index of the titles contained in the forsaid juridicall repertorie digested alphabetically by Sir Thomas Wallace - Lord Craigie