What is it about?
This is a detailed study of a sixteenth-century Scottish scribe and a manuscript that he copied in 1548. It traces the scribe's personal biography and his multiple roles as a chaplain and notary in Edinburgh, before and after the Scottish Reformation.
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Why is it important?
This study adds another named scribe to the few that are known from Scotland in the sixteenth century. The manuscript, which is now at the University of St Andrews, was held in a private collection until 2016 and is comparatively unknown: a full description and details of its provenance history are given.
Perspectives
Tracking the life and career of a late medieval scribe and notary, following his legal activities and discovering details of his family, has been a fascinating journey. I'm sure there's still more to be found as well, so this detective trail continues and I'm delighted to still be researching this area with my co-author.
Professor Margaret Connolly
University of St Andrews
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Writing the Law in Late Medieval and Early Modern Scotland: Regiam maiestatem, the Marchmont Manuscript (now St Andrews MS 39000), and its Scribe Robert Ewyn, Notary, The Scottish Historical Review, August 2024, Edinburgh University Press,
DOI: 10.3366/shr.2024.0669.
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