The Community of the College of Justice

This is the first institutional history of Scotland's 18th-century civil court and its legal community. 18th-century Edinburgh owed much to the men who worked in the Court of Session as members of the unique institution known as the College of Justice. James Boswell, Lord Kames, Henry Dundas and Walter Scott are just some of those who emerged from the College to influence Scotland's place in Europe. The Court of Session records uncovered by John Finlay show a cross-section of Scottish society experiencing Edinburgh's legal processes in the 18th century. This study investigates the important role of College members in the cultural and economic flowering of Scotland as a whole, and Edinburgh in particular, and argues that a single Law institution had a marked influence on the Scottish cultural landscape to the present day. This is an original and wide-ranging study based on primary sources, including newly discovered records from the Court of Session. It gives you insights into the history of urban administration, the legal profession and the Court of Session. It considers the legal and social community responsible for the development of Scots law at a key period in its development. It is suitable for anyone studying the sources and singularity of Scots Law, and the social history of the 18th century.