Manuscripta juridica

Decisiones curiae supremae Scotiae - Practicks 1540-1549: fragm. (1541/3/13 - 1542/5/15) .

Remains of a very interesting experiment have been preserved here: an attempt was made to update Sinclair's Practicks by inserting pertinent parallel case reports by Maitland. The preserved text corresponds to the provisional edition's items 173-210 and 478-509. The scrivener penned good Scots and almost faultless Latin. He fully understood the legal argument and re-formulated parts of it in an intelligent manner. He was also familiar with Jus Commune quotations. The fact that not all quotations are correct must probably be blamed on mistakes in the model MS from which the scribe copied.

The items are not numbered. Dates are noted at the end of the items - if at all. Abstracts are written in separate lines between the items, as a sort of heading. Many of them largely correspond to the headings of the provisional edition. Because of the uniqueness of this document I list its contents more generously than in other cases and transcribe some of its items at length.

{i}Presence of items and dates and parties' names, collated to the provisional edition:

{/i}[{i}Fol. 1r-4v:{/i}] 173 (lacking the first line). Thereafter 174; [{i}item 175 is lacking{/i}]; 176 dated 1541/3/15; 177 dated 1541/3/17; 178 dated 'eodem die'; 179; 180 and 181 and 182 dated 'eodem die et anno'; 183 dated '18 March anno predicto', with quotation 'in cap. Cum contra, in verbo confessionis'; 184 dated 'eodem die'; 185 dated 'eodem die'; 186 dated '29 March'; 187 and 188 dated '22 Marcii'; 189 dated 'eodem die'; 190 dated '23 Marcii'; 191 and 192 dated 'eodem die'; 193 dated 'Eodem die, videlicet 24 Marcii 1541'; 194 dated '24 Marcii 1541'; 195 ending 'quod de consuetudine in hoc licet inter rusticos intervenire raro solet, 26 Marcii 1542'; 196 dated '3 Maii anno predicto'; 197 and 198 dated '6 Maii anno predicto'; 199 dated '7 of the said moneth anno predicto'; 200 and 201, the heading of the provisional edition's item 201 is inserted into the text - in brackets; 202 dated '13 Maii anno predicto'; 204, and 203 is appended to it; 205 dated 'the said day'; 206 dated 'eodem die'; 207 and 208 dated '15 Maii anno predicto'; 209 and 210 [{i}breaking off with the words{/i} 'agitur contra'].

[{i}Fol. 5r-7r:{/i}] 478 'et per istos Stephanum et Alanum ...'; 479 and 480 'Dominus de Restallrig petiit', dated 'eodem die'; 481; 482 and 483; 484 dated '29 March 1549'; 485 and 486 dated '3 Apr. 1547' with post scriptum dated 1549/5/19 as in nr. 486; 487 and 488 and 489; [{i}item 490 is lacking{/i}]; 491 dated 6 Apr. anno 1549; [{i}item 492 is lacking{/i}]; 493 dated 'eodem die'; 494 'The minister(!) of Crawfurd callit the Erle ... pro parte magistri', dated 'eodem die' [{i}fol. 7v-8v blank{/i}].

[{i}Fol. 9r-10r line 1:{/i}] 496 Heading corresponds verbatim. 'MacGomerie relict of N. Hamiltoun ...'. The wording of item 496 differs substantially from the provisional edition, and contains more Latin. To item 496, the heading and text of 497 and 498 are appended as if they did not report a separate case, and furthermore they are shortened and re-worded in Latin, and dated '29 March 1549'; 499; 500; 501 dated 'eodem die'; [{i}item 501 is lacking{/i}]; 502 and 503 and 504 and 505 'In causa domini de Durie contra Robert Stewart ...' [{i}last words:{/i}] '... becauss his father set the same and tuick the said Robertis gressum [{i}text continues in the first line of fol. 10r, but then breaks off:{/i}] and als obleist him to warrand the said tack to the samen Robert.' .

[{i}After three inserted items from Maitland's Practicks (see below), Sinclair's text continues in fol. 10r line 45 - 11r line 44, resuming in the provisional edition's item 505, with substantial variants:{/i}] Quhair the setter of ane tack is not abill to give to his tackis man the zeris quhilk the ward hes takin from him, his intrest may be provin and liquidat be the Lords. Lettres being raisit upon ane decreit against the said Jhon Ramsay, for suspentione thairof. He callit the said Robert to heir the saids lettres suspendit, quhill the liquidation of the said Robert his skaith, throw not warranting to him of the said 18 zeirs tack. And offered him to pay the same, it being liquidat - for he mycht not set him als many tackis efter the ward, becauss he had annalyet the landis of Castelland, quhilk (gif he had [thame] in his handis unannailliet) he haid been compellit to suffer the said Robert to bruik (for) the said auchten zeirs. Becaus of the practiq of Scotland, videlicet, quhairas ane man be resson of ward or non-entres is stopit to bruik (h)is tack, be resson of ward the laird of the land is oblest to suffer him to bruik the tack of thes land als many yeirs efter the said ward, as was to rin at the beginning of the ward and lesting thairof - as thair was in speciall producit befoir the Lords this day by McGill procurator for the said Robert ane decreit of the Lords given in anno 1540 betuix the Laird and Ladie Barnebougall and William Mowbray, ratifiand ane rolment of court given be the shireff of N. for the said William Mowbray, for bruiking the four oxingang clamit, for als many zeirs efter the ward as wer to rin of the saids William tack, maid be the said Laird to him befoir the said ward.

[{i}Item 506, with substantial variants:{/i}] Sed ad questionem nostram: the Lords upon the said supplication assingnit ane terme to the said Robert to liquidat his damnage and interest. Quhilk being maid be probation judiciall of the maills and dewties of the landis payit be the tenentis, for all maills and dewties ouint to the Laird first, and now to the wardator, being deducit, the Lords decernit the said Robert to pay the samyn to the said Robert of the pryces and quantites specialie provin now this day.

The said Jhone callit the said Robert to produce the said decreit of warrandice and liquidation and to heir the samyn retreited, cassit and annullit, diversis de causis:

Primo, quia the said decreit was given ex non sufficiente causa, videlicet becauss the said Jhonis father was obleist to warrand the sam to the said Robert, and did not the same, and he was put ther fra be resson of ward, as the decreit of warrandice buir expreslie.

[{i}Item 507, with substantial variants:{/i}] Quhilk causs the said Jhon alle(g)it not relivant of the law in respect of the tack, cum ex causa subsequente assedationem casu fortuito, videlicet morte domini superioris terrarum assedatarum, citra moram aut culpam illius Jo(ha)nnis and Robert(!) patris, et de jure communi periculum casu quovis modo (sustineret conductor, et non locator), nisi tantummodo ut ipse mercedem remittere tenetur conductori: argumentum legis Si merces § Vis major [D.19.2.25.6], et legis Si quis domum § Hic subiungi [D.19.2.9.1] et legis Ex conducto § 1, ff. locati [D.19.2.15.1-2]. Unde rationi consonum non erat (citra) remissione(m) mercedis quicquid a locatore petere, nec eum compelli ad warrantizandum. Hoc (de)super, prout dicitur in simili causa (quod) venditor terrarum nec de jure nec de practica regni Scotiae tenetur warrandtizare terras venditas a wardis, releivis et non-introitibus, nisi hoc speciale cautum sit inter contrahentes. Ergo nec in contractu locationis venit hoc warrandtum, et non-introitus warrandtizatur, nisi specialiter in contractu sit cautum et expresse ad haec se obligaverit locator. Quia ad paria regulantur emptio venditio, conductio locatio. Et hincinde eadem ratio militat. Ergo servanda est eadem juris dispositio.

Secundo, dictum decretum erat injuste latum, decerning warandice, ut (in)supra. Et similiter decretum liquidationis et condempnationis ad interesse ipsius Roberti throw the not-bruiking of the landis ratione assedationis, quia ipse Robert bruikit the saids landis the said 18 zeirs, paying to the wardator allenarlie thairfor the malls and dewties contenit in the said assedation, and no mor, and thairfor the said decreit of warrandice and liquidation was wrongouslie given, decernand interess quhair ther was none, becauss the said Robert payit na mor to the said wardator nor he sould have done to him. And sua he had no skaith. And that it was wrong for 18 yeirs t(r?)oyss 18 zers and proffeitis alsweill doubill, as said is. Et hoc casu ipse Robert lucuplebatur cum jactura ipsius Johannis, for he gat the proffeits of the saidis zeirs, quhairof he had nothing.

[{i}Item 508, with substantial variants:{/i}] To the first resson it was anssert be McGill for Robert, that this impediment (quhairthro Robert mycht not bruik the landis ratione assedationis) cam ex causa de preterito et antecedente, videlicet be the common law and practiqu of Scotland, be the quhilk the ward perteines to the croune, and fra this na man is exeimed. Hunc casum vardae evenire potuisse providere debuerat ipse locator, et precavere, et sibi in eventum ilius providere, ut non teneretur. Cum non fecit, imputet sibi. Item albeit contra decretum militare videtur comperatio emptionis venditionis, conductionis et locationis, et comparatio inter venditas et locatas terras, tamen he rationes hic non militant, quia iis non obstantibus, de practica regni Scotiae, quhenever the tacksman is put fra his tack be resson of ward, having zeirs to rin, the said tacksman hes as many zeris efter the said ward as he want thairthrow. Et ita decretum fuit supra. Et illud decretum productum supra de data at Edinburgh 1540 zeirs, togidder with the said schireffs rolment of court ... lex Si quis domum, ff. locati [D.19.2.9].

[{i}Item 509, with substantial variants:{/i}] And quhair Jhon said he ouint non, quia intus habebat quod petebat and bruikit the landis the said 18 yeirs, as said is ... Ideo ratione assedationis non servatae rite petit

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Author(s):

• John Sinclair later Bishop of Brechin

No. of pages: Fol. 1r-11r line 44: